“The Festival is a chance to hear one of the finest orchestras anywhere, magically materializing on our shores for two blazing weeks of new, challenging music. Expect fireworks for the ears!” —Good Times Weekly
Winner of the League of American Orchestra and ASCAP’s 2008-2009 John S. Edwards Award for Strongest Commitment to New American Music, and winner of their Award for Adventurous Programming of Contemporary Music for 32 consecutive years.
Cabrillo has emerged as the western states’ leading orchestra devoted to modern symphonic repertory in the twenty-first century. The Festival’s core performance group is an ensemble of sixty-eight professional musicians who join us each year to perform award-winning programming of contemporary music. These musicians come to Santa Cruz from all over the world, often foregoing more lucrative engagements in order to volunteer their professional services in favor of the stimulation and challenge of the Cabrillo programs. Each is a new music advocate in their own right. For over 50 years, they have earned Cabrillo an uncompromised and prestigious reputation as America’s preeminent contemporary music festival. We invite you to join us in thanking each member of the orchestra for their generosity and dedication, and for the greatness of their spirit.
Below is a listing of the 2020 Tenured players of the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra.
Click player names in red to learn a bit more about them!
Strings
Violin I
Justin Bruns, Concertmaster, Atlanta GA
Jooyeon Kong, Assistant Concertmaster, Berkeley CA
Sonja Bosca-Harasim – Moorhead MN
Maximillian Haft, Geneva Switzerland
Robyn Julyan, Denver CO
Rita Lee, San Francisco CA
Sarah Shellman, Tampa FL
Benjamin Tomkins, Denver CO
Violin II
Matt Albert, Principal, Ann Arbor MI
Anne Chandra, Assistant Principal, Sarasota FL
Elise Blake, Washington DC
Susan French, Long Island City NY
Matthew Means, Hays KS
Rob Simonds, Louisville KY
Charmian Stewart, San Anselmo CA
Viola
Sam Bergman, Principal, Minneapolis MN
Madeline Sharp, Assistant Principal, Atlanta GA
Chad Kaltinger, Capitola CA
Cello
Thomas Carpenter, Principal, Atlanta GA
Jennifer Humphreys, Assistant Principal, St. Louis MO
Kathleen Balfe, Granada, Spain
Elizabeth Chung, St. Louis MO
David Gerstein, Little Rock AR
Brad Ritchie, Atlanta GA
Bass
Ted Botsford, Principal, Los Angeles CA
Joseph McFadden, Atlanta GA
Woodwinds
Flute
Tim Munro, Principal, Chicago IL
Lauren Sileo, Haymarket VA
Oboe
Alexander Miller, Grand Rapids MI (Week 2)
Paula Engerer, Phoenix AZ
Clarinet
Bharat Chandra, Principal, Sarasota FL
Sean Krissman, Houston TX
Bassoon
Adam Havrilla, San Juan PR
Brass
Horn
Gavin Reed, Co-Principal, Houston TX
Fritz Foss, Co-Principal, Chicago IL
Julie Thayer, St. Louis MO
Trumpet
Craig Morris, Principal, Coral Gables FL
Lauren Eberhart, San Antonio TX
Andrew Gignac, San Antonio TX
Trombone
Ava Ordman, Principal, Lansing MI
David Murray, Acting Principal, Washington DC
Robert K. Ward, Grand Rapids MI
Tuba
Forrest Byram, Principal, San Francisco CA
Percussion
Timpani
Scott Christian, Principal, Washington DC
Percussion
Galen Lemmon, Principal, San Jose CA
Svet Stoyanov, Miami FL
Harp
Sarah Fuller, Principal, Baltimore MD
Keyboard
Emily Wong, Principal, Yorktown Heights NY
Orchestra Manager
Gavin Reed, Houston TX
The Cabrillo Festival would like to extend a fond farewell to the following 2020 retired players:
Betsy Hudson-Traba – Flute
Michael Maccaferri – Clarinet
Mary Jane Miller – Viola
Ward Spangler – Percussion
Karen Wagner – Principal Oboe
Orchestra photo at top by Bruce Frye