Musicians

Only the finest musicians are featured in our chamber orchestra. Our tightly-knit ensemble and joie de vivre in performance comes from the right musical chemistry onstage.


Scott Bleaken, timpani
When not scuba diving all over the world, Scott likes to spend time at home checking out his underwater photos as well as doing some gardening, cooking and playing with his bichon frise named Casper. Oh yes, this creative Aquarian loves playing and listening to all kinds of music too. Currently performing full time for the 2006 fall season with SF Opera, Scott has enjoyed the gamut of musical experiences in the Bay Area such as the SF Symphony, SF Ballet, Marin and Oakland Symphonies, Broadway musicals, movie scores at Skywalker Ranch, and the Contemporary Music Players. He also has played a variety of gigs on trap set such as The Earl Hecksher Orchestra, Grand National Rodeo, and one time at Finnochios. Scott received degrees in percussion from The Juilliard School in 1975 and 1976.
Tod Brody, flute
When not playing the flute in contemporary (San Francisco Contemporary Players, Ear Play, Empyrean Ensemble), Opera, orchestral (SFCO, Sacramento Choral Society), musical theater, and traditional chamber settings, or teaching at UC Davis, or working as executive director of the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the American Composers Forum, Tod enjoys reading escapist fiction, riding his bike, and preparing delicious vegetarian meals. He is devoted to his wife (the violinist Susan Walker), his son Christopher, 25 (graduate student in music theory and piano at the University of Minnesota), his daughter Amanda, 23 (Ph.D candidate in clinical psychology at the University of Arizona), and his son Gabriel, 1, who just wants to have fun all day.
Eugene Chukhlov & Edith Szendrey, violins
Eugene and Edith live in El Sobrante with their three-year-old daughter Alexandra Marie and four months-old son Anthony. Eugene received his degree at the Moscow Conservatory and has over 24 years of performance and teaching experience as a member of the Arlekin String Quartet, a teacher at the Crowden School as well as a soloist and orchestral player throughout the Bay Area. He is an avid gardener, mainly roses and grapes (no wine this year though). He shares with his wife a passion for fishing California lakes and the South Pacific seas.

Edith grew up in Vancouver, BC and graduated from the University of British Columbia on both violin and viola. She has been a member of many local orchestras and has concertized around the United States. Edith also conducts the orchestra and chamber music programs (grades 4 through 12) at the East Bay Waldorf School. She also enjoys drawing, painting, reading, gardening, and taking her family to the big island of Hawaii every chance she can. Eugene and Edith plan to retire in Kona, grow orchids, fish, paint watercolors, and perhaps give a few violin lessons to the local kids.
Wendy Clymer, viola
Wendy got her BA at Brown University and after a year of graduate study at the Juilliard School co-founded a rock band and went to work as a student advisor at Columbia University. She then lived in Berlin, Germany, as a translator and tour guide before landing in San Francisco, where she developed a passion for uphill biking while commuting to her job as a corporate paralegal. Wendy was on the verge of going to law school when she regained her senses and headed to the SF Conservatory of Music, earning her master's degree. She teaches at the New Mozart School of Music and The Crowden School and is having fun learning to play all the orchestral and band instruments in preparation for becoming a certified public school music teacher.
Michelle Djokic, cello
Michelle landed quite unexpectedly in Northern CA in 2004 with children, Maya and Nicolas, and husband Mark, who is the Director of Squash (sport, not vegetable) at Stanford University. In 2005-07, Michelle was happy playing assistant principal cellist of the SF Symphony. Prior to her move west she resided in New Haven, CT where she was frequently spotted on Route 95 driving to New York and Boston for concerts with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Speculum Musicae, Walden Chamber Players and Concordia Chamber Players, which she founded and directs. Michelle is always grateful returning to NoCal’s beautiful climate, great wines, fresh vegetables, and hiking trails. The other man in her life is a Giovanni Pressenda cello made in Turin, Italy in 1830.
Karla Ekholm, bassoon
Peripatetic Karla performs all around the Bay Area as principal bassoon of the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra and Pacific Chamber Symphony, as well as second bassoon with the Santa Rosa Symphony and Marin Symphony. For many years she toured as principal bassoon of Western Opera Theater (touring company of the San Francisco Opera). Every summer Karla travels to Greensboro, NC where she is on the faculty of the Eastern Music Festival. Karla's only worry in life is balancing her life as a musician with her myriad of other interests, which include running, biking, swing dancing, singing opera, learning Italian and doting on her nieces.



