WISCONSIN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- UW Madison Vice Chancellor, Retired
Alex Gallatin is a Wisconsin based violinist who is active both as a teacher and performer. As a teacher, he is known for his encouraging and flexible approach to help students achieve balanced and high-level musicianship. As a performer, he has played a wide range of musical styles including plenty of classical, pop, mariachi, jazz, and metal music. Alex loves to share the joys of music with others through both thoughtful lessons and exciting performances. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in violin performance from the University of Wisconsin - Madison.
Dr. Bill Banfield joins the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra (WCO) for a three-year residency partnership starting in July 2021, commissioning two major works for the WCO and the greater Madison community while in Residence. Bill will be embedded into the orchestra's artistic operations as well as the larger community in ways that foster collaboration and creativity.
Dr. Banfield, alongside Music Director Andrew Sewell, will play a vital role in strengthening the WCO's relationship with our long-standing audience while reaching new and more diverse audiences in our community. The composer-orchestra relationship is a vital symbiosis, with strong benefits for the WCO and Bill, and rich possibilities for enhancing the WCO's relevancy, inspiring more people across our community.
Wisconsin State Journal introduces Dr. Banfield, July 18, 2021
Andrew Sewell leads the WCO in his 24th year as Music Director
Maestro Sewell enters his twenty-fourth season as music director of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, and seventh season with the San Luis Obispo Symphony.His previous appointments include tenures with the Wichita, Toledo and Mansfield Symphonies.
Known for his innovative programming and knack for discovering new talent, Sewell is a highly skilled orchestra builder with a wide knowledge and range of repertoire. In demand as a guest conductor, he has led the Toronto, Detroit, Milwaukee, Columbus, Syracuse, Illinois, Monterey, Gulf Coast, and Eugene Symphony Orchestras, as well as the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia, Christchurch Symphony, National Symphony of Mexico, Kyushu Symphony (Japan), City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong, OK Mozart Festival, WI Peninsula Music Festival, and Masterworks Festivals in the US and London.
A native of New Zealand, Maestro Sewell received his music training on the violin, piano and cornet, and began conducting at age 16. Six years later, he made his professional opera debut with the Mercury Opera and the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra. Winning the Australian Guarantee Corporation's Young Achiever's Award allowed him to further his studies abroad. Sewell holds a Master of Music degree with Honors in Conducting from the University of Michigan.
Over the years Andrew has been credited with numerous awards for services to music including the 2017 Service to Music Award from the Association of Wisconsin Symphony Orchestras, the 2013 Rabin Arts Youth Award for Individual Achievement by the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras, the 2005 Best Individual Artist Award by Wichita Arts Council, and 2005 Musician of the Year by the Wisconsin State Journal, for services to music and the greater arts community.
While not conducting, Andrew enjoys cycling the backroads of Wisconsin and San Luis Obispo and visiting family in New Zealand. He and his wife, Mary, have three grown children and reside in Madison.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra
- Violin II
Anna Carlson is an active performer and teacher in the Chicago area
In addition to the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Anna is currently a member of the Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra, Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, South Bend Symphony Orchestra, and Dubuque Symphony Orchestra. She has also performed with many other groups including ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra, Illinois Symphony Orchestra, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Flint Symphony Orchestra, Lansing Symphony Orchestra, and many more. Anna is also a recent alumnus of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, in which she was Assistant Principal Second Violin.
Anna holds two Bachelor's degrees (in Violin Performance and Business) from Illinois Wesleyan University, and a Master's in Performance from the University of Michigan. Her primary teachers include Stephen Shipps, William Starr, Vadim Mazo, and Amy Gesmer-Packman. She has studied chamber music with Martin Katz, Andrew Jennings, Christopher Harding, and members of the Cavani Quartet. She has also participated in many summer festivals, including the Aspen Music Festival and School, the International Music Academy of Pilsen (Czech Republic), and Ameropa International Chamber Music Festival (Prague, Czech Republic). Other teachers include Herbert Greenberg, Carole Cowan, and Baird Dodge.
A devoted teacher, Anna is on faculty at the People's Music School Uptown, and she maintains a private studio on the North side of Chicago. Anna has taught at summer camps such as Uptown Academy's Back of the Yards camp, a part of Make Music Chicago. She has also given orchestral excerpt masterclasses at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.
