“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 contemporary orchestral repertoire. These musicians come to Santa Cruz from all over the world in order to volunteer their professional services in favor of the stimulation and challenge of the Cabrillo Festival experience and premiere programming. For 64 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 2026 players of the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra
Strings
Violin I
Justin Bruns, Concertmaster, Raleigh NC
Jory Lane, Acting Assistant Concertmaster, Lakewood CO
Sonja Bosca-Harasim, Detroit MI
Adelaide Federici, Atlanta GA
Robyn Julyan, Denver CO
Rita Lee, San Francisco CA
Margeaux Maloney, San Diego CA
Sarah Shellman, Tampa FL
Benjamin Tomkins, Denver CO
Chase Ward, Detroit MI
Violin II
Matt Albert, Principal, Ann Arbor MI
Anne Chandra, Assistant Principal, Sarasota FL
Emelyn Bashour, Detroit MI
Stuart Carlson, Dexter MI
Teagan Faran, Ithaca NY
Susan French, Long Island City NY
Hannah O’Brien, Boston MA
Charmian Stewart, San Anselmo CA
Viola
Rebecca Epperson, Principal, Arlington VA
Dawson White, Assistant Principal, Houston TX
Richard Neff, Burien WA
Davis Perez, Chicago IL
Sebastian Stefanović, St. Petersburg FL
Nicole Swanson, Woodbury MN
Cello
Úna O’Riordan, Principal, Detroit MI
David Gerstein, Assistant Principal, Little Rock AR
Kathleen Balfe, Tenerife Spain
Wesley Hornpetrie, Silver Spring MD
Carlyn Kessler, Los Angeles CA
Hannah Rumora, Iowa City IA
Bass
Ryan Baird, Principal, Pasadena CA
Matt Kline, San Diego CA
Sarah Wagner, Los Angeles CA
Alan Wang, Los Angeles CA
Woodwinds
Flute
Martha Long, Principal, Baltimore MD
Kasumi Leonard, Santa Fe NM
Andrea Velasquez, Detroit MI
Oboe
Virginia McDowell, Acting Principal (Week 1), New Orleans LA
Lillian Copeland, Principal (Week 2), New York NY
Eduardo Sepulveda, Syracuse NY
Paula Engerer, English Horn, Phoenix AZ
Clarinet
Bharat Chandra, Principal, Sarasota FL
Johnny Wang, Pleasanton CA
Andy Hudson, Appleton WI
Bassoon
Brad Balliett, Principal, New York NY
Alex Zdanis, Daly City CA
Kris King, Los Gatos CA
Brass
Horn
Molly Norcross, Co-Principal, New York NY
Scott Strong, Co-Principal, Detroit MI
John Michael Flavetta, West Hartford CT
Julie Thayer, St. Louis MO
John Turman, Seattle WA
Trumpet
Jack Farnham, Co-Prinicpal, Miami Beach FL
Morgan Low, Co- Principal, Northbrook IL
Lauren Eberhart, San Antonio TX
Andrew Gignac, San Antonio TX
Trombone
Carson King-Fournier, Co-Principal, Madison WI
Austin Richardson, Co-Principal, Waco TX
Felix Regalado, Minneapolis MN
Taylor Fong, Bass Trombone, Pittsburgh PA
Tuba
John Miller, Acting Principal, Ocala FL
Percussion
Timpani
Scott Christian, Principal, Washington DC
Percussion
George Nickson, Principal, Dallas TX
Jeffrey Marcos, San Francisco CA
Joe Bricker, Cincinnati OH
Svet Stoyanov, Miami FL
Harp
Julie Smith, Acting Principal (Week 1), San Diego CA
Kristin Lloyd, Acting Principal (Week 2), (Week 1 Extra), San Francisco CA
Amy Ahn, (Week 2 Extra), Palo Alto CA
Keyboard
Emily Wong, Principal, Yorktown NY
Michael Sheppard, CC Workshop, Baltimore MD
Orchestra Manager
Kelly Ott, Tacoma WA
Music Librarian
Robert Greer, Dallas TX
CONDUCTOR IN RESIDENCE
Octavio Más-Arocas, Haslett MI
2025 Leave of Absences
Lauren Roth, Assistant Concertmaster, Atlanta GA
Chava Appiah, Cello, Cincinnati OH
Justin Benavidez, Principal Tuba, Rochester NY
Andres Pichardo-Rosenthal, Percussion, Detroit MI
Sarah Fuller, Principal Harp, Baltimore MD
The Cabrillo Festival would like to extend a fond farewell to the following 2025 retired players:
Maximillian Haft, Violin 2
Carlos Tarazona, Violin 2