Debra Fong, violin
Debra is a relatively recent arrival from Chicago to the lush botanical splendor of the Bay Area. Since her years of study at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, she has resided in a wide range of locales, including West Texas, Virginia Beach, the North Shore of Chicago, and California. Debra spends her summers performing as a violinist for The Santa Fe Opera in New Mexico, and during the academic year she is a Lecturer in Music at Stanford University. She is married to cellist Christopher Costanza (of the St. Lawrence String Quartet), and they have a joyful and ebullient daughter, Isabella. When not making music, Debra can be found reading modern fiction or trying to figure out how her digital camera works. She also enjoys bike-riding and hiking, and she definitely does not miss shoveling snow during insanely cold Chicago winters.
Chris Froh, percussion
Chris is our "primo" percussionist. He studied at the Eastman School of Music and the University of Michigan. He currently teaches at UC Davis, where he is also a member of the Empyrean Ensemble. In addition his work with the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, Chris performs with the SF Contemporary Music Players and many other local ensembles. From Chris: "When I started playing drums in junior high, it was all about learning a skill that would help me to meet girls. Mission accomplished. I just married an awesome girl last year! I also play drums to free up time to spend at the beach and to cook ridiculous meals. Being a drummer is the best job anyone could ever have!"



Susan Harvey, harpsichord
Susan studied harpsichord in Toronto with Colin Tilney, and has been a harpsichordist in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1986. She has appeared as a soloist and a continuo player with major early instrument ensembles on the West Coast, as well as with the San Francisco Symphony, California Symphony, and Chanticleer. Susan holds a Ph.D. in musicology from Stanford University and is on the faculty of the SF Conservatory of Music. Susan's harpsichord is a copy of an instrument built in Paris in 1689, which survived the French Revolution. Susan spent much of her early life on horseback and now enjoys dressage training and trail riding with her horse Pro.



Peter Josheff, clarinet
Peter, whose musical personality has been described as "absolutely fearless", is one of California's leading new music clarinetists. He has premiered and performed hundreds of virtuoso contemporary works and appeared on many recordings, concert series and festivals. A co-founder of the new music ensemble Earplay, Peter is also a member of the Paul Dresher Ensemble, the Empyrean Ensemble and appears frequently many other local groups including the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, Composers Inc., and the Club Foot Orchestra. Also active as a composer, Peter has received many prestigious commissions, and will be writing a work for a future SFCO concert. Along with poet/librettist Jaime Robles and composer/performer Allen Shearer he has created a concert series Harvest of Song, dedicated to new works for voices and instruments, now in its fifth season at the Berkeley Art Center. In his spare time Josheff is a voracious reader and hiker.
Peter Lemberg, oboe
Peter is a very active free-lance orchestra musician and private teacher in the Bay Area. He plays chamber music and solo concertos, most recently with the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra. Besides all the necessary fidgeting and fussing with reeds (for oboe, oboe d'amour, and English Horn!), Peter also enjoys collecting many orchestral and chamber music recordings and broadcasts and sharing them with his friends. He has a vast collection of music scores and parts, and has had a number of visitors/borrowers to the "Library" (including SFCO's Music Director, Ben Simon). Peter also enjoys old cartoon music, and secretly wishes that he had been oboist on the original sessions!



