Orchestra
Concertmaster, Catherine Dearnley-Dorothy Happel Chair
Active as a concert soloist, chamber musician, and recitalist, Daniel Szasz has been the Concertmaster of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra since 1997. A versatile musician, interested in performing both standard and less familiar repertoire, Mr. Szasz has been consistently praised for his “expressive, rich and warm sound” as well as for his “strong, confident, and assertive playing.” His performances have been described as “breathtaking” and “exquisite,” and have generated great enthusiasm among his audiences and in the press. Born in Romania, in the Transylvanian city of Sibiu, Mr. Szasz began playing the violin at age six under the supervision of his father, a former principal trumpet player with the Sibiu State Philharmonic Orchestra. At the age of eight he played his first solo recital, and at thirteen he performed his first concerto with a professional orchestra. His teachers in Romania included Mihai Wunderlich, Victoria Nicolae, and Andras Agoston .While a student at the Gheorghe Dima Music Academy in Cluj, at only nineteen, Mr. Szasz landed a position with one of the top orchestras in Romania, the Cluj State Philharmonic Orchestra, with which he toured Europe extensively, recorded, and performed as a soloist on many occasions. Following studies with Alberto Lysy at the International Menuhin Music Academy in Gstaad, Switzerland, Szasz moved to the U.S. and continued his violin studies with Vasile Beluska, Yair Kless, Gerald Jarvis, and Patrick Rafferty. He also studied chamber music with members of the Franz Schubert Quartet, Audubon Quartet, Emerson Quartet, and Fine Arts Quartet. Mr. Szasz has won numerous awards in national competitions in Romania as well as international competitions in Italy and the United States, including the “Public Prize” at the prestigious Vittorio Gui International Chamber Music Competition in Florence, Italy, playing with his wife, pianist Alina Voicu. Over the years, Mr. Szasz participated in several music festivals, including the Graz Music Festival in Austria; the Sopron Music Festival in Hungary; and the Blossom, Chautauqua, and New Hampshire Music Festivals in the U.S. In the summer of 2006, Mr. Szasz was selected as the new concertmaster for the Lake Placid Sinfonietta, an annual summer music festival in Lake Placid, New York. In 2004, in collaboration with The Sibiu Philharmonic Orchestra, Mr. Szasz initiated the establishment of “The Romanian-American Music Days” in Sibiu, Romania, an annual summer music festival that promotes American music and supports active professional interactions between Romanian and American musicians. Mr. Szasz’s upcoming appearances include solo and chamber music concerts in Europe, as well as performances with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra in the Masterworks and Concertmaster and Friends series, and with the Lake Placid Sinfonietta. Violins:
 Anna Gendler came to the United States in 1990 after graduating from the Moscow conservatory. Her orchestral experience includes working with the Phoenix and Tucson Symphony Orchestras. As an active chamber musician she appeared with the Tucson Symphony String quartet and Trio, as well as in violin and piano duet with her husband, Alexander Tentser. In 1997 the duet made it's debut in Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series in Chicago. Anna is a well known teacher and educator. Since 2001 she has been involved in a nationwide program "Opening Minds Through the Arts" in public schools. Anne Pandolfi attended the New England Conservatory in Boston, where she joined the faculty string quartet  of Anderson College and performed in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. Ms. Pandolfi's professional career began when she became a member of the first violin section of the Alabama Symphony in 1974, a position she has held to the present. The ASO performs 20 master work series concerts over 42 weeks. In addition to her tenure with the ASO, Anne has performed with several orchestra's in the Southeast, as well as the Atlanta Symphony. Of particular note was her affiliation as a member of the first violin section of the Atlanta Opera for four seasons in the mid-nineties. Anne serves on the faculty of Birmingham Southern College. In addition to her duties with the ASO, Anne has recently been appointed assistant librarian.  