Orchestra
*Members of the Chamber Orchestra
+Musician on leave
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Susanna Perry Gilmore*
Concertmaster
Susanna
Perry Gilmore enjoys a multifaceted career as solo artist, chamber musician,
and orchestral concertmaster. Performing on both modern and period instruments
and versatile in diverse styles from classical to fiddling, she has been
concertmaster of the Omaha Symphony since 2011 and a principal player with
Apollo’s Fire since 2014.
Ms.
Gilmore performs regularly as a soloist with the Omaha Symphony on a wide range
of repertoire including the Scottish Fantasy by Max Bruch,
Ravel Tzigane, Vivaldi’s Four
Seasons, and
violin concerti by Berg, Walton, Mozart, Korngold and Prokofiev. In 2016,
utilizing her experience with Celtic fiddling, she co-created the symphonic
pops show Celtic
Journey in
collaboration with the Omaha Symphony and guitarist William Coulter which
blends traditional Irish music, dance, songs and storytelling and has appeared
with symphonies around North America including Detroit, Nashville, Indianapolis
and Edmonton. Ms. Gilmore also curates the Omaha Symphony’s Cathedral/Baroque
concerts as co-artistic director and leader.
On
baroque violin and fiddle Ms. Gilmore performs with acclaimed period instrument
ensemble and Grammy Award winner Apollo’s Fire (Cleveland), with whom she tours
nationally and internationally and appears on the CD Sugarloaf
Mountain: An Appalachian Gathering (Billboard Top 10 classical
bestseller), the CD Sephardic Journey: Wanderings
of the Spanish Jews (Billboard Top 10 classical
bestseller), Christmas on Sugarloaf Mountain, and upcoming
releases of Bach’s B minor Mass and St. Matthew
Passion.
Ms.
Gilmore holds a Bachelor’s degree…
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Iris Wu
Associate Concertmaster
Violinist Iris Wu holds both her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in violin performance from the University of Michigan, where she studied under David Halen. A recipient of numerous fellowships and scholarships, she has performed at prestigious festivals including the Aspen Music Festival and School, Chautauqua Institution School of Music, Innsbrook Institute Summer Music Academy, and the Sewanee Music Festival.
An accomplished soloist and orchestral musician, Iris made her solo debuts with the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra in 2013 and the National Repertory Orchestra in 2025. She has held leadership roles as Concertmaster of the Sewanee Symphony and the Naples Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, and as Co-Principal Second of the National Repertory Orchestra. Prior to joining the Omaha Symphony, she enjoyed freelancing with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Fort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra, Lansing Symphony Orchestra, and Toledo Symphony Orchestra.
Born in Taipei, Taiwan, Iris moved to Naples, Florida at age nine. She began her violin studies a year later with Ming Gao, former Associate Concertmaster of Naples Philharmonic Orchestra. Outside of music, she enjoys reading, baking, and watching Chinese historical dramas.
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Ahra Cho*+
Associate Concertmaster
Violinist Ahra Cho recently joined the Omaha Symphony as an associate concertmaster in January 2022. She previously served as substitute musician for the New York Philharmonic, as well as concertmaster of the Manhattan Chamber Sinfonia, Manhattan Soloists Ensemble in New York, Texas Music Festival Orchestra, Duxbury Orchestra, and Manhattan School of Music Symphony Orchestra. In more recent months, she was appointed as a first section violinist of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra.
A versatile and enthusiastic musician, Ms. Cho has continued to enjoy her musical career of solo, chamber music, teaching artist, and orchestra musician appearances throughout North America and Asia. A native of Seoul, South Korea, Ms. Cho started playing violin when she was just four years old. As a soloist, she has earned numerous invaluable experiences performing with renowned orchestras including the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra as her debut at age eleven, as well as the Jeonju Philharmonic Orchestra, Korean Chamber Orchestra, Sejong soloists Concert, Seoul National Symphony Orchestra, Manhattan Soloists Ensemble, and the Duxbury Festival Orchestra.
In 2015, she won the Mozart Classical String Competition in New York City and was able to use that stepping stone to make her debut in the United States with the Manhattan school…
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Henry Jenkins*
Second Associate Concertmaster
Henry Jenkins, 2nd Associate Concertmaster of the Omaha Symphony, is known for his versatility across multiple instruments, including baroque violin, banjo, and guitar. With a foundation in classical music, Henry brings a unique blend of technical precision and artistic expression, bridging genres from the Baroque period to bluegrass and folk. His ability to interpret and connect diverse musical styles makes him a sought-after artist in both traditional and contemporary settings.In addition to playing full time in the Omaha Symphony, Henry enjoys playing in the St Paul Chamber Orchestra, and participating in the Omaha Chamber Music Society's year-round concert series. He is also an active participant in the Wyoming International Chamber Music Festival, and Nebraska Crossroads Music Festival.Henry began his career serving as Assistant Concertmaster of the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic and the Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra. He also performed with the Evansville Philharmonic, Owensboro Symphony, and Indianapolis Symphony. Past festivals include the Artosphere Festival Orchestra, International Chamber Orchestra of Puerto Rico, National Repertory Orchestra, and the Iris Orchestra.Henry grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, where he attended the Oberlin Conservatory under the tutelage of Milan Vitek. During his undergraduate studies, Henry maintained an enthusiastic focus on chamber music, and attended the Litomysl…
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Keith Plenert*
Principal Second Violin
Keith Plenert, a native of Wichita, Kansas joined the Omaha Symphony in 1988 as Principal Second Violin. Prior to coming to Omaha, Keith was Assistant Concertmaster of the Denver Chamber Orchestra and Colorado Ballet Orchestra. Other past orchestral experience has been with the Denver Symphony, Wichita Symphony Orchestra, Brevard Music Center Orchestra, Breckenridge Music Festival Chamber Orchestra, Sunriver Music Festival and Sonoma Music Festival.
He has been soloist with the Denver Chamber Orchestra, Breckenridge Music Festival, Transylvania Symphony and several times with the Omaha Symphony Chamber Orchestra.
His professional chamber music credits include the Fontenelle and Omaha Symphony String Quartets of the Omaha Symphony, Summit String Quartet, and the Napoli String Quartet.
Keith received a Bachelor’s degree in Violin Performance from Wichita State University and a Master’s degree in Violin Performance from the University of Colorado, Boulder. His major teachers during this time were James Ceasar, Oswald Lehnert, Gabor Takacs-Nagy and Denes Koromzay.
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Frank Seligman*
Associate Principal Second Violin
Frank Seligman has been a member of the Omaha Symphony since 1988. For thirty seasons he played second violin in the Symphony's Fontenelle String Quartet. Over the years, Seligman has performed in chamber music recitals with the Dundee Trio and various other ensembles on the Joslyn Museum's Bagels and Bach series and the Presbyterian Church of the Cross Vesper Concert series. An active performer in the Omaha community, Seligman has performed live on UNO radio station KVNO with colleagues from the orchestra. He has served as a member of the Breckenridge (Colorado) Music Institute's chamber orchestra as well as the Institute's Summit String Quartet.Prior to his arrival in Omaha, Seligman was a member of the New Orleans Symphony. He has also performed with the North Carolina Symphony and the Swiss Chamber Orchestra, Festival Strings Lucerne. Seligman has played in the violin section of the Lincoln Symphony over the years, occasionally serving as concertmaster.