Marilyn Martella, clarinet
A long-time member of the SFCO, Marilyn began her musical studies on a toy ukulele at age 3, switching to the clarinet at 12. Her first teacher was her father, Leroy "Flash" Martella, who played the saxophone in swing bands and jazz combos. Although Marilyn's ambition was to play football with the 49’ers, she settled for being a musician when her application for a tryout was denied. The closest she got to the gridiron was high school marching band. Going pro at age 20, she performs with many ensembles, including the San Francisco Opera, San Jose Symphony, the Women's Philharmonic, Festival Opera, and the Cabrillo Music Festival. Marilyn teaches clarinet at studios in San Francisco and Oakland. She performs with the Bellavente Wind Quintet, and still dreams of playing quarterback for the 49’ers (see photo).
Craig McAmis, trombone
Craig has been a professional trombonist for longer than he cares to mention. After growing up (sort of) in Sacramento, college at UOP and the New England Conservatory, he moved west and has played in all kinds of groups all over the state (Marin Symphony, San Francisco Opera, Oakland Municipal Band), country (Western Opera Theater, Boston Philharmonic, Mississippi Symphony) and yes, even the world. He has performed in Europe several times and toured Africa and the Middle East at the taxpayer's expense as a founding member of the San Francisco Brass. Craig is an avid golfer and yogi whose true devotion is to his wife Dina (an accomplished cellist), and his five-year-old son Eli (a brilliant kindergartener, budding trombonist, and golfer.)



Madeline Prager, viola
Madeline lived in Europe for 25 years, where she performed extensively and was professor of viola at the Karlsruhe Conservatory in Germany. Since her return to the Bay Area in 2000, Madline has taught at the University of the Pacific and The Crowden School performed as principal violist with the SFCO, the Berkeley Symphony, and the Stockton Symphony played lots of chamber music with various wonderful ensembles. Madeline teaches music in the Berkeley public schools, as well as in her private studio. In March 2007 she will premiere a newly written Viola Concerto by renowned Bay Area composer Kurt Rohde with the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra. Her favorite ice cream is pink grapefruit.



Anna Presler, violin
Anna lives in a small sunny apartment in Berkeley. In addition to riding a beautiful blue tandem bicycle with her husband, cellist Leighton Fong, and reading to her daughter Maria (especially stories about children in big families having adventures) Anna teaches at Sacramento State University and plays chamber music with friends in several groups. Current projects include a Left Coast Chamber Ensemble concert pairing Beethoven’s op. 131 Quartet with companion pieces written by Bay Area composers. Also in the works, on the other end of the musical spectrum, is a performance of Vaughan Williams’ "Lark Ascending", with a chamber orchestra in Sacramento.



Dana Putnam Fonteneau, cello
Following a smashing solo debut last season with the SFCO, Dana has assumed the mantle of our principal cellist. Equally in demand as a performer and teacher, she is an accomplished chamber musician, a founding member of the Raven Trio, and a member of the Prep faculty at the SF Conservatory of Music. In addition, Dana is a masters degree candidate in Somatic Psychotherapy at the California Institue of Integral Studies. Dana lives with husband and fellow-cellist Jean-Michel Fonteneau and two amazing cats, Grad and Finney. In her spare time... well, she has no spare time now but hopes to have some at some point in her future!



Kurt Rohde, viola
Kurt is a violist, composer and teacher who has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for the past 14 years. Originally from New York, he went through a rather traditional and thorough training at Peabody and Curtis. It was during his graduate work at SUNY Stony Brook that he discovered the potential for a career as a violist playing new music of all different genres. Since he arrive in San Francisco, that is exactly what he has done, having formed The Left Coast Chamber Ensemble with a group of like minded friends, and subsequently having played with the Berkeley Symphony, the New Century Chamber Orchestra, Empyrean Ensemble, Earplay, the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, as well as at numerous new music festivals. When he is not doing any of the things listed above, he is off with his partner Tim Allen and labradoodle Ripley venturing in the desolate, remote, and unimaginably calming quiet of the Southwest.
Robin Sharp, violin
Robin, our concertmaster, is a native of Northern California. After attending schools in Rochester, New York, and Cleveland, she decided she had endured enough snow, ice, and sleet to last her a lifetime and moved back to California for her first job teaching at the SF Conservatory of Music. Following a brief stint in the San Francisco Symphony, Robin braved the world of string quartets, joining the Sun Quartet in Sacramento, and then the Ives string quartet as first violinist. She maintains private teaching studios in San Francisco and Palo Alto, has just recorded a solo CD, and plays concerts with friends from around the world. When not teaching or playing, Robin loves to hike (as long as it is not a hot-dusty-straight-up-relentless s-incline), swim, ice-skate, experiment with oil painting or drawing, read, and attempt to cook new recipes - usually with varied levels of success much to her husband's chagrin. RobinSharp.org
Karen Shinozaki, violin
Karen Shinozaki Sor is familiar to Bay Area audiences as a soloist, guest concertmaster, and member of several orchestras in the region. Besides the SFCO, Karen is a member of the New Century Chamber Orchestra, the Santa Rosa and Marin Symphonies, the Sun Valley Symphony, and performs as a regular extra in the San Francisco Opera and Ballet Orchestras. She is also a frequent chamber music collaborator, appearing with diverse groups including the Santa Rosa Chamber Players, the Berkeley Contemporary Chamber Players, the Sor Ensemble, the Worn Ensemble, and the Adorno Ensemble. In her free time, Karen likes to relax with her cellist husband, Eugene Sor, her cats Ellie and Bass, and indulge in her addiction to the Times crossword puzzles.