Marius TabacilaBorn in Bucharest, Romania, Marius Tabacila graduated from Bucharest Conservatory of Music in 1995. After the graduation he played with Bucharest Philharmonic and Radio National Orchestra. He came to United States in 1999 and has been a member of Orlando Philharmonic and Brevard Symphony Orchestra since then. During the summer, Marius played for Seaside Music Theatre in Daytona Beach, Florida He performs with regional ensembles including West Coast Symphony, Atlantic Chamber Orchestra, Florida Lakes Symphony. Violas:  Julia DiGaetani is a graduate of the Philadelphia Musical Academy. She has played with the Bethlehem Bach choir and Mostly Mozart in NYC. After years of being associate principal with the Pennsylvania Ballet Orchestra, and a member of the Opera Company of Philadelphia as well as the Academy of Vocal Arts, she became the principal violist of the Delaware Symphony Orchestra. Along with her symphonic duties, she plays with the Symphony’s Chamber music series. Her time is split between working in Delaware and working with many musical organizations in the Philadelphia area including the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia.  Denise Cridge, from upstate New York, grew up in a musical family with both father and sister playing. She has always been lucky in performance oportunities and to have been surrounded by great musicians, teachers and players. Early on she had already played in chamber groups and master classes for the Emerson Quartet and Raphael Druian along with others.Miss Cridge came to New York City to study with Raphael Bronstein in the 1980's. Since then, she has been an active free-lancer in the area as well as maintaining a teaching studio. As a player, she has been priveledged to work with Jesse Levine, Joyce Robbins and Jerry Beal. As a teacher she has had the Suzuki training and had the pleasure of studying under John Kendall, Louise Behrend and Ronda Cole. Denise was pleased to spend a full year teaching under a grant alongside Roberta Tsavaris of Opus One. In 1988, Denise lived in Lisbon, playing in the Novo Filarmonia Portuguesa. The next several years offered lenghthy tours through France and Switzerland with the Kammerensemble Koln, a baroque chamber ensemble. Returning to the city, Ms. Cridge toured with many regional and national opera companies such as New York City Opera, The Opera Ensemble of New York, Village Light Opera, NYGASP, and Glimmerglass Opera. Opera work is always a joy. She also sat concertmaster on a doubling book of a very lengthy Kiss of the Spiderwoman tour. Since her return to the city she has subbed on various shows. Currently, Denise is pleased to hold contracts with several regional orchestras where she is often asked to sit in as principal, such as The Greenwich Symphony, under David Gilbert, as well as The New Philharmonic of New Jersey. Every year Denise plays with a quintet from the New Phil a series called "Sounds Like Fun". She is musician with the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, the Masterworks Chorale, with Andrew Megill, the Orchestra at St. Ignatious, as well as the Bach festival every autumn at St. Peters' Church. Denise now plays with a mixed ensemble called Quentre and a violin & viola duo that has begun to perform in New York and Canada. Her viola- cello duo currently holds an on-going grant from the Fischer Foundation to do performance and masterclass in an outreach program in Bridgeport. A dedicated teacher, Ms. Cridge has had a violin- Viola studio in Greenwch, as well as being the viola teacher at the Allen-Stevenson School, where she has built a mighty class of young, enthusiastic violists. Cello:  Ann Alton has appeared as a soloist with orchestras and in recital throughout the US and Europe. Her performances have been featured on American and German public television and on National Public Radio. Dr. Alton has won awards from the National Federation of Music Clubs, the Koussevitsky Foundation, National Arts Club, National Music Teachers Association, and the Wooley Foundation. She is a member of the "Tritonis" trio, and has recorded for the VOX and Albany labels. Ann Alton received BM and MM degrees from the Juilliard School and a DMA from the Manhattan School of Music. She is currently on the faculties of Skidmore College and the Juilliard School.
 Jonathan Brin earned his Bachelor of Music at the Eastman School of Music where he was a founding member of the Hyperion String Quartet. He won a top prize at the Akron Tuesday Musical Club Competition, and has performed as soloist with the Kent State University and Syracuse University Summer Festival orchestras as well as guest cellist with the Miro Quartet. Recently he was named Co-Director of the Saratoga Springs Youth Orchestra Chamber Music Program and Instructor of Cello at Adirondack Community College in New York.