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Kevin Tompkins*
Assistant Principal Second Violin
Kevin Tompkins has been a member of the Omaha Symphony since 2016. Originally from Greenville, South Carolina, he received his Bachelor of Music degree with High Distinction from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. Two years later, he completed his Master of Music degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music. He began his professional orchestral career while still in school, playing with the Rochester Philharmonic, Canton Symphony, Akron Symphony, and Erie Philharmonic. An active performer in the Omaha area, Kevin appears frequently with the Omaha Chamber Music Society, Omaha Under the Radar, and at the Omaha Conservatory of Music, where he has been a faculty member since 2019. In his spare time, he enjoys golfing, cooking, and hiking.
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Tracy Dunn*
Section Violin
Tracy Dunn first performed in Omaha as a member of the Symphony during its 1981/82 season. She was also the second violinist of the Omaha Symphony String Quartet. Prior to her current tenure with the Orchestra, which began in 1987, she was a member of the Gulbenkian Orchestra under the direction of Claudio Scimone in Lisbon, Portugal. At that time she also was a founding member of the Lisbon String Trio. Tracy spent a year following her seasons in Lisbon as a member of the Basque National Orchestra in San Sebastian. Upon her return to Omaha, Tracy has been an active chamber musician with various ensembles performing in Omaha and abroad.
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Rebecca Kia-Mills*
Section Violin
Becky has been a full-time member of the Omaha Symphony since 1990. She won the job while studying with Allen Ohmes at the University of Iowa and pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Violin Performance.
A native of Chicago, Becky is also the violin soloist/conductor for Mannheim Steamroller and she travels with them every Christmas season, performing around 50 concerts in 7 weeks each year. Kia-Mills also directs a community orchestra in Red Oak, IA called “Strings Unlimited” which is an inter-generational orchestra for students aged 9 and up.
Before coming to Omaha, Becky earned a Bachelor of Music Education from Augustana College in Rock Island, IL and a Masters of Arts in Violin Performance from the University of Iowa. She has performed at numerous summer festivals and she loves to play in traveling Broadway shows at the Orpheum Theatre when she has time.
Becky is married and has 3 daughters. She lives in Atlantic, IA but makes a point of returning to Chicago every year to catch her favorite team (the Chicago Cubs, of course!!).
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Alfiia Mansurova
Section Violin
Alfiia Mansurova was born in Kazan, Tatarstan, and is of Tatar heritage. She attended the Secondary Special School and College of the Kazan State Conservatory, graduating with honors in 2014.
From 2014 to 2017, she performed as a soloist with the Tatar State Philharmonic and, in 2017, performed with the international orchestra of the Harbin Conservatory in China. She has also participated in master classes with Miriam Fried, Krzysztof Węgrzyn, Maxim Fedotov, and Irina Bochkova.
Alfiia has extensive performing experience throughout the United States, Russia, China, France, Turkey, and India. She earned a Graduate Certificate in Instrumental Chamber Music from Park University, where she studied with Ben Sayevich, and a Master of Music in Music Performance from Southern Methodist University, under the mentorship of Alexander Sitkovetsky. She later pursued a Graduate Artist Certificate in Violin Performance at the University of North Texas with Julia Bushkova.
In 2021, Alfiia was selected to participate in the Pinchas Zukerman Master Classes and Chamber Concerts, featuring musicians from the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. In March 2026, she performed as a substitute violinist with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
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Anne Nagosky*
Section Violin
Anne Nagosky has been a full-time violinist with the Omaha Symphony since 1998. She holds a Bachelor's degree, summa cum laude, with majors in music and psychology from Washington University in St. Louis and a Master of Music degree in Violin Performance from Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music, where she received Program Honors. Her principal violin teachers were Mimi Zweig, Nina Bodnar, David Halen and Gerardo Ribeiro.
Anne is an active chamber musician in the Omaha area, performing regularly on local series such as the Vesper Concerts, the Omaha Chamber Music Society’s Summer Concert Series and Music as Medicine Series, as well as the Meadowlark Music Festival in Lincoln. Anne is also a passionate music educator and maintains one of the largest violin and viola studios in Nebraska, sharing her love of music with students ages three and up. Anne has received both the Teacher of the Year award from the Nebraska Music Teachers Association and the Outstanding String Educator Award from the Nebraska chapter of the American String Teachers Association (ASTA). She is the Chair of the Nebraska ASTA State Solo Competition for young string players and recently served a two-year term on the national ASTA Studio…
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Scott Shoemaker*
Section Violin
Scott Shoemaker has been a violinist with the Omaha Symphony since 1982. He received his bachelor of music degree from the University of Miami (Florida) in 1981. His principle teachers were Carol Sindell and Thomas Moore."
While in Miami, he was a member of the Florida Philharmonic for three years and also played violin with the Miami String Quartet. One of the highlights of the Quartet’s career was its 1981 selection to participate at the annual Quartet Competition in Banff, Alberta. This gave Scott the opportunity to study with members of the original Hungarian String Quartet, including Zoltán Székely, the violinist who premiered the Bartók Violin Concerto No. 2.
Scott has been a member of several other orchestras including the Wisconsin and Oregon chamber orchestras, Peter Britt Festival (Oregon), Des Moines Opera Orchestra, and the Peninsula Music Festival in Door County, Wisconsin.
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Janani Sivakumar
Section Violin
Janani Sivakumar joined the Omaha Symphony violin section in 2026. Previously, she was a fellow at the New World Symphony and a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. She has appeared as a substitute musician with the Chicago Symphony, the Grant Park Orchestra, and the Charleston Symphony. She spends her summers performing with the Britt Festival Orchestra, where she is a member of the first violin section.
Janani earned bachelor's and master's degrees in violin performance from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music under the tutelage of Grigory Kalinovsky and Simin Ganatra. During her time at Indiana University, she was a recipient of the Barbara and David Jacobs Scholarship and served as principal second violin of the Chamber Orchestra.
In addition to her musical pursuits, Janani holds a bachelor's degree in computer science and was a Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellow in Mandarin Chinese at Indiana University.
In her spare time, she enjoys running, rock climbing, and reading mysteries
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Yulia Watanabe-Price
Section Violin
Violinist and educator Yulia Watanabe-Price is excited to be joining the Omaha Symphony for its 2026–2027 season.
Prior to joining the Omaha Symphony, Yulia was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Elgin Symphony Orchestra, and South Bend Symphony Orchestra. As a freelance musician, she has performed with various groups, including the Portland Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, Charlotte Symphony, Charleston Symphony, and Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra. Her festival appearances include the Spoleto Music Festival, Britt Music Festival, Madeline Island Chamber Music Festival, and Bay Chamber Concerts’ Screen Door Festival. Recent engagements include a season with Sarasota Opera and performances with the Four Seasons Music Festival, where she was the 2023–2024 Artist Fellow.
