The Springfield Symphony Orchestra

Fiesta Sinfonica features Latin American and Spanish styles of music. Mambo Kings are a Latin Jazz quintet playing jazz (Blue Rondo a la Turk), pop music standards (Day Tripper), as well as classic Afro-Cuban tunes (Tres Lindas Cubanas), and original compositions by musical director, Richard DeLaney (Marinera). They will be joined by soprano Camille Zamora performing classic Latin tunes arranged by Jeff Tyzik. Get ready for a night of rhythmic style!

Springfield Chamber Players Percussion Quartet

Nathan Lassell enjoys an active career as an orchestral percussionist and drum set artist. He is the Principal Percussion of the Springfield (MA) Symphony Orchestra, Chief Musician of the United States Coast Guard Band, and a member of the Rhode Island Philharmonic. In addition, Mr. Lassell performs with the National Symphony Orchestra, Hartford Symphony, New London Big Band, Eastern Connecticut Symphony, and has performed with orchestras of Nashville, Knoxville, Huntsville, San Antonio, and Richmond. He is adjunct professor of percussion at Central Connecticut State University, earned his B.M. from George Mason University, and his M.M. from Rice University.

Percussionist Robert McEwan attended the Eastman School of Music, the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and the Juilliard School. He has held the position of principal percussionist of the Rhode Island Philharmonic since 1995, percussionist with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra since 1999, principal percussionist with the United States Coast Guard Band since 2001, and principal percussionist with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra since 2003. He is currently Assistant Professor in Residence of Percussion at the University of Connecticut and Artist-Teacher in Percussion at the University of Rhode Island. Rob has enjoyed a diverse musical career – he has performed extensively with the New York Philharmonic; played a nine month run of an off-Broadway musical; performed on Hollywood movie soundtracks, on pop and classical recordings, and with many popular touring acts.

Nicola Cannizzaro is a percussionist living in his native Vermont.  He is a member of the Vermont Symphony; Burlington Chamber Orchestra; TURNmusic (a modern chamber group of which he is an original founding member); APEX Ensemble, a 13-piece jazz/funk collective; and he performs with many various groups in the area, including the Springfield Symphony Orchestra. Before moving to Vermont in 2012, Nic lived in New York City where he was a freelance percussionist performing with many Broadway shows such as The Lion King (which he toured with for four years as first percussion), In The Heights, West Side Story, and Phantom of the Opera. As an educator Nicola carries a full studio of private students as well as teaching in the schools around Vermont.

Doug Perry is an internationally-renowned percussionist, composer, and educator. His technical skill and passion for performing new works transcends disciplines, making him a sought-after performer in the worlds of new music and video game scoring. Featured soloist performances include the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, Norwalk Symphony Orchestra, and the New Haven Symphony Orchestra alongside his video game music funk-fusion band DiscoCactus. Doug frequently records music for video games and film; he was featured as a soloist in the scores to Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris and Sid Meyer’s Civilization VI, and can be heard in such titles as Mortal Kombat 11, Celeste, and Star Wars Outlaws. Currently on music faculty at Western Connecticut State University, Doug teaches percussion and audio production, as well as classes on music streaming and video game music. 

The Springfield Symphony Orchestra

Come celebrate the holiday season with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in a program that blends holiday classics with the rich and vibrant spirit of Latin music. William Waldrop returns as guest conductor to lead the orchestra in Latin-inspired versions of beloved classics, such as Caribbean Sleigh Ride and Jingle Bells. An exciting guest vocalist (to be announced!) will take center stage to perform favorites such as Feliz Navidad and Las Cantares de Navidad. The Springfield Symphony Chorus will be featured in several pieces, including Jornadas, an evocative three-movement suite of carols from Venezuela, Catalonia and Puerto Rico. Come ready to celebrate the holidays with the entire family and experience an inspired afternoon of music that will leave your spirit ready for the season.