Bass, Philip Albright Chair: 
Devin Howellreceived his Master's degree from Carnegie Mellon University, where he studied with Jeffrey Turner, principal bassist of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. His undergraduate studies were completed at the New England Conservatory of Music, where he graduated with honors in performance. While attending NEC he studied with Donald Palma of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Mr. Howell was a member of the Pittsburgh Opera Orchestra until 2005. He performs on both Modern and period instruments. While studying in Boston he performed with such ensembles as the Boston Philharmonic, Gardner Museum Chamber Orchestra, and the Harvard Baroque Orchestra. In 2000 he performed in an all-faculty performance of Bach's Brandenburg Concerti with cellist Lawrence Lesser, harpsichordist, John Gibbons and the Borromeo String Quartet. In that same year he performed the same works with harpsichordist Kenneth Cooper and the Tokyo String Quartet in the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival's "Bach Y2K" concert series. He has also taken part in the Sunflower Music Festival in Topeka, Kansas. Devin Howell resides in central Pennsylvania. He is instructor of double bass at Elizabethtown and Franklin & Marshall colleges. He is principal bassist of the Lancaster Symphony and assistant principal of the Harrisburg and Allentown Symphony Orchestras. He also performs with other regional ensembles and is a substitute for the Pittsburgh Symphony. He has been a member of the Lake Placid Sinfonietta since 2001. Flute:  Anne Lindblom Harrow is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music where she is now on the faculty. She was formerly Principal Flute of the Florida West Coast symphony and has performed with the Rochester Philharmonic, the Savannah symphony Orchestra and was principal flute and solo piccolo at the Spoleto Festival of Two Worlds. In the past year Anne has been the Professor of Flute at Eastman, replacing Bonnie Boyd who is on sabbatical, and has performed with the Eastman Virtuosi, the faculty chamber music society.Oboe:  Caroline Park began playing the oboe in the fourth grade as part of the public school band program. After pursuing other interests, Ms. Park began focusing on the oboe and received music degrees from Wheaton College and the Eastman School of Music. Ms Park has held principal oboe positions with the Canton Symphony, the Miami City Ballet, the South florida symphony Orchestra and the Omaha Symphony, as well as with the Lake Placid Sinfonietta. She has performed as a soloist with these and other organizations. Since moving to New Jersey after her husband was invited to join the new York Philharmonic, Caroline freelances in the NY metropolitan area. Caroline finds great pleasure in introducing their son Zeke to Adirondack life! Clarinet:  John Klinghammer (July 6 to July 17) currently holds the position of Assistant Principal/Eb clarinet with the Omaha Symphony. Before arriving in Omaha, he served a one-year stint as 2nd/Bass clarinet with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and has been principal clarinet of the Des Moines Symphony, and a member of the National Repertory Orchestra. John has collaborated with the Monument Piano Trio, Art of Elan, Analog Arts Ensemble, and Metropolitain Opera coloratura Anna Christy. His playing has been called “charismatic” by the Omaha World-Herald and “opulent” by the San Diego Union-Tribune. John received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon and was the winner of their 1994 concerto competition. He earned Master’s and Doctorate degrees from the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music, where he became a member of the USC Scholarship Woodwind Quintet. He spent a year as principal clarinet of the YMF Debut Orchestra of Los Angeles, and in 2000 performed the Copland Clarinet Concerto with that orchestra. In 2009 John performed concertos with both the Breckenridge Music Festival and the Omaha Symphony. John performs throughout the Midwest with his chamber group, the Orion Trio. He is adjunct faculty at the College of St Mary’s, and maintains a private studio that must contend on a regular basis with the strong opinions of his teaching assistants, Sofi and Leo the dogs. His teachers include Cindi Bartels, Dr. Wayne Bennett, Michael Anderson, Ted Oien, Michele Zukofsky, and the incomparable Yehuda Gilad.  Diana Haskell (July 20 to July 31)
Diana Haskell joined the St. Louis Symphony as Associate Principal Clarinet in September 2003. Prior to coming to St. Louis Ms. Haskell was Principal Clarinet with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra from 2001-02, and Assistant Principal Clarinet/Eb Clarinet with the MSO from 1991-2003. She has performed as soloist on numerous occasions with orchestras throughout the United States, and served as Principal Clarinet of the Santa Fe Opera. As a result of being a finalist in the 1986 Naumberg International Competition, Ms. Haskell performed a solo recital in Carnegie Hall. Since that time, her international appearances have included concerts in Cuba, Europe, and Japan. Ms. Haskell was Principal Clarinet for the Grammy award-winning recording of Samuel Barber's Antony and Cleopatra, an opera directed by Gian Carlo Menotti and produced by New World Records. Ms. Haskell has held the post of Principal Clarinet with the Buffalo Philharmonic, the Savannah Symphony Orchestra and Charleston (SC) Symphony Orchestra, the Colorado Festival in Boulder and Spoleto Festival of Two Worlds. Ms. Haskell has taught at SUNY-Buffalo, Houghton College, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, and Wisconsin Lutheran College. Her students have received scholarship offers from some of the most prestigious clarinet programs in the country, including Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, Eastman School of Music, Northwestern University, University of Michigan, USC, and others. Ms. Haskell holds degrees from the Juilliard School and Eastman School of Music. Her principal teachers were D. Stanley Hasty, Mitchell Lurie, and Joseph Allard.  