musician

Andrew French is a professional musician specializing in the string bass. He began his formal education at DePaul University, where he studied under the guidance of Chicago Symphony Orchestra bassist Rob Kassinger. His pursuit of excellence in music led him to the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he completed his master’s degree studying with the esteemed Derek Zadinsky from The Cleveland Orchestra.

He was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago during their 2021-2022 season and led group lessons through their mentorship program, an experience that enriched his musical journey and broadened his skills as a player and teacher. Currently, Andrew plays with the South Bend Symphony Orchestra and serves as the principal bassist of the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra and the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra. In non-classical ventures, he plays in a jazz trio performing the music of Django Reinhardt, and also plays electric bass in the jazz-inspired indie band Big Fans.

Dr. Jonathan Whitaker has recently been appointed as Clinical Professor of Trombone at the University of Illinois. Whitaker joined the faculty of The University of Alabama in the fall of 2009. At Alabama, Whitaker’s students have been tremendously successful in national and international solo competitions as well as being placed in some of the nation’s top summer music festivals. The University of Alabama Trombone Choir has given performances at the 2010 Eastern Trombone Workshop; 2011 International Trombone Festival in Nashville, Tennessee; 2013 International Trombone Festival in Columbus, Georgia, and 2018 American Trombone Workshop. Whitaker has also appeared twice as a performer and clinician at the American Trombone Workshop and two International Trombone Festivals. Whitaker is in great demand as a guest artist and has appeared at some of the most prestigious music schools in the country, including The Juilliard School, New England Conservatory, Yale University, Indiana University, and many more.

As a soloist, Whitaker can be heard on numerous recordings, including the 2018 release of his second solo recording entitled “Paceline” and his debut solo recording entitled “Nature’s Gift” with pianist Kevin Chance. He is a featured soloist on two recordings with The University of Alabama Wind Ensemble that include Anthony Barfield’s “Red Sky” and David Maslanka’s Concerto for Trombone and Wind Ensemble. These recordings are available at www.jonathanwhitaker.com.

Whitaker has been very active in commissioning new works for the trombone. In 2019, he gave the world premiere of Scott McAllister’s Atipa-Tcoba at the American Bandmasters Association National Conference with The University of Alabama Wind Ensemble. Other notable commissions and premieres include Nicola Ferro’s Mega for solo trombone and wind ensemble (2016) and Jim Stephenson’s Three Bones Concerto (2013), commissioned for The University of Alabama Wind Ensemble along with Joseph Alessi and Peter Ellefson. He also performed the work at the 2013 Eastern Trombone Workshop with the United States Army Band “The Pershing’s Own.” He is also responsible for the commissioning of Eric Ewazen’s Visions of Light as well as several other compositions including music for trombone and piano, unaccompanied trombone and trombone choir. Whitaker also is the author of the trombone version of the popular method The Brass Gym and has several published arrangements with Alessi Publications.

In 2012, Whitaker made his Carnegie Hall debut as a soloist at the New York Wind Band Festival. He has appeared as a soloist with all the wind groups at Indiana University, the Augustana College Symphonic Band, the Purdue University Symphony Orchestra, and the Henderson State University Wind Ensemble, and performed a premier performance of John Mackey’s Harvest: Concerto for Trombone with The University of Alabama Wind Ensemble in the fall of 2010. He also performed the American premier of Johan de Meij’s T-Bone Concerto with the Murray State University Symphonic Wind Ensemble.

Whitaker has performed with the New York Philharmonic on three separate occasions including the orchestra’s 2012 Opening Gala that was broadcast on Live from Lincoln Center on PBS with music director Alan Gilbert. He performs regularly with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and has also held positions and performed with the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra (PA), Mobile Symphony Orchestra (AL), Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Pine Bluff Symphony Orchestra (AR), Shreveport Symphony Orchestra (LA), South Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra (MN), Owensboro Symphony (KY), Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra (IN), Richmond Symphony Orchestra (IN), The Jackson Symphony (TN), and the Paducah Symphony Orchestra (KY).

Whitaker holds degrees in trombone performance from Murray State University and the University of Minnesota and a Doctor of Music degree in Brass Pedagogy at Indiana University. Dr. Whitaker’s primary teachers include Ray Conklin, Tom Ashworth, M. Dee Stewart, Peter Ellefson, and Joseph Alessi, with additional studies with Arnold Jacobs, Edward Kleinhammer, Michael Mulcahy, Charlie Vernon, and Douglas Wright.

Jonathan Whitaker is an Edwards Artist and performs on Griego Mouthpieces.

