Biographies

JOHN LINDSEY, Concertmaster
Violinist John Lindsey holds the State University of New York's highest rank, The Distinguished Service Professorship, bestowed upon him in 2009. Previously he was awarded the 1993 President's Award and the 2003 SUNY Chancellor's Award, both for Excellence in Teaching. He has taught at the Crane School of Music since 1981. John is the Concertmaster of both the Orchestra of Northern New York and the Eleva (VT) Chamber Players. He is the first violinist of the Aurora String Quintet and is the violinist of the Potsdam Piano Quartet. In the summer, Mr. Lindsey performs at the Ameropa Festival in Prague (CZ), the Woodstock (VT) Mozart Festival, and the Interlochen Adult Chamber Music Camp in Michigan. He has been been on the faculty of the Canna (Italy) Festival, the Stage de Musique in Marcillat, (France), and the International Chamber Music Festival and Tour 2008 in Bulgaria. Along with his wife Amornrat, he is the founder of the Thailand Chamber Music Festival, which takes place annually during the Winter Holidays.

Sponsored by Bill Kirchgasser in memory of Betsy Northrop.

SUE ELLEN COLGAN-BORROR, Guest Principal, Violin II
Sue Ellen Colgan-Borror Visiting Instructor of Violin and String Education at the Crane School of Music. She is currently co-teaching the National String Project, a string education program that partners classroom learning with supervised teaching experiences. Ms. Colgan-Borror also teaches courses in string education, coaches chamber music and maintains a violin studio. She holds a Master of Science in Music Education from Western Connecticut State University and a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam. She has done additional work at Columbia Teachers College. She is currently back teaching in the Bedford Central School District, after a years leave to teach at the Crane School of Music. Having spent many years at the elementary and intermediate levels, she currently is the Director of Orchestras at the High School level. In addition, she serves as the Educational Outreach Director of the Central Vermont Chamber Music Festival. Ms. Colgan-Borror frequently guest conducts regional and state orchestras. She is a certified New York State All-State adjudicator and holds active memberships to the New York State School Music Association, The Music Educators National Conference, the American String Teacher Association and the American Federation of Musicians. In addition to her teaching career, Ms Colgan-Borror is in her 34th year as a violinist with the New York City Ballet Orchestra.

Sponsored by Bob & Jackie Sauter.

NANCY PESCHKO, Guest Principal, Violin II
Nancy Peschko has been a member of The Orchestra Of Northern New York since 1993. She holds a degree in Violin Performance from Ithaca College and has maintained a private violin studio in Manlius, New York, for the past 21 years. Ms. Peschko has taught Suzuki violin workshops throughout the United States and Canada, and has been on the faculty of the Ithaca College Suzuki Institute for over 30 years. She was formerly a member of Syracuse Camerata and the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic. Ms. Peschko moved to the North Country in 2008. In her spare time, she loves to garden and is a Hospice volunteer.

SHELLY TRAMPOSH, Principal Viola
Shelly Tramposh is the viola professor at the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, where she performs in the Potsdam Piano Quartet and other ensembles. As a member of the Ariel Chamber Players, Dr. Tramposh recently completed a music residency in Tullamore and Dublin, Ireland. She has performed recitals abroad in Europe and Central America, and in the United States in Chicago, San Francisco, Denver, and New York. The Irish Times said of her recent performance of the Enesco Concertpiece, "Tramposh reveled in its technicalities ... her tone production had a distinctive complexity." She is in demand as a clinician, and will return to Costa Rica this winter for a residency at the music school of the Sinfonica Nacional de Costa Rica. Dr. Tramposh holds degrees from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the Eastman School of Music, and the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Sponsored by Pat Collins Real Estate.

HAROLD LEVIN, Guest Principal Viola
Harold Levin has led a varied career as violist, conductor, composer and teacher. He holds a high school diploma from the Interlochen Arts Academy, BM from Ball State University, MM from the University of Cincinnati, and DMA from Rutgers University. After performing in the viola section of the Louisville Orchestra for four seasons, Dr. Levin began a career of college teaching and conducting that has involved positions at the University of Nebraska, University of Memphis, Western Illinois University, and Ball State University. An active performer, Dr. Levin has played viola with the orchestras of Cincinnati, Omaha, Memphis, Long Island, Orlando, and Jacksonville, and has performed and conducted at summer festivals in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Michigan, Colorado, and Vermont. He has served as instructor of Viola and Chamber Music at the Interlochen Center for the Arts from 2000-2007. He currently conducts the Marywood University Orchestra in Pennsylvania.

