PBCMF ARTIST BIOS

Sherie Aguirre , oboe, is presently Principal Oboe with the Virginia Symphony and the Virginia Opera.  She graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor of Music in Performance and began a Master of Music program at Northwestern University.  For the next eight years Ms. Aguirre worked outside of the United States as Principal Oboe with the Singapore Symphony, the Maracaibo Symphony in Venezuela and the Madrid Symphony in Spain.  Ms. Aguirre appears regularly as soloist with the Virginia Symphony as well as the Chamber Music series of the Virginia Waterfront International Arts Festival.  She also serves on the faculties of William and Mary College, Old Dominion University, the Governor's School for the Arts and Christopher Newport University.  Ms. Aguirre appears on two Chamber Music Palm Beach CDs on the Klavier Music Production Label.

Karen Dixon, flute, has been Principal Flute of the Palm Beach Opera Orchestra and the Palm Beach Symphony since 1989, is a member of the Boca Raton Symphonia and was also a member of the Naples Philharmonic from 1989 to 1999.  She has played regularly for Ballet Florida, Miami City Ballet, Orchestra Miami, the Concert Association of Florida, the New Philharmonic Orchestra, and the former Florida Philharmonic Orchestra.  Ms. Dixon was a fellow with the New World Symphony, appearing as concerto soloist and touring South America and Europe.  She is currently Artist-in-Residence at the Bak Middle School of the Arts and was adjunct Instructor of Flute at Palm Beach Atlantic University for six years.  Both her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees are from Manhattan School of Music.  She is on the Board of Directors and is a founding member of the Palm Beach Chamber Music Festival, appearing on all five Chamber Music Palm Beach CDs on the Klavier Music Production Label.

Michael Ellert, bassoon, studied at the Juilliard School of Music in New York City. He is Principal Bassoon of the Palm Beach Opera Orchestra, the Palm Beach Symphony, the Southwest Florida Symphony (Fort Myers) and performs regularly with the Boca Raton Symphonia. He is a former member of the Israel Chamber Orchestra and has performed for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, New York City Opera and the New Jersey Symphony. Mr. Ellert is the Bassoon Instructor and Woodwind Studio Coordinator at Lynn University’s Conservatory of Music, teaches bassoon at Palm Beach Atlantic University and is an Artist-in-Residence at the Dreyfoos School of the Arts. He is on the Board of Directors and is a founding member of the Palm Beach Chamber Music Festival, appearing on all five Chamber Music Palm Beach CDs on the Klavier Music Production Label.

Michael Forte, clarinet, is Principal Clarinet of the Palm Beach Opera Orchestra, the Palm Beach Symphony and the Southwest Florida Symphony (Fort Myers). He is a former member of the Maracaibo Symphony in Venezuela and is a graduate of Syracuse University.  He has appeared as soloist in the concertos of Mozart and Weber with the Maracaibo Symphony, the Southwest Florida Symphony, the Palm Beach Symphony and the Palm Beach Atlantic Symphony.  Mr. Forte teaches at Palm Beach Atlantic University and is an Artist-in-Residence at the Dreyfoos School of the Arts and the Bak Middle School of the Arts. Mr. Forte is on the Board of Directors and is a founding member of the Palm Beach Chamber Music Festival, appearing on all five Chamber Music Palm Beach CDs on the Klavier Music Production Label. 

Dina Kostic, violin, is a native of Belgrade, Serbia.  She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Southern Methodist University and a Master of Music in Performance from Northwestern University.  Ms. Kostic was Assistant Concertmaster of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and a fellow with the New World Symphony prior to winning a position with the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra.  Since the FPO closed its doors, she has performed as Concertmaster of the Orlando Philharmonic and is currently a member of the Palm Beach Opera Orchestra, the Boca Raton Symphonia and is an active studio musician.  In addition, she serves as Professor of Violin at Barry University.  Ms. Kostic has been a participant in many festivals in this country and abroad and is thrilled to be in her fifth season with the Palm Beach Chamber Music Festival.  She appears on three Chamber Music Palm Beach CDs on the Klavier Music Production Label.

