Sarasota Opera Orchestra and Chorus 2016
Each season, some of the most accomplished instrumentalists in classical music come together to form the Sarasota Opera Orchestra. Professional musicians from as far away as California and New York, as well as from here in Florida, join together to perform in one of the finest opera orchestras in the country. Many of our players have been with us for more than five years, with several performing over ten seasons. Having a resident orchestra gives Sarasota Opera the opportunity to thoroughly rehearse
the season’s operas over the course of several weeks. Sarasota Opera’s orchestra, along with its other artists and technicians, are committed to presenting quality opera season after season.
SARASOTA OPERA ORCHESTRA
VIOLIN
L.P. How – Santa Fe, NM (10)
Concertmaster
The Murray Bring and Kay Delaney Endowed Chair
Jeremy Williams – Nashville, TN (3)
Associate Concertmaster
Juan Jaramillo – Pittsburgh, PA (11)
Assistant Concertmaster
Susan Faux – Jamaica Plain, MA (15)
Principal Second Violin
Jenny Amador – Corte Madera, CA (1)
Vitaly Briskin - Chicago, IL (Debut)
Soojin Chang – Washington, DC (1)
Eliza Cho – Philadelphia, PA (9)
Jason Erwin – Philadelphia, PA (7)
Lu Friedman – Hartford, CT (8)
George Anthony Figueroa – Lenoir, NC (1)
Jina Lee – Baltimore, MD (3)
Natalia Vasilieva Maiden – Sarasota, FL (8)
Shelley Mathews – Silver Spring, MD (1)
Caitlin McSherry – San Francisco, CA (7)
Milene Moreira – Sarasota, FL (9)
Amanda Nix – Sarasota, FL (7)
Nonoko Okada – Greensboro, NC (6)
Matthew Oshida – Palo Alto, CA (6)
Lavinia Pavlish – New York, NY (Debut)
VIOLA
Elizabeth Lamb – Nashville, TN (10)
Principal
Michael Holub – Milford, CT (13)
Simon Értz – Greensboro, NC (7)
Carl Larson – Prospect, KY (3)
Sarah Lemons – Brooklyn, NY (6)
Katherine Zahradnik – Baltimore, MD (8)
CELLO
Nadine Trudel – Sarasota, FL (13)
Principal
Troy Chang – Tampa, FL (4)
Joanne Choi – New York, NY (Debut)
Kelley Maulbetsch – San Francisco, CA (9)
Allegra Montanari - Chicago, IL (4)
Hannah Whitehead – Pittsburgh, PA (Debut)
BASS
Gil S. Katz – Sarasota, FL (14)
Principal
Cory Palmer – Pittsburgh, PA (Debut)
Edward Paulsen – Rochester, NY (5)
Brian Thacker – Merrimack, NH (5)
FLUTE
Amanda Blaikie – Ferndale, MI (1)
Principal
Jessica Petrasek – Kansas City, MO (1)
PICCOLO
Jessica Petrasek – Kansas City, MO (1)
OBOE
Rick Basehore – Alexandria, VA (7)
Principal
Jennifer Case – Huntsville, AL (Debut)
ENGLISH HORN
Jennifer Case – Huntsville, AL (Debut)
CLARINET
Joseph Morris – Salt Lake City, UT (1)
Principal
The Ed and Jane Bavaria Endowed Chair
Robert Walker – Oakland Gardens, NY (1)
BASS CLARINET
Robert Walker – Oakland Gardens, NY (1)
BASSOON
Natalya Rose Vrbsky – Rochester, NY (5)
Principal
Galina Kiep – San Diego, CA (1)
HORN
Eric Bell – Houston, TX (21)
Principal
Theresa MacDonnell – Osprey, FL (1)
Alex Rosenfeld – San Francisco, CA (4)
Sandra Swanson – Evanston, IL (17)
TRUMPET
Mary Bowden – Naples, FL (Debut)
Principal
Larry Herman – Cleveland, OH (18)
Stephen Madancy – New York, NY (2)
David Detwiler – Culpeper, VA (Debut)
TROMBONE
Kathryn Curran – San Francisco, CA (8)
Principal
Benjamin Skroch – Boonville, IN (Debut)
Jonathan Schubert – Harleysville, PA (8)
The Mr. and Mrs. William E. Chapman, II Endowed Chair
BASS / CONTRABASS TROMBONE
Wayne Solomon – Fresno, CA (9)
HARP
Giuseppina Ciarla – Bari, Italy (13)
Principal
TIMPANI
Gregg Koyle – Guglionesi, Italy (15)
Principal
PERCUSSION
William Manley – Jamaica Plain, MA (12)
Principal
James Benoit – Pittsburgh, PA (3)
AIDA ONSTAGE TRUMPET
Larry Herman
David Detwiler
Stephen Madancy
Michael Fee
ASSOCIATE MUSICIANS
FLUTE
Claudia White
OBOE
Alyssa McKeithen
CLARINET
Stacey McColley
Laura Stephenson
BASSOON
Fernando Traba
MaurizioVenturini
TRUMPET
Aric Brian
HARP
Jennifer Robertson-Tessi
PERCUSSION
Aaron Nix
AIDA OFFSTAGE HORN
Juliann Welch
Troy Messner
AIDA OFFSTAGE TRUMPET
Daniel Mendelow
David Clark
Alan Evans
Cindy Scaruffi-Klispie