Alongside her performance career, Yulia has been a strong advocate for music education and outreach and has organized residencies and performed educational programs for thousands of students nationwide. She previously taught at Ravinia’s El Sistema program and was involved in community outreach initiatives such as the Civic Mentorship Program and the Civic Chamber Music Series, presenting contemporary chamber music to diverse audiences throughout Chicago.
Yulia earned her Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance from East Carolina University, where she studied with Ara Gregorian and Hye-Jin Kim, and completed her Suzuki…
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Lucy Duke
Section Violin
Lucy Duke is an avid violinist who plays with the Omaha Symphony Orchestra and the Des Moines Symphony Orchestra. She is also a former member of the Quad Cities Symphony Orchestra and Orchestra Iowa. Duke earned both Bachelors and Masters degrees in Violin Performance at Northwestern University, studying with violinist Gerardo Ribeiro. Prior to attending Northwestern, she studied with Jan Sloman at Southern Methodist University. Amongst other honors, she was awarded the Anna Schaeffler Lockwood Award for Excellence in String Music, membership in Pi Kappa Lambda—premiere National Music Honor Society, Undergraduate Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement (Northwestern), as well as the Presidential Scholarship (SMU). When Duke isn’t practicing or performing, she enjoys hanging out with her dog, Chunk, and watching British Murder Mysteries.
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Melissa Pruss
Section Violin
Melissa Pruss is a 2001 graduate of DePaul University in Chicago where she completed a Bachelor of Music Performance degree, with honors, while studying with Joseph Genualdi. In 2000, Melissa was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Prior to her time in Chicago, she played as associate principal Second violin of the Collegium Orchestra in Bonn, Germany, and studied violin and viola at the Meadowmount School, where she continues to be involved.
At age 27, Pruss won her position as section First violin with the Omaha Symphony. In addition to her work with the Omaha Symphony, she has been Professor of Violin and Viola at the College of St. Mary since 2005, and has taught upper strings at St. Wenceslaus School in West Omaha since 2006. Melissa has returned to school herself to pursue a Masters of Music Performance at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, studying with Mary Perkinson.
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Thomas Kluge*
Principal Viola
Thomas Kluge is the principal viola of the Omaha Symphony, an active chamber musician, recitalist, and soloist. Prior to moving to Omaha, Thomas was a freelance musician in New York City. He performed with the New York Philharmonic, orchestras in Connecticut, and a number of chamber orchestras.
Thomas was educated in New York at the Manhattan School of Music, where his teacher was New York Philharmonic Principal Violist Leonard Davis. Before earning his master of music degree in viola performance, he studied in Stuttgart, Germany, with Hermann Voss of the Melos Quartet and in Bern, Switzerland, where he earned a diploma in violin pedagogy and viola performance and pedagogy from the Bern Conservatory of Music and Theater, where his violin/viola teacher was Max Rostal, who for decades was one of Europe’s most prominent concert violinists and teachers.
Thomas teaches viola and is the orchestra director at Creighton University. He has been on the faculties of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Brevard Music Center in Brevard, North Carolina, and Omaha Conservatory of Music. Thomas also maintains a private violin and viola studio and was a founding member of the Omaha Chamber Music Society, where he served as artistic director for…
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Tyler Sieh*
Associate Principal Viola
A native Minnesotan, violist Tyler Sieh has served as the Associate Principal Viola of the Omaha Symphony since 2022. Prior to this, Tyler was a member of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra in New Orleans and Associate Principal Viola with the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra. Tyler began his career as a member of the United States Air Force Band in Washington, DC.
Currently violist with the Maverick String Quartet, faculty artists-in-residence at University of Nebraska Omaha, Tyler was previously a founding member of the Lott String Quartet, artists-in-residence at the University of New Orleans. He also served as violist with the Augustana String Quartet, and prior to that he founded the Oleana Chamber Players in Washington, DC.
As an educator, Tyler serves on the viola faculty at the University of Nebraska Omaha and Creighton University, and during the summers he is a faculty member at the MasterWorks Festival in Virginia. Previously Tyler taught at the University of New Orleans, Augustana University, and Minnesota State University Mankato. Tyler holds degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music where he studied with Mark Jackobs and Lynne Ramsey and a master’s in arts management from the University of Oklahoma.
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Victor Diaz
Section Viola
Victor Daniel Diaz Sanchez is a Colombian violist and educator based in the
Midwest. He joined the Omaha Symphony in 2026 after performing with ensembles
including the Kansas City Symphony, Wichita Symphony Orchestra, Virginia
Symphony, and New World Symphony. In 2025 and 2026, he also participated in the
Aspen Music Festival and School and was appointed Principal Viola of the
Lincoln Symphony Orchestra.
Victor has been recognized as a Sphinx Competition Honorable Mention
recipient and Sphinx SOPA Finalist, and has been a finalist for Principal Viola
with the Richmond Symphony and Associate Principal Viola with the Virginia
Symphony.
He earned degrees from the UMKC Conservatory and the International Center
for Music at Park University, where he is currently pursuing a Master of Music
in Viola Performance.
Alongside his performing career, Victor maintains a private teaching studio
and has worked with young musicians through organizations including Harmony
Project Kansas City and String Sprouts. He believes that music education is
about more than learning an instrument. Through companionship, encouragement,
and a shared love of music and the arts, he hopes to help students develop
confidence, curiosity, self-expression, and the ability to concentrate
deeply—an increasingly important skill in a world filled with constant
distraction.
For Victor, teaching and performing are connected by the same belief: that
music can bring people together, strengthen our attention to…
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Juliet Yoshida*
Section Viola
Juliet Yoshida has been a member of the Omaha Symphony since 2011. In addition to her orchestral work she is a frequent chamber music performer and has collaborated with Opera Omaha, the International Contemporary Ensemble, Meadowlark Music Festival, and the Omaha Chamber Society.
Raised in Omaha, she began her violin studies at the age of 9. She earned her B.M. in Violin Performance at Vanderbilt University as a student of Carolyn Huebl and her M.M. from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor with Andrew Jennings. She plays on a violin by the contemporary violin maker Gregg Alf.
While not performing or teaching she enjoys her husband Tim Strang’s amazing cooking and hanging out with their son and miniature schnauzer.
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Bozhidar Shopov
Section Viola
Bozhidar Shopov completed his musical studies in his native country Bulgaria.
He has been a violinist in Plovdiv state opera, Vienna Walzer Orchestra, Monterrey Symphony, Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra (concertmaster), Sioux City Symphony (concertmaster) Omaha symphony (violin, viola), and many chamber ensembles. In his professional career, he has played in 26 different countries.