Lisa Leonard, piano, is a native of Washington, D.C. and made her debut in 1990 with the National Symphony Orchestra. She has performed throughout Europe with orchestras including the East/West International Symphony of Germany and the International Music Festival Orchestra, with whom she recorded the Shostakovich First Piano Concerto for Hessiches Rundfunk. Ms. Leonard has also appeared as soloist in the United States, Russia and Japan where she performed with members of the Vienna Philharmonic at the Pacific Music Festival. She has served on the faculties of the North Carolina School of the Arts and Barry University and currently serves on the faculty of the Conservatory of Music at Lynn University. Ms. Leonard received her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the Manhattan School of Music.  Ms. Leonard appears on one Chamber Music Palm Beach CD on the Klavier Music Production Label.

Jason Lindsay, bass, moved to the South Florida area in 1988 and since then has performed with the Florida Philharmonic, Naples Philharmonic, Jacksonville Symphony, Southwest Florida Symphony, Palm Beach Opera, Gold Coast Opera, Miami City Ballet and Ballet Florida.  He has also been a member of the Spoleto Festival Orchestra and Augusta Opera.  Mr. Lindsay earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Miami.  He appears on three Chamber Music Palm Beach CDs on the Klavier Music Production Label.

Mei Mei Luo, violin, is currently a member of the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra.  She was also a member of the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra for ten years, where she acted as Associate Concertmaster for two years.  Born and raised in China, Ms. Luo's early accomplishments include Second Prize in the Nations Young Violin Competition in China and Third Prize in the San Diego Youth Music Competition.  At the age of twelve she performed with the prestigious Peking Opera Company. Her first position in the United States was as an alternate in the Philadelphia Orchestra.  In 1997 Ms. Luo was selected from a worldwide group of Chinese musicians to participate in the reunification celebration of the return of Hong Kong to mainland China.  She performs on an 1803 Johannes Gagliano violin made in Naples, Italy.  Ms. Luo appears on three Chamber Music Palm Beach CDs on the Klavier Music Production Label.

Susan Moyer, cello, is a member of the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra.  She is a former member of the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra where she performed for 10 years.  She studied extensively at the University of Akron, the New England Conservatory of Music and the University of Miami.  Before joining the Philharmonic, she was a fellow and Principal Cello of the New World Symphony for two seasons, during which time she performed in two special chamber music collaborations with Sir Georg Solti. She has appeared all over South Florida as a member of the Dalbergi Trio.  Ms. Moyer may be heard on three Chamber Music Palm Beach CDs on the Klavier Music Production Label.

Rene Reder, viola, was born and raised in Tacoma, WA, where she attended the University of Puget Sound, earning her Bachelor of Music degree.  She received her Master of Music degree and Performance Diploma from Temple University in Philadelphia.  Ms. Reder has been a fellow with the New World Symphony and a member of the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra, the Virginia Symphony in Norfolk, and is currently a member of the Alabama Symphony in Birmingham.  She appears on two Chamber Music Palm Beach CDs on the Klavier Music Production Label. 

GUEST ARTISTS

Ho Anthony Ahn, cello, is appearing with the Palm Beach Chamber Music Festival for the second time.  He has been a member of the Kansas City Symphony since 1994 and serves currently as a board member there.  Mr. Ahn holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Rice University and a Master of Music degree from Northwestern University.  While he was at Northwestern, Mr. Ahn was Principal Cello of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. His teachers include Shirley Trepel, Hans-Jorgen Jensen, Michael Haber and Glenn Garlick.  Mr. Ahn has participated in the Spoleto Opera Festival, the Colorado Music Festival, the Utah Opera Festival and the Missouri Chamber Orchestra where he served as Principal Cello.  Ho has appeared as a soloist with the Kansas City Philharmonia, the Seoul Symphony of New York, the Saint Joseph Symphony and the Medical Arts Orchestra of Kansas City.  An avid teacher, he has students ranging from age 12 to 82.  

