VIOLIN

  • Alice Blankenship is a native of Eugene, Oregon, who earned degrees in music at the University of Oregon, the Royal Conservatory of Music in The Hague, The Netherlands, and San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She is the Concertmaster of the Oregon Mozart Players, Artistic Director and Concertmaster of Microphilharmonic Baroque, and a violinist of the Eugene Symphony and the Oregon Bach Festival. As a baroque violinist, Ms. Blankenship performs with period instrument ensembles such as the Oregon Bach Festival baroque orchestra, Portland Baroque Orchestra, Santa Fe Pro Musica, and Southern Oregon Repertory Singers.

  • Yvonne Hsueh, a native of Los Angeles, resides in Eugene, Oregon. She has been Principal Second Violin of the Oregon Mozart Players in Eugene since 1992, and is a member of the Eugene Symphony and the Sunriver Music Festival in Central Oregon. She is an active symphonic violinist, recitalist, chamber musician and soloist, having appeared as soloist with orchestras around the United States and abroad. She also maintains an active studio, and is currently on the faculty of Lane Community College. She performs on a violin made by Gregg Alf. She also performs on baroque violin made by David Gussett.

  • Julia has performed as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral violinist throughout North America and Europe. A native of Eugene, she has been a member of OMP since 2017 and is also a member of the Eugene Symphony and Eugene Concert Orchestra. Julia completed her Bachelor of Music at Rice University and her Master of Music at the University of Maryland, College Park. Julia has participated in music festivals throughout the United States and Europe, including the Round Top International Festival-Institute and National Repertory Orchestra. Equally comfortable outside the realm of classical music, Julia also plays fiddle and regularly performs with country, rock, and hip hop groups throughout Oregon.

  • Sophie Therrell grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana, and began studying the violin at age four. Infused at a young age with the eclectic sounds of street music, New Orleans jazz, and Mardi Gras rhythms, Sophie developed a love of music that drove her to make it her career. After earning her Bachelors degree in History from Princeton University, she earned a Masters Degree in violin performance from The University of Texas at Austin studying with Vincent Fritelli and Brian Lewis. Sophie's professional career has included positions with the Baton Rouge Symphony, the Austin Symphony, the New World Symphony, and several summer festival orchestras. She currently plays with the Eugene Symphony, the Eugene Opera Orchestra, and Oregon Mozart Players. Sophie maintains a small but thriving teaching studio at her home in South Eugene. In her free time, Sophie enjoys long walks, singing with her father and the Motet Singers, directing her children's elementary school choir, reading, yoga, and sharing life with her loving family.

  • Claudia Miller has been a member of OMP since the 1987-1988 season, and also performs as a member of Eugene Symphony and Eugene Opera. Additionally, she frequently performs with the OSU-Corvallis Symphony, Newport Symphony and the Oregon Coast Music Festival in Coos Bay. She was also a member of the erstwhile Blue Heron String Quartet. She loves playing a wide variety of musical styles and periods, and lists a concert with Ella Fitzgerald as one of her musical highlights. Outside of her career as a violinist, she enjoys theater and mountain hiking.

  • Bashar Matti holds a Master of Music in Violin Performance from the University of Oregon. While at the University of Oregon, Bashar studied with professor Fritz Gearhart and longtime teacher and mentor, Kathryn Lucktenberg. Prior to moving to Eugene, Oregon, Bashar attended the Jordanian Conservatory and the University of Baghdad. Bashar is a current member of the Eugene Concert Choir Orchestra and also plays with Eugene Symphony Orchestra. Bashar had the honor of playing in various master classes for musicians such as Jaap Schroder and Rachel Podger.

  • Stephen has enjoyed a 25-year career as a professional violinist and is happy to call Oregon his home. Since finishing college he has been a member of Eugene's classical scene playing with the Eugene Symphony, Eugene Symphony's Connect String Quartet, Oregon Mozart Players, Eugene Opera, and is a frequent sub with many other professional groups on the West Coast. Along with keeping busy as an active chamber musician and teacher, Stephen is also President of the Local 689 Musicians Union and serves as an advocate for music education and live music in the community.

