Chamber Orchestra
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Chamber Orchestra |
Instructions to View: Left click to zoom in. Right click to zoom out. Click and drag to move the image. Please wait and the image will slowly improve. Master Sinfonia Chamber Orchestra musicians come from all walks of life. They are all volunteers. By day they are attorneys, a dietician, a physician, teachers and software engineers, among others. Although an amateur group, they maintain professional standards under the musical direction of Maestro David Ramadanoff. Because of its reputation as one of the finest musical ensembles on the San Francisco Peninsula, Master Sinfonia has been able to attract and retain highly accomplished musicians. Several members have been with the orchestra since its first years. Such dedication shows itself in the quality of its performances. The sense of camaraderie and joy in music making is strongly evident. Below is a sample list of the musicians that make up the orchestra.
Kathryn Barnard, flute; manager of flutes and oboes Kathryn is an attorney practicing heath care business law and has been a member of Master Sinfonia since 1991. A native of Northeastern Ohio, Kelly Beecher studied doublebass with Lawrence Angell, Principal Bass of the Cleveland Orchestra, and received his Bachelor of Music degree from Kent State University. Kelly served as Principal Bass for the Canton Symphony Orchestra, Wheeling Symphony Orchestra and Ohio Light Opera. He has also played with the North Carolina Symphony, Toledo Symphony Orchestra, Fort Wayne Philharmonic and Akron Symphony, among others. Kelly also participated in the Blossom Festival School of the Cleveland Orchestra as both a student and as guest artist. To support his music habit, he is the Information Technology Manager for two local offices of a global corporate law firm. Lynda grew up in a tiny logging town in the Cascade Mountains in Washington State. She played flute in the high school band and tenor sax for one year in the dance band. While at Washington State University, she played in the marching band one season. After arriving in the Bay Area with a degree in Microbiology, she wanted to play in an orchestra but was probably going to have to learn to play an instrument that was needed, since there were many flute players here. She began the cello in Beginning Strings at Foothill College and went on from there. After playing in several local orchestras, she joined Redwood Symphony and has performed with Master Sinfonia since 1996. She enjoys chamber music, pit orchestras, reading mysteries, and cooking, and is well known for her cookies. John Burton, horn; manager of brass Hornist John Burton is an active chamber and orchestral player in the San Francisco Bay Area. Before attending Stanford University, he studied with George Cable and Wendell Hoss in San Diego, where he was principal horn and soloist with the San Diego Chamber Orchestra and Civic Youth Orchestra. While at Stanford from 1973 to 1978, he was principal horn with the Stanford Symphony, appeared as soloist with the Stanford Chamber Orchestra, and co-founded the Sequoia Chamber Soloists with his wife, pianist Hélène Wickett. In addition to a wide range of chamber music activities since then, John has served as principal horn with Master Sinfonia since the 1985-86 season. He has appeared as soloist with both the Master Sinfonia and the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra, including performances of concerti by Strauss, Mozart and Telemann. A geotechnical engineer by profession, John was a principal at Rutherford & Chekene Consulting Engineers for 21 years, where he was responsible for the foundations of major projects such as the Monterey Bay Aquarium; Doe Library and Hearst Mining Building at UC Berkeley; Braun Music Center, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, and the restoration of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hanna House. Since 1999, he has been a member of the civil engineering group at Exponent Failure Analysis Associates in Menlo Park, and continues to serve as a Senior Consultant to Rutherford & Chekene. Mr. Burton resides in Redwood Shores, where he also engages in the somewhat pathological hobby of collecting and restoring vintage sports/racing cars, then driving them in rallies and races. Charles Calvert, cello; principal Charles Calvert became the youngest member of the Sacramento Symphony when his cello teacher, August Heilbron, drafted him for second desk in 1960. He played with the orchestra through 1966 and then again when he returned from England in 1997. During a 22-year stay in England, he was active both in orchestras and in solo performances with the BBC and at halls including Wigmore Hall, the Fairfield Hall and St.Martin’s-in-the-Fields. Calvert’s teachers have included Colin Hampton, Margaret Rowell, Zara Nelsova at Aspen and