Amy Bookspan, horn, a graduate of the Harid Conservatory, is a member of the Palm Beach Opera Orchestra, Palm Beach Symphony and the Atlantic Classical Orchestra.  Formerly with the Portland Symphony, Portland Woodwind Quintet and the Maine State Ballet Orchestra, she currently performs and teaches throughout South Florida.  In addition, Ms. Bookspan serves as Principal Horn/Soloist with the Miami Bach Society.

Dione Chandler, oboe, is Principal Oboe of the Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra.  She is also a member of the Palm Beach Symphony and regularly performs with the Palm Beach Opera Orchestra.  In addition, she has appeared with Miami City Ballet, Florida Grand Opera, the Orlando Philharmonic, the Naples Philharmonic and the Boca Raton Symphonia.  Ms. Chandler is a graduate of Rice University and the University of Southern California with her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music, respectively.  Her principal teachers are Robert Atherholt, John deLancie, Sandra Gerster, Eric Ohlsson and Allan Vogel.  Ms. Chandler has also attended the Aspen Music Festival, Banff Chamber Music Festival and the AIMS Festival in Graz, Austria.  She teaches oboe at Florida International University, in several Broward County public schools and maintains a private oboe studio. For the past three years she has served as oboe clinician at the Ramblewood Band Camp.  An active member of the South Florida Musicians Association (AFM, Local 655), she serves as Vice-President and Music Performance Trust Fund Administrator.

Matthew Corey, bassoon, earned both his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees at the University of Miami.   A versatile musician, he regularly performs with touring Broadway shows, local classical ensembles, and also works as a sound designer/composer for many of South Florida’s most prestigious dramatic theaters.  As a chamber musician, Mr. Corey has performed in a variety of ensembles in the area as well as in the Grand Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, the Dominican Republic, Tennessee and Colorado. 

Rebecca Diderrich, viola, was born in London, Ontario, Canada.  Ms. Diderrich completed two ARCT performance diplomas with the Royal Conservatory of Toronto as a pianist and violinist at the ages of 18 and 19.  She received her Bachelor of  Music Performance degree at the University of Toronto where she studied the violin with Lorand Fenyves.  After deciding that her true musical love was the viola, she won a section position with the Palm Beach Opera Orchestra in 2005 and has been playing with that orchestra ever since.  Ms. Diderrich performs with other ensembles in South Florida, including the Atlantic Classical Orchestra and Miami Symphonic Services, and she is very happy to be playing with the Palm Beach Chamber Music Festival this summer for the second time.  She also enjoys teaching both the violin and the viola and is currently pursuing a Professional Performance Certificate on a full scholarship at Lynn University with Ralph Fielding.

Scott Ellington, clarinet, is a member of the Palm Beach Opera Orchestra, Palm Beach Symphony and Southwest Florida Symphony.  He studied with Stanley Hasty at the Eastman School of Music, where he received his Bachelor of Music degree in 1982.  He was also awarded the Performer's Certificate and while at Eastman was involved in numerous tours.  Mr. Ellington played Principal Clarinet on an Eastman Wind Ensemble commercial recording.  He attended the Aspen Music Festival on a full scholarship and has also held the position of Associate Instructor of Clarinet at the Indiana University School of Music. 

Christopher Glansdorp, cello, is Principal Cello with the Palm Beach Opera Orchestra, the Palm Beach Symphony and the Boca Raton Symphonia.  He also performs regularly with the Southwest Florida Symphony, the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra and appears with many touring productions of Broadway Across America.  He received degrees from the Eastman School of Music and the University of Akron and was a fellow with the New World Symphony as Co-Principal Cello.  Mr. Glansdorp has also performed with the Akron Symphony, the Des Moines Metro Opera, and the Florida Philharmonic.   

