Tetsuya Endo joined as the bass trombonist of the Fayetteville Symphony in 2024. Born in San Francisco, CA, he received his Bachelor of Music Performance degree in trombone from the University of California, Irvine, and a Master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. His primary teachers include David Stetson of the Pacific Symphony, Paul Welcomer of the San Francisco Symphony, and Tony Collins.
Before joining the Fayetteville Symphony, he freelanced and taught music privately in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has performed extensively in a wide and eclectic range of community and professional groups, including the San Francisco Wind Symphony, Echo Chamber Orchestra, Starduster Jazz Orchestra, the Brass Animals, Marin Symphony, and the Green Street Mortuary Band in San Francisco.
Outside of his musical activities, he is a devoted educator in multiple subjects having taught in public elementary schools in California and North Carolina, and is a literacy advocate. He currently resides in Raleigh, NC, where he loves to cook, eat, and explore the outdoors with his partner.
Grant Barker, originally from Orange Park, Florida, is currently the Second Trumpet of the Fayetteville Symphony. This will be his first season with the orchestra and has been a substitute for the orchestra in previous years. He is also a member of the Army Bands program and is stationed at Fort Liberty, NC in the 82nd Airborne Division Band. This will be his fifth year serving as Active Duty Army. Grant was the Adjunct Professor of Trumpet at Methodist University in Fayetteville, NC the past two years. Grant has also performed locally with the Carolina Philharmonic and The Long Bay Symphony in South Carolina.
Grant has also performed with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Georgia Symphony Orchestra, and the Longmont Symphony Orchestra. He was an active member of the Golden Brass in Colorado performing in Oktoberfest shows, latin band shows, and recital series performances for a wide variety of audiences. He has performed as a semi-finalist for the solo and trumpet ensemble divisions of the National Trumpet Competition during his collegiate studies for three years. Grant received his Bachelor’s of Music from the Jacob’s School of Music at Indiana University in 2017 and his Master’s of Music at the University of Northern Colorado in 2019.
Tetsuya Endo joined as the bass trombonist of the Fayetteville Symphony in 2024. Born in San Francisco, CA, he received his Bachelor of Music Performance degree in trombone from the University of California, Irvine, and a Master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. His primary teachers include David Stetson of the Pacific Symphony, Paul Welcomer of the San Francisco Symphony, and Tony Collins.
Before joining the Fayetteville Symphony, he freelanced and taught music privately in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has performed extensively in a wide and eclectic range of community and professional groups, including the San Francisco Wind Symphony, Echo Chamber Orchestra, Starduster Jazz Orchestra, the Brass Animals, Marin Symphony, and the Green Street Mortuary Band in San Francisco.
Outside of his musical activities, he is a devoted educator in multiple subjects having taught in public elementary schools in California and North Carolina, and is a literacy advocate. He currently resides in Raleigh, NC, where he loves to cook, eat, and explore the outdoors with his partner.
My musical journey began when I was very young singing in a youth choir, which continued into my adolescence, and I still sometimes sing as a second-rate countertenor. I also attended symphony concerts (and rehearsals) where my mom played violin. Upon reaching middle school I joined band and played… trumpet. I finally switched to the oboe in high school when I joined the Winston-Salem Youth Symphony. My musical journey led me to UNC-Greensboro where I studied with Ashley Barret. Although I didn’t finish my undergraduate education, the things I learned there were invaluable. Now as a professional, I hold positions with six different organizations (Greensboro Symphony, Carolina Philharmonic, Western Piedmont Symphony, Salisbury Symphony, Fayetteville Symphony, and Piedmont Wind Symphony), play as a substitute in several more, as well as teach at The Music Academy of North Carolina.
Travis Moffitt is a native of East Bend, North Carolina. He attended the University of South Carolina where he received a Bachelor of Music degree with a concentration in tuba performance studying with Dr. Ronald Davis. He also attended East Carolina University where he received a Master of Music degree with a concentration in tuba performance studying with Dr. Jarrod Williams.
Travis currently serves as the principal tubist for the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra and is the second tubist for the Wilmington Symphony Orchestra. He is also the Arts Production Specialist in the Department of Music at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
Jesse Smith is a chamber and orchestral cellist who currently resides in Raleigh, North Carolina. As an avid performer, Smith is the principal cellist of the Fayetteville Symphony and the New Carolina Sinfonia and is frequently invited to play for performances by the Long Bay Symphony, Carolina Ballet, The Carolina Master Choral, and the Carolina Philharmonic. He also enjoys the opportunity to play chamber music throughout the South Eastern Coast and is a founding member of the Magnolia String Quartet.
Smith graduated with his bachelor’s degree in music performance from East Carolina University where he studied with Emanuel Gruber. As a student and later as an alumni, he was regularly invited to play alongside internationally-renowned musicians in Ara Gregorian’s “Next Generation” concerts as a part of the Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival. After graduation from ECU, Smith continued his study in performance by attending Stony Brook University. During his time on Long Island he was in the studio of Colin Carr, where he received his Master of Music Performance degree.
FSO’s Violinist and violist Holland Phillips was born in Mississippi and raised by North Carolinian parents. It was only natural that she would eventually call North Carolina home. She and her family relocated to Rockingham, North Carolina from Portland, Oregon in October of 2020. In Oregon, she taught at Pacific University and Lewis and Clark College. She simultaneously served as the principal violist of the Eugene Symphony. Her busy career also included performing regularly with musicians of the Oregon Symphony, the 45th Parallel Universe, Mousai REMIX string quartet, the Oregon Bach Festival, and the Portland Chamber Orchestra. She has played under the batons of John Williams, Giancarlo Guerrero, Helmuth Rilling, and Marin Alsop as well as accompanied Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell, and Renée Fleming. Holland continues to travel back west to perform as principal violist of both OrchestraNext (Eugene Ballet) and the Sunriver Music Festival.