In addition to playing classical music, Anna loves to perform a wide array of music, including classic rock, dance music, and country fiddling. She performs all different styles of music at corporate functions and weddings throughout the area. She is a member of the CoverGirls Violin Show, a rock cover group out of Chicago that plays a choreographed rock and dance show. She also performs frequently with various dance bands including The Don Cagen Orchestra, the Becca Kaufman Orchestra, and the High Society Orchestra. Anna has performed at high-profile venues including the United Center and McCormick Place, and she loves being able to share her music in all different settings.
Audra comes to Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra excited to dive into the world of music. Prior roles include Director of Marketing at Florida Studio Theatre (FST) and most recently, Director of Events & Marketing for the College of Arts and Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. During her tenure at FST, Audra led the marketing through the theatre's largest period of growth in its history, from three theatres to five theatres and over 30,000 subscribers. In 2016 and 2017, Audra was nominated for the Women in Business Awards with SRQ Magazine.
Audra studied Theatre Management and Dance at UW-Whitewater. During her collegiate career she was part of the UW-Whitewater dance team, performed in the annual DanceScapes concert, attended the American College Dance Association regional conference, and was funded by undergraduate research to explore the effect that public art installations had on communities.
In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, being on the water, and spending time with family and friends.
Dr. Cornel West has called him, "one of the last grand Renaissance men in our time, a towering artist, exemplary educator, rigorous scholar, courageous freedom fighter"
Noted jazz writer and critic Bob Blumenthal wrote, "The imagination from which this ensemble's music springs belongs to Bill Banfield. It knows no borders, be they stylistic, historic, ethnic or age-related. It views music as the common ground upon which all of us can meet, and celebrate. Banfield's original compositions and arrangements of well-chosen standards is nothing short of alchemical, as he tends the shared roots of jazz. While his perspective rarely stands still, there is no feeling of mash-up. Everything and everyone flows. That is what happens when music tests our imagination. Listen and hear where the Imagine Orchestra leads you."
Brandon LePage is the principal flutist of the WCO
Brandon LePage has been Principal Flutist of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra since 2016 having formerly held the Piccolo position with the Lansing Symphony Orchestra. Comfortable as a soloist, chamber, and orchestral musician, Brandon has been recently engaged with the Detroit Symphony, Toledo Symphony, Michigan Opera Theatre, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and New World Symphony Orchestra (among others).
In the fall of 2012 he founded the CASM chamber music series which ran until the fall of 2016. This series brought free chamber style concerts to Southeastern Michigan communities that did not have easy or affordable access to such live music. CASM championed newly composed works focusing on music written and made in Michigan, and each season there were world premiere works written just for the CASM series and the groups it presented. Brandon's newest collaboration with the Internationally known harp duo Beyond Pluck is entitled "The B Project" and this nomadic group is currently in the process of creating a midwestern tour of concerts based on different beverages inspired by, or inspiring, the selection of various musical works. Most recently, they completed a performance titled "Premieres for Detroit" which featured three world premiere works for two harps, flute, and percussion performed in historic Downtown Detroit. In the fall of 2014 Brandon was the First Prize winner of the Ervin Monroe Young Artist Competition held bi-annually by the Southeast Michigan Flute Association and served on the SEMFA board from 2014-2017.
Brandon holds a Master's degree in Music Performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where he studied under the tutelage of Timothy Day, Principal Flutist of the San Francisco Symphony. He received his BM at the Michigan State University College of Music with Richard Sherman, and while at both schools held numerous scholarships and awards including the Chamber Music and Woodwind Area Teaching Assistantship at SFCM, as well as the Hollander Scholarship for Principal Flute of the MSU Symphony Orchestra. His other primary teachers and coaches include Ervin Monroe, Amy Porter, Sharon Sparrow, and Jeffrey Zook. Brandon performs on a 9K Muramatsu flute.
Clark Snavely, age 17, is from New Berlin, Wisconsin. He made his solo orchestral debut at the age of 13. Read more about Clark here.
Job Titles:
- Education and Community Engagement Manager
Claudia's role as the Education and Community Engagement Manager for the WCO merges her two main passions, music and education. She joined the staff in 2021 and looks forward to helping the WCO continue to make a musical impact in the lives of Madison's kiddos and community members.
Outside of administration, Claudia is a professional mezzosoprano. She graduated from Boston Conservatory in 2019 and regularly performs in the Midwest. She went on to earn a master's degree in Musicology at Tufts University where she shifted her focus to instrumental music and began her career as a music researcher. She now closely studies the connection between all forms of music making and education as a musicologist and pedagogue.