The Springfield Symphony Orchestra

Magic melodies come to life as the pop, soul and R&B sounds of Motown and the famous hits from the Philly Sound face off in this exciting concert experience. Led by three extraordinary vocalists, this incredible evening is full of classic hit songs made famous by The Spinners, The Stylistics, The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Lou Rawls, Diana Ross, Gamble & Huff and Percy Sledge. Philly Sound hit songs including Ain’t No Stopping Us Now, You’ll Never Find A Love Like Mine, Rock The Boat and Love Train share the stage with Motown smash hits including What’s Going On, I Heard It Through The Grapevine, and I’m Coming Out.

The Springfield Symphony Orchestra

The U.S. Premiere, Planet Earth, will be an Ode to Mother Earth: Johan de Meij’s Symphony No. 3 PLANET EARTH will be accompanied by a breathtakingly beautiful film, produced by the composers’ wife, Dyan Machan and directed by Jed Parker.

The concert will open with Gustav Holst’s famous Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity, and legendary trombone-player Joseph Alessi (Principal trombone of the New York Philharmonic) will bring an Ode to the instrument with de Meij’s T-Bone Concerto, consisting of three movements: Rare, Medium & Well Done.

Springfield Chamber Players Woodwind Quintet

Yeh-Chi Wang is currently the principal bassoonist of the Springfield (MA) Symphony Orchestra and the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Michigan State University and received his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music. Yeh-Chi has performed with many orchestras including the Utah Symphony, the Grand Rapids Symphony, the Virginia Symphony, the Toledo Symphony, the Lansing Symphony, the Ann Arbor Symphony, the Harrisburg Symphony, the Rhode Island Philharmonic, and the Wheeling Symphony. In addition to a busy performing career, Yeh-Chi has been devoted to teaching. He was an adjunct faculty member at Westfield State University and the Hartt School Community Division, and currently maintains a studio of private students. 

Ellen Redman, flutist, received her training with renowned teachers and performers such as John Krell, Carol Wincenc, Harvey Sollberger and Thomas Nyfenger. She has been the piccoloist with the Springfield (MA) Symphony Orchestra since 1985 and has twice appeared as soloist with them. She has also concertized extensively in Italy, including appearances in Rome at the American and British Academies, the American Embassy, and the Vatican. A resident of Westfield, MA, she has worked with various ensembles, including the Boston Symphony, Berkshire Bach, Boston Classical Orchestra, New Hampshire Symphony and the Nashua Symphony. She teaches flute and Irish flute at Smith College, directed the Smith College Wind Ensemble from 2006-2019, and is the founder and director of The Wailing Banshees at Smith College.

Robert Hoyle began his professional career as a hornist playing on many occasions with the Philadelphia Orchestra at age 19. After graduating from the Curtis Institute of Music as a student of Mason Jones, he toured the United States and abroad performing chamber music. He decided to continue his studies at Yale University and concurrently was awarded the Principal Horn chair with the Hartford Symphony, a position he held for 24 years.  While in Hartford, he was called upon to perform as soloist on numerous occasions. He has performed with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Emerson String Quartet, the Connecticut Orchestra, Bushnell Memorial Productions, and many others. Currently, he performs with the New Haven, Springfield, and Waterbury Symphony Orchestras and Orchestra New England.  Harmonia V is his most recent commitment, allowing him to revisit his love of chamber music. For many years, Robert served on the faculty of the University of Connecticut and is currently on the faculty at Wesleyan University.

Lynn Sussman, clarinetist, has been a member of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra since 1987. She has also performed with the Berkshire Lyric Orchestra, Broad Street Chamber Players, Broad Street Orchestra, Paradise Winds Ensemble, Brattleboro Concert Choir Orchestra, Live in Concert, Inc., Columbia Festival Orchestra, New Hampshire Symphony, Albany Symphony, Monadnock Music Festival, and Mohawk Trail Concerts. She has recorded on the Albany Records label and for Blank Productions. She currently teaches at Deerfield Academy, and has taught at Smith College, Amherst College, and in Australia. She holds degrees from Manhattan School of Music and the University of Connecticut. She lives in Amherst, MA. 