Vladimir Orloff at the Vienna Academy of Music. Calvert is principal cellist with the Coastside Community Orchestra, with which he has been soloist in concerti including those by Haydn, Elgar and Dvorak. He is a member of the Musicians’ Union, Local 6, San Francisco. He joined Master Sinfonia as principal cellist in 1999. Meave began her musical studies in piano at the age of four, and started studying the oboe when she was sixteen. A native of New York, she received her Master of Music degree in woodwind performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 2003, and her Bachelor of Music degree (magna cum laude) from the Boston University College of Fine Arts in 2001. She has maintained an active freelancing career since moving to California, performing in a number of Bay Area ensembles (often as a featured soloist), and spent the summer of 2002 touring the United States, Armenia and Russia as a member of the American Russian Young Artists' Orchestra. Her primary teachers include Bill Bennett, principal oboe of the San Francisco Symphony; Eugene Izotov, principal oboe of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; Robert Sheena, English horn player of the Boston Symphony; and Ralph Gomberg, former principal oboe of the Boston Symphony. Meave has served as principal oboe of Master Sinfonia since 2001. Terry took up the clarinet at age ten and has played more or less continuously ever since. He has served as the principal clarinetist for Master Sinfonia since 1989. He has previously played with a number of orchestras, including the San Jose Youth Symphony, the University of Colorado, Boulder, Symphony Orchestra, the Stanford Symphony and Chamber Orchestra, the U.C. Berkeley Symphony, the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra and other Bay Area ensembles. In addition to orchestral playing, he has performed the Mozart Clarinet Concerto, the clarinet chamber music of Mozart and Brahms and various other chamber works. He has studied clarinet with Art Holton, Clement Hutchinson, Paul Mamet and John Ziegler. He lives with his wife and their son in San Carlos. Amy Duxbury, bassoon; manager of clarinets and bassoons Amy received her Performer's Certificate from the Eastman School of Music, studying bassoon with K. David Van Hoesen and Ryohei Nakagawa. She moved to the Bay Area in 1996 after living and playing in New York City for many years. In New York, Amy performed and recorded (on the bassoon) with the rock band, Ila's Dress. Currently an East Palo Alto resident, Amy was a concerto soloist and principal bassoonist with the Palo Alto Philharmonic, and was a featured recital soloist with the Soiree Musicale in December, 2001. She is the bassoonist in the Palo Alto Winds, a very active woodwind quintet (www.PaloAltoWinds.com). By day Amy is the Regional Office Administrator of the patent law firm Finnegan Henderson and is president-elect of the Silicon Valley Association of Legal Administrators. Sue-Marie began studying the violin at the age of 12 and switched to the viola when she was 35 in order to avoid sitting next to her ex-husband (also a violinist) in the local symphony. She fell immediately in love with the deeper, darker tones of the "bigger fiddle" and has enjoyed playing with the Fresno Philharmonic, the University of CA, Davis Symphony Orchestra, the Camellia Orchestra, and the Sacramento Philharmonic. Currently, she plays in a local string quartet and plays chamber music as often as she can fit it into her schedule. Sue-Marie is a member of CMNC (Chamber Musicians of Northern CA) and is treasurer for the NCVS (Northern CA Viola Society). She has played with Master Sinfonia since moving to the Bay Area in 2001. Sue-Marie is a registered dietitian specializing in weight loss, diabetes, and kidney disease. Julie started playing violin in the fourth grade with the Compton, California public school system music program, run by Ralph Matesky. That year, she joined the school-district-wide full orchestra that gave concerts regularly, often performing arrangements by Mr. Matesky like "Cowboy Rhapsody," full of western songs and parts of the William Tell Overture, by Rossini. It made playing an instrument a lot of fun. Julie switched to viola as a high school senior, when she got a chance to tour England and Wales with Idyllwild's School of Music and the Arts. Directed by Mr. Matesky, the tour included accompanying soloists Michael Tilson Thomas (piano), Elizabeth Matesky (violin) and Welsh opera singer, Glynis Johns. After high school, Julie continued studying viola at UCLA and joined the Master Sinfonia in the 1970's after moving to northern California. When not fiddling, Julie travels as a technical instructor at a software company, plays tennis and attends as many SF Giants baseball games as she can. GO GIANTS! Dr. Hershey is a retired pediatrician, wife of Dr. William Hershey, mother, and grandmother. She began her cello studies at age 9 years in a grade school music program in Libertyville, IL, her hometown. She played in the Youth Orchestra of Greater Chicago and in the Oberlin College Symphony Orchestra. As an adult, she studied cello with Irving Klein for eight years and with Steven Harrison. During that time she performed recitals of cello and piano sonata literature with pianist Theresa Ansuriza. She joined Master Sinfonia in the early 1980's. She has played with the Portola Trio (flute, harpsichord, and cello) for 25 years, plays frequently in a variety of other chamber ensembles, and has served on the Board of Directors for the Irving M. Klein Memorial String Competition. Frances Hybertsen, violin / viola
