About Us

NEW PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA MUSICIANS (K-Z)

Click here for musicians A-J

* = NPO Founding Member
♪ = Member, NPO Board of Trustees

* Mary Kearing has played viola under Maestro Knudsen’s direction since 1980, in Brockton. She has been with the New Phil since its formation. A graduate of Clarkson College of Technology, she works in retail operations for the Goodyear Tire company. Her other interests include Irish dancing and playing ice hockey.

* Elizabeth Kinney, cellist, has been playing with the NPO since its inception. She has played in various musical groups in the Boston area over the last 15 years. Elizabeth holds a Bachelor's degree in psychology from Hartwick College, in Oneonta, New York, but makes her living as a private piano and cello instructor and as a freelance pianist, cellist and organist. Her busy life includes raising her three budding musician sons with husband Pat Kinney, NPO clarinetist, singing, swimming, hiking, and community service.

Patrick Kinney has more than 25 years’ experience in Greater Boston-area community orchestras, seven of them with the New Phil, for which he plays clarinet. An MIT graduate, he is an actuary with Tufts Health Plan who enjoys reading and chess, when not helping wife Elizabeth with their three young sons.

Violinist Carol Kinoshita has been playing with Greater Boston-area community orchestras since 1990. She has been with the New Phil since 1997. She holds a PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and is a Biotech Scientist at Biomeasure, Incorporated. Originally from Honolulu, HA, Carol's most memorable musical moment was playing in the backup orchestra for Sammy Davis, Jr in Hawaii. In addition to Brahm's Piano Quintet, some of Carol's other favorite things are ballroom dancing, gardening, and listening to her 2 teenage sons practice the piano and violin.

♪ Flautist Andy Langowitz joined the New Phil in 2000. A computer programmer at Spectrum Enterprises, Inc., he has a Bachelor’s degree from Yale and a Master’s degree from Harvard. Music continues in his family with his teen-aged children, who play piano and sing.

Fern LaRocca, violin

* Mary Lee Ledbetter, violinist, has played under Maestro Knudsen's direction since 1984, and has been with the New Phil since its beginning. Her undergraduate degree is from Pomona College, she went to graduate school at the Rockefeller University, and she did post-doctoral work at the New York University School of Medicine and Dartmouth Medical School. As a Professor and Chair of Biology at College of the Holy Cross, Mary Lee is kept busy but enjoys being a member of the New Phil and "the way we are all challenged to play better than we know how and given the tools and the reason to do so." Mary Lee also enjoys reading, travel, hiking, and playing with her grandchildren.

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* Al Leisinger has more than 15 years of experience playing viola in Greater Boston-area community orchestras, and was a founding member of the New Phil. He holds a B.A. from Amherst College, a mathematics PhD from Brandeis University, and is a teacher in the Boston public schools. The viola gene continues in his family in his daughter Elaine, another New Phil founding member, who is a performance major at the Eastman School of Music.

Clara Lieu has played oboe in the New Phil for seven seasons. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, Clara is now a professor in Fine Arts at RISD. She earned her MFA in Sculpture at the New York Academy of Art. Her musical inspirations include John Mack (she went to the John Mack Oboe Camp) and Beethoven's Symphony No. 7. When not making art or music, Clara plays volleyball, cooks, and gardens. She is married, has one child, and her sister Tina plays in the New Phil as well.

Tina Lieu, violin

Janet Linder, violin, joined the New Phil in 2006. She played in the Waltham Philharmonic for six years, and has played in many chamber groups, as well as in pit orchestras for local musical productions. She has a law degree from Northeastern U. School of Law, and a B.A. in English from the U. of Rochester. She currently works as a writer and editor for a law book publisher, and can also be found working part-time in the Children's Room of the Newton Free Library. In her spare time she chauffeurs, feeds, and does laundry for her four children.

A graduate of Ithaca College and Boston College, Tracy McLaughlin is a kindergarten homeroom teacher at Buckingham Browne & Nichols School in Cambridge, MA. She played oboe in Greater Boston-area youth orchestras in high school and has been in the New Phil since 2006. She is also a member of the MIT Summer Philharmonic Orchestra and enjoys teaching piano lessons.

Bassoon player Cynthia Mackey is vice president of marketing at the Museum of Science. The 2004-2005 season is her second with the New Phil, following four years at other Greater Boston-area community orchestras. She did undergraduate work at Smith College and earned an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. All three of her children play musical instruments, including oboe, violin and trumpet. In her leisure time, she pursues outdoor activities, including skiing and hiking.

