“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
Cabrillo Festival Orchestra
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 62 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 list of the 2024 players of the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra
Strings
Violin I
Justin Bruns, Concertmaster, Atlanta GA
Lauren Roth, Assistant Concertmaster, Tucson AZ
Sonja Bosca-Harasim, Detroit MI
Thomas Dougherty, San Diego CA
Adalaide Federici, Atlanta GA
Robyn Julyan, Denver CO
Rita Lee, San Francisco CA
Margeaux Maloney, San Diego CA
Benjamin Tomkins, Denver CO
Chase Ward, Detroit MI
Violin II
Matt Albert, Principal, Ann Arbor MI
Emelyn Bashour, Assistant Principal, Detroit MI
Isabella Amador, Palo Alto CA
Stuart Carlson, Dexter MI
Teagan Faran, Greencastle IN
Benjamin Jackson, San Jose CA
Charmian Stewart, San Anselmo CA
Hannah O’Brien, St. Louis MO
Viola
Sam Bergman, Principal, Minneapolis MN
Rebecca Epperson, Assistant Principal, Arlington VA
Anne Ainomae, Minneapolis MN
Davis Perez, Chicago IL
Santiago Vazquez-Loredo, Boston MA
Dawson White, Houston TX
Cello
Úna O’Riordan, Principal, Detroit MI
Norbert Lewandowski, Assistant Principal, Charleston SC
Wesley Hornpetrie, Silver Spring MD
Carlyn Kessler, Los Angeles CA
Hanna Rumora, Iowa City IA
Kyle Stachink, Vacaville CA
Bass
Ryan Baird, Principal, Los Angeles CA
Matt Kline, San Diego CA
Alan Wang, Los Angeles, CA
Bill Wasson, Los Angeles CA
Woodwinds
Flute
Martha Long, Acting Principal, Portland OR
Kasumi Leonard, Santa Fe NM
Andrea Velasquez, Baltimore MD
Oboe
Lillian Copeland, Principal, New York NY
Eduardo Sepulveda, Syracuse NY
Paula Engerer, Phoenix AZ
Clarinet
Bharat Chandra, Principal, Sarasota FL
Sean Krissman, San Francisco CA
Andy Hudson, Appleton WI
Bassoon
Joseph Grimmer, Principal, Hyattsville MD
Qun Ren, College Park MD
Kathy Ruiz, Bakersfield CA
Brass
Horn
Molly Norcross, Co-Principal, Cincinnati OH
Scott Strong, Acting Co-Principal, Detroit MI
John Michael Flavetta, West Hartford CT
Julie Thayer, St. Louis MO
John Turman, Seattle WA
Trumpet
Noah Dugan, Co-Principal, Louisville KY
Morgan Low, Co- Principal, Northbrook IL
Lauren Eberhart, San Antonio TX
Andrew Gignac, San Antonio TX
Trombone
Cristian Ganicenco, Co-Principal, Cincinnati OH
Victoria Garcia, Co-Principal, Boston MA
Felix Regalado, Chicago IL
Noah Roper, Cincinnati OH
Tuba
Justin Benavidez, Principal, Rochester NY
Percussion
Timpani
Scott Christian, Principal, Washington DC
Percussion
Galen Lemmon, Principal, San Jose CA
Jeffrey Marcos, San Francisco CA
Andres Pichardo-Rosenthal, Detroit MI
Artie Storch, Redwood City CA (Week 2)
Svet Stoyanov, Miami FL
Harp
Sarah Fuller, Baltimore MD
Keyboard
Emily Wong, Principal, Yorktown NY
Michael Sheppard, CC Workshop, Baltimore MD
Orchestra Manager
Kelly Ott, Tacoma WA
Music Librarian
Robert Greer, Dallas TX
2024 Leave of Absences
Kathleen Balfe, Cello
Anne Chandra, Assistant Principal Violin II
Susan French, Violin II
David Gerstein, Assistant Principal Cello
Maximillian Haft, Violin II
Sarah Shellman, Violin I
The Cabrillo Festival would like to extend a fond farewell to the following 2024 retired players:
Elise Blake, Violin II
Adam Havrilla, Bassoon
David Murray, Co-Principal Trombone
Gavin Reed, Co-Principal Horn
Bob Ward, Trombone