Fran started violin lessons at age 7 and was much encouraged by her music-loving parents. She played in the Pasadena Symphony during her high school years. She played both violin and viola in the Pomona College orchestra. She was a Red Cross hospital recreation worker during WWII, entertaining service personnel with sing-a-longs and general music using the violin and a rolling piano. After her children were grown, she played in the Mills College Orchestra and then with Master Sinfonia from 1972 until the present. She also plays in string quartets for weddings and parties. Pat could read music before she could read words. Her pianist mother started Pat’s piano lessons before the age of two. By the age of 10, however, she had switched to the violin, and by the age of 13 she was in the first violin section of the Oakland Symphony Orchestra (when it was still a local community ensemble). After graduating from Pomona College and getting a Master’s in Musicology at Columbia University, she studied music in Germany and obtained a full credential in Dalcroze Eurhthmics. From 1966-1973, Pat returned to perform with the Oakland Symphony once again, but by this time the orchestra had attained increased stature in the music world. From 1974-1980, Pat was again back in Germany as a music teacher and as a member of the Bodensee Symphony and toured with the orchestra in Switzerland, Italy and Spain. Over the past 30 years, Pat has performed with many orchestras, including the Santa Rosa Symphony, the Vallejo Symphony, the Northeast Pennsylvania Philharmonic Orchestra, the Corning Symphony, and the Ithaca Opera Company. From 1981-1995 she played in the first violin section with the San Jose Symphony. Currently, Pat appears with the Fremont-Newark Symphony and the Mission Chamber Orchestra, and has been a member of Master Sinfonia since 2000. She has also had a full career of teaching music and currently teaches at Metropolitan Adult Education in San Jose, at the Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church Music School and teaches privately. Jane Johnson, violin; manager of strings For a kid who inexplicably demanded a violin at age 9, growing up in northern Indiana offered few musical opportunities. Eventually there were lessons in Chicago and then in Boston during a liberal arts college education. Graduate work brought Jane to the West Coast where she earned a Ph.D. in Musicology at UC Berkeley, specializing in English music of the 17th century and playing viola da gamba and baroque violin in early music ensembles. An academic career and family responsibilities limited recreational playing for many years. But from a brief stint in the first violin section of the Honolulu Symphony (a "breather" during grad school), Jane knew her performing interests were in smaller ensembles, such as Master Sinfonia, which she joined in 1983. Ten years ago she bought a viola and became a "switch-hitter," playing mostly viola in string quartets, her passion, and mostly violin, her first love, in orchestra. Richard (Rick) Leder was born in New Jersey and lived in New Jersey, Minnesota and Connecticut before moving from Minnesota to California in 1987 to join the Biology research staff of Stanford University. After teaching biology at Santa Clara University, teaching chemistry at Grinnell College, and directing research into the cause of the skin disease, psoriasis, Rick obtained training in secondary education, but then elected to pursue a musical career as a trumpeter. Prior to 1999, his major teachers included Charles Schlueter (now of the Boston Symphony) and Robert Nagel (at Yale). Since 1999, Rick has studied trumpet with numerous outstanding players in the Bay Area, and currently studies with Rob Roy McGregor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Rick performs around the Bay Area on the Herald trumpet as a member of Gabriel's Trio, and as a freelance cornetist, trumpeter and bugler. He also teaches trumpet privately in Palo Alto, and is writing a book about trumpet technique and pedagogy. His daughter (born in 1994) studies violin, and his wife, Cherrill Spencer (birthday undisclosed), is an avid member of Stanford's high-energy