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Sarah Curley
Section Viola
A native of Downers Grove, Illinois, Sarah began studying the viola at the age of 9 in the public schools. In high school, she had the opportunity to study with Lawrence Neumann and Karin Dirks of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She performed frequently in the Chicago area and abroad as a member of the Chicago Youth Symphony. Sarah earned a BM in performance from the Peabody Institute of Music where she studied with Victoria Chiang. She then went on to earn a MM in performance from the University of Montreal, where she studied with Jutta Puchhammer-Sedillot. Sarah joined the Lincoln Symphony in 2007 and the Omaha Symphony in 2008. Along with orchestral and chamber music performance, she maintains a large teaching studio for violin and viola in Lincoln. When Sarah is not teaching or performing, she spends time with her husband and three children.
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Paul Ledwon*
Principal Cello
Paul Ledwon is currently principal cellist of the Omaha Symphony, a position he has held since 1999. His frequent solo appearances with the orchestra have included works by Haydn, Schumann, Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky.
Ledwon began his musical training at the age of four on the piano and violin, discovering the cello a few years later. He studied with Hans Jorgen Jensen at Northwestern University, earning his Bachelor of Music with Distinction and his Master of Music with Program Honors. While a student at NU, he performed recitals annually in Evanston and in Detroit, for the Detroit Institute of Arts' subscription concert series. He was also a frequent soloist with Chicago area orchestras including the Northwestern and North Shore Chamber Orchestras, and performed at the master classes of such cellists as Anner Bylsma, Harvey Shapiro, John Sharp, Paul Katz, Lynn Harrell, and Mstislav Rostropovich. At this time, Ledwon was principal cellist of both the NU Symphony and the Chicago Symphony Civic Orchestras, as well as a substitute with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. His summers included performing as principal with the Schleswig-Holstein (Germany) and Pacific Music Festival (Japan) orchestras.
As a recipient of the prestigious Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) fellowship, Ledwon continued his…
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Gregory Clinton*
Associate Principal Cello
Cellist Gregory Clinton began his professional career in hometown Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he was a member of the Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra and solo cellist with the renowned Skylight Opera Theater. His appointment to the Omaha Symphony came in 1983 by then-Music Director Thomas Briccetti, and in the years since has served as the orchestra's Associate Principal Cellist, Assistant Music Librarian, cellist of the Fontenelle String Quartet and Chair of both the Orchestra and Contract Negotiating Committees. He, too, has held the position of Acting Principal Cellist for five different seasons and has appeared as soloist with the orchestra on many occasions, including featured collaborations with noted vocalists Bobby McFerrin and Karrin Allyson.
Beyond his activities as an orchestral musician, Mr. Clinton is both an avid chamber music performer and dedicated teacher. He currently is a member of the artist-faculty at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, having taught previously at Dana College and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is often engaged as an orchestral and chamber music coach in addition to maintaining his own private studio and gigging Blue Moon String Quartet.
During the summer hiatus between orchestra seasons and academic years, Mr. Clinton motors to the great American West and performs…
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Holly Gullen-Stout
Section Cello
Holly Gullen-Stout has been a member of the Omaha Symphony cello section since 1979. She has also played with the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra, the Nebraska Chamber Orchestra, and is the founding member of the Nova String Quartet. Additionally, Holly spent years as a strings teacher primarily in the Omaha Public Schools and was adjunct faculty for two years at Dana College in Blair, Nebraska.Growing up in the Kansas City area as the daughter of a ground-breaking jazz organist and a carpenter/contractor, she began cello studies at the age of 13 in the public schools moving quickly to private studies with members of the Kansas City Philharmonic (the orchestra prior to the Kansas City Symphony). She went on to receive her Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music with an emphasis in cello performance and music theory. Later, after moving to Omaha and some years of teaching and playing, she decided it was time to get her Masters in Cello Performance and commuted to the Conservatory in Kansas City to complete that degree. Holly’s spare time is spent writing music for professional string quartets (especially the Nova String Quartet) and elementary school orchestra. When not…
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Shannon Merciel
Section Cello
Shannon Merciel is a cellist and teacher based in St. Louis, Missouri. A versatile performer, she appears as an orchestral and chamber musician in the United States and abroad. Shannon joined the Omaha Symphony in 2023, and performs regularly with the St. Louis Symphony and Sarasota Orchestra. Previously, she was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and has appeared with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Also in 2023, she joined the resident orchestra at the Muny, the nation’s oldest and largest outdoor amphitheater producing Broadway musicals every summer in St. Louis. Shannon is the cellist of Trio Doyenne, an internationally formed piano trio founded in Glasgow in 2018. The trio performs throughout the UK and Europe and has been featured on Lithuania’s National Radio. Alongside performing, Shannon coaches local youth orchestra sectionals and maintains a private studio of dedicated cello students out of her home in St. Louis.Shannon earned her Bachelor of Music from the University of Missouri-Columbia and Master of Music from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.Outside of her musical endeavors, Shannon enjoys sourdough baking, inline skating, and spoiling her two tuxedo cats, Vinny and Frida.
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Nate Olson*
Principal Bass
Nate Olson, principal bass, comes from a family of musicians. Originally from Bargersville, Indiana, Nate played several instruments as a child before choosing double bass as his primary instrument at age 11. His primary teachers include Jack Budrow, Robert Goodlett, Lawrence Hurst, Peter Lloyd, and Kurt Muroki. Nate has performed with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the National Repertory Orchestra, the Oregon Symphony, and the Santa Barbara Symphony. He has also participated in the Aspen Summer Music Festival, the Brevard Music Center Summer Festival, and the Interlochen Arts Camp. Nate earned his Bachelor of Music and Performance Diploma degrees from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music and graduated with a Masters of Music from the Colburn Conservatory. He is thrilled to have won a permanent position with the Omaha Symphony as principal bass and begins his second season in that role in September 2019.
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Bobby Scharmann*
Associate Principal Bass
A native of Manhattan, KS, Bobby is a stylistically diverse bassist and educator with experience in a wide range of genres. Bobby was appointed Associate Principal Bass with the Omaha Symphony in 2023 after performing as a member of the bass section since 2017. His festival appearances include the Aspen Music Festival and the National Repertory Orchestra.
In addition to his orchestral career, Bobby has performed jazz, rock, and pop throughout the United States, appearing at such venues as The Jazz Kitchen and The Chatterbox in Indianapolis, as well as Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. He received two awards from Downbeat Magazine’s Student Music Awards in 2015 for work with his co-led jazz septet JKS. The septet released their debut album “Moonflower” later that year. Bobby was also invited to Ravinia’s Steans Institute Program for Jazz in 2014, where he studied with faculty Dr. David Baker, Rufus Reid, Curtis Fuller and Dr. Nathan Davis.
Bobby received his Master of Music degree from Indiana University as a student of Kurt Muroki and Jeremy Allen, and his Bachelor of Music degree from Kansas State University as a student of Gordon Lewis and David Littrell.
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James Giles
Section Bass
James Giles, double bass, is a 37-year member of the Omaha Symphony string section. He performs as both a section bassist and as the rhythm/jazz and electric bassist with OSO. He began his studies in Philadelphia as an electric bassist under the instruction of Bob Cerulli, bassist and award-winning Warner Bros. composer and arranger. James signed his first contract to tour with Danny and the Juniors (At The Hop) at age 18. He graduated from the New School of Music with a degree in double bass performance in 1980 under the tutelage of Michael Shahan, Associate Principal Bass with the Philadelphia Orchestra.