JONATHAN TORTOLANO, Principal Cello
Jonathan Tortolano, a native of Vermont, has been living and working in Canada since 1999. Arriving via Europe, where he taught and played in Spain, Portugal and Italy, Jonathan has been a member of Orquesta Sinfonica de Castilla y Leon, The Gulbenkian Orchestra, Orchestra London, Orchestre Symphonique de Quebec, The Windsor Symphony, Orquestra Metropolitana de Lisboa, the National Ballet Orchestra and the Orchestra do Algarve. He has been heard on CBC and Radio Canada, Radio Nacional de Espana and Radio France, in addition to National Public Radio in the United States. Jonathan Tortolano studied with Elsa Hilger, Andor Toth Jr., Janos Starker, and Stephen Geber. In Europe he had a chance to work with William Pleeth and Martin Ostertag while holding symphonic jobs and touring with Quartet Metropolis. Jonathan also was Principal Cellist of the Orquesta Sinfonica de Puerto Rico. While in the Carribean he performed for the Fundacion Musical de Ponce, and presented two lecture recitals at The Gallery Inn, in Old San Juan. In 2007, Jonathan performed with the Quatour Prima Vista in France. Jonathan Tortolano is a member of the Pittsburgh Opera Orchestra, where he is second chair cello, and is Principal Cello of the Erie Philharmonic. Jonathan plays a cello made by Armando Piccagliani of Modena.

Sponsored by James & Virginia Cayey.

JAMESON PLATTE, Guest Principal Cello
Jameson Platte maintains an active career both as a performer and a teacher. He is a member of the critically acclaimed Axis quintet, principal of the Glens Falls Symphony, assistant principal of the Allentown Symphony and Artist/Faculty at New England Music Camp. A frequent recitalist in New York City, he has been featured in Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Lincoln Center and the 92nd St. Y, among others. Mr. Platte attended the Blossom Chamber Music Festival as principal cello and the Brevard Music Festival, winning the concerto contest. He has recently soloed with the Jacksonville Symphony, Allentown Symphony and the Glens Falls Symphony. Mr. Platte has recorded for Koch International and Seedmusic. His teachers include Yo-Yo Ma, Lynn Harrell, Mstislav Rostropovich and Carlton McCreery. Mr. Platte plays on a cello by Hannibal Fagnola and a bow by Dominique Peccatte.

HARRY SCHENAWOLF, Principal Bass
Harry Schenawolf received his master's degree in Music Education from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and his doctorate in double bass performance from the University of Colorado. For the past thirty years, he has performed and taught in the United States and in England. While a member of the Arkansas Symphony, he was on the faculty of the University of Arkansas. In more recent years, he has taught in public school, was Adjunct Professor at the University of Vermont and Middlebury College, and a member of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra. In addition to his current teaching load, Harry coaches the bass section of the Vermont Youth Orchestra, plays with the Vermont Jazz Ensemble, and has a private bass studio. Harry has been a member of The Orchestra of Northern New York since 1991.

Sponsored by Philip & Eleanor Hopke.

GALE SCHABERG, Principal Flute
Gail Schaberg is a former member of the Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra and the Lansing Symphony. Her flute teachers included William Hebert of the Cleveland Orchestra and Russell Friedewald of Michigan State University. A graduate of Michigan State University, she is certified in music education and special education. Ms. Schaberg earned her Master of Music Education degree at the State University of New York at Potsdam where she later taught courses in music for special learners. She was the chair of music education at the Crane School of Music and the National Chair for Exceptional Learners of the Music Educators National Conference (MENC).

Sponsored in memory of James & Katherine Andrews.

ANNA HENDRICKSON, Principal Oboe
Anna Hendrickson is Assistant Professor of Oboe at the Crane School of Music. She holds the Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees from the Eastman School of Music where she studied with Richard Killmer, and a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as a student of Marc Fink. She has been a member of the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra (Ontario) and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and is currently a member of the summer Britt Festival Orchestra in Jacksonville, Oregon. She performs now with the Potsdam Wind Quintet, the Orchestra of Northern New York, and the Northern Symphonic Winds.

Sponsored by Dick & Vernice Church.