Karen Hosmer is an oboe and English horn player with the Springfield (MA) Symphony Orchestra and principal oboe of the Kinderhook Broad Street Orchestra. She is a professor at the SUNY Schenectady School of Music, where she was honored with the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. She has been a concerto soloist in New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and in Lithuania, where she recorded Frank McCarty’s Concerto for Oboe and Chamber Orchestra. Karen has received honors in the Gillet International Oboe Competition, the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, and the Coleman Competition. She has performed with local oratorio groups, Saratoga Opera and Glimmerglass Opera, and maintains a private studio in Schenectady. Karen earned her DMA from Temple University, MM from Michigan State University, and BM from the Oberlin Conservatory.

The Springfield Symphony Orchestra

Come and join the Springfield Symphony Orchestra to lift up amazing women as composers and performers during Women’s History Month! Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel‘s only surviving orchestral work shines light on a hidden jem – an orchestral work that has only seen deserved recognition in recent years. Springfield favorite, pianist Claire Huangci, returns to dazzle audiences with Gershwin’s great Piano Concerto in F.

Fanny’s younger brother, Felix Mendelssohn, was inspired to create a masterwork, his Symphony No.3, Op.56, A minor (Scottish) after visiting the ruins of Palace of Holyroodhouse, where Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, lived and loved!

The Springfield Symphony Orchestra

We begin with Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Cellos in G minor, where Baroque’s intensity meets lyrical dialogue. We then experience the spirit of France through centuries of bold musical expression. The Springfield Symphony Chorus will collaborate with the University of Massachusetts Amherst Chorale on Poulenc’s Gloria—a radiant, unpredictable work that shifts effortlessly between sacred devotion and playful irreverence. Ravel’s Bolero follows, unfolding with hypnotic inevitability as a single idea swells into orchestral ecstasy. We close in the bustling streets of Paris with Gershwin’s An American in Paris, a dazzling collision of jazz, romance, and cosmopolitan flair.

Kathy Andrew is a violinist with the Springfield (MA) Symphony Orchestra and the Vermont Symphony Orchestra. She is also a member of Opera North (NH) and the Burlington Chamber Orchestra (VT), and maintains a private teaching studio in Lebanon, NH, as well as being on the faculty of the Brattleboro Music Center. Kathy began music studies at the age of 3 and went on to receive a BFA from the University of New Mexico and an MM from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. Originally from Los Alamos, NM, Kathy currently resides in Brattleboro, VT.

Elizabeth Rose is a violist and longtime member of the Springfield (MA) Symphony Orchestra. She received her BM from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and further developed her studies and love of symphonic and chamber performance at the Aspen Music Festival, Grand Teton Music Festival, Yellow Barn Music Festival, and Kneisel Hall. Liz also enjoys playing baroque viola and has performed with many baroque ensembles, including Handel & Haydn in Boston.
In addition to performing, Liz has been teaching as a seasoned Suzuki teacher and chamber music coach. A native of Long Island, NY, she currently resides in Northampton, MA.

Cellist Karl Knapp has performed in the Madison Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Madison Opera Orchestra, and Minnesota Opera Orchestra. He has served as Principal Cellist with Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra and Juneau Symphony and performs with NERO: New England Repertory Orchestra, as well as the Trinity Alps Chamber Music Festival (CA) and the Lake Chelan Bach Festival (WA). Karl also performs extensively with his quartet, The Cushman Quartet, and his band 1200 Horsehairs: A Band of Cellos. In addition to maintaining a 20+ year career of performances across a wide variety of repertoire, he is also a devoted Suzuki educator and has served as Coordinator for the Sonido Musica Program, a music partnership program between the Springfield (MA) Public Schools and Community Music School of Springfield.