physics research community, of A.W.I.S., and of the Bay Area's best musical audiences. Rick has played with the Master Sinfonia since 1999. Birgitte Moyer-Vinding, violin and assistant concertmaster It goes without saying that music is an important part of Birgitte’s life. She has a bachelor’s degree in Music, a master’s degree in Music, and a Ph.D. in Musicology, all from Stanford University. Currently she is Professor of Music at Notre Dame de Namur University. She was Chair of the Music Department at the College of Notre Dame from 1976-2000. Besides performing on the violin with Master Sinfonia since 1975 and holding the position of assistant concertmaster, Birgitte also has been performing since 1995 with the Redwood Symphony, and is concertmaster there. Ondine doesn’t remember when she started playing the violin, only that it was sometime around fifth grade. She stopped playing at the age of 14 in order to pursue athletic goals. When she was 32 she got a bee in her bonnet that she just had to play the violin again, so she called around until she found a suitable instructor in Danica Terzic. After a year she joined the Foothill College Orchestra and played with the group for three years. In 2002 Ondine began to study with Daniel Kobialka, who encouraged her to audition for Master Sinfonia. Ondine produces math and science textbooks, spends time with her dog, and gets as much exercise as she can. She plans to work at playing the violin at least until she can play the solo part of the Tschaikovsky concerto (if she lives that long...). Douglas Perry, violin and concertmaster Doug began violin lessons at the age of six and played with many student ensembles and orchestras during his high school and college years. Upon graduating from the University of Southern California, Doug played in the Dallas Symphony Orchestra until he was called to serve as a Naval flight officer. While in the Navy, Doug was stationed at Moffett field, and in 1967 he discovered Master Sinfonia. Doug played with Master Sinfonia until 1971, when he moved away to teach in the Santa Rosa school district. In 1979 Doug returned to the South Bay to accept a job with Hewlett-Packard and, after an absence of eight years, he rediscovered Master Sinfonia. Doug has been playing with the orchestra ever since and also serves as Concertmaster. By day, Doug is a software development engineer with Hewlett-Packard and, not surprisingly, plays in the HP Symphony and is Concertmaster there, too! Doug also plays in chamber music groups for weddings and other local events. Ari started playing the violin in the 4th grade, inspired by his future teacher, Charles Giskin, when he played The Lone Ranger Theme at a school meeting. Ari continued his studies and played as Concertmaster of his high school, as well as principle second violinist for the Santa Clara Youth Orchestra, and as a member of the El Camino Youth Orchestra. Through these years, he competed in the San Jose Music competition and received two Command Performances, three Blue Ribbon awards, and two Red Ribbon awards. In his senior year, he received the Bank Of America award in music, which also included demonstrating a knowledge in music theory and history. In college, he played in the UC Davis Orchestra. After college, he played in a number of groups including the Santa Clara University Orchestra, the Winchester Orchestra, and eventually performed with the Redwood Symphony Orchestra for several years. Currently, he is an active member of Master Sinfonia since 1997. Outside of regular concert series, Ari has played in international folk bands, chamber ensembles for weddings, and duets for various social events. He has a special passion to play in community theater musicals, where the music offers him special challenges and the opportunity to play viola, guitar and mandolin. Some highlights include his performing in the Children Opera’s at the San Francisco Herbst Theater, playing lead violin in the West coast premier of Titanic, playing the role of the on-stage guitarist for Man of La Mancha, and performing on the octave-mandolin for Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Kay was born in Milan, Indiana but came out to California at the age of three and a half. His first instrument was the trombone, which was given to him when he was nine. He added the piano at age 12 and the violin at 15. While at San Jose State College (it was a college then), Kay majored in music/ teaching, with his major instrument being the piano. His twin brother, Jay, who also attended SJS, was a police major. Upon graduation in 1955 Kay went on for a Masters Degree in composition. He eventually obtained that degree in 1963, having studied with Stanley Hollingworth, a pupil of Gian Carlo Menotti. Kay taught in East Palo Alto, Ravenswood School District for 12 years (instrumental music for 4th through 8th grade). He was choir director at the