One of the greatest joys of her life is teaching piano and voice to kiddos ages 3-10 and seeing firsthand how wonderful of an impact music can make.
When not administering, making, or teaching music, Claudia enjoys hiking and camping with her partner, Hugo and her dogs, Rutabaga and Artichoke.
Job Titles:
- Operations & Personnel Coordinator
Cody graduated from Carthage College with a degree in Music Performance and a Minor in Business Administration. During his time at Carthage, he was the principal bassist for the Carthage Philharmonic and also performed with the college's two Jazz ensembles. He was also the vice president of the Carthage Orchestra and String Teacher Association that helped raise awareness for musicians' musculoskeletal health as well as facilitating fundraising events for the Philharmonic.
After graduation Cody leveraged his Business Minor and worked with Amazon for over two years. In those two years he worked his way up to the role of Area Manager. His time at Amazon gave him the opportunity to move to Madison and has been a resident for over a year. He is excited to get back into the world of music and to be a part of an organization with incredible musical talent and a strong connection to the community it resides in.
In his free time, he likes to go on motorcycle rides, cook, and play with his hedgehog Sofia.
Job Titles:
- Dept. of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health
Job Titles:
- Vice Chair, Business & Healthcare Manager, Retired
Diedre Buckley has been a member of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra since 1992. A professional musician and artist-teacher, she has extensive experience performing in many settings, including solo, chamber music, orchestra, ballet, opera, light opera, commercial music, and alternative styles. In addition to her performing with the orchestra, she has been an important contributor to the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra's educational programs.
Also a member of the Madison Symphony Orchestra, she was principal violist of the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra and has performed with other Wisconsin ensembles, including the Green Bay Symphony, the Oakwood Chamber Players, the Music Fix, and the Madison Jazz Orchestra. Her extensive experience in chamber music includes two recordings for the Albany label with the Ad Hoc String Quartet. A native of California, she has performed with the Long Beach, Sacramento, Oakland-East Bay and Carson-Dominguez Hills Symphonies, the Carmel Bach Festival, Mozart Camerata, Baroque Consortium, Long Beach Civic Light Opera, Long Beach and North Coast Operas, and the Long Beach and Oakland Ballets.
Diedre has performed with such celebrities as Tony Bennett, Liberace, Sammy Davis, Jr., Debbie Reynolds and Donald O'Connor, Red Skelton, and the Mantovani Strings, and in such productions as the North American premiere of Szymanowski's King Roger and the first major revival of Jonny Spielt Auf, both with Long Beach Opera and the West Coast premier of Sunday in the Park with George with Long Beach Civic Light Opera.
She has performed at the National Women's Music Festival, and at the Isthmus Jazz Festival with Hanah Jon Taylor, Jane Reynolds, and the Madison Jazz Orchestra. Her original compositions have been used by Tap It/Newworks and can be heard on the Madison Music Collective album Gathering. Dr. Buckley's dissertation was a transcription and analysis of the music of the jazz singer, Betty Carter.
She received her doctoral degree in viola performance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she was a member of the Strelow String Quartet and served as teaching assistant to Sally Chisholm. She graduated summa cum laude from California State University, Dominguez Hills, and after one semester at the University of Southern California, she earned her master's degree at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
Bill Banfield is an award-winning composer whose symphonies, operas, chamber works have been performed and recorded by major symphonies across the country. Few have a wider, performed professional composing output, that has had public concert performances, reviews, radio, recordings of some 12 symphonies, 7 opera, 9 concerti, chamber, jazz and popular forms. This alone making Banfield one of the most performed, recorded composers of his generation.
Learn more about Bill and his works.
Job Titles:
- SRI Design, Inc., Retired
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of Oboe at the University
- Oboe
Dr. Lindsay Flowers is the Assistant Professor of Oboe at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Mead Witter School of Music where she is a member of the Wingra Wind Quintet and guides student-generated community engagement projects. She received a Doctor of Music degree from Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music under the tutelage of Linda Strommen and Roger Roe. Her background in athletics distinguishes her pedagogical approach in her emphasis on performance visualization, disciplined commitment, and supportive teamwork.