In the summer of that year he began his association with Curtis Burris at the Chautauqau Institute, leading to graduate studies with Mr. Burris at the University of AZ. While in Arizona, Mr. Giles performed with the Tucson and Phoenix Symphonies and the Arizona Opera Company. He completed his graduate studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, earning a master’s degree in performance in 1983 while under contract with the Lincoln and Omaha Symphonies and the Nebraska Chamber Orchestra. He completed his education with a post-graduate degree in Psychology of the Gifted at UCONN in 1991. He is currently…
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Jeremy Baguyos
Section Bass
Jeremy Castro Baguyos is in restless pursuit of the refinement of musical expression and the outer limits of creative possibility, often mediated through digital representation/transformation and cogent interdisciplinary sensibilities. His most recent stop in this journey has him serving on the double bass & music technology faculty of the University of Nebraska at Omaha.Before becoming a tenured professor at a research university, he had an extensive orchestral career, highlighted by performances with the bass sections of the Washington National Opera/KCOHO, National Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Shreveport Symphony, and Des Moines Opera. He earned a BM from Indiana University, studying with Bruce Bransby, and a MM from Peabody/Johns Hopkins University.He enjoys watching his children grow up & thrive, visiting Atlanta, GA, where his wife Sara is the Associate Principal Librarian of the Atlanta Symphony, and becoming a digital nomad.
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Danielle Meier
Section Bass
Performing double duty as musician and management, Dani Meier is VP of Artistic Administration and a section Double Bassist at the Omaha Symphony. She programs and coordinates repertoire, artists, and conductors during the day, and sits with the low strings in the evening – a combination that makes her very happy. Originally from Wilmington, Delaware, Dani is a graduate of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and earned her Bachelors and Masters degrees in Music Performance studying with Lawrence Hurst. She’s been fortunate to perform as a soloist, chamber musician, educator, and was once invited – perhaps accidentally – to be a conductor for a high school orchestra clinic. Dani is also Board President of the Omaha Chamber Music Society. Outside of music, Dani enjoys working with animals, specifically herding she and her husband’s cats, and lifting semi-heavy things that aren’t her own instrument.
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Michael Swartz
Section Bass
Michael Swartz grew up in Lincoln Nebraska. During the 1971-1972 season as a senior in high school he played in both the Lincoln and Omaha Symphony. Mike studied applied double bass with Oscar Zimmerman at the Eastman School of Music. He received his BME and Masters in Secondary Administration from the University of Nebraska and retired from the Lincoln Public Schools as an Orchestra Conductor and Strings Specialist in 2014 after 31 years of service to the district. During his tenure with the public schools he served as director of the Lincoln Youth Symphony for 20 years and nurtured a private bass studio which he still maintains today. As a strong believer in music as a medium for community service, he was the “Captain” and leader for the SAIL (Strings Alliance in Lincoln) Summer Music Camp, serving over 350 students annually for 32 years until retiring in 2017. He is a past president of Nebraska American Strings Teachers Association, received the Nebraska ASTA-2009 Outstanding Music Educator award and is an “Admiral” in the mythical Navy of the Great State of Nebraska. In 2013 he received the ”Distinguished Music Educator Award” from Yale University where he attended a symposium in improving…
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Maria Harding*
Principal Flute
Colleagues and critics alike regard flutist Maria Harding as an “artistic anchor” and “a truly remarkable musician”. She is one of today’s most notable orchestral flutists, receiving much attention for her beautiful tone and her expressive, colorful phrasing.
Principal Flute of the Omaha Symphony since 1997, Maria began her orchestral career at age 16 in the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Gurer Aykal. She has played with the Saint Louis Symphony, the San Diego Symphony, the Kansas City Symphony, the Schlossfestspiele Orchestra in Heidelberg, Germany, and has held the position of Principal Flute with the Charleston (SC) Symphony Orchestra.
As a soloist, at age 18 she was awarded first prize in a competition sponsored by the National Flute Association. She also took top awards at the McCarty Young Artists’ Competition and the Myrna Brown Competition. The Yamaha Corporation quickly took note of her talent and named her a Young Performing Artist, and later an Artist/Clinician. Through this program she currently serves as a visiting musical coach in university programs and summer festivals across the country.
In addition to her full-time orchestral schedule, Maria gives over 30 solo performances a year. Locally, she dedicates considerable time bringing music to Omaha senior centers,…
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Nicholas Fitton*
Assistant Principal Flute and Piccolo
Massachusetts native, Nicholas Fitton joined the Omaha Symphony as Assistant Principal Flute & Piccolo at the start of the 2024-2025 season. Before moving to Omaha, he enjoyed a full-time freelancing career performing regularly with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Florida Orchestra, the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra, the Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra, The Washington Chamber Orchestra, and the College Light Opera Company.Nicholas began his collegiate training in 2007 at the Eastman School of Music with Bonita Boyd. In 2009, he won the piccolo chair in the groundbreaking YouTube Symphony Orchestra, the first-ever online collaborative orchestra, and under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas performed a sold-out concert at New York’s Carnegie Hall. A graduate of the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University, his primary studies were with internationally acclaimed soloist Marina Piccinini (B.M. 2015) and piccoloist of The Philadelphia Orchestra, Erica Peel (M.M. 2021). Other influential teachers include Sharon Sparrow, Brook Ferguson, Laurie Sokoloff, Judy Grant, Doriot Dwyer, and Wayne Crebo.A passionate teacher, Nicholas maintains a private studio of in-person and online students. He has been a guest teaching artist at Eastern Kentucky University, the Brookline Music School, and the Boston Flute Academy. Nicholas performs on an 18k gold Verne Q.…
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Lisa Meyerhofer Scalia
Third Flute and Piccolo
Lisa Meyerhofer is happy to call Omaha home, having moved to the area in 2021. Aside from performing with the Omaha Symphony, Lisa holds positions as Principal Flute with the Des Moines Symphony and Principal Flute with Opera in the Ozarks. She has previously served as Acting Assistant Principal Flute in the Omaha Symphony, Second Flute/Piccolo with the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, and Principal Flute of the Lexington Philharmonic, and has performed with the Buffalo Philharmonic, South Dakota Symphony, Lincoln’s Symphony, Tulsa Symphony, and Canton Symphony.Lisa is a native of Lancaster, NY, just outside of Buffalo. She earned her BM in Music Education and Performance from Ithaca College, studying with Wendy Mehne and Kelly Covert, and her MM in Flute Performance from Northwestern University, studying with John Thorne and Richard Graef. Other accomplishments include a prize in the 2017 Walfrid Kujala International Piccolo Competition, competing as a quarterfinalist in the National Flute Association’s Young Artist Competition, and performing as a winner of the Greater Buffalo Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition.Outside of performing and teaching flute lessons, Lisa also tutors math and science. She especially enjoys reading, riding her bike, hiking, photography, gardening, cooking, baking, making paper beads and jewelry, sewing, and…
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Alexandra Rock*
Principal Oboe
Alexandra Rock, originally from upstate New York, began her oboe studies at the Eastman School at age 14. After receiving her Bachelor of Music from Ithaca College, she joined the Orquesta Sinfonica del Estado de Mexico, in Toluca, Mexico. In 1982 she returned to the U.S. to study with Elden Gatwood of the Pittsburgh Symphony, and Joseph Robinson of the New York Philharmonic. Ms. Rock joined the Omaha Symphony in 1983 and is currently their Principal Oboist. Other orchestral positions she has held include five years as principal oboist with the Des Moines Metro Opera, and English hornist for the New York Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, Tri-Cities Opera Company, and Binghamton Symphony Orchestra.
