PEORIA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Symphony Guild President
Job Titles:
- Artistic Operations Manager
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Position of Executive Director
Anthony Marotta accepted the position of Executive Director of the Peoria Symphony Orchestra in April 2022 after serving four years with the Washington, DC-based Boulanger Initiative as both General Manager of Finance and Director of Development. Combining his artistic and administrative skills, he advanced The Boulanger Initiative's mission of promoting music composed by women through performances, education, and commissions. Prior to his time in Washington, he served for many years as Director of Operations and Artistic Administration and as a Board Member and Executive Committee Member for Greenville Symphony Orchestra in South Carolina.
An accomplished and active performing musician, he was the Principal Clarinet of the Greenville Symphony Orchestra for twenty-four years. A position he left in 2022. His other orchestral positions include Principal Clarinet of the Augusta Symphony Orchestra, Associate Principal Clarinet of the Filarmonica de Queretaro (Mexico), Principal Clarinet of the Long Bay Symphony Orchestra, and clarinetist with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.
An avid chamber music performer, Marotta was the Artistic and Executive Director of the Carolina Chamber Players from 1996 to 2000 and was also a member of the Ventus Wind Quintet, which toured throughout Mexico. He performed extensively with the internationally acclaimed Miro Quartet, including performances of Brahms' quintet for clarinet and strings and Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time. He has performed Mozart's Quintet for Clarinet and Strings with famed cellist Lynn Harrel. Additionally, he served as the Creative Director and host of the Greenville Symphony Orchestra's "Spotlight" chamber music series from 2005 to 2010.
During his tenure with the Greenville Symphony, Marotta facilitated the commissions of two original works: Zero to Sixty (2007) by Rome Prize winner Mark Kilstofte, to celebrate the orchestra's sixtieth anniversary and Concerto for Bass Viol and Orchestra (2005) by critically acclaimed composer John Harbison. Under his leadership with Carolina Chamber Players, the organization commissioned three original works by South Carolina composer, Gordon "Dick" Goodwin.
As a soloist, Marotta has performed concertos with several orchestras throughout the country, including nine separate engagements with the Greenville Symphony Orchestra -most notably his 2005 performance of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto which the orchestra included in a commemorative recording to celebrate Mozart's 250th birthday.
As a music educator, Marotta has served on the faculties of Furman University, Clemson University, the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts & Humanities, Benedict College, Claflin University, and Camp Encore/Coda in Sweden, Maine.
In a brief sojourn outside of music, Marotta was asked in 2010 to be a Founding Partner in charge of recruiting and marketing for the startup healthcare IT consulting firm Blue Cirrus Consulting, a position he held for five years. Blue Cirrus Consulting, now a national leader in telehealth was named by Becker's Hospital Review as a "top telehealth company to know" for four consecutive years.
Marotta is a graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy, where he studied with Richard MacDowell. He received a Bachelor's Degree from Northwestern University as one of the last students of the famous clarinetist Robert Marcellus and earned his Master's Degree from the University of South Carolina where he studied with Doug Graham. He received years of training in chamber music with members of the Cleveland Orchestra at the Blossom Music Festival in Cleveland, OH, in Chicago with members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and in Los Angeles, CA with members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. His other primary teachers include Mark Nuccio (Houston Symphony) and Louis Baez (San Francisco Symphony).
