World-Class Orchestra

The eighty musicians of the Peninsula Festival Orchestra represent leading symphonic and operatic institutions from around the world, including Toronto, Calgary, Houston, Boston, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Omaha, Milwaukee, The Dallas Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Rune Bergmann, Music Director & Conductor

Martha & Philip Cherry Endowed Chair

FIRST VIOLIN

Dennis Kim, Concertmaster

  • George Kress
    Endowed Chair
    Irvine, CA

Dmitri Pogorelov

  • Assistant Concertmaster
    Gail and Emil Fischer
    Endowed Chair

(Vacant)

  • Assistant Concertmaster
    Marcia and Charles Larsen
    Endowed Chair
    Littleton, CO

Kirstin Greenlaw, Principal 2nd Violin

  • Virginia Terhune
    Endowed Chair
    Cincinnati, OH

Paul Zafer

  • Marilyn McDonald
    Endowed Chair
    Wilmette, IL

Alexander Ayers

  • Milwaukee, WI

Ekaterina Gorkhover

  • Sunny Isles Beach, FL

Paul Hauer

  • Milwaukee, WI

Grace Kim

  • Grand Rapids, MI

Ji-Yeon Lee

  • Milwaukee, WI

Jerry Loughney

  • Wauwatosa, WI

SECOND VIOLIN

Yoomin Seo

  • Costa Mesa, CA

Aleksandr Zhuk

  • Sunny Isles, FL

Betty Lewis

  • Sharon Holmes
    Endowed Chair
    Chicago, IL

Christine Annin

  • Milwaukee, WI

Dorothy Han

  • Cincinnati, OH

Annaliese Kowert

  • Nashville, TN

Sarah Page

  • Nashville, TN

Zachary Ragent

  • Denver, CO

David Rubin

  • Boston, MA

VIOLA

Joan DerHovsepian, Principal

  • Ken Byler
    Endowed Chair
    Houston, TX

Judith Ablon

  • New York, NY

Jonas Benson

  • Sarasota, FL

Thomas Kluge

  • Omaha, NE

Claudia Lasareff-Mironoff

  • Chicago, IL

Suzanne LeFevre

  • Houston, TX

Ellen Olson

  • Jacksonville, Florida

CELLO

Paul Ledwon, Principal

  • Elizabeth Chittendon
    Cruden Endowed Chair
    Omaha, NE

Victor Huls

  • St. Petersburg, FL

Andrew Laven

  • Grand Rapids MI

Linda Minke

  • Neptune Beach, FL

BASS

John Pellegrino, Principal

  • June & Jerome Maeder
    Endowed Chair
    Columbus, OH

Patrick Bilanchone

  • Jacksonville, FL

Erik Gronfor

  • Houston, TX

Christopher Roberts

  • Cincinnati, OH

FLUTE

Susanna Self, Principal

  • Virginia L. Kress
    Endowed Chair
    Lubbock, TX

Helen Blackburn, 2nd Flute

  • Dallas, TX

Alexandria Hoffman, 3rd Flute

  • Chicago, IL

 


PICCOLO

Alexandria Hoffman

  • Chicago, IL

 


OBOE

Eric Olson, Principal

  • Sue and Tim Stone
    Endowed Chair
    Jacksonville, FL

Leanna Renfro, 2nd Oboe

  • Little Rock, AR

Sarah Peterson, 3rd/Utility Oboe

  • Grand Rapids, MI

 


ENGLISH HORN

Leanna Renfro

CLARINET

Vacant

  • Principal
    Robert Marcellus
    Endowed Chair

Campbell MacDonald, 2nd Clarinet

  • Indianapolis, IN

Leslie Grimm, 3rd Clarinet

  • Streeterville, MI

 


E-FLAT / BASS CLARINET

Leslie Grimm

  • Streeterville, MI

 


BASSOON

Michael Kroth, Principal

  • Cindy Sargent
    Endowed Chair
    Okemos, MI

Galina Kiep, 2nd Bassoon

  • Chicago, IL

Andrew Genemans, 3rd Bassoon

 


CONTRABASSOON

Andrew Genemans

  • Grand Rapids, MI

 


SAXOPHONE

Daniel Graser

  • Grand Rapids, MI

HORN

Richard Britsch, Principal

  • Tatman Family
    Endowed Chair
    Rockford, MI

Erich Peterson, 2nd Horn

  • Grand Rapids, MI

Leslie Norton, 3rd Horn

  • Nashville TN

Corbin Wagner, 4th Horn

  • East Lansing, MI

David Renfro, Assistant Principal,Utility Horn

  • Little Rock, AR

 


TRUMPET

Mark Hughes, Principal

  • Houston, TX

Bruce Briney, 2nd Trumpet

  • Macomb, IL

Dan Grantham, 3rd Trumpet

  • Cincinnati, OH

 


TROMBONE

Paul Bellino. Principal

  • New York, NY

Bradley Ward, 2nd Trombone

  • East Windsor, NJ

 


BASS TROMBONE

Terry Leahy*

  • Chicago IL
    (*Leave of Absence for 2025 season)

 


TUBA

Charles Schuchat

  • Chicago, Illinois

TIMPANI

Vacant

  • Bill Wiggins Endowed Chair

 


PERCUSSION

Christopher Norton, Principal

  • Nashville, TN

Alison Chorn

  • Fort Wayne, IN

Paul Ristau

  • Sister Bay, WI

 


HARP

Grace Roepke, Principal

  • Doris Heise Miller
    Endowed Chair
    Louisville, KY

 


KEYBOARD

Christi Zuniga

  • Omaha, NE