Ms. Rock has appeared as soloist with the Omaha Symphony on several occasions, including performances of Honegger’s Concerto de Camera, Albinoni’s beautiful Oboe Concerto Opus 9, and the very challenging Oboe Concerto by Leon Goossens. She is a featured soloist on “Stardust”, an award-winning CD of lullabies for children by Cher and Gene Klosner. She enjoys playing chamber music, having performed with the Omaha Chamber Music Society and on several Omaha Symphony Chamber Music programs. Ms. Rock has been on the faculties of Nebraska Wesleyan University and Dana…
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Heather Baxter*
Assistant Principal Oboe and English Horn
Heather Baxter joined the Omaha Symphony in 2015 as Assistant Principal/Second Oboe and English Horn. Prior to her move to Omaha, Heather performed with several orchestras throughout Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky, including the Richmond Symphony, Evansville and Lexington philharmonics, Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, and Orchestra Kentucky of Bowling Green, among others, while completing her doctorate in oboe performance at the College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) of the University of Cincinnati.
Heather has had the privilege of studying with some of the country’s top teachers and performers, including Mark Ostoich at CCM, Cally Banham of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Humbert Lucarelli at the Hartt School while completing her master of music degree, and Ann Homann Mottl at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville while completing her bachelor of music degree. She also has performed in masterclass settings for John Mack, Ray Still, Washington Barella, Casey Hill, and Karen Birch Blundell, among others, and studied with Robert Atherholt and Anne Leek at the Texas Music Festival.
In her free time Heather enjoys hiking and rollerblading with her dog, Skye and spending time with her cat, Dill. She also loves boardgames with friends, particularly Settlers of Catan.
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Angela Christine Sallas
Third Oboe and English Horn
Currently based in the Denver and Boulder metro areas of Colorado, oboist Christine Sallas performs on English horn and oboe with the Omaha Symphony in Nebraska and serves as adjunct professor of oboe at Colorado Christian University. An active performer and teacher, Dr. Christine Sallas was awarded a DMA in oboe performance from the University of Kentucky in August of 2017 and served on their faculty from August of 2017 until May of 2018. For the past three summers, she has appeared with the Opera in the Ozarks festival in Arkansas and has also performed with the Bluegrass Opera Company and the Lexington Chamber Singers in Lexington, KY. She also currently serves as principal oboe with the Lexington Chamber Orchestra. Dr. Sallas holds a Masters degree from The Boston Conservatory in Massachusetts and a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Georgia. Dr. Sallas is a member of the National Association of Musicians, the International Double Reed Society, and the College Music Society. Dr. Sallas is also a writer and spends her time away from performing exploring Colorado with her husband and writing about her musical travels.
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Carmelo Galante*
Principal Clarinet
Carmelo Galante is principal clarinet of the Omaha Symphony and former principal clarinet of the Lincoln (Nebraska) and South Bend (Indiana) symphony orchestras and former second clarinet of the Springfield (Illinois) Symphony Orchestra. Summer festivals include the Sebago Lake Chamber Music Festival in Maine, the Chenango Musicfest in New York, the Peninsula Music Festival in Wisconsin, and the Omaha Chamber Music Society. He has also substituted as principal clarinet for the Buffalo Philharmonic and South Dakota Symphony.
Carmelo studied clarinet with Franklin Cohen of the Cleveland Orchestra and James Pyne of the Buffalo Philharmonic while at the Cleveland Institute of Music. He earned a bachelor of music degree in performance from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Lawrence McDonald.
Carmelo’s wife, Lynn, is the director of data collection at Visinet, Inc. in Omaha, and they have a son, Rosario, and daughter, Antonia.
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Rosario Galante*
Assistant Principal and Eb Clarinet
Native to Omaha, Nebraska, Rosario Galante joined the Omaha Symphony in 2023 as Assistant Principal, 2nd, and E-Flat clarinet. Previously, Rosario was the 2nd and E-Flat Clarinetist with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra. Additionally, Rosario has served as Guest Principal Clarinet with the Ohio Valley Symphony, and the Colgate Symphony Orchestra, and has also performed with the Omaha Chamber Music Society, the Syracuse Orchestra, the Springfield Symphony, Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra and the Des Moines Metro Opera. Prior to joining the Omaha Symphony, Rosario had also been a frequent substitute clarinetist with the orchestra since 2013. Rosario has also participated in the Sebango Long Lake Music Festival, the Round Top Festival Institute, and the Marrowstone Music festival. In addition to his performing career, Rosario is an avid teacher and maintains a private studio of clarinetists of all ages, and is a coach for the woodwind section of the Omaha Area Youth Orchestras. Rosario holds a Bachelor’s Degree and Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music, and a Master’s Degree from Northwestern’s Bienen School of Music.
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Orlando Scalia
Third Clarinet and Bass Clarinet
Orlando Scalia joins the Omaha Symphony as Third Clarinet and Bass Clarinet for the 2026-2027 season. He is currently the Associate Principal Clarinet of the South Dakota Symphony, Bass Clarinetist of the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas, and during the summers the Principal Clarinetist of Opera in the Ozarks. Orlando has performed with orchestras and chamber groups across the country, including the Houston Symphony, Des Moines Symphony, Wichita Symphony, and Opera Naples. Orlando graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami and Master’s Degree from the College-Conservatory of Music at University of Cincinnati. His teachers include Ben Freimuth, Margaret Donaghue, Linnea Nereim, and Sasha Potiomkin. A native of Argentina, Orlando is currently loving his Midwestern home. When not looking for the elusive magic reed and mouthpiece, he can be found cooking and decanting that special bottle.
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James Compton*
Principal Bassoon
Jim Compton is a native of Long Beach California. He started playing the bassoon in seventh grade and received degrees from the University of Southern California and The Juilliard School. He is a proud father of two sons and enjoys riding his bicycle on the seemingly endless amount of gravel and dirt roads the Midwest has to offer.
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Nicholas Nelson*
Assistant Principal Bassoon
Nicholas Nelson joined the Omaha Symphony as assistant principal and second bassoon in September of 2016. Previously he held positions and performed with orchestras and festivals across Texas, the Midwest, and Canada. He holds degrees from the University of Texas at Austin, Northwestern University, and Cleveland Institute of Music where he studied with Kristin Wolfe Jensen, Christopher Millard, and John Clouser respectively.