Lindsay is the English Hornist of the Madison Symphony Orchestra, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, and Quad Cities Symphony Orchestra. She previously was a member of the Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra, New Mexico Philharmonic, and Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Lindsay was a founding member of the Arundo Donax Reed Quintet, Bronze Medal Winners of the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and recorded a duo album with Dr. Andrew Parker to be released in 2023. She has performed with the Milwaukee, Chicago, Indianapolis, Utah, and Nashville Symphony Orchestras and during recent summers with the Santa Fe Opera, Grant Park, Midsummer's, Lakes Area, Lake George, Castleton, Aspen, and Banff Music Festivals.
In addition to performing and teaching, Lindsay is recognized for her maintenance and repair of oboe and English horn gouging machines, particularly those designed by Ferrillo, Graf, Kunibert, and Gilbert. Lindsay is also curating gouger clinics for students and professionals to share her knowledge in this specialty.
Dr. Matthew Onstad teaches all things trumpet, coaches chamber music, and more.
Aside from his position as Principal Trumpet in the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Dr. Matthew Onstad, a Wisconsin native, serves as Assistant Professor of Trumpet at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he teaches all things trumpet, coaches chamber music, and performs with the Whitewater Brass Quintet.
While earning his DMA and MM degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Dr. Onstad served the Mead Witter School of Music as a Project Assistant performing with the Wisconsin Brass Quintet, a faculty ensemble-in-residence. He holds the rank of Staff Sergeant in the 132 nd Wisconsin Army National Guard Band and has performed with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra Iowa, Illinois Symphony Orchestra, and the Isthmus Brass. He held the position of Principal Trumpet with the Quad City Symphony Orchestra from 2016-2021.
Dr. Onstad has previously taught trumpet at St. Ambrose University, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. He has served as a master clinician with the Wisconsin Brass Quintet, the 132nd Army Band, and the Quad City Symphony Orchestra throughout the United States. Dr. Onstad received his BM from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. His teachers include John Aley, Alex Noppe, Jean Laurenz, Marty Robinson, and Robert Levy.
Matthew is an Edwards Artist and Clinician.
Elizabeth Marshall has performed with the San Francisco Symphony, Chicago Civic Orchestra and New World Symphony
California native Elizabeth Marshall is second flutist of the Madison Symphony and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. A current adjunct professor of music at University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Madison Area Technical College, Edgewood College, and Beloit College, she has previously taught at Ripon College and Olivet Nazarene University. Liz has performed locally with the Dubuque, Oshkosh and Fox Valley Symphonies, and is a former member of the Utah Festival Opera Company and Ann Arbor Symphony.
Nationally, she has performed with the San Francisco Symphony, Carmel Bach Festival Orchestra, Chicago Civic Orchestra, Florida Grand Opera, and New World Symphony, and is a previous winner of the National Flute Association Young Artist Competition and the first Irving Shain Woodwind-Piano Duo Competition. As a baroque specialist, Liz studied baroque flute and conducting for three summers on fellowship at the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute. Recent recording projects include Laura Schwendinger's Esprimere for Centaur Records, and David Dies' agevolmente for Albany Records.
Recently, Liz founded the exciting wind quintet Black Marigold, which specializes performing music by living composers. She holds degrees from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, University of Michigan, and has completed all coursework and exams toward the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she will receive minors in music theory and orchestral conducting. When not fluting, Liz is probably out galavanting with her crazy dog Ruby.
Job Titles:
- Senior Development Manager
Elliott joined the WCO in January 2020. In his role, he strives to connect donors with the best way for them to enjoy and support the Orchestra. Before coming to the WCO, he built acumen in multi-channel cause marketing and fundraising event management on the Development team at Literacy Network, an adult education nonprofit in Madison. He particularly enjoys interviewing key stakeholders to share their stories with the greater community.
Elliott studied History and Sociology at the College of Wooster, where he played trombone as part of the marching band, symphonic band, brass choir, a brass quintet, and private lessons. He moved to Madison in 2016 and has spent the summers since walking to the Capitol with his wife to enjoy Concerts on the Square and Madison's best food carts. He continues to play his instrument in community bands and orchestras and at his small local church.
Emily Vaillancourt is excited to be joining the WCO as their Marketing Associate. Emily is currently a student in the Bolz Center for Arts Administration at UW-Madison's School of Business, and is looking forward to graduating in May. This masters program has been incredibly valuable in helping Emily identify how she can combine her love of the performing arts with her keen organizational skills and drive for success. Emily also works part-time at the Overture Center and loves supporting positive experiences for guests.