  • A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Sofie Yang moved to Eugene, Oregon in 2021 and currently plays with the Oregon Mozart Players, Eugene Symphony, Eugene Opera Orchestra, Eugene Concert Orchestra, Kalamazoo Symphony, and is Associate Concertmaster of the Rogue Valley Symphony. Sofie earned her Bachelor's degree in Violin Performance from Lawrence University with Samantha George, her Master's degree in Violin Performance from DePaul University with Janet Sung, and was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago from 2017-2019. In addition to performing, Sofie teaches violin, viola, and piano at various local music schools and enjoys exploring the nature of the Pacific Northwest.

  • Hannah Willard is a violinist based in Eugene, OR. She graduated with her MM in Violin Performance at the University of Oregon in 2021 with a certificate in violin/viola Pedagogy, and received the Outstanding Graduate Performer in Strings award. She also won the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Concerto Competition in 2017 and performed the Dvorak violin concerto with the UNL Symphony Orchestra.

    Hannah currently performs with Rogue Valley Symphony as Principal 2nd Violin, the Oregon Mozart Players, Eugene Concert Orchestra, and Eugene Symphony. She also manages Black Bear Strings, a wedding gig group based in Oregon, teaches in Eugene and Salem, and works as the Executive Assistant for the Delgani String Quartet.

    When she’s not teaching, performing, or in the office, she loves to rock climb, hike, read, and watch the latest Star Wars show.

  • Violinist Della Natasha Davies received her Bachelors degree at the Zurich University of the Arts, and Master in Performance degree at the Zurich University of the Arts in 2011; both under the tutelage of Professor Zakhar Bron.

    In 2012, Della moved to Eugene and became a member of the Eugene Symphony. In 2014 she became a member of the Oregon Mozart Players and began playing regularly with other local groups; such as Orchestra Next, Eugene Opera, and Corvallis Symphony.

    In 2016, Della joined the Oregon Ballet Theater in Portland, and in Summer 2018, she performed with the Oregon Bach Festival for the second time

  • Jenny Estrin leads an active and diverse performing and teaching career. She has recently been appointed concertmaster of the Eugene Symphony, and additionally performs as a member of the Portland Opera Orchestra, the Oregon Ballet Theatre first violin section, and as a new member of the Oregon Mozart Players. When she’s not performing as a classical violinist, Jenny moonlights as a fiddler in a folk band, does recording studio work, and teaches private lessons.

VIOLA

  • Originally from Paris, Arnaud Ghillebaert has performed as an orchestra musician with The Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields (Sir Neville Mariner) and the London Symphony Orchestra. He toured Europe for two summers with the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra under the baton of Sir Colin Davis and Herbert Blomstedt in venues such as the Royal Albert Hall in London or the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. He has played with the Artosphere Festival Orchestra (Corrado Rovaris, musical director) for many years as well as the Oregon Bach Festival Orchestra and is a former member of the New Haven Symphony. He performed with the Southbank Sinfonia Chamber Orchestra in England for one year and appeared in London’s National Theatre production of Tom Stoppard’s and Andre Previn’s Every Good Boy Deserves Favour.

  • Lauren Elledge is a member of the Eugene Symphony, Oregon Mozart Players, Orchestra Next, and a frequent guest of the Spokane and Modesto symphonies. A performer throughout the Northwest, she has played with the Portland Opera, Oregon Ballet Theater, and the Sacramento, Napa, Vallejo, Monterey, and Berkeley Symphonies, to name a few. Her summer activities currently include Oregon Bach Festival and Sunriver Music Festival. Lauren holds an M.M. from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and a B.M. from the University of North Texas, both in viola performance. An experienced chamber, jazz, and rock musician, Lauren loves working in the recording studio and can be heard on numerous albums and soundtracks.