Andrew Lamy (August 3 to August 13)has received consistent critical acclaim for his sweet, colorful tone, liquid phrasing, immaculate technique, and his energetic performance style. Mr. Lamy has performed live national and international broadcasts with the Metropolitan Opera and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, is a founding member of the Halcyon Trio, and has collaborated with the Artis Quartet of Vienna, the Getty Center, the Lincoln Center Festival, the Mixed-Flock Ensemble, Terra Lyrica Consort, and the Mad Coyote Ensemble. Mr. Lamy is the Artistic Director of the acclaimed Terra Lyrica Concert Series in residence at the Burgdorff Cultural Center, Maplewood, New Jersey.
His solo engagements include concerto performances with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, the Haddonfield Symphony Orchestra, the North Shore Philharmonic, and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Lamy has also performed with the New York Philharmonic, the American Symphony Orchestra, American Ballet Theater, the Concordia Orchestra, and the Royal Opera of London.
Mr. Lamy has appeared as a guest teacher at The Juilliard School, USC, CSU Northridge, Occidental College, Rutgers University, University of Tennessee, University of Maine, Bard College, and the Cal Arts Institute. Students of Mr. Lamy have gone on to attain professional positions in the Milwaukee Symphony, The Pacific Symphony, and the Santa Fe Opera.
Bassoon, David VanHoesen Chair: David Van Hoesen, retired in 1991 as Professor of Bassoon and chair of the Wind, Brass and  Percussion Dept. of the Eastman School of Music. His students hold positions in symphonies, universities, and colleges throughout the world. He is an active soloist and chamber music artist and does research related to reed making tools and musical acoustics. During the past year, Mr. Van Hoesen continues to teach Bassoon class and Master Class, which includes undergraduate, Master and Doctoral students, at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester. David will be celebrating his 54th year as a member of the Lake Placid Sinfonietta. French Horn: David Pandolfi A native of Rhode Island, David Pandolfi began his career as third and associate principal horn of the Rhode Island Philharmonic  while attending the New England Conservatory in Boston. He has studied with Wilhelm Valkenier, Thomas Newell and James Stagliano. Mr. Pandolfi has been principal horn of the Alabama Symphony since 1973. He has been featured as soloist on the Symphony's Masterworks concerts, performing works of Strauss, Mozart and Britten. He has also appeared as a soloist with the Montgomery Symphony. In March 2002, Mr. Pandolfi traveled to Romania where he performed as a soloist with the filarmonica De Stat Sibiu and the Filarmonica De Stat "Transilvania" in Cluj. He also conducted tree days of Master Classes at the "Gheorghe Dima" Music Academy in Cluj-Napoca.This summer will mark his ninth season as a member of the Lake Placid Sinfonietta where he has been featured as a soloist on the Sinfonietta's first CD, "Music in the Mountains." Mr. Pandolfi has performed and recorded major orchestral works with the St. Louis and Atlanta Symphonies. He has also joined these orchestras in performances at Carnegie Hall and has toured Europe and the Far East. Mr. Pandolfi was principal horn of the Atlanta Opera during the 1995-1997 seasons. Mr. Pandolfi is on the faculty of Birmingham Southern College and was a founding member of the Ambassador Brass Quintet. He has represented the Alabama Symphony Players as delegate to the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians (ICSOM) and has been chairman of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra Committee since 1994. Mr. Pandolfi also serves as President of Local 256-733 of the American Federation of Musicians. Trombone:  Richard Cryder recently retired from the faculty of the University of Louisville, and has also taught at the University of Kansas, Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, and at Ontario's Queen's University. Mr. Cryder performs regularly with the Louisville Orchestra, as well as performing at clinics and master classes at various colleges and universities. Mr. Cryder has a MA in trombone performance from Kent State University. Trumpet:  David Greenhoe is Professor of Trumpet at the University of Iowa School of Music and Principal Trumpet with the Quad City Symphony Orchestra, positions he has held since 1979. He also serves as Chair of the Brass Area at Iowa and performs with the Iowa Brass Quintet. He is active as a soloist and recitalist, chamber musician, and free-lance trumpeter in a variety of musical venues. Prior to Iowa, Greenhoe was a member and soloist with “The President’s Own,” United States Marine Band in Washington, D.C., and a member of the Music Performance Faculty at Ball State University. He has also performed with many orchestras, including the Milwaukee Symphony, the Rochester Philharmonic, and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. Mr. Greenhoe is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music.
