Profile Category: Orchestra

Ben Thomason violin headshot
Profiles

Ben Thomason

Ben relocated to Fort Collins in 2022 with his wonderful family, and recently became a member of the Fort Collins Symphony. He has also been...

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Cristian Masso bassist
Profiles

Cristian Mazo

Originally from Medellín-Colombia, Cristian Mazo started his musical career in his hometown in the Network of Music Schools. Later on, Mr. Mazo finished his bachelor’s...

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Leslie Stewart, Violin
Profiles

Leslie Stewart

A graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy, Leslie Stewart holds Bachelor and Masters degrees in Music Performance from the University of Southern California. She was a...

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Becky headshot
Profiles

Desireé Anderson

Desireé Anderson has performed in music halls all over the world as a chamber musician, concert soloist and recitalist. She has performed in various music festivals...

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Zack Niswender
Profiles

Zack Niswender

Zack Niswender is an active freelance musician and teacher in the Northern Colorado Region. Zack plays with a variety of ensembles and is floored to...

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David Halperin in Croatia
Profiles

David Halperin

A native of Highland Park, Illinois, David B. Halperin joined the United States Air Force Academy Band in Colorado Springs, CO as a clarinetist in...

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Harp
Profiles

Pamela Eldridge

Ms Eldridge received her BFA in Harp Performance from Carnegie Mellon University, and her MM from the New England Conservatory. For the past 10 years,...

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Leo Canale Percussion
Profiles

Leo Canale

Leo Thomas Canale grew up in upstate New York. He earned a Bachelor of Music in Percussion Performance from the State University of New York...

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Carl Dixon Percussion
Profiles

Carl Dixon

Versatile percussionist Carl Dixon is at home with music spanning multiple genres, continents, and instruments.  He can be found performing in concert halls, jazz clubs,...

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Michael Tetreault Timpani
Profiles

Michael Tetreault

Michael Tetreault holds a Bachelor of Music from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY and a Master of Music Degree from the Royal...

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Steve Vaughn, Tuba
Profiles

Steve Vaughn

Dr. Steve Vaughn, a native of upstate New York, is a freelance musician across the front range of Colorado and is currently Adjunct Professor of...

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Kiel Lauer Trombone
Profiles

Kiel Lauer

Kiel joined the Fort Collins Symphony as the bass trombonist in July 2019. Along with FCS, he plays throughout the region as a member of...

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Nat Wickham Trombone
Profiles

Nat Wickham

Nat Wickham’s first musical inspirations were experienced in his childhood home where both parents were professional performers and music teachers, and all four siblings have...

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Daniel Watt Trombone
Profiles

Daniel Watt

Daniel Watt, a native of Colorado, is an active freelance musician across the Front Range. Mr. Watt serves as principal trombonist with the Wyoming Symphony...

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Derek McDonald Trumpet
Profiles

Derek McDonald

Mr. McDonald currently plays principal trumpet with the Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra and the Boulder Chamber Orchestra, and also holds tenured positions with the Fort Collins...

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Stanley Curtis Trumpet
Profiles

Stanley Curtis

Stanley Curtis has developed a multi-faceted career as trumpeter, teacher and early-music performer. After studying at the University of Alabama, the Cleveland Institute of Music...

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John McGuire Horn
Profiles

John McGuire

Dr. John McGuire has a vast array of performance and teaching experiences. He has performed with many orchestras around the world, most notably the Dallas Symphony...

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Ayo Derbyshire Headshot
Profiles

Ayo Derbyshire

Ayo Derbyshire is an active freelancer in Northern Colorado, playing in a variety of chamber and orchestral settings. Ayo graduated in 2019 with a B.A...

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Susie McCollum Headshot
Profiles

Susie McCollum

Susie McCollum graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a bachelor’s degree in music education. She immediately pursued a master’s degree in bassoon performance at Wichita State University studying with Richard Beene. She...

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Tom Bittinger Headshot
Profiles

Tom Bittinger

Bassoonist, Tom Bittinger, has been a member of the Fort Collins Symphony longer than any other current member of the orchestra, beginning his tenure under...

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Kellan Toohey Headshot
Profiles

Kellan Toohey

Clarinetist Kellan Toohey is an avid performer whose varied career includes recitals and solo appearances, chamber music, teaching, and orchestral playing. He holds a DMA from...

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Gina Johnson Headshot
Profiles

Gina Johnson

Gina’s love for music was apparent before she could even read. When she was knee high to a grasshopper, she would listen to her older...

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Max Soto Headshot
Profiles

Max Soto-Sibaja

Soto began his musical education with the Orquesta Sinfonica Juvenil of Costa Rica. He studied with Principal Oboist Jorge Rodriguez and cultivated a passion for...

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Sandra Tiemens headshot
Profiles

Sandra Tiemens

Sandra Tiemens hails from Rochester, Minnesota. She currently serves as a flutist and piccoloist of the Fort Collins Symphony. She is completing a 20-year military...

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Kristen Sommer Headshot
Profiles

Kristin Sommer

Kristin Sommer has been a member of the Fort Collins Symphony since 2005, performing on both piccolo and flute. She first became intrigued by the...

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Norman Menzales Flute
Profiles

Norman Menzales

Filipino-American flutist, Norman Menzales, joined the Fort Collins Symphony as Principal Flute in 2013 and was appointed to the same position with Montana’s Great Falls Symphony...

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Forest Greenough, Bass
Profiles

Forest Greenough

Known as a very diverse performer, bassist Forest Greenough has performed concerts and given clinics on four continents, and is a regular member of the...

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Beth Wells Cello
Profiles

Beth Wells

Beth Wells has been a member of the Fort Collins Symphony Orchestra cello section since 1991. She is also a member of the Greeley Philharmonic...

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J. Peter Linder Headshot
Profiles

J. Peter Linder

Mr. Linder began playing cello at the age of four under the instruction of Frances Reedy, utilizing a modified version of the Suzuki method. As...

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Cello
Profiles

Joseph Howe

Joseph Howe earned his Bachelors degree from the University of Oregon and his Masters degree from CU Boulder, where he was a TA in the...

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Becky headshot
Profiles

Becky Kutz Osterberg

Becky Kutz Osterberg is a versatile freelance musician throughout Northeast Colorado and Southern Wyoming. She enjoys playing in a wide variety of ensembles and venues...

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Kyla Witt headshot
Profiles

Kyla Witt

Born in Michigan, Violist Kyla Witt began her musical studies by the age of six and now enjoys a versatile career as an avid freelance...

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Ezgi Pikayzen
Profiles

Ezgi Pikayzen

A versatile musician, equally in demand as a soloist, chamber music partner and orchestral musician, violist Ezgi Pikayzen began her studies in her native city...

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