Nick enjoys performing frequently as a chamber musician with the Omaha Chamber Music Society and the Bassoons Across Nebraska bassoon quartet. Prior to joining the Omaha Symphony he lived in Austin, TX as a freelancer and private teacher.
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Karen Sandene
Third Bassoon and Contrabassoon
An Omaha native, Karen Sandene is an active performer in the Omaha and Lincoln classical music community, playing bassoon and contrabassoon with the Omaha and Lincoln Symphony Orchestras, the Abendmusik Orchestra and the Nebraska Symphony Chamber Orchestra. She also free-lances with other regional musical organizations.
Karen attended the University of Nebraska and received her undergrad degree in Bassoon Performance and a masters degree in education. She is a long-time music educator with the Lincoln Public Schools, currently teaching instrumental music in several Title I elementary schools.
Karen has led in the creation of several chamber music groups in Lincoln, including the Third Chair Chamber Players and the New Music Agency (an ensemble devoted to the performance of contemporary music). She also performed on two seasons of "Omaha Under the Radar”, a contemporary musical festival held in Omaha, NE. Karen is the co-founder of Bassoons Across Nebraska, an ensemble made up of the bassoon sections from the Omaha and Lincoln Symphonies, who strive to raise “bassoon awareness” across the state.
Karen is active in the American Federation of Musicians, serving on the board of Local 463 in Lincoln, and holding the title of Secretary for the Regional Orchestra Players’…
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Brett Hodge*+
Principal Horn
Brett Hodge, a native of St. Louis, Missouri, is currently the principal horn of the Omaha Symphony, a position he has held since 2016. In addition to this position, he also serves as the third horn of the Grant Park Music Festival in Chicago, Illinois, where he now spends the majority of his summers.
Hodge has appeared as a soloist with numerous organizations, including the Omaha Symphony, Omaha Chamber Music Society, and the Kansas City Symphony. He also frequently appears as a guest artist and lecturer at universities across the country. Notable opportunities have included the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, the University of Kansas, University of Nebraska at Lincoln, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Columbus State University, and the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
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Katya Jarmulowicz
Principal Horn
Katya
Jarmulowicz is from Minneapolis, Minnesota. She earned her bachelor’s degree at
St. Olaf College under the instruction of Dr. Jenna McBride-Harris. During her
time at St. Olaf, she served as Principal Horn of the St. Olaf Orchestra and
had the opportunity to perform as a soloist on tour. Following her time at St.
Olaf, she attended the Curtis Institute of Music for her master’s degree, where
she studied with Jennifer Montone and Jeffrey Lang. She has spent past summers
at Eastern Music Festival, the Chautauqua Institute, Colorado College Summer
Music Festival, and Tanglewood Music Center.
She
recently joined the Omaha Symphony as Associate Principal Horn and is currently
serving as Acting Principal for the 2026-2027 season. Additionally, she
maintains an active freelance career and has performed with the Minnesota
Orchestra, Grant Park Orchestra, and Philadelphia Orchestra.
When
not playing horn, Katya spends time doing arts and crafts, cooking, and taking
care of her plants.
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Steven Schultz*
Section Horn
Steve Schultz joined the Omaha Symphony horn section in the spring of 2011.
He received both his BM and MFA from the University of Iowa. His primary teacher and mentor was Dr. Kristin Thelander.
Prior to his appointment in Omaha, Steve was an active performer in the orchestras of Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois. In addition, he was equally engaged as a teacher and solo performer. He taught applied horn and brass techniques at Knox, Central, Grinnell, and Cornell Colleges as well as maintaining a successful private studio.
Born and raised on the family century farm in far southeast Iowa where his mother still resides, he happily considers Omaha his adopted home away from home.
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Kerrig Kelly
Section Horn
Kerrig Kelly, a native of Northwest Arkansas, joined the horn section of the Omaha Symphony Orchestra in 2026. He earned a Bachelor of Music Education from Samford University and is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Horn Performance at Southern Methodist University.
Between degrees, Kerrig taught middle and high school band in the Birmingham, Alabama area while maintaining a large private studio. In addition to his work with the Omaha Symphony, he has performed as a substitute with numerous ensembles, including the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Alabama Symphony Orchestra, and Columbus Symphony Orchestra.
During the summers, Kerrig frequently performs in the pit for professional musical theater productions. His credits include Frozen, Into the Woods, The Little Mermaid, Mary Poppins, and many others
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Scott Quackenbush*
Principal Trumpet
Scott Quackenbush is a native of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Just as he was getting used to the cold climate, his parents moved the family to Houston, Texas when he was seven years old. He began playing the trumpet at age 11, choosing it for the same reasons that most preteen boys pick the trumpet – it’s small, it only has three buttons, it plays the tune most of the time, and, of course, it’s loud.
Despite his horror at the eventual discovery that the three buttons make things harder, not easier, Scott had to admit that he had fallen in love with the instrument and with music-making in general. He decided that he wanted to be some sort of musician by the time he was in the seventh grade. After hearing a recording of Wynton Marsalis and the Eastman Wind Ensemble, he had decided where he wanted to go to school.
Scott holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music where he studied with the world-famous teacher Charles Geyer. In 1998, he moved to Evanston, Illinois where he attended Northwestern University under the instruction of Barbara Butler. He was awarded his Master of Music degree in…
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Federico Montes*
Associate Principal Trumpet
Born in Caldas, Colombia, Federico Montes started to play the trumpet when he was twelve years old at his high school in Villamaria. At the age of 15, Montes was invited to perform with Banda Municipal de Manizales and was offered a job with this institution after finishing high school a year later.
In May of 2016 he finished his undergraduate studies at the University of South Florida In Tampa. In May of 2018 he obtained his MM at The Juilliard School as a William Vacchiano Fellow in New York, the first student born and raised in Colombia accepted in Juilliard's 111-year history as a Masters student in trumpet. Montes is a candidate for a Doctoral in Musical Arts degree at the University of Miami and serves as assistant principal trumpet at The Florida Orchestra.
In recent years, he has served as a regular guest trumpet with the Jacksonville Symphony, Sarasota Orchestra, Jalisco Philharmonic, Florida Grand Opera, Palm Beach Symphony, and made his first appearance with the Boston Symphony in July of 2019. In 2017, he joined the newest program while in his masters "Juilliard 415" and collaborating with the Yale University Schola Cantorum in a baroque music tour in India lead…
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Christopher Haas
Section Trumpet
Chris Haas is an active performer and educator in the Iowa City area. A native of Nauvoo, Illinois, Chris joined the Omaha Symphony Orchestra as Section Trumpet in 2018. Chris also holds the Third Trumpet position with Orchestra Iowa, based in Cedar Rapids. He frequently performs with other symphony orchestras throughout Illinois and Iowa, including the Quad City Symphony Orchestra and the Des Moines Symphony Orchestra.In addition to performing, Chris maintains a private studio, teaching dozens of trumpeters from the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids area. He also has experience teaching at the collegiate level, with prior positions at Lake Forest College and Bradley University. He received his Bachelor of Music from Western Illinois University in 2013, and completed his Master of Music from Northwestern University in 2015. His primary teachers were Dr. Bruce Briney and Robert Sullivan.