Percussion:  Tony Oliver is the percussionist and timpanist for the Lake Placid Sinfonietta, a member of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra, and a founding member of the New York City-based contemporary-music ensemble, The Society for Chromatic Art. He has given percussion lectures, clinics, and demonstrations to students and teachers of all ages. He has been particularly involved with the New Horizons International Music Association, which is an instrumental music program designed for older adults. In conjunction with this and similar programs, he has taught and given lectures and clinics throughout the United States and in Sydney, Australia. He is currently on the faculty of Monmouth College (IL) where he teaches applied percussion, percussion techniques, and directs the Monmouth College Percussion Ensemble. In addition to performing and teaching, he is the editor of The Percussion Source Anthology, an online educational resource of the Percussion Source; editor of the newsletter and website of the Iowa Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society; proprietor of Curving Walkway Publications, whose percussion publications have been performed throughout the United States; and a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) as a composer and publisher. He received his B.M., M.A., and State of Iowa Teacher's Certification from the University of Iowa, and his D.M.A. from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, where he was a graduate fellow. Tony plays SABIAN cymbals. Please visit www.tonyoliver.com to learn about upcoming events and for contact information. |
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Karl Braaten is in his sixth summer with the Lake Placid Sinfonietta. He studied with David Updegraff at the Cleveland Institute of Music and from there, he went on to get his Masters degree at Northwestern University. Karl has played with the Chicago Civic Orchestra, Florida Orchestra, Naples Philharmonic, Florida West Coast Symphony, and is currently a member of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra in Birmingham, Alabama. This summer, Karl is going to try to learn how to fly-fish. Wish him luck because he can't tie a knot to save his life.
Amanda Brin, a native of Rochester, New York, is a founding member of the Hyperion String Quartet. As a member of the quartet, she has won top prizes at the Fischoff, Coleman, MTNA and Green Lake chamber music competitions. Ms. Brin has also won other competitions including the Penfield Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition where she had a solo appearance with the Penfield Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Hochstein Recital Competition, with a solo recital performance on WXXI-FM Rochester, New York. She earned a Bachelor of Music from the Eastman School of Music and her Masters Degree at Kent State University where she was a teaching assistant to both the Miró and Miami string quartets. Her principal teachers include Ilya Kaler, Timothy Ying, Sandy Yamamoto, Ivan Chan and Cathy Meng Robinson. Ms. Brin participated in the string quartet residency program at the Hartt School while serving as adjunct faculty at the Community Division of the Hartt School and most recently completed a residency at San Diego State University in association with the La Jolla Music Society. She has attended summer festivals including the Indiana String Academy, Penderecki Quartetfest, Aria International Academy and the Bowdoin Summer Festival. Ms. Brin is currently on faculty at Adirondack Community College and College of St. Rose, as well as Co-Director of the Saratoga Springs Youth Orchestra Chamber Music Program in New York and Principal Second Violin of the Glens Falls Symphony Orchestra.