  • Pamela Burovac is an active violist in northwest Oregon, where she regularly plays with Portland Opera, the Eugene Symphony, OrpheusPDX, and the Oregon Mozart Players, in addition to often appearing with the Oregon Music Festival and Eugene Concert Choir. Prior to moving to Oregon in 2018, she lived in Michigan, where she played with the Lansing Symphony Orchestra, Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra, and West Michigan Symphony. She holds a B.M. in Music Education and a B.A. in Music Theory from the University of Washington, after which she completed an M.M. at Kent State University in Viola Performance, with an emphasis on chamber music, as well as Orchestral Conducting.

  • B.M., Ithaca College; M.M., Rice University; Professional Studies, Cleveland Institute of Music; D.M.A, University of Maryland College Park

    An enthusiastic chamber musician, Dr. Dana Rokosny has performed at the Swiss and Japanese Embassies, the Lyceum, Dumbarton Oaks, Sydney Harmon Hall, and Anderson House in Washington, DC. Recently, she was a guest violist with the Pacifica Quartet performing Osvaldo Golihov's Last Round at the University of Maryland School of Music. She is a previous member of the Two Rivers String Quartet in Shepherdstown, WV, where she was also principal viola of the Two Rivers Chamber Orchestra and has been a soloist. In addition, she was a member of the River Hawk String Quartet based at Anne Arundel Community College, violist of the DC-based Beau Soir ensemble, and the Mirá String Quartet in Frederick, MD.

    New to Portland, OR, Dana is thrilled to be one of the newest members of the Oregon Mozarts Players! As an orchestral violist, Dana has toured with orchestras throughout the United States, Switzerland, Ireland, Russia, and Armenia. She has performed regularly with the Eclipse Chamber Orchestra, Inscape Chamber Orchestra, New Orchestra of Washington, Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, Maryland Symphony Orchestra, Apollo Chamber Orchestra, and Roanoke Symphony Orchestra.

    Dana has performed in the Luzern Festival Academy led by Pierre Boulez, and was a fellow and assistant principal violist in the American Conducting Academy Orchestra at the Aspen Music Festival led by David Zinman. Dana has participated in many distinguished summer festivals with leading roles including the National Orchestral Institute, National Repertory Orchestra, Bowdoin Summer Music Festival, American Russian Young Artists Orchestra, Meadowmount School of Music, and the Indiana String Academy. Currently, she performs in the Pikes Falls Chamber Music Festival in Jamaica, VT.

    Dr. Rokosny is also a sought after teacher. She engages her students to pursue excellence in playing while encouraging them to become life long advocates for string playing, music, and the arts. Previously, she was Viola/Violin Faculty at Anne Arundel Community College, Maryland Talent Education Center, and Frederick Community College in MD. Also, she has maintained a private studio of violists and violinists of all ages and levels and has lead Suzuki-based beginning to advanced group classes. Her primary teachers include Dan Foster, Katherine Murdock, Doris Lederer, Karen Ritscher, Lynne Ramsey, Debra Moree, and Phyllis Freeman. She has also worked with Jeff Irvine, Ralph Fielding, Jane Starkman, Roger Myers, Rebecca Henry, Sheri Sinift, and Alan Bodman. Dana performs on a 1954 Michele De Luccia viola and a c.1850 François Peccatte bow.

    Dana is married to the wonderful bassoonist, Ben Greanya, and together they are enjoying getting to know PDX! They explore the outdoors, garden, and adore (except in the morning!) their three cats. As an advocate for equity and diversity in the arts, Dana has recently taken on the role of Assistant Executive Director for the nonprofit startup Boulanger Initiative, an organization promoting music of women-identifying composers.

CELLOS

  • Eric Alterman, born and raised in New York City, began music studies at a young age at the Mannes College of Music. As cellist of the Delgani String Quartet, Assistant Principal Cellist of the Eugene Symphony, and member of the Oregon Mozart Players, he leads an active career performing throughout the state of Oregon.