Originally from the Twin Cities area, Emily has been surrounded by and fascinated with performing arts since a young age. Since the age of four, she's been involved in activities ranging from competition dance, theater performance and crew, show choir, and vocal performance groups. She received her undergraduate degree in Theatre Arts and Leadership from the University of Minnesota in 2021.
Outside of work, Emily likes to hangout with her cat Jerome, play board games, and attempt to keep her plants alive through the Wisconsin winter. As a former barista, Emily appreciates the importance of a good morning cup of coffee, though as a bit of a night owl you will likely find her up late at night rather than early in the morning. Emily is excited to collaborate with the great team here at WCO and engage with their audiences.
Gerald Loughney holds five Wisconsin State Fiddling Championships
Gerald Loughney completed his Bachelor's of Fine Arts Degree in Violin Performance at the University Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he studied with Professor Ralph Evans of the Fine Arts Quartet. Mr. Loughney began his studies at the age of four and has studied with Patricia Anders, Dr. Gerald Fischbach, Jerome Franke, and Samantha George.
Mr. Loughney is also a self-taught fiddler, having earned five Wisconsin State Fiddling Champion titles. He has fiddled with several bluegrass groups as well as forming his own bluegrass quartet, Above the Town, which released their critically acclaimed CD, Uphill Climb in 2005. He has toured extensively throughout the United States and Canada for five years with national country recording artist, Kevin Sharp. While on tour with the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra, Mr. Loughney was invited to fiddle at His Majesty's Theatre in Aberdeen, Scotland. On call as a studio musician, Mr. Loughney has recorded in many of the area's finest studios, with styles ranging from bluegrass to Western swing, alternative, polka, and rap.
Mr. Loughney enjoys his career as a violinist. As an active performer, his styles range from classical to bluegrass and country fiddle to Celtic and jazz. As a soloist, he has performed the Sibelius Violin Concerto with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra as well as other area ensembles. He currently performs with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra as Principal Violin II, the Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra as Assistant Concertmaster and the Elgin Symphony Orchestra. His career has led to performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., as well as Europe and the British Isles. Residing in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, with his wife Andrea, Mr. Loughney keeps a busy teaching studio and enjoys sharing what he has learned with others.
Job Titles:
- Education Administrator and Consultant, Retired
Hillary Hempel was born in Lyons, IL, a suburb of Chicago, and moved to Madison after becoming a member of Madison Symphony Orchestra and Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra in 2017. Prior to joining MSO and WCO, Hillary was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Hillary began playing the violin at the age of four. Hillary is forever grateful to all of the private teachers she has studied with and all that they taught her, with Jane Khonke and Thomas Wermuth in grade school and high school, with Robert Lipsett at Colburn Conservatory of Music where she received her undergraduate degree, and with Almita Vamos at Northwestern University where she received her master's degree.
She enjoys playing in both orchestras and playing chamber music. When Hillary is not playing the violin, she enjoys running, hiking, and spending time outdoors in any season. She loves spending time with friends and family. She also enjoys reading. Soli Deo Gloria!
Job Titles:
- Executive Assistant
- Office Manager
- Box Office Manager
- Office Manager and Ticketing Manager
Jan joined the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra staff in March of 2018 as the Office Manager and Ticketing Manager. She enjoys working with her co-workers, serving the Board of Directors, and appreciates the talented musicians.
Prior to Jan's role as the WCO Office and Box Office Manager, Jan worked at the Hinsdale, Illinois, Chamber of Commerce for 20 years as the Administrative Assistant and Executive Director/President and CEO. During her time at the Hinsdale Chamber, Jan attended the Institute of Management for Association and Chamber Executives program and received her Certificate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She also attended the annual Illinois State Conferences for Chamber Executives, ultimately serving on the State Board of Directors for Chamber Executives for 1½ years before relocating to Wisconsin.
Throughout her Chamber career Jan had many duties and responsibilities, including coordinating Hinsdale's community Farmers Market, Fine Arts Festival, Uniquely Thursdays summer concert series, and the annual Christmas Walk.
In addition, Jan became active in the West Suburban Chamber of Commerce Executives group and served as coordinator for several business networking events and activities including serving as Chair of the annual WSCCE Spring Luncheon that drew over 600 members.
Jan has two daughters and loves spending time with her partner and spoiling their 11 grandchildren.
Joe became CEO of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra in Summer 2019. A professional cellist himself, he became hooked on the WCO in the last Masterworks performance of 2019 when he was a candidate for the position of CEO.