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Patrick Pfister*
Principal Trombone
Golden Valley, Minnesota native, Patrick Pfister has been Principal Trombonist of the Omaha Symphony since 2010. Before coming to Omaha, Patrick held the same position with the Columbus (IN) Philharmonic while a student at Indiana University. Patrick has also performed with the Madison and held fellowships at Tanglewood, National Repertory Orchestra, and Bar Harbor Brass Week.
As a soloist, Patrick was a winner at the 2007 Eastern Trombone Workshop, a finalist in the 2007 ITA Robert Marsteller and Frank Smith solo competitions, and won the Indiana University Brass Concerto Competition twice, on both tenor and alto trombone. The 2015-16 season marked Patrick’s solo debut with the Omaha Symphony performing Nino Rota’s Trombone Concerto.
Patrick earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Wisconsin as a student of Mark Hetzler and his master’s degree at Indiana University as a student of Carl Lenthe. Additionally, Patrick has studied with Douglas Wright, Peter Ellefson, Thomas Ashworth, Brian VanStavern, and Mike Whipkey. While at Indiana University, Patrick minored in conducting, studying with Thomas Baldner, Charles Latshaw, and Ben Bolter.
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Jason Stromquist
Assistant Principal Trombone
Jason Stromquist was born into a musical family in Powell River, British Columbia, Canada where he was first taught by his father, the local band director. He went on to achieve success in local and provincial competitions before moving to Hood River, Oregon, in 1998, where he studied with Robert Taylor, Second Trombone of the Oregon Symphony. After two years at Portland State University, he continued his studies in New York City with David Finlayson of the New York Philharmonic at the Aaron Copland School of Music, earning his Bachelor of Music in Performance in 2003.Jason began his professional career in 2004 as Acting Second Trombone with the Oregon Symphony and later that year joined the Omaha Symphony, where he currently serves as Assistant Principal Trombone. He appeared as a featured soloist with the Omaha Symphony in 2022 and remains an active freelance performer and private teacher throughout the region.
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Jay Wise
Third Trombone and Bass Trombone
Jay Wise has been the bass trombonist of the Omaha Symphony since 1987. He also performs on tenor, alto trombones and contrabass trombones, euphonium and tuba. He has also served as Principal Trombone of the Lincoln Symphony, and has performed with orchestras in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Midland, Texas, and festivals in Flagstaff, Arizona and Fayetteville, Arkansas.
As an educator, he is Artist Faculty at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and maintains a busy private studio.
He earned his Bachelor and Masters of music from Northern Arizona University, and his Doctorate from the University of Iowa.
As a free-lance musician, he has performed with Bob Hope, Red Skelton, Steve Allen, Lou Rawls, The Temptations, Natalie Cole, The Four Freshmen, Frank Sinatra Jr., Joel Gray, Pam Tillis and many other entertainers, in addition to recording with the Las Vegas Lab Band, The Nebraska Jazz Orchestra and various American Gramophone artists. Other recording collaborations include Columbia Records artist Pete Yorn and the soundtrack for the PBS documentary “Most Favorite Son”.
In May of 2009, he was a featured artist with the Lincoln Symphony, performing the Tomasi Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra.
Broadway fans in Omaha have heard Jay play in recent…
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Riley Lindsey
Principal Tuba
Riley Lindsey is a Chicago-based tubist and teacher, active as a professional orchestral, chamber, and solo musician. He has been the principal tubist of the Omaha Symphony since his appointment in August 2026. At the time of his appointment, Riley held positions as the principal tubist of the Wichita Symphony Orchestra since 2025, the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra since 2024, and the West Michigan Symphony since 2023. He formerly served as the principal tubist of the Billings Symphony Orchestra and Chorale from 2019 to 2024 and the Adrian Symphony Orchestra from 2023 to 2025. Riley has appeared with numerous other orchestras across the United States, including the Lexington Philharmonic, the Allentown Symphony Orchestra, the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra, the Jackson Symphony Orchestra, the Battle Creek Symphony Orchestra, the Helena Symphony Orchestra, the Stockton Symphony Orchestra, and the Wisconsin Philharmonic. He spent the summer of 2019 as the tubist for the National Repertory Orchestra in Breckenridge, Colorado. This widespread orchestral career has led to Riley playing with renowned musicians from many styles, including famed soprano Ana María Martínez, electric violin virtuoso Tracy Silverman, bluegrass-jazz banjo extraordinaire Bela Fleck, and comedy-rock legend "Weird Al" Yankovic.
In addition to his “road-warrior” orchestral work, chamber music…
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Jack Rago*
Principal Timpani
Hailing from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Jack Rago joined the Omaha Symphony as Principal Timpanist in 2017. His formal music education includes a bachelor’s degree from West Virginia University and a master’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University, both in percussion performance. In addition to the Omaha Symphony, he has performed with several different groups including the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Kansas City Symphony, and Erie Philharmonic.
Outside of playing music, there is a good chance that he is following Pittsburgh sports or doing a crossword.
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Derek Dreier
Assistant Principal Percussion
Derek Dreier is a highly committed percussionist, currently serving as Assistant Principal Percussion of the Omaha Symphony since 2017. In 2023, Derek stepped into the role of Acting Principal Percussion, a period that also saw the symphony earn its first Grammy nomination. Derek’s performance experience spans other orchestras, including Kansas City, Grand Rapids, and Des Moines.An advocate for musical interconnectedness, Derek embraces a diverse range of musical traditions, with particular emphasis on West African, Afro-Cuban, Afro-Brazilian, jazz, and classical music.Derek has participated in music festivals, including the Castleton Music Festival with Director Lorin Maazel and the Indiana University Summer Music Festival. Additionally, he has traveled extensively, studying music in Berlin, Amsterdam and Havana, further enriching his understanding of global musical traditions.Derek's teachers include influential figures such as James Dreier, Dane Richeson, John Tafoya, Michael Spiro, and Will Hudgins.Derek can be heard on albums with the Omaha Symphony, including the Grammy-nominated Sculptures, OMAGAH! Guster with the Omaha Symphony, and Beethoven 9. He also performed on The Jana Nyberg Group’s Fever and Witnesses by the Lawrence University Jazz Ensemble, which won a Downbeat Award for Outstanding Performance.In addition to performing, Derek is an educator, teaching at Creighton University and the Omaha Conservatory.Beyond…
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Christi Zuniga*
Principal Keyboard
Christi Zuniga has been Principal Keyboardist with the Omaha Symphony since 2000. She earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance from Clayton State College in Georgia and received a Master of Music degree in Chamber Music and Accompanying from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.
In addition to her full-time position with the Omaha Symphony, Ms. Zuniga teaches piano privately and accompanies musicians in and around Omaha for various concerts and competitions. She has collaborated with many visiting artists, including Joseph Alessi, Thomas Bacon, and Peter Verhoyen.
Christi Zuniga resides in Ralston, Nebraska with her husband and their little Chihuahuas.
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