    Prior to residing in Oregon, Alterman performed for 5 seasons as Assistant Principal Cellist of the Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira, based in Rio de Janeiro. Alterman completed studies at Boston University and Brandeis University, where his teachers included Rhonda Rider, Marc Johnson, and Joshua Gordon.

  • Dale Bradley, cellist, composer and guitarist, is a Springfield native and a founding member of Oregon Mozart Players. A graduate of the University of Oregon School of Music, he studied cello with Robert Hladky, with whom he later shared a stand in OMP for more than a decade. Dale began playing cello in 4th grade orchestra class and also began composing at this time, filling up small notebooks purchased from the local "Light's for Music" store with musical ideas. His compositions & arrangements have been played in various venues on the west coast, from local retirement centers to the Los Angeles Philharmonic. His current teaching activities include beginning strings classes in local elementary schools, directing ESYO’s Little Symphony, and a private studio where he teaches cello, bass & guitar. Dale has played live and recorded with a wide variety of musicians. He continues to assist others in their recording projects, often arranging & producing in his home studio. His own CDs include “Solo”, “The Christmas Cello” and “Generations.”

  • Noah Seitz, a Corvallis native, completed his Bachelors Degree in Cello Performance at the UMKC Conservatory of Music in 2001. He then returned to Oregon as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the University of Oregon.

    He is a member of the Eugene Symphony and the Oregon Mozart Players, and regularly performs with the OSU Symphony, Camerata Musica Chamber Music Series in Salem, Chintimini Chamber Music Festival, and various Oregon ensembles.

    Noah is adjunct professor of cello and chamber music at Pacific University. Beyond music, Noah holds a Private Pilot license, and loves anything to do with aviation.

BASS

HARP

  • Jane Allen, principal harp of the Eugene Symphony and Oregon Mozart Players, has performed for many years as a soloist and chamber musician. She has played in major hotels and resorts throughout the US, has appeared as a harpist in an MGM/Robert Altman film, and has recorded for the group Pink Martini. A student of Pearl Chertok, Jane B. Weidensaul, and David Watkins, she holds a bachelor's degree with a double major in music and art history, from Marymount Manhattan College/Mannes College of Music, and a master's degree from the University of Oregon.

    As an arranger and transcriber of music for solo pedal and lever harp, and especially for lever harp ensemble, she is inspired to mix traditional melodies with classical musical forms. Jane Allen teaches harp through Northwest Christian University and Lane Community College, in addition to her private studio in Eugene, OR.

    She is currently working towards certification as a therapeutic musician through the Harps for Healing program.

FLUTE

  • Jill Pauls is principal flute of the Oregon Mozart Players and the Corvallis-OSU Symphony, having also made numerous appearances as a soloist with these ensembles. She is also principal of the Eugene Opera Orchestra and has played flute and piccolo as a member the Eugene Symphony for nearly two decades. Jill is a member of several chamber ensembles including Mozart’s Magic Flutes and the Arrieu Wind Quintet, which toured China in 2000. She earned Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees from the University of Oregon, where she studied with Richard Trombley. She has studied with Trevor Wye in England and has performed in masterclasses for Jean-Pierre Rampal, James Galway, Geoffery Gilbert, John Solum, Julius Baker, Samuel Baron, Robert Dick, Harvey Sollberger, and many others. She twice performed at National Flute Association Conventions. Pauls has been the Instructor of Flute at Oregon State University for nearly 20 years. She also maintains a successful private studio out of which have come several students who have placed in the top five at the State Solo Competition. Previously, she taught college students at the University of Oregon as a graduate teaching fellow. She enjoys spending time and making music with her husband Rod, son Joshua (pianist, percussionist), and daughter Andrea (cellist, pianist).

  • Alexis Evers is currently performing and teaching in Eugene, Oregon, where she performs as principal flute with the Eugene Concert Orchestra and second flute with Oregon Mozart Players. She is also the third flutist/piccoloist with the Rogue Valley Symphony and has performed with Orchestra NEXT (Eugene Ballet Company), Festival Napa Valley's Blackburn Music Academy, and Eugene Symphony Orchestra.

