Juneau Symphony
Annual Report 2014-2015 Season
Message from the President
I am so proud to be the president of the Juneau Symphony! What a great organization!
Since our 50th Anniversary season in 2012-2013, we have been on a remarkable journey. It is
fun to look back over all that has transpired. After the 50th celebration, including Beethoven 9,
Motown, the Chamber Music Series, and the Gourmet events, we learned that the next year
would be Kyle’s final season with the Juneau Symphony. So in the summer of 2013 we had our
first meeting to gather input from musicians, board members and others about what we wanted in
a conductor. So began the process of selecting a new music director. I can’t say enough about
the professional way the Search Committee conducted their business, and the long hours and
hard work that was needed to select a group of finalists.
Then in 2014-15, we had our candidate season. The first concert under Troy showed the
community that the orchestra was extremely talented and that they could perform very well
despite the absence of Kyle. Each candidate brought special talents to the podium and the
players responded with continued improvement. All concerts were successes; and in April we
had the daunting task of selecting one man to lead us into the future. The voting members took
their responsibility seriously and shared their views openly with each other. Ballots were cast
and by mid-June they were counted, and we had a new music director, Troy Quinn. In reviewing
our activities last year, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the contribution of our
Assistant Conductor, Dwayne Corbin, for his fine work in preparing the orchestra for several
concerts and for his performance as guest conductor for the Pops concert in June.
This 2-year process is now complete and we are ready to launch into a new era. We are looking
forward to this season of “new beginnings”. We are pleased to have new office staff, Executive
Director Laura Haywood, and Project Coordinator Teresa Bleakley. In the spring, we will
develop a new strategic plan to help guide future activities and growth.
Thank you all for your love and support of the Juneau Symphony. The time and effort you put
into participating in the Symphony is truly appreciated. I am confident that the talents and
qualities of the individuals that comprise the Juneau Symphony will take the Symphony to new
heights and make it one of the best arts organizations in the state!
Bev Smith, President
Juneau Symphony
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2014-2015 Orchestra Musicians
Violin 1
Lisa Ibias, concertmaster
Katy Balatero
Rose Crelli
Heather Fair
Etienne Gara
Kathryn Hoffer
YuEun Kim
Ken Leghorn
Dawn Lindsay
Kathy Maas
Dori Olsen
Heather Parker
Andrea Talley
Marcus Talley
Guo Hua Xia
Violin 2
Franz Felkl, principal
Bryan Hall, principal
Marcus Talley, principal
Elias Antaya
Kayla Boettcher
Henry Cheng
Kristin Garot
Tezah Haddock
Lael Harrison
Chelsea Karthauser
Bob King
Nola Lamken
Don Power
Valerie Snyder
Ruby Steedle
Andrea Talley
Solomon Unzicker
Christina Vasquez
Viola
Julia Bastuscheck, principal
Nancy Darigo, principal
Hetty Barthel
Sandy Burd
Mark Carls
John Cooper
Koy Haven Field
Laura Jesson
Don Power
Andrew Schirmer
McLain Sidmore
Flute/Piccolo
Sally Schlichting, principal
Kathryn Kurtz
Colleen Torrence
Oboe/English Horn
Jetta Whittaker, principal
Aaron Abella
Elizabeth Agnew
Clarinet
Sarah McNair-Grove,
principal
Karen Pallenberg, principal
Corinna Cook
Ryan Heimlich
Beth Leibowitz
Cello
Meghan Johnson, principal
James Cheng
Justine Emerson
Annie Harkey-Power
Karl Knapp
Amy Lujan
Tyree Pini
David Seid
Robin Walz
Bass
Abraham Levy, principal
Oliver Hartman
Thom Mayes
Ceann Murphy
Bob Olsen
John Staub
Wilson Valentine
Trumpet
Rick Trostel, principal
Ken Guiher
Jeffery Karlson
Jill Taylor
Emily Thiem
Trombone
Katy Giorgio, principal
Jack Hodges, principal
Bob Hutton
Kathryn Kell
Ken Truitt
Tuba
Tim Ayer, principal
David Grove
Saxophone
Tim Powers
Piano/Harpsichord
Sue Kazama
Bassoon
Ann Kosanovic Brown,
principal
George Rydlinski, principal
Artemio Sandoval,
principal
Heather Williams, principal
Sheryl Wittig
Harp
Candace LiVolsi
Horn
Bill Paulick, principal
Amy Bibb
Jordan Cooper
Kristina Paulick
John Schumann
Percussion
Dwayne Corbin, principal
Rich Ritter, principal
Mary Borthwick
Margaret Comstock
Alyson Cooper
Caryn Corbin
Jacque Farnsworth
Joseph Goodhew
Justin Miller
Eric Parchen
Bruce Simonson
Derek Steinman
Banjo
Bill Childers
Robert Cohen
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The Candidate Season
2014-2015 Season Highlights
The Juneau Symphony Orchestra – 2014-2015 was our exciting
Candidate Season. The three finalists for the position of Music
Director each directed the orchestra in a thrilling concert, including
Troy Quinn (English Shores to the Mediterranean), Wesley Schulz
(American Brilliance), and Jeremy Briggs Roberts (Russian
Portraits). We closed the season with Assistant Conductor Dwayne
Corbin and his pops concert (Classical to the Fantastical). In May,
symphony musicians and board members cast their ballots for their
favorite candidates. The winner was announced just prior to the
pops concert in June: our new Music Director is Dr. Troy Quinn.