Rebecca Salo is a freelance performer and teacher currently based in southern Indiana. In addition to her role as Principal Horn in the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra, she plays Second Horn in the Paducah Symphony Orchestra and serves on faculty at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. Previously, she was the Consortium Horn in the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra (Principal Horn) and University of Evansville (Instructor of Horn). As an active performer, she enjoys collaborating with other musicians in orchestral performances and chamber ensembles as well as performing as a soloist. She has appeared as a soloist with the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra, Purdue Wind Ensemble, and Kokomo Park Band, and she regularly performs with a variety of chamber ensembles. As a teacher, Rebecca enjoys working with students of all ages, and her students enjoy frequent studio recital and horn choir performances.

Growing up in Champaign, Rebecca actively participated in a variety of local music opportunities, spending many weekends on campus for lessons and youth orchestra rehearsals. After high school, she spent a year studying abroad at the Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, Poland, with Kazimierz Machala, before attending Purdue University for her Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering. Rebecca then completed a Master of Music degree in Horn Performance at Indiana University under the guidance of Jeff Nelsen. She has pursued doctoral studies at the Eastman School of Music, where she studied with Peter Kurau and served as the natural horn (historical performance) teaching assistant.

Beyond music and engineering, Rebecca enjoys outdoor activities including hiking, rock climbing, and camping.

 

Ever since she was in her first opera at age four, Erin Rafferty has loved being involved in music. Whether it’s the children’s chorus in La Bohème or an experimental concert with toy piano in a brewery, she considers herself ready and willing to try anything once. Her musical adventures have taken her to dozens of states, seven countries, restaurants, libraries, horse farms, and even prisons.

Always an avid orchestral player above all else, Erin joined the Fort Wayne Philharmonic in 2015 and was appointed Principal Viola of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra in 2019. She has also performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Philharmonic, Alabama Symphony Orchestra, and numerous others. She has held principal seats at the Peoria Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Iowa, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra.

Erin earned her Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and her Master of Music degree from Indiana University. Her major teachers include Li-Kuo Chang, Roberto Díaz, Atar Arad, Catharine Carroll, and Masao Kawasaki. She owes her early passion for music to her father, violinist J. Patrick Rafferty, and her late grandfather, conductor Henry Janiec.

She plays a viola by Franz Kinberg, crafted in 1957 in Chicago.

 

Anthony Patterson enjoys a multifaceted career as a solo and collaborative pianist, composer/arranger, and educator.

In April 2022, he premiered his Gloria with the National Chorale at the DiMenna Center in New York City.

Anthony was Artist-in-Residence at Alma College from 1995–2020 and is a faculty artist at the Bay View Music Festival, where he has given hundreds of solo and chamber music performances since 1986. Anthony began classical piano lessons at age three with his father, Richard Patterson, a jazz pianist and bandleader. He made his solo debut at age eight, playing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 28 with the Lima Symphony Orchestra (LSO), and four years later joined the LSO in the premiere of “The Anthony Concerto,” composed for him by his teacher, Don Hurless. Anthony later studied with Richard Syracuse, Jerome Rose, and Earl Wild.

 

Violinist Maria Arrua leads an active career performing and teaching in the Greater Chicago area. She currently serves as Concertmaster of the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra as well as section violin of the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra and Elgin and Northwest Symphony Orchestras. She is an Adjunct Instructor at Illinois Wesleyan University, where she teaches violin.

Dr. Arrua has appeared as soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra of Paraguay, Orchestra of the Congress of Paraguay, Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of the City of Asuncion, Chamber Orchestra of the Municipality of Asuncion, University of Chicago Chamber Orchestra, Chicago Sinfonietta, Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra, State College Summer Orchestra, and Penn State Philharmonic Orchestra. She has also performed with the symphony orchestras of Paraguay, Illinois, Grant Park, Mississippi, Baton Rouge, Champaign, and Acadiana, as well as Sinfonia da Camera, Louisiana Sinfonietta, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.

Born in Paraguay, Dr. Arrua began her musical training at the age 10 at the National Conservatory of Music of Paraguay. During her studies at the Conservatory, Dr. Arrua served as Assistant Concertmaster of the National Symphony Orchestra. In 2011, she graduated summa cum laude from Louisiana State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance degree, studying under Dr. Lin He. Following that, she continued her graduate studies in performance at Pennsylvania State University, working with Prof. James Lyon. She completed her Doctorate in Musical Arts in 2021 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, studying under Nelson Lee and the Jupiter String Quartet.

She has performed in several music festivals, including the David Kim Orchestral Institute, Pine Mountain Music Festival, Grant Park Music Festival, Brevard Music Center, Aspen Music Festival, Castleman Quartet Program, and Festival Nas Montanhas.