MEET THE MUSICIANS

(Below are musicians featured during our 2019 Season. We look forward to sharing information regarding our 2021 season of performers next spring.)

Tod Bowermaster​, horn

Tod Bowermaster, a native of Ottawa, Illinois, is Third Horn of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, a position he has held since 1995. Noted for his “gorgeous solo playing” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) and his “golden-honey tone” (Kansas City Star), he released “The Horn in Song,” a collection of lyrical music for horn and piano, in 2012.  He served as Acting Principal Horn of the St. Louis Symphony for the 2002-2003 season and has appeared as a soloist with the orchestra on numerous occasions.  He has also performed as a soloist with the Honolulu Symphony, the Sun Valley Summer Symphony, and numerous orchestras throughout the Midwest.  Prior to his appointment with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, he was a member of the Honolulu Symphony and the Lyric Opera of Chicago Orchestra. He has also performed and toured with the orchestras of Chicago, Houston, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Winner of the 1999 American Horn Competition and the 1982 Coleman Chamber Ensemble Competition, he continues to enjoy performing in both solo and chamber music settings.  Mr. Bowermaster has been a regular participant in numerous chamber music festivals nationwide, including the Kapalua Music Festival on Maui, the Bay Chamber Concerts in Rockport, Maine, Summerfest in Kansas City, the Innsbruck Festival outside of St. Louis, Strings in the Mountains in Steamboat Springs, Colorado and the Landmarks Society Chamber Concerts on the island of St. Croix. He is also in great demand as a teacher, having been invited to give recitals and masterclasses at many of the top American music schools.  Recent teaching engagements have included being a guest professor with the horn class at Northwestern University and with the horn students at the Indiana University Summer Music Festival, as well as the FEMUSC festival in Brazil. When not playing the horn, he enjoys playing tennis, singing, and spending time with his two teenage children.

Anne-Marie Brown​, violin

Anne-Marie Brown, a member of the Kansas City Symphony since 2001, performs extensively as soloist and chamber musician throughout the Kansas City area. The Kansas City Star has described her performances as displaying "splendid virtuosity, with a rich impressive tone" and KCMetropolis has said her "playing was stellar, with lyricism and technique to spare." The Miami Herald has noted her work's "silky, suave tone and unaffected beauty." In recent seasons, she has been a frequent soloist with the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra, a guest musician with Summerfest, and a member of  the newEar Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, recording a work for piano trio on the Navona label in 2012. In addition, she serves on the faculty of the Heartland Chamber Music Festival.
Previously, she was a member of the New World Symphony, where she appeared as both concertmaster and soloist. She holds degrees from Northwestern University and Manhattan School of Music.
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Dr. Jane Carl, ​clarinet

Jane Carl, Professor of Clarinet at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music, received her degrees from the University of Michigan.  She has been a member of the South Bend Symphony, the Flint Symphony, and the Michigan Opera Theater Orchestra in Detroit, and performed with the Toledo Symphony Orchestra and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.  She performs regularly with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, as acting assistant principal clarinet from 1999-2003.  She can often be heard performing with the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra and the Kansas City Symphony.  She was the artistic chair of ClarinetFest 2008, the annual conference of the International Clarinet Association, held in Kansas City.  Dr. Carl performed at the 2007 China International Clarinet and Saxophone Festival in Beijing, and the 2009 ClarinetFest in Porto Portugal.  In the fall of 2009, she became the Chair of UMKC’s Instrumental Studies Division.  She has performed with Summerfest for over two decades and is a member of the Artistic Committee which selects music heard at Summerfest concerts.  ​

Maria Crosby, cello

Maria Crosby received her undergraduate degree in cello performance from Depaul University in Chicago where she studied with Stephen Balderston and Tanya Carey. She went on to earn a master's degree from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, under the tutelage of Peter Stumpf.
Maria joined the Kansas City Symphony in 2012. In addition to full-time orchestral playing, she is also an active chamber musician. She has performed on stages across the United States, Canada, Germany, France, Lithuania, Armenia, Greece, Russia, Japan, and Brazil, and has participated in a variety of orchestral and chamber music festivals, including the Aegean Verdi Festival, the Schleswig Holstein Musik Festival, the Pacific Music Festival, the Banff Chamber Music Residency, the Recontres francoaméricaines de Musique de Chambre and the Pine Mountain Music Festival. Maria first performed with Summerfest in 2014.
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Tony DeMarco, violin