Wesley Methodist Church in San Jose from 1958-1968. In 1968 he went to the La Honda-Pescadero Unified School District and taught instrumental, vocal and classroom music from kindergarten through high school. He also taught an adult class in guitar at Pescadero High School. Kay retired from teaching in 1990. Clearly, music has always been an important part of Kay’s life. He studied string bass in college and played it in the early sixties. He studied bass with Donald Homuth. He returned to the string bass in the middle seventies and has been playing this instrument ever since. In addition to performing with Master Sinfonia since 2000, he plays bass for the Peninsula Symphony Orchestra, the Palo Alto Philharmonic, the Nova Vista Symphony, the Mission Chamber Orchestra, and other groups as well. In 1985 he joined the Coastside Community Orchestra in Half Moon Bay, became assistant conductor in 1988 and conductor in 1991. He has been the CCO conductor/music director since that time. He became the conductor of the Coastside Chorale in 1999 and the conductor of the Gordon Steven Peninsula Trombone Choir in the summer of 2000. Kay’s music compositions include two Clarinet Concerti dedicated to Barbara Cohn who introduced them; a Cello Concerto; a Concerto for Bassoon Chamber Orchestra; a Concerto for Brass Quintet and Full Orchestra; two Song Cycles based on the poems of Emily Dickinson (soprano, and mezzo soprano); five Songs of A.E. Housman (tenor); a Piano Quartet; a Piano Quintet (unfinished); and a number of other compositions for various combinations of instruments. David studied flute at the Rheinische Musikhochshule in Cologne, Germany, and later went on to study baroque flute and baroque music performance at Guildhall School of Music in London, England. Discovering the beauty of the wooden one-keyed flute led to David wrapping his Boehm system metal flute around the lamp post outside his London house, swearing never to touch that evil piece of plumbing again. A move to San Francisco led to an intensive period of baroque flute trio-sonata performances with Jean Nandi on the harpsichord, under the auspices of the San Francisco Early Music Society, and other groups. Over-exposure to Baroque Trio Sonatas led in turn to a violent desire to play gushingly romantic violin at a rather late age. The campaign to achieve this cost him dearly in lost social life and headaches. However he "came out" in the mid-nineteen eighties in the form of a very second violin (he should have been third), in the Peninsula Symphony Orchestra. He then went from there to the first violin section of the Redwood Symphony, and from there to the first section of the Master Sinfonia in 1994. Paula (also known as Maitreyee to a few) was born in Manchester, England but spent much of her first 10 years living in India, mainly Calcutta. She and her family then moved to San Francisco where she soon started with her school music program on violin. By 7th grade, she joined the Jr. High School orchestra and began taking lessons with a Suzuki teacher at the Community Music School in San Francisco. She continued to play with her high school orchestras and youth symphony groups in the Bay Area. From the mid ‘80s onwards, she was a member of the Redwood Symphony. From the late ‘80s to mid ‘90s she lived in the Boston area and played music with amateur orchestras, such as Longwood Symphony, New England Philharmonic, Newton Symphony, the MIT and Harvard pick-up orchestras, and Longy Summer Orchestra. After returning to the Bay Area in the late '90s, she rejoined the Redwood Symphony and Master Sinfonia, and on occasion has played with the Peninsula Symphony, the Stanford Symphonic Chorus, the Laudamus Singers, and chamber groups. Paula works as a technical writer in the computer industry. Bill began playing the cello at the age of 8, nurtured in his interest by his parents. His early chamber music experience was with his father and friends. During high school years Bill played in many New Jersey music organizations, such as the All-State Orchestra, where he was principal cellist. As a student at Harvard College, Bill played in the Bach Society Orchestra as well as various operatic and musical productions. He also played trumpet in a small jazz ensemble during college years. New to Master Sinfonia in 2002, Bill has regularly played with the Palo Alto Philharmonic Orchestra, and with the Coastside Community Orchestra. A founding member of the Palo Alto Chamber Ensemble, Bill enjoys performing in string quartets. An amateur musician by night, Bill is the founder and President of a management consulting firm by day. Bill is married to Silicon Valley executive Carla Schneiderman; they have two children. Gail, a native Californian, started her life of music on trombone and still plays that instrument in musicals and other community groups. At Saratoga High School, Gail was persuaded to play