Job Titles:
- Member of the Officers Team
- President
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Administrative Law Judge
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Richwoods High School, Director of Bands
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Stellar Systems, Inc. Development Director
Job Titles:
- Member of the Officers Team
- Treasurer
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Troublefree Plumbing Inc., President
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Orchestra Representative - Non - Voting
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Springfield Clinic, Program Manager
Dimitra Procopos was born and raised in Yorkville, Illinois. After graduating from Yorkville High School she furthered her education at Bradley University in Peoria where she earned her BA in Graphic Design. During her time at Bradley, she interned at the Pekin Chamber of Commerce and the Peoria Symphony Orchestra where she created multiple marketing pieces for the 126th Season. After graduating Summa Cum Laude from BU, Dimitra continues to work for the PSO as a Marketing Assistant.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Quest Charter Academy, Executive Director
Emma Hartzell joined the Peoria Symphony Orchestra staff as the Development Associate in July 2023, after working as a professional music educator for eight years. Originally from Eureka, IL, Emma went on to study music education at Western Illinois University in Macomb. During her tenure, she taught private lessons through the Community Music School hosted on WIU's campus. In the summer of 2015, she accepted her first teaching position at Illini Bluffs CUSD in Glasford, IL, where she spent four years teaching choral and elementary general music to students grades 5-12. Beginning in 2019, Emma held the position of Director of Choral Activities at Limestone Community High School in Bartonville, IL, where she taught theatre and choral music courses. In addition, Emma directed the fall play and spring musical productions, and served as the director and coordinator of the renowned LCHS Madrigal Dinner. During her four years teaching at LCHS, she gained additional experience in leadership by serving on the Curriculum Council and Lead Teacher Committees.
Emma is an active performing musician in the Peoria Area, and has recently sung with the Bradley Community Choir, Peoria Area Civic Chorale, and the Peoria Bach Festival Choir. She was a sustaining performer of the Peoria Lumiere Chamber Choir under the direction of Dr. John Jost, professor emeritus of Choral Music at Bradley University, for the lifetime of the ensemble.
Emma holds a Master of Music Education from VanderCook College of Music, and Bachelor of Music Education with a 5-12 teaching endorsement in English from Western Illinois University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Music Director
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Morgan Stanley, Financial Advisor
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Social Security Administration, Attorney Advisor
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Director of Marketing and Communications
MacKenzie Taylor was born and raised in central Illinois. After graduating from Dunlap High School she then furthered her education at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, IA where she earned her BA in Strategic Communications and was a member of the St. Ambrose softball team. After graduating from SAU, MacKenzie returned to Peoria and joined the Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (Discover Peoria) team where she helped lead the Bureau through a full brand and website redesign and collaborated on many projects promoting our seven-county region-all while reinvigorating our area's hometown pride. She sits on the Board of Directors for the Public Relations Association of Central Illinois. MacKenzie has been leading the PSO as Director of Marketing and Communications since February 2022.
She currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Public Relations Association of Central Illinois and is active with the Peoria Women's Club on its PR committee, Young Professionals of Greater Peoria, Women in Leadership of Central Illinois, and the Peoria Women's Club.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Senior Creative Director & Visual Merchandising
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Opportunity Financial LLC, Chief Financial Officer
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Manpower, Corporate Trustee
Richard Hirschl joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's cello section in 1989. A native of Washington, Missouri, he began cello lessons with his father, an amateur cellist. His intermediate studies were with Savely Schuster, associate principal cellist of the St. Louis Symphony. He was accepted into the class of Leonard Rose and Channing Robbins at the Juilliard School, where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1987 and a master's degree in 1988.
Before moving to Chicago, Hirschl was an associate teacher at Juilliard. He was the winner of the Juilliard Concerto Competition and Irving M. Klein International String Competition in 1988, and St. Louis Symphony Scholarship Competition in 1980.
In addition to his New York debut with the Juilliard Orchestra, Hirschl has given concerto performances with the Peoria Symphony, Jupiter Symphony, St. Louis Philharmonic, Maracaibo Symphony (Venezuela), National Repertory Orchestra, St. Louis Chamber Orchestra and Philharmonia Virtuosi of New York.
He has appeared in chamber music performances with celebrated pianists Daniel Barenboim, Sir András Schiff, and Ursula Oppens; cellists Lynn Harrell and Yo-Yo Ma; and violinist Vadim Repin. He is on the faculty of the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, where he also serves as head of the string department. He plays a Venetian cello made by Matteo Goffriller in 1710 and a cello made in Chicago by William Whedbee in 2014.
He and his wife Laura make their home in a downtown high-rise where they are the proud parents of Ava Clare and Vivian Rose Hirschl.
Job Titles:
- Founder
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Financial Master ( Retired )
Job Titles:
- Member of the Officers Team
- Secretary