She currently teaches at the University Of North Carolina at Pembroke and plays in several orchestras in the North Carolina region, including as a member of the first violin section of the Fayetteville Symphony. She is also working to build musical communities through chamber music performances and educational outreach in underserved areas of North Carolina, currently focusing on the Sandhills region.
Holland completed her doctoral studies at the University of Oregon with her dissertation, “Tidens Fylde: Temporality and Tradition in Carl Nielsen’s Works for Violin.” She also holds degrees from Vanderbilt University (summa cum laude), and the New England Conservatory(honors). She also holds diplomas from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and the Leipzig Hochschule für Musikund Theater in Leipzig, Germany.
Dr. Marisa Youngs is currently the Trumpet Professor at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina, where she teaches applied trumpet lessons, directs the Trumpet Ensemble, and teaches various academic courses. In 2021, she received the Adjunct Professor Excellence in Teaching Award from the Dean’s Council of the College of Visual and Performing Arts.
Marisa has performed with many ensembles throughout the United States, Europe, and Australia. She recently performed with the International Pride Orchestra for their inaugural concert in San Francisco, which raised money for LYRIC, an LGBTQ+ youth foundation. A proponent of local music education, Marisa and her partner Courtney founded the Carolina Trumpet Choir, a community trumpet ensemble for professionals, amateurs, and high school trumpet players in the Rock Hill area. She is also an advocate for new music and currently serves as chair of the New Works Committee for the International Trumpet Guild. To learn more about her work, please visit www.marisayoungs.com.
Carey Sleeman has been playing the violin for the past 28 years. Starting when she was 7 and played throughout grade school. She attended the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam in Potsdam New York where she studied violin with Professor John Lindsey and Nancy Peschko. Carey received her Bachelors and Masters degrees in music education in 2011 and 2012 respectively. After completing her degrees, Carey moved to Kenya where she would spend the next 5 years teaching and mentoring young string players and playing with the Nairobi Orchestra. She then moved back to the United States with her Family and has been teaching in the public school system in Fairfax Virginia and now Fayetteville for the past 5 years. She is now pursing a career as a curriculum developer and is looking forward to growing her private studio and spending time with her family.
Kristin Stiteler is a native of Ohio and began playing the violin in 3rd grade. She has taught both band and orchestra classes at all grade levels for over twenty six years in both Ohio and North Carolina. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from The Ohio State University where she studied both violin and jazz saxophone. She also marched bass drum in The Ohio State University Marching Band, holding the distinction of being the first female bass drum player in the history of the band.
Miss Stiteler is an accomplished musician on several instruments and has performed regularly with multiple ensembles. She has performed with several symphony orchestras in Ohio, North Carolina, and South Carolina since 1997 and she is currently in her 21st year of playing Viola with the Fayetteville (NC) Symphony Orchestra where she held the position of Principal Violist for several years
When not playing her viola, Miss Stiteler enjoys playing Celtic and American Folk music on mandolin, banjo, and guitar. As a member of the Classical Mandolin Society of America, she has traveled to Wisconsin, Illinois, and New York City to perform as a member and a soloist with classical mandolin orchestras on both mandolin and mandola. Most recently she traveled to Japan and Italy to perform with the Milwaukee Mandolin Orchestra
Miss Stiteler conducted the Cumberland County Youth Orchestra from 2002-2016, and has held several leadership roles at both the Region and County levels. She has been invited to serve as Guest Clinician for All-County Ensembles in nearby NC districts, and is an active member of NAfME, NCMEA, American String Teacher Association, and the Classical Mandolin Society of America.
Miss Stiteler has taught orchestra in the Cumberland County School District since 2002 and is currently the orchestra teacher at John Griffin Middle School.
Jessica Caviness has been playing violin since she was three years old, when she heard the instrument for the first time and fell in love with it. She studied under Nora Smilovici for the next fifteen years, and played with the symphony orchestra at UNC Charlotte for five seasons, starting at the age of eleven. As a teen, she participated in the Union Symphony Youth Orchestra for two years, serving as concertmaster for one year. She also performed with the Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestra for one year. During the summers, she attended Cannon Music Camp, the Luby Violin Symposium, and Eastern Music Festival. Jessica holds a Bachelor of Music Degree in Music Performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she studied under Dr. Fabián López. During her time in Greensboro, Jessica held a position with the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra for two years. She also holds a Master of Music Degree from the University of Wyoming, where she served as concertmaster of the UW Symphony Orchestra, and studied under Dr. John Fadial. Jessica enjoys performing as a soloist, as well as performing in ensembles, and she loves playing chamber music. She also enjoys working on original music in her duo with flutist Rachael Lawson, called Jess and Rae. Jessica currently resides near Charlotte, North Carolina, teaching private violin lessons and playing with the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra. She hopes to continue writing and producing original music and giving solo recitals, with the goal of inspiring her students and her community by sharing her love of music.