Tony DeMarco has been a member of the Kansas City Symphony for 14 seasons.  His previous professional experience includes Assistant Concertmaster of both the Virginia and North Carolina Symphonies, substitute for the Pittsburgh Symphony, and a member of the Pittsburgh Opera and Ballet Orchestra.  He was raised in the South Hills of Pittsburgh then enrolled at Carnegie- Mellon University at age 16, then transferred to Oberlin Conservatory where he earned an artist’s diploma.  Having chosen his career path at age 9, Tony credits the violin, his mother Bonnie, and his teacher Albert Hirtz of the Pittsburgh Symphony for the opportunity to travel to Asia, Europe, and all around the United States, making lasting friends and playing great music.  Best among those friends is his wonderful wife, Jeannine Elashewich.  Together with sons Albert and Roman, they now reside in a “Little House in Prairie Village.”

Alexander (Alex) East, ​cello

Alexander East is the Assistant Principal Cellist of the Kansas City Symphony.  In addition to duties with the Symphony, which often include leading the section as principal for opera, ballet, and chamber orchestra performances, he is also heard frequently in recitals and chamber music concerts throughout the Kansas City region and with the Sun Valley (ID) Summer Symphony every year since 1992.  Before settling in Kansas City, East spent two seasons as a member of the New World Symphony under the direction of conductor Michael Tilson Thomas.  He received his training at Indiana University and the New England Conservatory of music.  His teachers have included Tsuyushi, Tsutsumi, Jano Starker, Laurence Lesser, and Colin Carr.  He has performed with Summerfest since 2001 and serves on the Artistic Committee which selects the music heard in Summerfest Concerts.
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Nina Ferrigno, piano

Nina Ferrigno, described by the St. Louis Post Dispatch as "a magnificent pianist," is a collaborative artist at home in a multitude of diverse musical settings.  Her playing is said to be, “...always precise with superb accentuation and warmth of feeling...”.  Nina is a founding member of the Boston-based Calyx Piano Trio which excites audiences throughout the United States with expressive ensemble playing and brilliant virtuosity. She has been a featured soloist with with such ensembles as the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops, and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP).  Recent orchestral keyboard appearances include those with the Chicago Symphony and St. Louis Symphony.

Her festival appearances include, most recently, those at Tanglewood with members of the Boston Symphony, Banff, Norfolk, and the Skaneateles Festival.  She also appears regular at the Carolina Chamber Music Festival and Missouri Chamber Music Festival where the Calyx Piano Trio holds residencies.  Ms. Ferrigno is a graduate of New England Conservatory of Music, where she received degrees with distinction.  She is especially committed to bringing classical music to new audiences and expanding the repertoire by working with organizations including Chamber Music America and the  Barlow Foundation to commission and perform new works in a variety of settings.  The New Music Connoisseur has said of her, “pianist Nina Ferrigno [brings] out the inherent horizontal logic...all the while imparting sonic beauty from end to end.” Nina is a Founder and Director of the Missouri Chamber Music Festival, now in its 9th Season, in St. Louis.  She is on the teaching faculty of Washington University and Webster University in St. Louis.

Shannon Finney, flute

Shannon Finney is Associate Principal Flutist for the Kansas City Symphony.  She has performed with Summerfest since 1996 and is a former Artistic Advisor.  Her summer work extends to Door County, WI, where performs with and is on the faculty at Birch Creek Music Center.  She was a past winner of the National Flute Association Piccolo Artist Competition and has been a fellow at Tanglewood.  Finney  has performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra, and the Chicago Sinfonietta.  Her teachers include Walfrid Kujala, Mary Stolper, and Karla Flygare, and her degrees are from Northwestern University.   Finney  enjoys the culinary arts, traveling, and many outdoor activities.  An adventurer at heart, Finney spent a month in Nepal in 2014, including two weeks trekking in the Himalayas and reaching Annapurna Base Camp.  In 2017 she enjoyed whitewater rafting with her dad down the entire length of the Grand Canyon.
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Michael Gordon, ​flute

Michael Gordon serves as the Principal Flutist of the Kansas City Symphony. Prior to joining the Kansas City Symphony, he was a member of the New World Symphony, where he performed as a soloist in 2007. Gordon has performed with several orchestras across the United States, including the St. Louis Symphony and the Minnesota Orchestra. In 2004, he earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees from Rice University. His teachers include Leone Buyse and Marianne Gedigian. Gordon serves on the Artistic Committee which selects the music heard in Summerfest Concerts. 