Troy Quinn
Wesley Schulz
In 2015-2016, Maestro Quinn will lead
us on an exciting journey complete with
drama (Dvorak’s New World Symphony),
intensity (Brahms’ Fourth Symphony),
Dwayne Corbin
prayer (Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis
Jeremy Briggs
Roberts
Pacem with the Juneau Symphony
chorus and soloists), and exhilaration (film scores by Hollywood
greats including John Williams, Ennio Morricone, and Hans
Zimmer).
Youth Solo Competition –
Eight advanced young musicians
performed memorized solo concertos on the Thunder Mountain
High School stage on June 3rd, 2015. Our 2015 senior division
winner, Trevar Fiscus, will perform as a soloist during the Juneau
Symphony’s winter concert in January. Our junior division winner,
Reece Bleakley, will perform as a soloist with the Student
Symphony. Open to all young musicians in Southeast Alaska, this
competition helps prepare music students for larger state-wide
competitions and university auditions. All costs of the competition
are absorbed by the Juneau Symphony and thanks to a generous
donation from Simpson, Tillinghast, Sorenson & Sheehan, P.C., no
fees are charged to participants.
Photo by Kurt Smith
Trevar Fiscus, photo by Michael
Juneau Student Symphony – Under the baton of conductor
Reece Bleakley, photo by Michael Penn
Tyree Pini for the second year, the student symphony started
rehearsing in the fall for a December concert that featured a string ensemble and holiday
music. In January, the orchestra performed in the Music in the Schools concert (see below).
The final concert of the season was a collaboration with two other Juneau institutions, the
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Alaska Youth Choir (AYC) and the Juneau
Bach Society (JBS). AYC invited the Juneau
Student Symphony to be its accompanying
orchestra and JBS to sing the adult choral part
while its members performed the
children’s chorus. The production was an
amazing logistical feat in which the different
ensembles rehearsed separately for weeks,
then came together to produce a unified
sound.
Tyree Pini works with the Juneau Student Symphony strings.
The 2015-2016 season is off to a great start. Conductor Tyree Pini is happy to be back for his
third season. He is being ably assisted by symphony staff, section leaders, and musician
mentors from the Juneau Symphony. The first concert, entitled Stories, New & Old, Strong &
Bold, will be held Saturday and Sunday, October 17th and 18th.
Music in the Schools – This past February, the Juneau Symphony and the Student
Symphony joined forces to produce an Art Excursion for fourth and fifth grade students in
the Juneau School District. The students attended our free concert, and several classrooms
enjoyed personal visits from our musicians. No fees were charged to students or schools to
participate. Part of a new partnership with the Kennedy Center’s Any Given Child program,
this interactive concert gave the audience a chance to play along! This year, we look forward
to adding new interactive components to the concert via the Carnegie Link Up program.
Additionally, every year over 400 ticket vouchers are distributed throughout the school
district as part of our Kids2Concerts program. This program allows students and their
families to experience our concerts free of charge.
String Quartet in Residence – In this program, new for the
2015-2016 season, the Juneau Symphony is proud to partner
with Juneau Alaska Music Matters (JAMM) and the
University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) by providing
scholarship support to members of a string quartet in
residence in Juneau. These highly accomplished young
musicians will help teach local students while pursuing a
Master of Arts in Secondary Teaching (MAT) with
certification in K-12 Music. This collaboration will result in
not only a teaching degree for the scholarship recipients – it
will also serve the community by providing teaching artists
for the JAMM program and quality performers for the
Juneau Symphony. Each student will receive a $10,000
scholarship for their studies, funded by JAMM and the
Juneau Symphony.
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The string quartet in residence. From left to
right: Lindsay Clark, Heidi O’Connor Brook,
Ruth Hogle, and Sophia Butler.
Artist Participation
Approximate
Number
130
8
30
72
8
264
Orchestra Members
Guest Artists and Soloists
Chorus Members
Student Symphony Orchestra Members
Youth Solo Competition participants
Total
Program Attendance
Approximate
Attendance
798
877
886
788
266
3615
JSO CONCERTS
Troy Quinn: English Shores to the Mediterranean
Wesley Schulz: American Brilliance
Jeremy Briggs Roberts: Russian Portraits
Dwayne Corbin: Classical to the Fantastical
Symphony Showcase
Total
JSS CONCERTS
Fall
Winter
Spring
Total
70
60
275
405
OTHER EVENTS
Allen Marine Cruise
Youth Solo Competition
First Fridays
Music in the Schools Assembly
Conductor Meet & Greets
Total
113
80
125
551
90
959
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Juneau Symphony Board and Staff
2014-2015
Board of Directors
Bev Smith, President
Tam Cook,* Vice President
Judy Skagerberg, Vice President
Jetta Whittaker, Secretary
Mary Lou Madden,* Treasurer
Elizabeth Agnew
Sharon Barton
Ryan Beason*
Myrna Elgee
Chad Erickson
Mark Hunt
Gail O’Dell
Neil Slotnick
Colleen Torrence
Christia’n Veliz
*no longer on the board
New board members for 2015-2016:
Annie Carpeneti
Sarah McNair Grove
2014-2015 Staff
Dwayne Corbin, Assistant Conductor
Sara Radke Brown, Executive Director
Tyree Pini, Student Symphony Music Director
Laura Haywood, Project Coordinator
2015-2016 Staff
Troy Quinn, Music Director
Laura Haywood, Executive Director
Tyree Pini, Student Symphony Music Director
Teresa Bleakley, Project Coordinator
With Help From
Lisa Ibias, Concertmaster
Sally Schlichting, Woodwind Section Leader
Tim Ayer, Brass Section Leader
Rich Ritter, Percussion Section Leader
Hetty Barthel, Librarian
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