* Bernhard Metzger played viola for 22 years in other Greater Boston-area community orchestras before becoming a founding member of the New Phil. He is a computer programmer for Fidelity Investments with a Bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin in computer science and an MBA from Boston University. Bernie met his wife, New Phil cellist Karen Zander, playing in a community orchestra. Besides his love for Brahms, Bernie also enjoys sailing and tying knots.

James Mirakian, violin

* A computer hardware designer for Sun Microsystems, Robert Moffett has been a French horn player in the New Phil since its formation. He also has played in six other Greater Boston-area community orchestras. He has a concurrent degree in electrical engineering and French horn performance from Wichita State University, Kansas, and attended the New England Conservatory. His two sons play flute, electric guitar, piano, violin and bluegrass mandolin. In his spare time, Bob enjoys woodworking and tinkering with electronic projects.

Bassoonist George Muller became a New Phil member in the 2006-2007 Season. George travels from Maine to play in the New Phil and enjoys being a member because of the musicians' commitment to performing well. George spent many years in Germany, earning a performance degree and playing in orchestras. He credits his sixth grade music teacher, a variety of good colleagues, and a few very good conductors for his musical inspiration. When not playing, George enjoys gardening, traveling, board games, good food, and playing and officiating basketball and baseball.

* Marsten Parker, violin, was the New Phil's founding president. He is a graduate of the Mannes College of Music, and was a student of Maestro Knudsen during high school. While at Mannes, Marsten taught himself computer programming, and ended up working as a software engineer. For several years he has been self-employed as a designer and user of computerized stock trading systems, and has enjoyed having more time to spend with his family. Marsten's many teachers and coaches inspired him throughout his musical pursuits. His most memorable moment on stage was performing the duet in the 3rd movement of the Dvorak Cello Concerto with Matt Haimovitz in 2004.

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* Violinist David Pesetsky has been with the New Phil since its founding. As a graduate student, he played in various ensembles at MIT and Harvard. A linguistics professor at MIT, he has a Bachelor's degree from Yale University and a PhD from MIT. His two teenaged sons both play string instruments, and, in addition to their cello and violin work, both are composers. For David, one of the most enjoyable parts of being a New Phil member is the feeling of companionship that comes from being part of an orchestra with the community spirit and comradeship of the New Phil.

Tung Pham, trumpet, joined the New Phil in the 2007-2008 season and is the Operations Manager of the Suzuki School of Newton. He received his Bachelor's in Trumpet Performance from the University of Masssachusetts in Lowell. There, he studied trumpet with Joseph Foley and Dana Oaks and arranging with Walter Platt. Also an active educator, Tung was a faculty member and rehearsal accompanist for the UMass Lowell String Project under the direction of Susan Turcotte-Gavriel. When he's not making music, he enjoys entertaining people with his cooking and salsa dancing.

Kara Robbins, double bass, joined the New Phil in 2002 for its performance of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 and never left! After earning her Bachelor's degree in English from Boston College, Kara joined the New Phil staff as the Marketing/Community Engagement Coordinator and teaches the K-3 general music portion of the Perry School Outreach program. The New Phil's commitment to community and education has inspired her arts administration career goals and she is thrilled to be a part of such a dedicated and talented group of musicians. Outside of music and work, Kara enjoys reading, summers in the Berkshires, and visiting her Florida hometown.

Mary Jane Rupert has been harpist in the NPO since its inception. With music degrees in piano and harp from Oberlin College and I.U. (Bloomington, IND), she has been a recitalist, free lancer, and substitute organist in the Boston area for the past 30 years. She teaches harp at Wellesley College, Boston College, Tufts U., and the New School of Music in Cambridge, and plays piano/harp with flutist Peter Bloom in their duo "2". In her spare time MJ hosts soirees with her friend Mo Ford at their Cambridge home, at which colleagues perform, poets read, artists exhibit, and everyone is welcome.

* With previous experience in the Boston Civic Symphony, violinist Elaine Samuels has been playing in Greater Boston-area orchestras for about 50 years, and was an founding member of the New Phil. A graduate of Boston University, she is a teacher in the Newton public schools, a profession which allows her to pursue one of her hobbies, summer travel. She also enjoys daily power walking, playing the piano, and spending time with her grandchildren.

Trombonist Paul Salinas has a Bachelor's of Science degree from MIT, and is a protein chemist at Shire Human Genetic Therapies, Inc. He has played with other Boston-area community orchestras for nine years, and has been with the New Phil since 1997. When away from the lab and orchestra rehearsals, he likes making pottery and working out at the gym.