Joshua (Josh) Hood, bassoon

Joshua Hood, bassoonist, received his bachelor of music degree from the University of Michigan, where he studied with Lewis Hugh Cooper.  He completed his master's degree at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University with Benjamin Kamins, former Principal Bassoonist of the Houston Symphony.  Hood has performed with a number of orchestras including the Kansas City Symphony, Houston Symphony, and the North Carolina Symphony.  He joined the Charlotte Repertory Symphony to outstanding reviews.  He has also performed with several festivals including the Pacific Music Festival in Japan, May Music Festival in Charlotte, NC, Gateways Music Festival in Rochester, NY,  the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, CA, and with the Ritz Chamber Players on  the Amelia Island Music Festival in Florida.  He has performed with Summerfest since 1998.

Celeste Johnson, oboe

Celeste Johnson joined the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance faculty in August of 2016 as Associate Professor of oboe.  Celeste held the same title at Oklahoma State University where she taught from 2004- 2016.  A current member of the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, Celeste continues to enjoy a varied teaching and performing career . 
As a performer, Celeste has appeared with numerous orchestras, music festivals and competitions around the globe.  She has performed in Switzerland, Colombia, the Isle of Man, Canada and as guest principal oboist with the Russian String Orchestra.  Ms. Johnson has performed as principal oboe of the New York String Orchestra, and has received fellowships to attend the Tanglewood Music Center, Aspen Music Festival, Kent-Blossom Music Festival, Banff Centre, Sarasota Music Festival and the Lucerne Festival Academy.  She has held additional orchestral positions with the Sarasota Opera Orchestra, Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra and Champaign Urbana Symphony.  Celeste has also won prizes in the Gillet-Fox International Oboe Competition, Barbirolli International Oboe Competition and Barnett Foundation Competition.
Ms. Johnson has held additional teaching positions at the Bay View Music Festival, OperaMaya, Filarmonica Joven de Colombia, Roberts Wesleyan College and the University of Kansas.  She was awarded the First Lady of OSU Outstanding Music Faculty award in 2011, and the OSU Junior Faculty Award in 2007.  A past-president of the Midwest Double Reed Society, Celeste remains active within a number of double reed organizations, including the International Double Reed Society and Texas Double Reed Society.  
Celeste Johnson holds a Master of Music in Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music as a student of Richard Killmer, and a Bachelor of Music degree in Oboe Performance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as a student of Nancy Ambrose King and Dan Stolper.  

Charles (Charlie) Metz, harpsichord

Charles Metz studied piano at Penn State University, beginning his harpsichord studies through private lessons with the legendary Igor Kipnis.   In the process of earning a Ph.D. in Historical Performance Practice at Washington University in Saint Louis Missouri, he studied with Trevor Pinnock.   More recently, Charles has worked with Webb Wiggins and Lisa Crawford at the Oberlin Conservatory.  Charles has performed across the country with concerts in Chicago IL, Saratoga NY, Bennington VT, Louisville, KY and Liberty Mo in their Baroque music JEMS Fest.   He has performed solo recitals at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C., Oberlin Conservatory and appeared as guest artist in Kansas City with the chamber music organization, "Summerfest". With the Chamber Music Society of St. Louis,  he was the featured keyboard soloist in Bach’s Fifth Brandenburg Concerto under conductor Nicholas McGegan.   He has appeared with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Ars Antigua Chicago and the Newberry Consort of Chicago.  Recently he has played with the Desert Baroque in Palm Desert California and did performances including master classes at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and Penn State University in State College PA.  As an early keyboard specialist he is currently performing on his historic Italian virginal, harpsichords and fortepianos.  Dr. Metz’s list of performance credits includes international appearances in the Netherlands, Germany and Costa Rica.  Dr. Metz also obtained a doctorate in Optometry and worked for twenty years in his own private practice and Clarkson Eyecare in St. Louis before retiring.  In addition to his performing activity, he serves on the Board of Directors of Chamber Music Society of St. Louis and The Newberry Consort.