Quintin Mallette is a dynamic percussionist dedicated to exploring new and underrepresented voices in percussion through performance, commissioning and research. Quintin is currently a section percussionist with the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra and has performed with various orchestras and chamber groups across the southeast including the North Carolina Symphony, Carolina Philharmonic, Hilton Head Symphony, Savannah Philharmonic, and Verge Ensemble. As an educator, he has presented clinics at the Georgia Music Educators Association State Convention, NC Day of Percussion, Georgia College Day of Percussion, as well as various high schools and universities throughout Central and Eastern United States. As a strong supporter of new music, he has recently commissioned several new solo and chamber works by rising composers including Jonathan Bingham, Jennifer Jolly, Molly Joyce, Shruthi Rajasekar, Juri Seo, Finola Merivale, Aeryn Santillan, Susanna Hancock, and Emma O’Halloran through the Everybody Hits! and Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History Consortiums. Additional performing interests include electroacoustic music with a special interest in the vibraphone as highlighted through commissioning projects with Von Hansen and Paul Lansky, and Alex Dowling. Quintin is published in Percussive Notes, the official research journal of the Percussive Arts Society, as both an author and reviewer. He currently serves on the scholarly-research committee of the Percussive Arts Society, is co-chair of the research committee for the Vibraphone Project, and serves on the Racial Diversity sub-committee within the PAS Diversity Alliance. Quintin will be joining the faculty of East Carolina University in the Fall of 2022. Prior to this he has served on the faculties of Fayetteville State University, Barton College, and the University of Mount Olive. He received his DMA and MM from the University of Georgia and his BM from Howard University. His Primary teachers include Mr. Timothy Adams Jr, Ms. Kimberly Toscano Adams, Mr. William (Bill) Richards II, Dr. Janis Potter, Dr. Jonathan Wacker, and Mr. Chris Nappi. He currently resides in Greenville, NC with his wife Jacquelyn and three kids Cadence, Dorian, and Ellington. Quintin is a proud endorser of Pearl/Adams instruments and Vic Firth sticks and mallets.
Originally from Gary, Indiana, Dr. Daniel McCloud earned his Bachelor of Music in Percussion Performance at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Dr. McCloud earned a Master of Music degree in Instrumental Conducting from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and completed a Doctor of Arts degree in Percussion Performance and Instrumental Conducting from Ball State.
Dr. McCloud is an active educator, adjudicator, clinician and performer. Within the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra organization, Dr. McCloud serves as the Assistant Conductor, FSYO Band Instructor, Director of the affiliate Fayetteville Symphonic Band, and a section percussionist in the flagship orchestra.
Dr. McCloud is also an active composer and arranger. He has received commissions from the World Saxophone Congress in addition to numerous soloists and Instrumental ensembles. Most notably, he composed the theme music for a documentary film, “Ed Ball’s Century” for PBS affiliate, WIPB-TV at Ball State University. Dr. McCloud has more than 30 percussion compositions published by Dutch Music Partners. He is a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP); Percussive Arts Society and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.
Outside of music, Dr. McCloud enjoys cooking, the occasional weekend warrior activity, and spending time with his wife Sandy and their three sons, Zavier, Zander, and Zane.
Stephanie Wilson, a lifelong musician, is thrilled to serve as Principal Timpanist for the Fayetteville Symphony for the 2015-2016 season. Ms. Wilson began studying piano at age 5 before pursuing percussion studies in school. She flourished through high school winning many piano competitions under the direction of Mr. John Whittaker and performing with numerous honors bands studying percussion under Mr. Rick Dior. She continued her career into college leading the percussion studio at Appalachian State University where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in percussion performance under the direction of Dr. Rob Falvo.
Since graduating from Appalachian State University Stephanie has been busy building her private percussion and piano studios. She regularly works with many schools in and around the Charlotte area teaching group and private lessons. In addition to being the timpanist for the Fayetteville Symphony Stephanie is a percussionist with the Western Piedmont Symphony, the Carolinas Wind Orchestra, and performs occasionally with the Union and Asheville Symphonies. Stephanie regularly tours with the Pan Jive Steel Drum Band in North Carolina and surrounding areas and is in high demand as a performer in the greater Charlotte area. Stephanie lives in Charlotte with her sweet pup, Roxanne, surrounded by drums and beautiful views!
Violist and Violinist Clark Spencer is an active solo, chamber, and orchestral performer living in Wilmington, NC. He is currently assistant principal viola of the Oregon Mozart Players and a founding member of the Blue Box Ensemble. Clark has performed with the Fayetteville Symphony (NC), Long Bay Symphony Orchestra (SC), Eugene Symphony, Eugene Opera, the Corvallis Symphony, Newport Symphony, and the Oregon Bach Festival. He has had the privilege of performing under the batons of Andrew Linton, Marin Alsop, Jeffrey Kahane, Helmut Rilling, and Gunther Schuller.
Originally from Lancaster, PA, Clark earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in performance from Boston University, where he studied viola with Michelle LaCourse and violin with Peter Zazofsky. He recently completed his Doctorate in Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Oregon where he studied with Dr. Leslie Straka. His doctoral research on the Sonata in G by Paul Ben-Haim culminated in a new edition for solo viola. Clark has also studied with Martha Strongin Katz and Jeffrey Irvine. He has performed in masterclasses with Kim Kashkashian, Arnold Steinhardt, Roger Tapping, Pamela Frank, the Ying String Quartet, the American String Quartet, the Orion String Quartet, and the Muir String Quartet.
Clark is an experienced violin and viola teacher. He completed his long term Suzuki training with Karin Hallberg and Louise Scott during his studies at the University of Oregon. In addition to his own studio, Clark has taught for the University of Oregon’s Community Music Institute, where he taught group classes, coached chamber music and conducted a middle school string orchestra. He also coached violin and viola sections of the South Salem High School Chamber Orchestra and the Salem Youth Orchestra. During the summers of 2009 and 2010, Clark served on the faculty at the Vermont Youth Orchestra’s Summer Program, Reveille!