Eugene Sor, cello
Bay Area native Eugene enjoys a variety of musical endeavors. In 2003 he helped establish the Sor Ensemble, a group devoted to performing chamber works for combinations other than the string quartet. Eugene currently serves as principal cellist of the Stockton Symphony and performs frequently with the Santa Rosa Symphony and San Francisco Chamber Orchestra. He is a longtime faculty member of the Crowden School of Music in Berkeley and is Music Director of the Fremont Youth Symphony. He also conducts the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra's Debut Ensemble. During his leisure time Eugene avidly plays tournament bridge and annually allows the San Francisco Giants to disappoint him bitterly. He lives happily with his wife Karen in Richmond (see above).



Boris Slowbowsky, viola
Born into a musical household - his mother toured with Frank Zappa on finger-cymbals, his father was a noted left-handed-sewer-flautist - Boris received early training on the viola and by the time he was 12 was playing open string whole notes. Discouraged from pursuing a career in music by all his teachers, Boris excelled in several other fields: he was the first to conquer K2 wearing scuba gear, and set a world land speed record on a solar-powered skateboard of his own design. A midlife crisis - arrested trying to smuggle plutonium out of Kazakhstan, he spent 14 years in a Turkish prison - brought spiritual renewal and a return to his first love, playing open string whole notes on the viola. Immediately in demand by major musical organizations, he turned down the principal chair in the LA Philharmonic to join the SF Chamber Orchestra because "they’re way cooler!". This photo shows Boris and his twin brother, Yuri, on a recent concert tour.

Kay Stern
A native of Marion, Ohio, Kay is currently concertmaster of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and violinist in the Raven Trio. She was a founding member and first violinist of the Lark String Quartet, with whom she toured extensively throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. Some of her concertmaster positions have included the Orchestra of St. Luke's, Concordia at Lincoln Center, and the Cabrillo Music Festival. Kay has been featured on television and radio in PBS's"Live from Lincoln Center," "CNN's Women Today," Garrison Keillor's "A Prairie Home Companion, and "St. Paul Sunday Morning. Locally, she was a featured soloist on the SFCO's 50th Anniversary Concert in 2003, and is also active in local educational and community music programs. She resides in Pacifica with her husband and pre-teen daughter, whom she can still beat at ping-pong, but probably not for long!
Michael Taddei, double bass
 The SFCO’s principal double bassist, Michel hails from the Garden State. He studied History at Columbia and Music at Juilliard before making his way west to pursue grad studies in History at UC Berkeley. He was solo bassist at the Opera National de Lyon in France for seven seasons. Travel, gourmet dining and independent cinema are among his other interests. His most exciting travel opportunity was his 2003 tour of Central Asia with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, although he counts his appearance with the SFCO playing the Dittersdorf Sinfonia Concertante in powdered wig as one of his most satisfying recent concerts. Michel is principal bass for the Berkeley Symphony and performs in many other Bay Area ensembles. He is also an experienced singer, conductor, chamber music coach, and teacher, and is the Administrative Director of Music at The Crowden School in Berkeley.