LA BATTAGLIA DI LEGNANO OFFSTAGE TRUMPET
Stephen Madancy
David Detwiler
Michael Fee
AIDA & LA BATTAGLIA DI LEGNANO OFFSTAGE TROMBONE
Kyle Guira
Jennifer Schmeiser
Alex Belliveau
Nathaniel Smith
ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL MANAGER & CONTRACTOR
Gregg Koyle
ORCHESTRA LIBRARIAN
Kelley Maulbetsch
SARASOTA OPERA CHORUS
ANDREA BAKER, soprano
Olean, New York
Sarasota Opera debut
MEGAN BARRERA, soprano
Miami, Florida
Sarasota Opera debut
Sponsored by Henry Foster in loving memory of Suzanne Foster
ALEXANDER CHARLES BOYD, baritone
Purcellville, Virginia
2015 Winter & Fall Apprentice Artist
2012 Fall Apprentice Artist (debut)
Sponsored by John F. Suhre and Carla L. Koeffler
PHILLIP BULLOCK, baritone
Washington, District of Columbia
Sarasota Opera debut
MOLLY BURKE, mezzo-soprano
Atlanta, Georgia
Sarasota Opera debut
JOHN CALLISON, baritone
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Sarasota Opera debut
ROBERT CARDWELL, baritone
Laredo, Texas
Sarasota Opera debut
SEAN CHRISTENSEN, tenor
Fribourg, Switzerland
Sarasota Opera debut
JENNIFER DRYER, soprano
Austin, Texas
Sarasota Opera debut
Sponsored by Syble Di Girolamo
MORGAN EARLE, mezzo-soprano
Carrollton, Georgia
2015 Winter Apprentice Artist
2014 Fall Apprentice Artist
2014 Winter Apprentice Artist (debut)
The Joey Frye Endowed Artist
AMAL EL-SHRAFI, soprano
Randolph, Massachusetts
Sarasota Opera debut
KATE FARRAR, mezzo-soprano
Laurel, Maryland
Sarasota Opera debut
CHRISTOPHER GEORGETTI, tenor
Nutley, New Jersey
Sarasota Opera debut
VINCENT GRANA, bass-baritone
New Brunswick, New Jersey
Sarasota Opera debut
The Joel D. and Ellen S. Fedder Endowed Artist
SAMUEL HALL, tenor
Columbus, Ohio
Sarasota Opera debut
WALKER J. JACKSON, tenor
Atlanta, Georgia
Sarasota Opera debut
JESUS ALFREDO JIMENEZ JIMENEZ, tenor
La Paz, Bolivia
Sarasota Opera debut
KENTON JORDAN, tenor
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Sarasota Opera debut
SERGEY KHALIKULOV, bass-baritone
Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Sarasota Opera debut
REBECCA KIDNIE, soprano
St. Paul, Minnesota
2015 Fall Apprentice Artist (debut)
Sponsored by Dr. Clarence and Kimberly Griffin
ERIK E. LARSON, baritone
Madison, Wisconsin
Sarasota Opera debut
LUCAS LEVY, tenor
Lexington, Massachusetts
2015 Winter & Fall Apprentice Artist
2014 Fall Apprentice Artist (debut)
The Lynn and Steve Blackledge Endowed Artist
JUSTIN MANALAD, tenor
New York, New York
Sarasota Opera debut
KATE McNAMARA, soprano
Dallas, Texas
2015 Winter & Fall Apprentice Artist
2014 Fall Apprentice Artist
2014 Winter Apprentice Artist (debut)
Sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Arthur
RACHELLE MOSS, contralto
Lansing, Kansas
Sarasota Opera debut
JAVIER ORTIZ, bass-baritone
Pojoaque, New Mexico
Sarasota Opera debut
JOHN OVERHOLT, tenor
Newport, Tennessee
Sarasota Opera debut
MICHELLE SIEMENS, mezzo-soprano
Victoria, Canada
Sarasota Opera debut
Sponsored by Mark and Gail Appel
JOSHUA SOUTH, bass
Huntsville, Alabama
Sarasota Opera debut
MICHAEL SPAZIANI, bass-baritone
West Chester, Pennsylvania
2015 Fall Apprentice Artist
2015 Winter Apprentice Artist (debut)
Sponsored by Bill and Karen Watt
ANDREW SURRENA, tenor
Pleasanton, California
2015 Fall Apprentice Artist
2014 Fall Apprentice Artist
2014 Winter Apprentice Artist (debut)
Sponsored by Paul and Sharon Steinwachs
HANS TASJIAN, bass
East Concord, New York
2015 Fall Apprentice Artist
2015 Winter Apprentice Artist (debut)
Sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. William Lloyd
MADELYN WANNER, mezzo-soprano
New Holland, Pennsylvania
Sarasota Opera debut
KAYLA NICOLE WHITE, soprano
Chicago, Illinois
Sarasota Opera debut
JACOB RYAN WRIGHT, tenor
Asheville, North Carolina
Sarasota Opera debut
JAMES WRIGHT, baritone
Buffalo, New York
Sarasota Opera debut
Sponsored by Nanci Talpas in memory of Joseph and Marian Newbauer
TOBIAS WRIGHT, tenor
Arkansas City, Kansas
2015 Fall Apprentice Artist (debut)
Sponsored by A. Scott Bushey