Dr. Catherine Keen Hock, originally from eastern North Carolina, has found a home teaching and performing in the Piedmont Triad area of NC. Currently, Cat is the bass clarinetist for the Fayetteville and Salisbury Symphony Orchestras and is a member of the woodwind faculty at the Music Academy of North Carolina. Cat is an avid supporter of new music, especially chamber music, and is a founding member of the award-winning ensemble Quintet Sirocco. She completed a DMA in Clarinet Performance and a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Historical Musicology at UNC Greensboro in 2012, and her previous degrees include a MM in Performance from UNCG and a BA with Honors in Music Performance from Wake Forest University. Cat has studied with Kelly Burke, Anthony Taylor, Edwin Riley, Eileen Young, and Michael Waddell.
Joshua Kalin Busman is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Music at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, where he teaches courses in music history and music theory. A native of Knoxville, TN, comes to North Carolina from just over the Great Smoky Mountains. In 2009, he graduated summa cum laude from Middle Tennessee State University with a B.M. in Music Theory and Composition. He completed his M.A. and Ph.D. in Musicology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, successfully defending his dissertation in April 2015. His research focuses on the intersections of music and religious practice, and over the past several years, Dr. Busman has presented his research at a host of regional, national, and international conferences and published work in “Sounding Board” from Ethnomusicology Review, The Avid Listener, MAKE Magazine , The Other Journal, and The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology, as well as in edited collections from Routledge Press and Lexington Books He currently serves as the president of the Society for Ethnomusicology’s Southeast and Caribbean Chapter as well as the Society for Ethnomusicology’s Religion, Music, and Sound study group. When he isn’t reading, writing, or researching, Joshua likes to play guitar and hang out with his wife, son, and hound dog at their home in Fayetteville.
Principal Harpist, Winifred Garrett holds a Masters Degree from the Manhattan School of Music and a Bachelor of Music Degree from the University of the North Carolina School of the Arts. A versatile performer, Ms. Garrett has performed as soloist with the Winston-Salem Piedmont Triad Symphony, performed the first tour to Japan of the Off Broadway show “The Fantasticks”, and performed on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House with Stevie Wonder. Founder and Artistic Director of “The Harp Studio” based in Durham, NC, Winifred Garrett is the harp instructor for North Carolina State University, Guilford College, and the Duke Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.
Dr. Timothy Meyer Altman is Professor of Music at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke (UNCP). He teaches trumpet, conducting, and is the Director of Bands (conducting the Wind Ensemble and Concert Band). He was Chair of the Department of Music at UNCP for 10 years (National Association of Schools of Music accredited). He taught instrumental and general music at the elementary, middle school, high school, and university level in Virginia, Wisconsin, Kentucky, and North Carolina.
Altman was a Fulbright U.S. Scholar in Malta during spring 2019. North Carolina governor, Roy Cooper, appointed him to the Board of Trustees of the North Carolina Symphony in 2017. He had Lectureships at Ludwigsburg University (Germany) in 2017 and 2018.
He led the UNCP Wind Ensemble in performances at the North Carolina Music Educators Association (NCMEA) conference in 2005, 2008, and 2014 with guest conductors Brian Balmages, Sam Hazo, Robert W. Smith, Jay Bocook, and his father, Ed Altman (a distinguished music educator in Virginia). Dr. Altman also led the UNCP Trumpet Ensemble in performances at the International Trumpet Guild (ITG) conference in 2012, 2014, and 2017. He has commissioned new music from Eric Ewazen, James Sochinski, James Hosay, Kyle Newmaster, Joe Sheehan, Kevin McKee, and James Stephenson. His music articles have been published in Teaching Music (NAfME), the North Carolina Music Educator, Keynotes, and the ITG journal.
Altman completed his Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in trumpet performance at the University of Kentucky (studying with Terry Everson). He also has Music Education degrees from Virginia Tech (BA) and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (MME). He has performed at international conferences (Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic, International Trumpet Guild, etc.). Altman performed/lectured at the Royal College of Music (London); Amman, Jordan (middle east); Bologna and Trento, Italy; Ludwigsburg, Germany; Mexico City, Mexico; Malta, Puerto Rico, and throughout the U.S. He is principal trumpet of the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra (NC) and the Carolina Philharmonic. He has performed with The Four Tops, The Temptations, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, trumpets Allen Vizzutti, Terry Everson, Vince DiMartino, and many more international artists. The CD “Baroque Music for Two Trumpets, Strings, and Harpsichord” is available on iTunes, Amazon, CDBaby, and YouTube.
Mark Jones cut his teeth playing horn in Fresno, California where he studied with Dr. Jim Winters. He studied with Joe Meyer at California State University, Northridge where he graduated with a Bachelor of Music performance degree. He has performed with the Anfangen and Allegro Con Spiracy wind quintets, Fairbanks Summer Festival Orchestra, Sierra Summer Festival in Beverly Hills and the Center Stage Opera Company in Los Angeles. Mark is happy to be enjoying his 5th season with the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra.
Bill Tyler, a native of western New York, joined the Fayetteville Symphony as third horn in 2011. He attended the University of Memphis for undergraduate work and the University of Wyoming for graduate school, and was a concerto contest winner at both schools. His primary horn instructors were Richard Dolph (Memphis) and William Stacy (Wyoming), both excellent instructors who did their best, knowing that the odds were stacked against them in trying to teach Bill the basics of horn playing. They were relieved (and somewhat surprised) when he actually graduated from both schools.