Kay Kemper, harp, has performed extensively throughout the United States and abroad.  A graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music, her teachers include Jon Ceo, Lucile Lawrence and Alice Chalifoux.  Ms. Kemper has appeared with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops, the Atlanta Symphony, the Milwaukee Symphony and the Orquestra Filarmonica de Caracas in Venezuela.  As an active free-lance musician since 1989, Ms. Kemper performs regularly with the Palm Beach Opera, the Palm Beach Pops and the Southwest Florida Symphony in Fort Myers, as well as various private functions in the area.

Julia McAlister, horn, received her Bachelor of Music degree from California State University at Northridge.  Before moving to South Florida, she was active in both symphonic and studio performances in the Los Angeles area.  Ms. McAlister was a member of the Florida Philharmonic for twenty-seven years, until its demise. She currently performs with the Palm Beach Opera Orchestra, the Palm Beach Symphony, the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra, Southwest Florida Symphony, Boca Raton Symphonia and the New Philharmonic Orchestra.  This is Ms. McAlister's third summer to appear as a guest artist with the Palm Beach Chamber Music Festival.

David Peel, horn, is Principal Horn of the Opus One Orchestra for Miami City Ballet and the Palm Beach Opera Orchestra, as well as a freelancer and educator in the South Florida area.  He has appeared with many local orchestras, including performances with artists such as Frank Sinatra, Jr., Luciano Pavarotti, Marie Osmond and others.  David has also played on Broadway with Phantom of the Opera as well as the touring productions of the Lion King, Wicked, Sweet Charity, Spamalot, Camelot, The King and I, My Fair Lady and others.  He has served on the faculties of Florida International University and Florida Atlantic University as adjunct Instructor of French Horn.  David studied with his father, Jerry Peel, and Andrew Lewinter at the University of Miami, where he received his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees.  He was also privileged to study with Jerome Ashby of the New York Philharmonic and Russell Rizner of the Mostly Mozart Orchestra. 

Marc Reese, trumpet, joined the Empire Brass in 1996.  Mr. Reese maintains a busy schedule as a chamber musician, soloist and master clinician touring extensively throughout the United States, Europe, and the Far East.  He is also highly regarded as an orchestral musician having been engaged to perform with the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra and Boston Symphony Orchestra.  As an educator, Mr. Reese serves as Assistant Dean, Brass Department Chair and Trumpet Professor for Lynn University’s Conservatory of Music.  He is currently the contributing editor of the International Trumpet Guild Journal’s Chamber Connection column.  In addition to recording for Telarc with the Empire Brass, Mr. Reese has recorded for Sony with the Boston Pops and has been featured on the Naxos label with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project.  As a young man, Mr. Reese attended the Tanglewood Institute and Juilliard School and went on to receive his Bachelor of Music degree from Boston University and Master of Music from the New England Conservatory. 

Dale Sandvold, violin, has been Principal Second Violin of the Palm Beach Opera Orchestra and the Palm Beach Symphony since 1989.  He is also Librarian for those two ensembles and is a member of the Boca Raton Symphonia.  Born in Bismarck, North Dakota, he attended the University of Miami, earning his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees.  He has been a soloist with the UM Philharmonia Orchestra at Festival Miami and was a winner of the National Federation of Music Clubs Biennial Award, performing a recital at the National Federation of Music Clubs national convention.  Mr. Sandvold has also appeared with the CAPAB Orchestra in Cape Town, South Africa, performing opera, ballet and symphonic repertoire. 

Brian Stanley, trumpet, is currently Trumpet Instructor at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton and Broward Community College. He performs with the Palm Beach Opera Orchestra, Palm Beach Symphony, Naples Philharmonic Orchestra and the IRIS Chamber Orchestra in Memphis. He was a member of the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra and the Florida Grand Opera Orchestra for eighteen seasons and performs throughout South Florida as a leading soloist, chamber and commercial musician. He has recorded on the Harmonia Mundi, Naxos and Klavier labels featuring music of Mahler, Walton and Bernstein. In addition, Stanley has served as an adjudicator for the National Foundation for the Advancement in Arts.