"The first half of that Masterworks included the very dark and morbid Symphony No. 14, Op. 135 by Shostakovich. Andrew foreshadowed the morbidity of this work to the audience before performing it. Returning from intermission, Andrew looks at the crowd and says, ‘Oh hello. You are still here!' That moment showed the depth, trust, and personality of the WCO family," says Loehnis.
Prior to the WCO, Joe served as Executive Director of The First Tee of South Central Wisconsin, a global youth development organization teaching and reinforcing life skills through the game of golf. During his six-year tenure, Joe drove an increase in participation from 8,000 to over 15,000 youth and increased revenue from $200K to $900K. He chaired the national advisory board of Executive Directors, reporting directly to the organization's global CEO.
Joe earned an MBA in Finance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and holds a Bachelor's degree in Cello Performance from Lawrence University. He served on the Advisory Board at UW-Madison Business School and gave its commencement speech. Joe captained the men's golf team at Lawrence University and become the only golfer in the school's 160-year history to be named to the All-American Golf Team.
Post undergrad, Joe pursued his dream of playing golf on the PGA Tour, playing on the professional tours in Florida and competed in over 75 events, finishing in the top 5 in several tournaments.
As a musician, Joe became a professional orchestral cellist at age 16, the youngest player to attain a tenured position in the Green Bay Symphony Orchestra. He played in four orchestras in Wisconsin and was the principal cellist of the Vero Beach Chamber Orchestra. He has soloed with three orchestras and has taught over 50 cello students privately and continues to teach.
An avid cyclist and intensive meditation practitioner, Joe lives in Madison with his wife Evan, son Levi, and daughter Sunny.
Job Titles:
- Immediate past Chair, Husch Blackwell, LLP
Job Titles:
- Chairman, Husch Blackwell LLP
Job Titles:
- Vice Chair, American Family Insurance
Job Titles:
- Principal
- Member of the Milwaukee
- Member of the Present Music
- Principal Cello
Karl Lavine is principal cellist for the WCO and Madison Symphony
Karl Lavine is also a member of the Milwaukee-based new music ensemble Present Music. Karl appears regularly at John and Rose Mary Harbison's Token Creek Festival in Wisconsin. He has held faculty positions at Luther College and Illinois Wesleyan University and is currently teaching a private studio in Madison.
As a member of the Present Music, Karl has recorded many recent compositions with the ensemble as well as solo repertoire. He is also a member of the Kepler Quartet, a string quartet which resulted from performances of works of composer Ben Johnston. With the help of a generous grant from the Aaron Copland Recording Foundation and support from New World Records, the Kepler Quartet is recording the complete string quartets of American composer, Ben Johnston.
Based in Madison, Wisconsin, Katherine is a devoted teacher and chamber music coach. She maintains a robust private studio while also directing the Eagle String Orchestra at EAGLE School in Fitchburg. Additionally she regularly works with the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra where she has served as a chamber music, ensemble and sectionals coach. A passionate chamber musician, Katherine has worked extensively with members of the Pacifica, Ying, and Takacs Quartets. She has attended the Colorado College Summer Music Festival, Bowdoin Summer Music Festival and Italy Opera Viva. Her studies have taken her to perform throughout the United States as well as Singapore, China, Hungary, and Italy.
Timpanist Kent Barnhart is an energetic performer and lives and teaches in Chicago
Kent Barnhart has played with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra since 2003. An energetic performer, he lives and teaches in Chicago and also serves as the South Bend Symphony Orchestra's Principal Percussionist, a post he has held for the last 15 years. He plays regularly in the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra's percussion section and has also appeared with several regional ensembles including the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra and the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra. He has been featured as a soloist for 'The Glory and the Grandeur' in South Bend and also won the concerto competition at Penn State University, where he earned his Master's in Performance.
He has provided percussion tracks for a variety of recording artists and has played a diverse range of styles including opera, musical theater, folk, rock, jazz, and rhythm and blues. He enjoys making percussion instruments that fit the requirements of the music and always travels with a set of sticks and mallets in order to try out anything that might make an amazing sound.
Job Titles:
- Member of LaSte
- Principal Percussion
- Principal Percussionist, Performs and Teaches across Indiana and Chicago
Lana travels from her home in Porter, Indiana, to perform with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra as principal percussionist. Lana received her Bachelor of Music in Percussion Performance from Northern Illinois University and is currently the principal percussionist for Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra as well as section percussionist with the South Bend Symphony Orchestra.