Past performing experience includes the Cheyenne Symphony, Abilene (TX) Philharmonic, the Charlotte Civic Orchestra and the occasional opera at Central Piedmont Community College. He has participated in workshops with Michael Thompson, Richard Watkins, David Ohanian, Skip Snead, Barry Tuckwell and Bruce Moore, and each one would very much appreciate not being reminded of it.
Bill retired from the FAA in 2010, after working for over 25 years as an air traffic controller. His spare time is now spent on catching up on yard work (after years of neglect), trying to appear to be useful around the house, putting off cleaning out the garage (after many years of neglect), playing the horn all over North and South Carolina, working out at the gym (after even more years of neglect) and finding creative ways of goofing off. He is also a member of the Greenville (SC) Symphony and the Carolina Philharmonic. He can also be found occasionally bothering performing with the Winston Salem Symphony, Hendersonville Symphony, Western Piedmont Symphony, Charlotte Symphony, South Carolina Philharmonic, Salisbury Symphony – and basically any other group that will put up with him.
Steve Skillman is the principal horn of the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra, the Carolina Philharmonic in Pinehurst, and the Long Bay Symphony in Myrtle Beach. He is a frequent performer with Opera Wilmington, the North Charleston Pops, and chamber groups throughout the region.
He has appeared in shows with Burt Bacharach, Barry Manilow, Johnny Mathis, the late Ray Charles, and in many touring Broadway productions.
Mr. Skillman is a former teacher and arts administrator in Brunswick County, North Carolina, and taught at UNC Wilmington and UNC Pembroke. He received Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from East Carolina University, where he studied with James Parnell. Mr. Skillman is a former president of the Brunswick Arts Council.
Dr. Rebecca Libera is currently a bassoon performer and private studio teacher, as well as the executive director of Music for a Great Space, a non-profit group committed to bringing great chamber music to the great spaces of Greensboro. She currently performs with the Fayetteville Symphony, Salisbury Symphony, Western Piedmont Symphony, and in various chamber ensembles, and has also performed with the North Carolina Symphony, Greensboro Symphony, Winston-Salem Symphony, and the Arizona Wind Symphony. Before relocating back to the Piedmont Triad in 2011, Rebecca was a K-8 Elementary General Music and Band teacher in Phoenix, AZ. Also a published author, her articles have appeared in the Journal of Band Research as well as Arizona Music News. In addition to her music teaching and performance, Rebecca is an Occupational Hearing Conservationist and a Hearing Instrument Specialist, working for a private audiology practice in Greensboro. A graduate of UNCG, Rebecca has taught at Wake Forest University and UNCG.
A native of North Augusta, South Carolina, Patrick Herring’s primary teachers were Nancy Goeres, Peter Kolkay, and Carol Lowe. Mr. Herring has also performed in master classes for Phil Pandolfi, Frank Morelli, Sue Heineman, and Judith LeClair.
Along with the FSO, Mr. Herring holds the position of principal bassoonist with Long Bay Symphony in Myrtle Beach, SC and South Carolina Philharmonic in Columbia, SC; the latter awarded in May of 2016. Patrick has performed with Symphony Orchestra Augusta, Charleston Symphony, and Hilton Head Symphony orchestras. While pursuing his master’s degree in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Patrick performed with the Akron Symphony Orchestra in Akron, OH and the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra in Wheeling, WV.
Mr. Herring received his Bachelor’s degree in Music Education and Performance Certificate from the University of South Carolina, and earned his Master of Music degree in bassoon performance from Carnegie Mellon University. During his time at CMU, Patrick performed with the Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic in 2009 and 2010 at Carnegie Hall in New York City, and was a finalist in the Silbermann Chamber Music Competition.
As well as performing regularly in orchestras in NC and SC, Patrick is a licensed massage therapist in South Carolina where he has been practicing body work since 2013.
Nathan grew up on his family’s farm in rural South Dakota and was introduced to North Carolina when he attended the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from St. Olaf College in MN and a Master’s from UNC Greensboro, both in clarinet performance. Nathan has performed with Opera Wilmington, the Winston Salem Symphony, Carolina Philharmonic, Raleigh Civic Symphony, and as a guest artist at the 2005 International Clarinet Association Conference in Tokyo. He has been a member of the Fayetteville Symphony since 2011 and is also a member of the Triangle Pride Band. Nathan resides in Durham and works at UNC Chapel Hill as a database analyst.
A versatile musician, Dr. Ronnal Ford (@RonFordMusic and RonFordMusic.com) currently holds the second oboe and English horn seat in the Fayetteville Symphony and is one of the principal oboists of the Colour of Music Festival. Additionally, he performs with touring groups like Thee Phantom and the Illharmonic and plays in musical theatre companies around North Carolina. The Fayetteville Symphony has also featured him as a soloist on English horn (Aaron Copland’s “Quiet City”) and Alto Saxophone (John Williams’s “Escapades” from Catch Me If You Can), and the Colour of Music Festival has featured as a soloist in the Vivaldi Concerto for 2 Oboes. In addition to his performance duties, Dr. Ford teaches at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.
Jessica Miller holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education with a Performance Certificate from the University of South Carolina and a Master of Music degree in Oboe Performance from Florida State University. Her teachers, respectively, were Rebecca Nagel and Eric Ohlsson. Miller is the Principal Oboist with the Long Bay Symphony in Myrtle Beach, SC, Second Oboe in the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra, and a frequent freelance player. Other organizations with which she plays include the Charleston, Augusta, and Hilton Head Symphonies and the South Carolina Philharmonic. While living in Florida, she had the opportunity to perform with the Tallahassee, Pensacola, and Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestras. As well as maintaining an active private studio, Jessica is a faculty member, teaching oboe, at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and Coastal Carolina University. She lives in Myrtle Beach, SC with her husband Robbie and daughter Maggie.