* Diana Scott is an executive at John Hancock Financial Services. She has been playing violin with the New Phil since its inception. The New Phil is a family affair for Diana. Her daughter Kirsten, a soprano vocalist, was a featured guest soloist with the New Phil in the 2006-2007 Season, her youngest daughter Bailey plays violin with the New Phil when her dance and school schedule allow, and her husband Ron is a member of the New Phil Board of Trustees. A graduate of Harvard University, she likes reading and running, and also is involved with volunteer work and community service.

Karl Schultz is an aspiring professional trumpet player and teacher in the Boston area. He received his undergraduate degree in music performance from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2005 and has been teaching privately and freelancing since. An avid cyclist, he enjoys reading, backpacking, and ice cream.

Thomas Spataro, trombone, is the Executive Director of the Boston Crusaders Drum & Bugle Corps. Tom earned his Bachelor's in Music from Boston College and in addition to his work for the Crusaders, he is the New Phil's Operations Assistant and is the assistant conductor for BayColonyBrass. Tom has built trombones and enjoys cars, motorcycles, technology and is a self-proclaimed computer nerd. His wife and dog love him anyway..

*♪ John Tarrh, percussionist, is a founding member of the New Phil as well as its current President of the Board of Trustees. He is the retired CFO and co-founder of ASTeX, Applied Science and Technology, Inc. He received his Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and earned his Master's degree in the same field from MIT. John also earned a Master's degree in Music Theory from New England Conservatory and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Composition at NEC. John's Symphony No. 1 will be premiered with a performance by the New Phil in the 2007-2008 Season. In addition to his studies, John is a sports fan who is married with three boys, each of whom studies an instrument as well.

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The New Phil, which she joined in 2002, is violinist Deborah Teman’s first experience with a community orchestra. A physician at Serono, Inc., a biotech company in Rockland, she is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Tufts University School of Medicine. She wishes she had more time for reading, sewing and knitting, and “would love to learn how to play bridge, but when?” She also enjoys hearing her teen-aged son play his acoustic bass and her teen-aged daughter play her French horn.

Violinist Kelly Thomas moved to the Boston area from Texas in 2001 to attend Boston University. She earned her Bachelor's in Music Education and is currently working on her Master's in Music Education at the Boston Conservatory. Kelly joined the New Phil during the 2005-2006 Season and serves as one of the New Phil's music educator narrators for the Family Discovery Concerts. Kelly's elementary school piano and orchestra teachers inspired her musically and in her career choice. When she isn't teaching, playing the violin, piano, or singing, Kelly loves to travel and has visited all seven continents!

A 2006 graduate of Olin College of Engineering, Janet Tsai joined the New Phil on bassoon in 2003. After graduation, Janet spent a year in Hong Kong and is now back in the Boston area working for iRobot.

* Ian Whiting has been a member of the New Phil’s clarinet section since its inception. He also has ten years of experience playing the clarinet in other Greater Boston-area community orchestras. He has degrees from Ithaca College and Northeastern University, and works on a contract basis as a computer programmer. He has a young son who is learning piano. His other interests include drawing, juggling and “watching the Patriots kick butt”.

A flute teacher at the Dana Hall School of Music, Laura Wilkins began playing with the New Phil in the fall of 2004, following 15 years experience with other Greater Boston-area community orchestras. A graduate of the Boston Conservatory of Music, her hobbies include bicycling, reading and walking, and encouraging her children in their music lessons. Laura met her husband (Doug, a sometimes New Phil contrabassoonist) in a community orchestra and she loves the camaraderie among the New Phil musicians as they work towards a common goal of excellent, exciting concerts!

* Violinist Julia Wong has been with the New Phil “as long as it has existed”. Previously, she played under Maestro Knudsen in other Greater Boston-area orchestras, from 1988 to 1994. She is a physician at Brigham and Women’s and Dana Farber hospitals, with degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and Tufts University School of Medicine. Together with her husband, Eric Cortell, New Phil timpanist she also enjoys travel, food, gardening and their two daughters, Claudia and Vera.

*♪ Karen Zander is a registered nurse and co-owner of the Center for Case Management, an international healthcare consulting company. She has been playing cello in community orchestras in the Greater Boston area since 1971, and has been with the New Phil “since it began”. She graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University and Boston University. Her hobbies include walking her dog and traveling with her family.

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