bassoon and subsequently became a member of California Youth Symphony and the San Jose Youth Symphony. During these years she toured with these organizations throughout California and Europe. After attending San Jose State for two years, she received a scholarship to Indiana University where she concentrated on bassoon, graduating in 1985. During the day, Gail is a "stay-at-home Mom", participating in school and afterschool activities with her two children, Alea and David, both of whom are enthusiastic members of the audience when she is performing or rehearsing. Gail's husband, Jordan, is also a musician playing with many groups in the South Bay. In addition to playing with Master Sinfonia, Gail is a regular member of the Fremont Symphony and Ensemble Monterey. She also freelances with the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra, Monterey Bay Symphony, San Francisco Community College Opera, S.F. Korean Master Chorale, Lyric Theater and other professional and community groups in the Bay Area. Cynthia, a Palo Alto native, learned piano at the age of four from her parents. After then studying flute two years, she announced her desire to pursue cello upon attending a California Youth Symphony (CYS) concert at the age of nine, where her cousin was principal French Horn. The beautiful violoncello has been the instrument of choice ever since! Cynthia studied with Irene Sharp for many years, after commencing with Barbara Wirth and Irvine Klein, and at Stanford University studied with Bonnie Hampton and Gabor Rejto. She was a seven-year member of CYS (two years as co-principal cellist) and four years in the Stanford Symphony and Opera orchestras, along with participating in many youth festivals and camps. Her sister was a CYS concertmistress and many family members are musically active. After mistakenly taking a ten year break, Cynthia resumed cello, then had two daughters, and now has resumed playing again. Her five year old daughter, Britt D'Arezzo, has been studying cello with Ms. Sharp for a year! Three year old Olivia also "wants to play cello", while husband Tom plays trumpet. On the side, Cynthia operates an interior design business "D'Arezzo Design", swims, gardens, travels, and attempts the art of ballet... On advice of his late uncle, virtuoso Tuba player John Fletcher, Paul made the career decision at age 16 to study engineering. Despite this, he went on to become concertmaster of the county youth orchestra, and was awarded a Licentiate of Trinity College of Music, London. Engagements with semi-professional orchestras in England ended in 1993 with Paul's relocation to the Bay Area. Then ensued the search for a quality local orchestra, which he found with Master Sinfonia, and has been a member of the orchestra since 1995. Paul is Vice President of product management for ethernet switching at Nortel Networks. Born in the UK, Toni started playing the violin at age 10. She studied under Rosemary Rapaport at the Royal Academy of Music in London, and upon leaving "converted" to the viola. She hasn't looked back since. For many years she enjoyed a successful career teaching and freelancing. Toni has been playing viola with Master Sinfonia since 1995, and currently combines raising a young family with a violin teaching position at the Harker School. George began piano lessons in Dayton, Ohio at age six, followed by clarinet in the 4th grade and oboe in high school. He avoided the oboe for seven years during graduate school (getting a Ph.D. in chemistry at Michigan State) but returned to it soon after moving to California in 1992. George has been Principal Conductor of the Hewlett-Packard Symphony Orchestra since 1994, and he was one of four conductors in Redwood Symphony's 1998 performance of Ives's fourth symphony. As an oboist, he appears regularly with Redwood Symphony and the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra, and he has performed with Peninsula Symphony, Nova Vista Symphony, and West Valley Light Opera in addition to Master Sinfonia. Lisa Zadek is the principal second violin for Master Sinfonia, and is also currently a member of Berkeley Symphony Orchestra. She was the concertmaster of the Redwood Symphony for ten years and performed as soloist several times. Ms. Zadek has also performed with Modesto Symphony, Stockton Symphony, Napa Symphony, Santa Cruz Symphony, and Monterey Symphony. She is a graduate of San Francisco State University in violin performance. Being a freelance musician, Ms. Zadek has participated in many special events in the Bay Area, performed for many “headliner” shows, and performs in many local musical theatre productions, including TheatreWorks, Pocket Opera, PCLO, and Foothill Musical Theatre. Ms. Zadek has a musical group, Solo to Trio that provides music for weddings, receptions, and parties of any size. For information on how to order tickets, select {Ticket Information}. |