Melissa Peña, oboe

Melissa Peña currently serves as Associate Professor of Oboe at the University of Oregon.  Prior to joining the Oregon faculty, Peña held the positions of Associate Principal Oboe/English Horn with the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra (2002-2011), 2nd Oboe with the Sarasota Orchestra (2001-2002), and Assistant Professor of Oboe at the University of Northern Colorado (2010-2012).  An active orchestral musician, Peña has recently performed with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Oregon Symphony, Astoria Music Festival, and continues to hold the position of Associate Principal Oboe/Engish Horn with the New Mexico Philharmonic.  Additionally, Peña has appeared with the Seattle Symphony, Santa Fe Opera, Oregon Bach Festival, Kansas City Symphony, Opera Colorado, Jacksonville Symphony, and the Florida Orchestra among others. 
As a chamber musician, Peña is a member of the Oregon Wind Quintet and is a core member/performer of Chatter - an innovative, weekly chamber music and spoken word series in Albuquerque, NM.  Peña has performed with the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Music from Angel Fire with Ida Kavafian, and Kansas City’s Summerfest. 
She has appeared as a concerto soloist with the New Mexico Symphony, New Mexico Philharmonic, and the Southwest Florida Symphony. An enthusiastic performer of contemporary music, Peña can be heard performing with Molly Barth and Jeffrey Ziegler on David Lang’s thorn (Cantaloupe Music 2017) and contributed performances to the albums: David Crumb: Red Desert (Bridge Records 2015), and New Millennium Music for Horn (Quadre Records 2014).  Peña holds degrees from the University of Missouri – Kansas City and the University of Illinois studying with Barbara Bishop and Nancy Ambrose King. 

Melissa Rose, piano ​

Pianist Melissa Rose has a 30-year career partnering with instrumentalists and singers in concerts throughout the United States and at venues in Argentina, Malta, Santorini, and Russia.  She regularly collaborates with ALIAS Chamber Ensemble, the Nashville Ballet, in chamber music and song recitals, and as an official pianist for national and international music competitions and conferences.  Melissa’s chamber music recordings are on the Naxos, Centaur, Blue Griffin, Good Child Music, and Delos labels.  She is Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Piano at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music, where she teaches collaborative piano and coaches chamber music.  Melissa enjoys living in Nashville, TN, with her husband, Dan Schafer, and their adopted miniature schnauzers, Oscar and Ranger.  She is delighted to return to Kansas City for her 25th season with Summerfest.
 
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Richard Ryan, bass

Richard Ryan, an Arizona native, has been a Kansas City Symphony member for four seasons.  Before his tenure in Kansas City, he was Assistant Principal bass of the Louisville Orchestra.  A graduate of Indian University Jacobs School of Music, Richard has participated in music festivals such as Aspen and Artosphere, and has conducted the Louisville Youth Orchestra and Kling Chamber Orchestra.

Chihiro Shibayama, percussion

A Native of Yokohama City, Japan, Chihiro Shibayama is a New York City-based freelance percussionist. She has played percussion on a successful run of a Broadway musical, Miss Saigon and her Broadway debut was as one of three on-stage musicians for a new adaptation of The Cherry Orchard starring Diane Lane. She has also performed for the renowned Radio City Christmas Spectacular, ABC's Good Morning America with John Legend and Common, The Metropolitan Opera, Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Kansas City Symphony. She has been on the percussion faculty of the Diller-Quaile School of Music since 2013.
After graduating from Interlochen Arts Academy with a performance award, Ms. Shibayama earned both Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from The Juilliard School. She is a Pearl/ Adams concert artist. Ms. Shibayama’s hobbies include rock climbing and cooking. ​

Matthew Sinno, viola

Massachusetts native Matthew Sinno was appointed Associate Principal Viola of the Kansas City Symphony in 2018. He has also performed with the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra and Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.
Winner of the 2014 Juilliard Concerto Competition, Matthew performed Hindemith’s Der Schwanendreher in Alice Tully Hall with the Juilliard Orchestra. In 2019, He appeared as soloist with the Kansas City Symphony, playing an arrangement of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” featuring solo viola as the voice of Freddy Mercury. Matthew has attended several summer festivals such as Perlman Music Program and Music Academy of the West. He also performs at Chestnut Hill Concerts in Connecticut.
      Matthew holds degrees from The Juilliard School and Curtis Institute of Music. His primary teachers include Cynthia Phelps, Heidi Castleman, Roberto Diaz, Toby Appel, Ed Gazouleas and David Rubinstein.