ALAN WOY, Principal Clarinet
Dr. Alan Woy joined the faculty of the Crane School of Music in 1971. He taught studio clarinet, woodwind techniques, and conducting, and was also a chamber music coach and band director. Since his retirement from Crane in 2004, he continues to lead an active musical life as a performer, teacher, and conductor. He recently relocated to Rochester, NY, where he teaches in the New Horizons Adult Education program, Eastman Community Music School, and has a private studio. Dr. Woy has been principal clarinet with the Orchestra of Northern New York since it began over 20 years ago. He continues to perform with Northern Symphonic Winds and the Potsdam Clarinet Quartet.

Sponsored in Memory of John S. Woy.

JULIANNE KIRK, Guest Principal Clarinet
Julianne Kirk serves as Assistant Professor of Clarinet at the Crane School of Music at the State University of New York at Potsdam. An active soloist and chamber musician, Dr. Kirk is a member of the Aria Reed Trio and the Eastman Triana, both ensembles have performed on WXXI Rochester's Live at Hochestein radio broadcast. She is Co-Director of the Crane Clarinet Choir, Crane Clarinet Ensembles, and has given master classes and clinics at Oakland University (MI), Bowling Green State University (OH), Oklahoma City University, Southeast Asian Youth Orchestra and Wind Ensemble, Aria Summer Music Academy, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp and is Director of the Crane Youth Music Camp. She also co-coordinates the acclaimed Potsdam Single Reed Summit. Dr. Kirk has performed with the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, Amici Orchestra, Orchestra of Northern New York, Northern Symphonic Winds, Light Opera Oklahoma, Eastman Wind Ensemble, Philharmonia and Opera, Tulsa Philharmonic and Oklahoma City Philharmonic. Dr. Kirk has performed and presented at numerous conferences including the Mid-America Center for Contemporary Arts, International Double Reed Society Conference, New York State School Music Association Conference, Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium, and the International Clarinet Association ClarinetFest. She is a Vandoren Performing Artist and uses Vandoren reeds, mouthpieces and ligatures exclusively. She holds the Doctorate of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees in Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Oklahoma. Her major teachers include Jon Manasse, David Etheridge and Bradford Behn.

CAROL LOWE, Principal Bassoon
Carol Lowe, bassoon, has performed as principal bassoon and as soloist with orchestras across the southeastern United States and has toured and recorded in London, Paris, and Munich. Mrs. Lowe has been a member of numerous chamber ensembles including the Taft Quintet, first-prize winners of the 1989 Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition. She is an active member of the International Double Reed Society and has performed at the two most recent conferences. Her degrees are from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, the University of Cincinnati College - Conservatory of Music, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Before coming to Potsdam, Mrs. Lowe was the bassoon instructor for Furman University and the University of South Carolina.

Sponsored by Linda & Gordon Hutchins.

KELLY DRIFMEYER, Principal Horn
Kelly Drifmeyer teaches the Horn Studio at the Crane School of Music. With horn performance degrees from the Eastman School of Music and the University of Michigan, her teachers include Verne Reynolds, Peter Kurau, Lowell Greer, John Cerminaro, and Greg Hustis. A member of both the Potsdam Brass Quintet and the Potsdam Woodwind Quintet, Ms. Drifmeyer has also enjoyed tenures with New Ear Contemporary Music Ensemble and the Detroit Chamber Winds. Ms. Drifmeyer is currently Principal Horn of the award-winning Colorado Mahlerfest Orchestra. Her international experience includes the Windsor Symphony (Ontario), the Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional of the Dominican Republic, the Detroit Metropolitan Ballet, the North Carolina Symphony, and the Kansas City Symphony.

ROY SCHABERG, Guest Principal Horn
As a graduate of Michigan State University and The Eastman School of Music, Roy has been featured as a principal horn in the Memphis Symphony, Lexington Philharmonic, Vermont Symphony and the Orchestra of Northern New York. He has served twice as the Artist Host of the International Horn Symposium. While on faculty at the Crane School of Music, Roy served as performance chair and was a founding member of the Potsdam Brass Quintet and the Potsdam Woodwind Quintet. He has served as the Program Director of the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Michigan and is founder of the Crane Youth Music Summer Camp that he directed for 25 years. Roy still performs regularly with The Orchestra of Northern New York and lives in Potsdam with his wife Gail.

