Lawrence Eckerling, Music Director

Orchestra personnel

VIOLIN I

Julian Arron, Concertmaster
Cathy Carr
Caroline Dehnert
Joshua Huppert
Karen Boyaris
Christopher Brathwaite
Gus Brest van Kempen
Rachel Chapman
Joe Chervin
Kim Duncan
Marcia Erickson
Alexis Eyler
Susan Hasegawa
Barbara Julis
Anna Schweitz
Susan Sevcik
Emily Steadman
Anna Zysman

VIOLIN II

Cheryl Haack, Principal

Paula Eatman Fischer
Ellen Morris
Susan Champagne
Liz Bauer
Laura Billups
Gloria Boyell
Pam Brailey
Abigail Brass
Jeanine M. Casler
Laura Doyle
Fran Zirbel-Foley
Charlotte Hadley
Sara Kujawa
Nancy Liskar
Susan Morley
Shelley Powell
Frank Sacks
Susan Schneider
John Somerville
Jenny Stevens

VIOLA

Terese Parisoli, Principal

Elizabeth Cohen
Lynn Malnekoff
Liza Berger
Ed Coster
Arlene Haas
Richard Holbrook
Les Jacobson
Jeanette Krstolich
Jennifer McGeary
Penelope Sachs
Nathan Sackschewsky
Elizabeth Shepherd
Robert Spitz

CELLO

Mark Westbrook, Co-Principal
Rhea Davis, Co-Principal
Edwin Bennett
Eitan Cher
Mike Curtis
Kendall Dowsett
Lauren Grodnicki
Dee Hagari
Susan Hammerman
Linda Loiben-Kaplan
Mimi Lou
Michelle Martens
Andrea Musolf
Aaron Oppenheimer
Ruth Rozen
Joshua Sachs
Sara Swain

BASS

Anna Zoe Cohen-Helfman, Principal
Tom Denman
Alison Gaines
Jeffrey Levine
Dennis Morris
Lawrence Pinto

PICCOLO

Barbara Austin

FLUTE

James Donahue, Principal
Barbara Austin
Carrie Torgerson

OBOE

Richard von Holst, Principal
Julie Koscinski

ENGLISH HORN

Lois Del Vallee

CLARINET

Ralph Wilder, Principal
Linda Keller

BASS CLARINET

Scott Thomas

BASSOON

Phoebe Peterson, Principal
Donald Draganski

CONTRABASSOON

William Dawson

HORNS

Michael Papierniak, Principal
Ryan Sedgwick, Asst Principal
Nancy Robertson
Frederick Greene
Laura Stone

TRUMPET

Don Cagen, Principal
Alicia Eisenstadt, Asst Principal
Chitaka Nishikiori

TROMBONE

Robert Holland, Principal
Greg Malovance

BASS TROMBONE

David Peterson

TUBA

Thomas Curry, Principal

TIMPANI

John F. Russell

PERCUSSION

Brian Kabat, Principal
Sarah Basel
Nick Kabat
George Tantchev

HARP

Derin Kenny
Ben Melsky

PIANO/HARPSICORD

Susan Arron

LAWRENCE ECKERLING

CONDUCTOR / MUSIC DIRECTOR

Lawrence Eckerling became Music Director in 2003. He continues to be committed to the on-going artistic growth of the Evanston Symphony and its talented musicians. He was named as 2007 Illinois Conductor of the Year by the Illinois Council of Orchestras.

Prior to his tenure with the Evanston Symphony, Eckerling served as Music Director and Conductor of the St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra in Minnesota from 1986 to 2002. Earlier, he served as Assistant Conductor of the Omaha Symphony, and as Music Director and Conductor of the Omaha Area Youth Orchestra. In 1980, he founded the Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra of Chicago which ­performed a series of free Music Performance Trust Fund concerts.

Born in Chicago, Eckerling grew up in Skokie and began his piano lessons when he was six in the Primary Piano Department at Northwestern University Music School. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Music Education (in both instrumental and choral) at Indiana University, and completed his Masters in Orchestral and Opera Conducting from the same institution.

Eckerling is an active pianist, having performed as guest artist in Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with the Mt. Prospect Community Band and the St. Cloud Symphony. He performed regularly with the Chicago-based Duetri Ensemble and is also active in the jazz and pop fields. Since 1984, as leader of Larry Eckerling and His Orchestra, and recently as Owner and President of his new company Momentum Talent Group, he has been presenting live music from classical to rock and roll for private functions throughout the Chicago area. Eckerling is now on the faculty at the Music Institute of Chicago, where he is Conductor of the Community Symphony and Quartet Strings.
Maestro Eckerling makes his home in Glenview, Illinois with his wife, Sharon, and their son, Jeremy.

Read more about Lawrence Eckerling at www.eckerlingconductor.com.

Behind the black ties

Behind those black ties and black skirts are your friends and neighbors, your co-workers, your acquaintances. These are people you see in the community, perhaps on a daily basis, who volunteer their time to make beautiful music together as the Evanston Symphony Orchestra performing world-class music right here in Evanston. On five Sunday afternoons a season, they transform themselves from their chosen professions into talented musicians sharing their love of music with you, their audience.