Loren Tayerle, French horn
French horn virtuoso and successful winemaker, Loren has combined these two careers and is very popular at post-concert receptions. He runs a small winery in West Oakland, producing outstanding wines that have achieved international attention. www.casavinicola.net. Loren received a Bachelors in French Horn performance and a Masters in orchestral and choral conducting from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He still maintains a busy performance schedule with the Carmel Bach Festival, Berkeley Symphony, and San Francisco Chamber Orchestra and is conductor of the De Anza Chamber Orchestra. Loren has continued his studies in Viticulture and Enology at U.C. Davis and Napa Valley College and with travels to the Old World winegrowing regions of the world.
Alicia Telford, French horn
Aloha! Alicia is a well-known free-lance musician and instructor of horn in the Bay Area. She is a California native, an alumnus of the SF Conservatory of Music and a faculty member at San Francisco State University and Los Medanos College. In addition to being the principal horn of our SFCO, Alicia performs frequently with the SF Symphony and Opera orchestras and is a member of the Oakland/East Bay Symphony. Her greatest enjoyment comes from playing and coaching chamber music, which she does regularly with the Golden Gate Brass, the Fog City Winds, the Humboldt Brass Workshop in Arcata, CA, and with McChamberMusic groups Bellavente Wind Quintet and Women's Philharmonic Woodwind Quintet.
Sharon WeiSharon Wei, viola
Sharon is a newcomer to the Bay area after having completed her studies at Yale and Curtis. Since her arrival she has been exploring the diverse hiking trails of Northern California and enjoying new recipes that include eclectic finds at the Milk Pail! Sharon is a member of the Verbier Chamber Orchestra which has taken her to Israel, Padua, Istanbul, Buenos Aires, London, Paris, and Sao Paolo. She also performs with her ensemble "Made in Canada". Before her life as a violist, Sharon played on her varsity basketball, volleyball, archery, track and swim teams. After days of staring at her computer Sharon recently launched her new website, www.sharonwei.net.
Thomas Yee, violin
Thomas, who hails from Santa Barbara, is an official member of the Bay Area's "Freeway Philharmonic", performing with the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, Santa Rosa, Napa Valley, & Monterey symphonies, and the Berkeley Opera. He completed his B.M. at the SF Conservatory of Music in 2005, and is currently pursuing his Master's degree while studying with SF Symphony concertmaster Alexander Barantschik. Thomas' interests include playing chamber music, concert-going of all sorts, competitve basketball, running, collecting air jordans, and keeping a busy lifestyle. His passion is in performing and teaching future generations of musicians. This summer Thomas attended the AIMS festival in Graz, Austria, in addition to the Colorado College summer music festival.
Kris Yenney, cello
Kris has been playing around the Bay Area music scene for eons. A founding member of the Left Coast Ensemble and charter cellist with the Midsummer Mozart Festival Orchestra, she free-lances in all manner of ensembles from Opera San Jose, to TheatreWorks, and beyond…literally, Kris’ cello tracks were recently played on the surface of MARS to wake up the "Opportunity" rover! Kris has recorded 5 or 6 cds to date with her Celtish/Early musical quartet, Broceliande. Kris also conducts 2 of the 5 orchestras PACO and the merry "M'EarthTones" choir! In her scarce spare time, she enjoys a good book, traveling, trying to sing in Swedish and collecting sundry, mostly bowed, instruments. She lives under a tree in "Professorville" (Palo Alto) with her cat.



Ming-Shiu Yo, violin
Known to his American friends as “Yo”, violinist Ming-Shiu Yo is a native of Taiwan, recently relocated to beautiful Northern California for its diverse culture and splendid climate. Before migrating to the Bay area, he received his Master’s degree from New England Conservatory then worked with the Virginia Symphony for more than 10 seasons as a section violinist then the principal second violin. With his new found passion in teaching, Yo teaches privately in Fremont and Palo Alto. He lives in Fremont with his beautiful harpsichordist wife Ching-Ching Sun and their ever so curious son Clement.