    An avid performer of new music, she was a 2018 Guest Artist for the Oregon Bach Festival Composers Symposium and was recently a featured performer at the 2018 SEAMUS national conference. In her free time, Alexis enjoys long-distance running.

OBOE

  • Cheryl Wefler regularly performs with the Eugene Symphony, Oregon Mozart Players, Eugene Opera Orchestra and the Eugene Concert Choir, and other groups in Eugene and on the Oregon Coast. She has performed across the country in venues that have included Wolf Trap, Opera at John Jay, Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Opera Saratoga, numerous IDRS conventions around the country, premiered a concerto written for her in Colorado, and also a sonata written for her in the UK. She is the owner/operator of Cascade Oboe Reeds and author of “Principles and Techniques of Oboe Reed Adjustment.”

  • Bio forthcoming.

CLARINET

  • Carol Robe is the clarinet instructor at Oregon State University, where she is principal clarinet of the Corvallis-OSU Symphony Orchestra. She is also principal clarinet for the Oregon Mozart Players and Eugene Opera. Additionally, Robe plays clarinet and bass clarinet as a member of the Eugene Symphony and Portland Opera. performs with the Oregon Symphony in Portland. As a soloist with the Oregon Mozart Players, Robe performed the Strauss Duet Concertino with Frank Morelli in 2006 and the Rossini Introduction Theme and Variations in 2004. In 2006 she also performed the Mozart Concerto with the Henan Symphony Orchestra in Zengzhou, China. An active chamber musician, Robe is a member of several Northwest ensembles including the Arrieu Wind Quintet, which toured China in 2000, and the Cascadia Clarinet Quartet, which performed at the International Clarinet Association convention in Denver, Co. in July 2023. She earned a master’s degree in music at the University of Oregon where she studied with Robert Vagner. She also studied with Rosario Mazzeo of the Boston Symphony for many years. When not performing, she enjoys spending time traveling with her husband and hiking in the Pacific Northwest.

  • Born in Taipei, Taiwan, clarinetist and collaborative pianist Ling (Holly) Hang earned her Master of Music degree from North Texas University. She studied clarinet with John Scott and collaborative piano with Steve Harlos and Berthe Odnoposoff. Holly was a member of the UNT Wind Symphony, the UNT Collegium wind-conducting workshop, and can be heard in the recordings by GIA publications. Prof. Hang joined the faculty at Western Oregon University in 2020. In the following year, 2021, she was hired as a clarinet professor at Corban University and Chemeketa Community College. While teaching in Oregon, she maintains a large private virtual studio in Frisco Independent School District, Texas. Many of her students have earned top chairs in the All-state band (WIBC, TMEA, and ATSSB organization) and solo and ensemble contests. In addition to her clarinet teaching studio, she was a chamber music coach and collaborative pianist for UNT’s ClarEssentials in 2016 and 2018. Holly is known as an international clinician who works with the university around the world. In her home of Oregon, she has given masterclasses at Portland State University and Oregon State University. Internationally, she has coached clarinetists at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, and The Buddy Clarinet Ensemble in Taipei, Taiwan.

    In the 2021- 2024 season, Prof. Hang serves as the acting 2nd clarinetist in the Oregon Mozart Players base in Eugene, Oregon. She often subs in the Eugene Symphony and Oregon Symphony Orchestra. In 2020, she performed as a guest soloist with Lone Star Youth Winds at Moody Performance Hall in Dallas, Texas. IN 2019, she won the 30th annual Frances Walton Competition. She performed live on the Classical KING FM 98.1 radio and had a weeklong performance tour throughout Seattle, Washington, to promote classical music; she performed in Seattle’s Central Library. In 2018, Holly performed as a guest soloist with the James Bowie High School Wind Ensemble in the Western International Band Clinic in Seattle, WA. She is also an active Lone Star Wind Orchestra member under music director and conductor Eugene Migliaro Corporon. Since 2016, Holly has performed Clarinet recitals in MU PHI EPSILON’s concert series at Dallas Public Library. Holly is an active collaborative pianist throughout Oregon and Dallas/ Fort Worth. In the collaborative piano field, she accompanies the WOU musical production in 2022 and specializes in instrumental works. Prof. Hang plays and endorses Bakcun Lumière clarinets and is a D’Addario artist.