Lana is a member of LaSte' (a steel drum and viola duo) and PanGo steel drum band, and freelances in the Chicago area. She holds private lessons, teaches marching and front line percussion, and instructs large groups at numerous Illinois high schools.
Linda Kimball is principal horn of the WCO and Madison Symphony
The exciting musical life of hornist Linda Kimball includes performance, teaching, arranging, and composition. In addition to her active orchestral career, Linda had been involved extensively in chamber music; having been a decades-long member of both the Wingra Woodwind Quintet, the Whitewater Brass Quintet, and the Artemis Horn Quartet.
Linda served on the music faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater for 35 years. She created the annual UW-W "Fall Horn Festival" - a day-long extravaganza for horn-players of all ages. The lack of excellent music for young horn ensemble prompted Linda to begin writing and arranging; she has over four dozen compositions and arrangements, ranging from Mozart to Broadway show tunes. Having recently retired from her teaching position at UW-Whitewater, Linda looks forward to having more time for creating music.
The horn has taken Linda to Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Scotland, and Sweden, and sometimes to the orchestra pit at the Overture Center for Broadway shows like "The Lion King" and "Wicked." Linda received a Bachelor of Music degree in music education from the Lawrence Conservatory of Music, and a Master of Music degree in horn performance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Job Titles:
- Owner / Operator, Lola 's Hi / Lo Lounge
Midori Samson is a bassoonist, educator, and activist
In addition to her position in the WCO, Midori Samson is the Lecturer of Bassoon at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and Principal Bassoonist of the Beloit-Janesville Symphony.
Midori is a former Fellow of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, a training program of the Chicago Symphony. She also previously performed as a bassoonist and contrabassoonist in the Chicago, Omaha, Madison, Charleston, and New World symphony orchestras, Japan's Pacific Music Festival, New York String Orchestra, and National Orchestral Institute.
As a chamber musician and soloist, she has performed at the Banff Centre, Norfolk and Bowdoin International music festivals, and composer Elliott Carter's 102nd birthday party. She was a winner of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Concerto Competition and was the inaugural winner of the Wind Ensemble Concerto Competition. Most notably, she premiered a recital of new solo works she commissioned by composers from across Africa. She continues to commission more works and reprise this recital across the Midwest.
As an educator and activist, Midori served on faculty at China's Youth Music Culture Guangdong, a position she was offered by Yo-Yo Ma. She travels annually to India to teach with Artists Striving to End Poverty and has facilitated similar community engagement work in Austin, New Orleans, New York City, Guatemala, and the Philippines. Her proudest work is as the Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Trade Winds Ensemble, an organization that hosts composition workshops for children in East Africa, Detroit, and Chicago. This work has led to many awards including Juilliard's "Artist as Citizen" Prize and the McGraw-Hill Foundation Award for Music Education. Most recently she traveled to Rwanda to help write an original play with local artists to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide.
Midori holds degrees from The Juilliard School and The University of Texas at Austin. Currently, she is pursuing a doctoral degree in bassoon and social welfare at UW-Madison where she is a Collins Fellow, the School of Music's highest distinction. Her research investigates how music and social work can integrate to create a more antiracist and anti-oppressive classical music landscape. She hopes this will be just the beginning of a lifelong body of research on this topic.
Job Titles:
- Judge, Wisconsin Court of Appeals, Retired
Sam is a classically trained professional percussionist - and the WCO's Director of Operations. His passion for bringing music to the community began when he was appointed as a Student Artist in Residence through the Creative Trust of Milwaukee, which gave him the opportunity to perform and teach masterclasses at hospitals.
During his graduate studies at San Diego State University, Sam facilitated the university's involvement in the San Diego Symphony's border park performance of Inuksuit in 2018, which received national acclaim in The New Yorker. Prior to joining the WCO as our Production Manager in 2019, he served as the Orchestra & Operations Manager for the San Luis Obispo Symphony.
As a percussionist, Sam has performed with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, Rockford Symphony Orchestra, Peoria Symphony Orchestra, Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra, Beloit Janesville Symphony Orchestra, San Luis Obispo Master Chorale, San Diego City Ballet, and the Pacific Conservatory Theatre.
In his spare time, he enjoys hiking and computer programming.
Job Titles:
- American Family Insurance
Job Titles:
- Full Compass Systems, Ltd
Job Titles:
- UW Madison Vice Chancellor, Retired