After earning her bachelors degree from the Hartt School of Music, Alison Mossey relocated to NC to study at East Carolina University, where she earned her masters degree in flute performance. A former winner of the Music Teachers’ National Association Woodwind Competition, Alison has also performed with the Chautauqua Festival Orchestra, the Champlain Valley Symphony Orchestra, and the Greenville Pops Orchestra. Her teachers include Christine Gustafson, John Wion, Julius Baker, and Timothy Hutchins. Alison currently performs as principal flutist of the Barton-Wilson Symphony Orchestra and as piccoloist the Tar River Symphony Wind Ensemble as well as the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra. She also teaches at the Music Academy of Eastern Carolina and at The Oakwood School in Greenville, NC.
Sarah Busman is the principal flutist of the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra. She is the Arts Education Manager for the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County, where her primary initiatives are the Artists In Schools granting programs and Mini Grants. Prior to working at the Arts Council, Sarah taught at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke for 9 years, graduating many wonderful flutists, teachers, and scholars. She is the founder of Darkwater Festival, which celebrates women in music through scholarship, performance, and new music. Sarah holds a BM from Middle Tennessee State University and an MM from the Peabody Conservatory of Music. She lives in Fayetteville, NC with her husband and music nerd Joshua Busman, her two little boys, Arthur and Simon, and her tripod hound dog Foster.
Stuart McLemore is a classically trained bassist from Fayetteville, NC. He holds a BA in Music from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where he studied under Craig Brown. He’s a member of the bass section in the Carolina Philharmonic and the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra and is a frequent performer with orchestras and theatre companies in Asheville, Greensboro, Hickory, Myrtle Beach, Raleigh, Wilmington, and Winston-Salem.
Stuart is also an accomplished Music Librarian and has held positions with the Brevard Music Center, the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra, and the Piedmont Wind Symphony. He currently resides in Fayetteville with his wife Samantha, where he serves as Operations Manager for the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra.
Dennis J. Malloy, violist, is a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where he studied with Sheila Browne. During his studies at UNCSA, Mr. Malloy was an active chamber and orchestral musician, playing in various large ensembles, such as the UNCSA Symphony Orchestra and the UNCSA Opera Orchestra, where he has sat principal under the direction of Jamie Allbritten, Chancellor John Mauceri and Ransom Wilson. Mr. Malloy has sat principal violist with The Little Symphony of Forsyth County and has substituted with the Salem Community Orchestra. Currently, Mr. Malloy is a member of the viola section in the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Stefan Sanders.
Mr. Malloy received his Bachelors and Masters degrees from UNCSA, after switching from violin to viola his sophomore year. Since switching to viola, Mr. Malloy has performed in masterclasses for artist such as Matthew Daline, Don McInnes, Nokuthula Ngwenyama, Carol Rodland, Ann Roggen, and the Emerson String Quartet and for Cho-Liang Lin of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. His former teachers include Sheila Browne, Ulrich Eichenhauer, Joseph Genualdi, Kevin Lawrence and Sally Peck.
Violist Warren Ferguson has been a member of the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra since 2008. He is also a member of other regional orchestras including the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra, Musica Chamber Ensemble, the Wilson Symphony Orchestra, and the Carolina Philharmonic. He performs the majority of the weekends of the year. He is a past member of the Long Bay Symphony and Dayton Philharmonic and has played with the North Carolina Symphony and Durham Symphony. He also plays violin, including classical, popular, Irish and Celtic music, bluegrass, and jazz, appearing with other talented like minded musicians. He studied viola performance at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music where he received his Bachelors of Music, and went on to receive a Masters in Computer Science from the College of Engineering at Wright State University and studied Irish traditional music at the University of Limerick. His regular day job is as a software engineer. He considers written music in many respects, as the first programming language. He loves to play music and finds it helps provide a good life balance that brings enjoyment to many.
Laurel Wachtler, violinist, hails from New Mexico, where she graduated with a B.S. degree from New Mexico State University. She has played in numerous orchestras while following her Air Force husband’s career, including Phillips Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra of Southern Maryland where she was principal second violin. Upon arrival in Fayetteville, Laurel began performing with Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra and is in her 25th year. She is a frequent performer with Florence Symphony, Wilmington Symphony, and Carolina Philharmonic. Laurel has been a part of the Snyder Memorial Baptist Church orchestra and The Singing Christmas Tree productions for 13 years. She has maintained an active private studio since 2010 teaching violin and beginning piano.
Laurel was the assistant director for FSYO strings and Sinfonietta for four years and has now become the director of Sinfonietta. She is involved with both string youth groups, including summer camps.
Outside of music, Laurel’s interests include flying airplanes, scuba diving, hiking, gardening, and singing with The Coventry Carolers. She is also a volunteer tax preparer for AARP’s Tax-Aide program.
Randolyn Emerson is enjoying her thirteenth consecutive season with the Fayetteville Symphony and her current opportunity as Acting Second Violin Principal.
Born into a rich and varied musical environment (her mother was a member of the world-famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir), Randolyn was singing for audiences by age two. After finding her mother’s old instrument in a closet, however, eight-year-old Randolyn fell in love with the violin.
Randolyn graduated summa cum laude from the University of Utah with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Music, having studied violin with Oscar Chausow, longtime Utah Symphony concertmaster, and voice with Betty Jean Chipman. Her university experience also included a six-week European tour with the school’s A Capella Choir. Both as a solo vocalist and a solo violinist, Randolyn performed with the choir in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris; in Linz, Austria’s St. Florian Cathedral (in its organ loft, above the grave of composer Anton Bruckner); and at the polyphonic St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, Italy. She also received excellent orchestral training at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California, under the tutelage of Maestro Maurice Abravanel, Artistic Director of the Utah Symphony for thirty-plus years.