BASSOON

  • Ben Greanya is Principal Bassoon of the Eugene Symphony and Adjunct Professor at Lewis and Clark College. Before moving to the Pacific Northwest, he served as Principal Bassoon with the Annapolis Symphony in Maryland and was Assistant Professor of Bassoon at Gettysburg College. He has performed as a guest with the Baltimore and National Symphonies, as well as the Washington National Opera. Since moving to Oregon, he has performed with the Oregon Symphony, Oregon Ballet Theatre, and the Portland Opera. Ben is a member of the Inscape Chamber Orchestra, a Washington DC based contemporary ensemble which has four recordings under the Sono Luminus label, including the Grammy-nominated album, Sprung Rhythm. Originally from Michigan, Ben holds degrees in music performance from the University of Michigan and New England Conservatory. His principal teachers are Robert Williams, Richard Beene, and Richard Svoboda. When not playing or making reeds, Ben enjoys exploring the outdoors and spending time with his wife, Dana, in their home in Portland.

  • Bassoonist Joseph Hartman joined Oregon Mozart Players as second bassoon in 2015. He is also the principal bassoonist of the Eugene Concert Choir and has performed with other orchestras in Oregon including the Eugene Symphony, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Newport Symphony, Portland Columbia Symphony, and other groups. He earned a Bachelor of Music in Bassoon Performance from the University of Oregon in 2011 studying with Dr. Steve Vacchi and a Master of Music in Bassoon Performance from Indiana University Bloomington studying with William Ludwig in 2013. In 2011, Hartman attended The Pierre Monteux School for Conductors and Orchestra Musicians in Hancock, Maine.

HORN

  • After earning degrees at Yale and at The Juilliard School, David Kruse played Principal Horn in several symphony orchestras in Mexico. He was Principal Horn of the Greenwich Philharmonia and played in the Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy for three seasons. He was a member of the Phoenix Symphony for six years, was a member of the orchestra of Santa Fe Opera and was Principal Horn of the Victoria Symphony in British Columbia. Dave plays with the Eugene Symphony where he was Principal Horn for 16 years, and is Principal Horn of Oregon Mozart Players, Eugene Opera Orchestra, the Sunriver Music Festival and Portland Chamber Orchestra, and performed for many years with the Oregon Bach Festival.

  • Jonathan Kuhns-Obana is currently a member of the Oregon Mozart Players, Eugene Symphony Orchestra, Portland Opera Orchestra, and Eugene Concert Orchestra. Previously, he has held principal positions with the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Hyogo Performing Arts Center Orchestra (Japan), and the Young Musician’s Foundation Debut Orchestra (Los Angeles). In addition, he has performed with a number of other festivals and orchestras, including the Oregon Bach Festival, Fresno Philharmonic, Sunriver Music Festival, and Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.

    During the day, Jon also works as an administrator at Network Charter School. Jon received his Master of Music from the University of Southern California and Bachelor of Music from Indiana University. His teachers have included Myron Bloom, Eli Epstein, Rick Todd, and James Thatcher.

TRUMPET

  • Dave Bender is a freelance trumpet player living in Eugene, Oregon. In addition to playing with Oregon Mozart Players, Dave performs regularly with the Eugene Symphony, the Girl Circus Orchestra, the Fighting Instruments of Karma, the new bohemians, and the Eugene Hard Bop Collective. He composes, arranges, orchestrates, leads bands, and records. He is the trumpet teacher at Lane Community College, the brass coach of the Eugene Springfield Youth Symphonies, and maintains his own studio of 20 trumpet students.

KEYBOARD

PERCUSSION

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