Soprano Jamie-Rose Guarrine is acclaimed for her “utterly thrilling, agile voice” and praised for bringing “pathos, beauty, and heartbreaking skill” to her performances. She has performed on the stages of Los Angeles Opera, Minnesota Opera, The Santa Fe Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Chicago Opera Theater, Austin Opera, Utah Opera, Fort Worth Opera, and on the concert stage with the Madison Symphony, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, The National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica, and the Santa Fe Symphony, among many others.

An accomplished interpreter of Mozart opera, Jamie-Rose has been seen at the Austin, Utah, Minnesota, and the Florentine Operas in her signature role of Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro and Pamina in Die Zauberflöte. She is frequently seen in concert, as a collaborator at chamber music festivals, and in recital, and proudly serves as Professor of Voice at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

The Springfield Symphony Orchestra

This varied program begins on an antique note with Respighi’s irresistible first set of Ancient Airs and Dances. Violinist Charles Yang makes his Springfield debut in Kris Bowers’ iconoclastic concerto For a Younger Self, commissioned by Yang himself. We close with Johannes Brahms’ bucolic Symphony No.2, brimming with joy and radiance.

Springfield Chamber Players Oboe Quartet

Karen Hosmer is an oboe and English horn player with the Springfield (MA) Symphony Orchestra and principal oboe of the Kinderhook Broad Street Orchestra. She is a professor at the SUNY Schenectady School of Music, where she was honored with the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. She has been a concerto soloist in New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and in Lithuania, where she recorded Frank McCarty’s Concerto for Oboe and Chamber Orchestra. Karen has received honors in the Gillet International Oboe Competition, the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, and the Coleman Competition. She has performed with local oratorio groups, Saratoga Opera and Glimmerglass Opera, and maintains a private studio in Schenectady. Karen earned her DMA from Temple University, MM from Michigan State University, and BM from the Oberlin Conservatory.

Marsha Harbison, violinist, is the Assistant Concertmaster of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra and a founding member of the Springfield Chamber Players. She joined the SSO in 1977 and later co-founded the Longmeadow Chamber Music Society. Ms. Harbison received a B.A. from Carleton College, Northfield, MN and a Master’s at Juilliard, where she studied with Ivan Galamian. In NYC, she performed with the American Symphony Orchestra, the Pro Arte Orchestra, the Bach Cantata Series, and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. In Montreal, she performed in the Montreal Symphony, the McGill Chamber Orchestra, and the Radio, TV, and Ballet Orchestras. She has taught numerous music courses at Westfield State University, Bay Path University, and violin students at Mount Holyoke, and continues to teach private violin students.

Dani Rimoni graduated from the Rubin Academy of Music, part of Tel Aviv University in Israel, with an artist diploma in viola performance. Mr. Rimoni is principal violist of Symphony New Hampshire (SNH), a member of the Bach, Beethoven and Brahms Society Orchestra (MA), and the Springfield Symphony Orchestra (MA). Mr. Rimoni is a founding member of the Kaleidoscope Chamber Ensemble. Since 2001, he has been the string teacher and string ensemble conductor at the Burncoat Middle and High Schools in Worcester, MA.  

Boris Kogan, cellist, was born in Leningrad, now St. Petersburg, Russia. He began studying the cello at age 5, attending the School for Musically Gifted Children. He then received his Bachelor’s degree from the Leningrad College of Music and his Master’s degree from the Leningrad Conservatory of Music. He served as Assistant Principal Cellist with the Leningrad Symphony, and with the television and radio symphony orchestras. Mr. Kogan moved to the United States in 1991, and was the principal cellist with the New England Symphony, the Thayer Symphony Orchestra, and the Central Massachusetts Symphony. He currently plays in the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, teaches at the Springfield Community Music School, and has a private cello studio.