JOHN ELLIS, Principal Trumpet
John Ellis, trumpet, has appeared with a variety of musical organizations and artists, including the Canadian Brass, U.S. Army Brass Band, Studio de Musique Ancienne de Montreal, Calgary Philharmonic, the Moody Blues, as well as Grammy Award winners Diana Krall, Tony Bennett and Anne Murray. He performs frequently with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, and has been heard internationally on several broadcasts by the CBC and PBS. He is Principal Trumpet of the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, is a member of the Capital BrassWorks and the Potsdam Brass Quintet. Dr. Ellis holds the position of Professor of Music at The Crane School of Music.

Sponsored by Charlotte Ramsay.

MARK HARTMAN, Principal Trombone
Mark Hartman is Professor of Trombone at the Crane School of Music. He teaches studio trombone, brass techniques, coaches brass quintets and conducts The Crane Trombone Ensemble. Mark has been a soloist with ensembles throughout the northeast and has presented numerous recitals and clinics at major conventions, universities and colleges. He has performed and presented at five International Trombone Festivals, numerous New York State School Music Conferences, and other professional brass conferences. Mark is also the principal trombonist with Northern Symphonic Winds and Potsdam Brass Quintet. Mark has performed with the Ottawa Symphony, Vermont Symphony Orchestra, Skyline Brass Ensemble, Summit Brass and many other prestigious organizations.

Sponsored by Mark & Cynthia Coleman.

CHARLES GUY, Principal Tuba
Charles Guy teaches tuba and euphonium and is the director of the Crane Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble. He holds the Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees from Michigan State University and the Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Akron. Recent solo performances include the 2004 United States Army Band Tuba-Euphonium Conference, and the 2002 and 2003 Symphonia Tuba and Euphonium Workshops. He performs with the Potsdam Brass Quintet, Northern Symphonic Winds and has played in the Rochester Philharmonic, Syracuse Symphony and Michigan Opera Theatre Orchestras. In 1999 he won the Artist Division of Leonard Falcone International Solo Competition. He is a clinician for DEG Music and Willson Tubas.

SCOTT LAVINE, Principal Timpani
Scott LaVine is Professor Emeritus at the Crane School of Music where he has conducted all of the wind bands, taught courses in conducting, music education, technology, theory, and functional piano, and served as coordinator of technology. Previously, he was department chair and director of bands at Norwood-Norfolk Central School and directed bands at St. Lawrence University. Scott conducted concert and jazz bands for the Crane Youth Music Summer Program and served as CYM Director from 1998-2003. He is a past-president of the New York State Band Directors Association, the Crane Faculty Association, and the Crane Alumni Association and serves on the NYSSMA Technology Committee. He is a co-founder and conductor of Northern Symphonic Winds, an instructor for the Technology Association for Music Educators (TI:ME), and an adjudicator for FiestaVal of Richmond, VA.

JAMES A. PETERCSAK, Principal Percussion
James Petercsak is a percussionist of a vast and eclectic variety of musical styles based in the New York/New Jersey area. In the summer of 2008 James was in residence at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Alberta, Canada performing with the festival orchestra under the direction of Lior Shambadal. In June of 2009, James returned to Banff to perform with an internationally selected group of percussionist under the direction of Steven Schick where he premiered Inuksuit by composer John Luther Adams. James has performed in venues across the United States, Canada, France, Belgium, Germany, and recently Italy where he premiered numerous works for percussion and worked closely with several composers at the SoundSCAPE music festival in Pavia. James received a Master of Music degree from McGill University under the tutelage of Aiyun Huang and Montreal Symphony Orchestra timpanist Andrei Malashenko. While at McGill, James was the recipient of the Schulich Graduate Fellowship Award, the SSHRC Graduate Research Assistantship and performed in internationally renowned contemporary music festivals including Festival International Montréal/Nouvelles Musiques, Musi Mars, and the Cool Drummings festival in Toronto, Ontario.

Sponsored by Dr. & Mrs. Ray Toland.

JESSICA SUCHY-PILALIS, Principal Harp
Harpist Jessica Suchy-Pilalis has performed both in the U.S. and abroad as a recitalist and soloist with orchestra. Dr. Suchy-Pilalis holds advanced degrees in harp performance and theory from the Univeristy of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, The Eastman School of Music and Indiana University. She has been awarded a Master Fellowship by the Indiana Arts Commission/National Endowment for the Arts. She toured Greece as a soloist under the auspices of the U.S. State Department, while also representing the U.S. at the international music festival Diethnis Mousikes Hmeres and giving performances on Greek National Radio-Television. She is featured on compact disc releases of new music compositions and on our own recording, Invitation to the Dance.