Tabitha Reist Steiner, harp

Tabitha Reist Steiner began her musical studies at age four in piano and at age eight in harp. An active freelancer throughout the Midwest, her playing was lauded as “…some of the most precise and beautifully inflected harp playing….” by the Kansas City Star. Steiner is principal harpist with the Topeka Symphony Orchestra and a regular extra with the Kansas City Symphony and the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra. In the past, she has held principal harp positions with the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, Tulsa Opera Orchestra and the Washington, D.C. Summer Opera Orchestra. During the summer, she is found on stage with the Summerfest Chamber Music Festival. Steiner earned a master of music degree from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor of music degree from Washburn University. She lives in Overland Park, KS with her husband, Michael, and their two small children.

Daniel (Dan) Velicer, piano

An active performer and teacher, Dan Velicer appears regularly with the Kansas City Symphony, Trio Fedele, and the Lyric Arts Trio.  He is a frequent collaborator with members of the Kansas City Symphony and the UMKC Conservatory faculty. Velicer also helps university and high school students prepare for recitals and competitions. 
Prior to arriving in Kansas City, he was an Opera Coach Fellow at the Aspen Music Festival and the head staff pianist at the University of the Pacific Conservatory of Music.  Along with his wife, Kristi, Velicer was on the faculty of the Rocky Mountain Summer Conservatory where he coached chamber music, leads master classes, and performs with faculty. 
He received his bachelor of arts degree from Cornell University, majoring in both anthropology and music.  He received his master of music degree from Rice University. 

Kristin (Kristi) Velicer, violin

Kristin Velicer is the Assistant Principal Second Violinist with the Kansas City Symphony.  Velicer has performed and toured internationally with numerous major orchestras including the Houston Symphony, the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra, and the Minnesota Orchestra.  She has appeared on National Public Radio as a featured soloist and chamber musician on Performance Today and Houston in Concerts.Velicer was an invited performer in the Carnegie Hall tribute to Alexander Schneider, founder of the New York String Orchestra Seminar. 
Velicer holds a bachelor's degree in violin performance at Overlin College Conservatory of Music where she studied with Kathleen Winkler.  While at Overlin, she received the prestigious Conservatory Dean’s Talent Award. Velicer later received a master’s degree from Rice University-Shepherd School of Music studying with Raphael Fliegel and Kathleen Winkler. Velicer served, along with her husband Dan, on the faculty of the Rocky Mountain Summer Conservatory in Steamboat Springs, CO.  

Jesse Yukimura, viola

Violist Jesse Keone Yukimura joined the Kansas City Symphony in 2018. Originally from Washington State, Jesse discovered the joys of ensemble music at a young age, in both large and small ensembles. Jesse received a Bachelor of Music degree in Viola Performance from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Peter Slowik, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry from Oberlin College. He then studied with Ralph Fielding at the Lynn Conservatory of Music, where he earned a Master of Music degree and a Professional Performance Certificate. Before moving to Kansas City, Jesse was a viola fellow at the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, an orchestral academy founded by artistic director Michael Tilson Thomas. Outside of music, Jesse maintains a variety of interests, from birdwatching to chess.

Summerfest Annotator Andrew Granade:
Andrew Granade is an Assistant Professor and Area Coordinator for Musicology at the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance.  His research and teaching focus on the reception and perception of modern music in a variety of forms and genres. He is completing a book exploring the impact of the hobo persona on  Harry Partch’s life, work, and reception, as well as the issues of  exoticism that arise from it.  The interest in exoticism carries over into his other areas of interest, especially the shape-note singing tradition of the rural American South and the interplay between Chinese and American music in the 20th century.