Life eventually brought Randolyn across the country to North Carolina, where her musical abilities were soon sought after by the Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle, the Tar River Orchestra, the Greenville Chamber Orchestra, the Carolina Philharmonic Orchestra and the Greensboro Symphony. Randolyn served as assistant concertmaster in both the Durham and Raleigh Symphonies, where she met Paul Emerson, the viola section principal whose bright blue eyes redeemed him after he crashed one of her auditions. Love healed all wounds, however, when Paul urged his then-employer, Maestro Harlan Duenow, to utilize Randolyn’s talents for the Fayetteville Symphony’s 1989-1990 season.
Another highlight of Randolyn’s career was the ten-year privilege of being an extra violinist with the North Carolina Symphony, playing every classical concert in Maestro Gerhart Zimmermann’s final NCS season.
For a quarter of a century, Randolyn performed 100-plus musicals with the North Carolina Theatre pit orchestra, playing concertmaster for Fiddler on the Roof, Disney’s Beauty & the Beast, Butterflies, Sound of Music and West Side Story. When traveling Broadway shows such as The Producers, Kiss Me Kate, Some Like It Hot and Ragtime came to Raleigh, Randolyn was again tapped for concertmaster.
Triangle-area operas, ballets, choral oratorios, recordings of Pulitzer-Prize winner Robert Ward’s compositions, and even concerts with modern artists such as Rod Stewart, Regis Philbin, Perry Como, Bobby McFerrin, Clay Aiken and bluegrass’s Balsam Range band … through the decades, Randolyn’s played for ’em all. She’s even made forays into fiddling, recording a CD with the bluegrass band Sweet Potato Pie and serving as a last-minute concert substitute with Lorica, the Celtic ensemble formed by WRAL-TV news anchor Bill Leslie.
These days, Randolyn focuses on her opportunities with the Barton College/Wilson Symphony (as interim concertmaster), the Spartanburg (SC) Philharmonic Orchestra, and, of course, the Fayetteville Symphony. She enjoys representing the FSO in small chamber groups who perform for local elementary schools, retirement homes, breweries, and many of the orchestra’s marketing events.
Aside from music, Randolyn has put her Master of Business Administration degree (Meredith College, Raleigh, NC) to good use by establishing herself as a professional family history researcher and writer. She “pays forward” her life-saving cancer treatments by knitting charity blankets and donating them to local hospitals. Above all these pastimes, however, are Randolyn’s greatest joys: her faith, her posterity, and her always-supportive husband, Paul.
Laura Eis earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from Susquehanna University in 2001. She received a Master of Music degree in Violin Performance and Suzuki Pedagogy and a Certificate of Advanced Performance Studies in viola from East Carolina University in 2008 and 2009 respectively. Currently Ms. Eis is a member of the Fayetteville Symphony, the Wilson Symphony, and concertmaster of the Pitt Community College Orchestra. She has been the assistant director for the North Carolina Suzuki Institute since 2007 and is a member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas, and treasurer of the North Carolina and Eastern North Carolina Suzuki Associations. Ms. Eis maintains a private violin and viola studio in Greenville, NC, and is an adjunct faculty member at Fayetteville State University, Methodist University, and Pitt Community College.
Violinist Fabián López has toured extensively through the United States, Europe, China, and South America, gaining recognition as a soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. As soloist he has performed with orchestras in the United States, Spain, and France such as Real Orquesta Sinfónica de Sevilla, Hebert Springs Festival Orchestra, Orquesta Filarmonica de Málaga, etc. Fabián was a member of the Manuel de Falla String Quartet from 2000-2003 and currently is the first violin of the Carlos Chavez String Quartet. In North Carolina he has appeared as concertmaster of the Greensboro and Asheville Symphonies. Currently he is the concertmaster of Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra.
In the pedagogical terrain, he is an active and dedicated teacher, maintaining a studio of prize winning, talented, and committed students. He taught at the Royal Conservatory of Music“Manuel de Falla” of Cádiz, Spain from 1999 to 2004 and has been teaching at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro since 2007. Regularly he presents master classes through the United States, Mexico, China and Europe. In the summers he teaches at the Richard Luby International Violin Symposium in Chapel Hill and the Eastern Music Festival.
Fabián has a very diverse and extensive education that makes him “…a violinist that has everything…” and “…expressively thought with distinctive flair…” according to the press. At age eighteen he received a scholarship from the Hispanic-American Joint Commitee/Fullbright Commission to continue his studies in the United States. He holds degrees from the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Málaga (Spain), Baylor University (MM), and The University of Michigan (DMA). He has also studied at Louisiana State University, San Francisco Conservatory, and Reina Sofia School of Music. His teachers have been: Nicolae Duca, Zakhar Bron, Laura Kugherz, Kevork Mardirossian, Camilla Wicks, Bruce Berg, and Andrew Jennings.
Fabian’s love for etudes and infinite curiosity of the trades from the great masters of the past and present, leads him to be the author of a violin etude anthology “Master the Violin Etudes”. This project has evolved to be a YouTube channel with video recordings and explanatory texts as well as a website. Recently, he has released a double album “Opuses Favoritas” with Inara Zandmane:
He performs on a violin made in 1768 on loan by an anonymous donor.
Experience his recordings:
E. Toldra: Soneti de la Rosada
P. Tchaikovsky: Valse Sentimentale
J. Suk: Appassionato
R. Schumann: Sonata No. 1 in D minor Op. Movement 1
To Educate. To Entertain. To Inspire.
The Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1956 in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and is a professional, regional orchestra whose mission is to educate, entertain, and inspire the citizens of the Fayetteville, North Carolina region as the leading musical resource. Praised for its artistic excellence, the Symphony leads in the cultural and educational landscape for Fayetteville and the southeastern North Carolina region.
The Fayetteville Symphony typically performs 8 concerts during any given season performing both at Methodist University and Fayetteville State University. Partnerships with other agencies include collaborative performances with Cape Fear Regional Theatre, chamber concerts at St. John’s Episcopal Church, as well as the city’s annual Independence concert with fireworks. The Symphony brings music to the schools and the community by performing educational concerts, as well as having its own Fayetteville Symphony Youth Orchestra, after school strings and summer music camps.
This organization is supported in part by a space grant from the BB&T Term Endowment of Cumberland Community Foundation, Inc.
Principal Harpist, Winifred Garrett holds a Masters Degree from the Manhattan School of Music and a Bachelor of Music Degree from the University of the North Carolina School of the Arts. A versatile performer, Ms. Garrett has performed as soloist with the Winston-Salem Piedmont Triad Symphony, performed the first tour to Japan of the Off Broadway show “The Fantasticks”, and performed on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House with Stevie Wonder. Founder and Artistic Director of “The Harp Studio” based in Durham, NC, Winifred Garrett is the harp instructor for North Carolina State University, Guilford College, and the Duke Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.
Mark Jones cut his teeth playing horn in Fresno, California where he studied with Dr. Jim Winters. He studied with Joe Meyer at California State University, Northridge where he graduated with a Bachelor of Music performance degree. He has performed with the Anfangen and Allegro Con Spiracy wind quintets, Fairbanks Summer Festival Orchestra, Sierra Summer Festival in Beverly Hills and the Center Stage Opera Company in Los Angeles. Mark is happy to be enjoying his 5th season with the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra.
Jessica Miller holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education with a Performance Certificate from the University of South Carolina and a Master of Music degree in Oboe Performance from Florida State University. Her teachers, respectively, were Rebecca Nagel and Eric Ohlsson. Miller is the Principal Oboist with the Long Bay Symphony in Myrtle Beach, SC, Second Oboe in the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra, and a frequent freelance player. Other organizations with which she plays include the Charleston, Augusta, and Hilton Head Symphonies and the South Carolina Philharmonic. While living in Florida, she had the opportunity to perform with the Tallahassee, Pensacola, and Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestras. As well as maintaining an active private studio, Jessica is a faculty member, teaching oboe, at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and Coastal Carolina University. She lives in Myrtle Beach, SC with her husband Robbie and daughter Maggie.
After earning her bachelors degree from the Hartt School of Music, Alison Mossey relocated to NC to study at East Carolina University, where she earned her masters degree in flute performance. A former winner of the Music Teachers’ National Association Woodwind Competition, Alison has also performed with the Chautauqua Festival Orchestra, the Champlain Valley Symphony Orchestra, and the Greenville Pops Orchestra. Her teachers include Christine Gustafson, John Wion, Julius Baker, and Timothy Hutchins. Alison currently performs as principal flutist of the Barton-Wilson Symphony Orchestra and as piccoloist the Tar River Symphony Wind Ensemble as well as the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra. She also teaches at the Music Academy of Eastern Carolina and at The Oakwood School in Greenville, NC.
Dennis J. Malloy, violist, is a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where he studied with Sheila Browne. During his studies at UNCSA, Mr. Malloy was an active chamber and orchestral musician, playing in various large ensembles, such as the UNCSA Symphony Orchestra and the UNCSA Opera Orchestra, where he has sat principal under the direction of Jamie Allbritten, Chancellor John Mauceri and Ransom Wilson. Mr. Malloy has sat principal violist with The Little Symphony of Forsyth County and has substituted with the Salem Community Orchestra. Currently, Mr. Malloy is a member of the viola section in the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Stefan Sanders.
Violist Warren Ferguson has been a member of the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra since 2008. He is also a member of other regional orchestras including the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra, Musica Chamber Ensemble, the Wilson Symphony Orchestra, and the Carolina Philharmonic. He performs the majority of the weekends of the year. He is a past member of the Long Bay Symphony and Dayton Philharmonic and has played with the North Carolina Symphony and Durham Symphony. He also plays violin, including classical, popular, Irish and Celtic music, bluegrass, and jazz, appearing with other talented like minded musicians. He studied viola performance at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music where he received his Bachelors of Music, and went on to receive a Masters in Computer Science from the College of Engineering at Wright State University and studied Irish traditional music at the University of Limerick. His regular day job is as a software engineer. He considers written music in many respects, as the first programming language. He loves to play music and finds it helps provide a good life balance that brings enjoyment to many.
Laura Eis earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from Susquehanna University in 2001. She received a Master of Music degree in Violin Performance and Suzuki Pedagogy and a Certificate of Advanced Performance Studies in viola from East Carolina University in 2008 and 2009 respectively. Currently Ms. Eis is a member of the Fayetteville Symphony, the Wilson Symphony, and concertmaster of the Pitt Community College Orchestra. She has been the assistant director for the North Carolina Suzuki Institute since 2007 and is a member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas, and treasurer of the North Carolina and Eastern North Carolina Suzuki Associations. Ms. Eis maintains a private violin and viola studio in Greenville, NC, and is an adjunct faculty member at Fayetteville State University, Methodist University, and Pitt Community College.
