Dallas Symphony Association Inc.

Cece was a co-founder of Phillips-Smith in 1986. Cece has extensive retail financial management experience. Prior to starting Phillips-Smith, she was Executive Vice President-Finance and Administration of Pearle Health Services, the world s largest retail optical chain. She has been a director of many retailers, including Cheap Tickets, Hot Topic, BizMart, Michaels Stores and Brinker International. She has been a director and chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. Cece is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of the University of Michigan and a CPA.

Alan Yanofsky joined the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in 1983 after having played four years with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. A native of Montreal, he graduated with high distinction from McGill University. He has worked extensively as a rock and roll, commercial and jazz bassist; with the Montreal Symphony; and in 1997, joined the New Zealand String Quartet as a guest artist for a chamber music concert broadcast on that country's national radio. His hobbies include Tai Chi, playing guitar and building and tweaking a fine stereo system. He and his wife have two sons.

Alexandra Adkins joined the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in 1988. Prior to joining the Dallas Symphony, she was with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra and the Ohio Chamber Orchestra. A native of the Ukraine, Adkins emigrated to the United States in 1979 and studied with Dorothy DeLay at the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music and with Josef Gingold at Indiana University. Adkins is married to Dallas Symphony Orchestra Principal Cellist Christopher Adkins, and they have six children.

After twelve seasons as music director of the Dallas Symphony, New York-born Andrew Litton raised the orchestra's international profile, led the orchestra on three major European tours and produced more than 25 recordings. Litton currently holds the position of artistic director of the Minnesota Orchestra's Sommerfest, conductor laureate of Britain's Bournemouth Symphony, and has held the position of first American music director of Norway's Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra since 2003.

Andrew Schast began his musical training at the Settlement Music School in Philadelphia, and earned bachelor's and master's degrees from The Juilliard School. While in New York, he was an active member in Juilliard's quartet program, and performed at Alice Tully Hall and WQXR-FM as a member of the Guinness Quartet. He has spent summers performing at the Tanglewood and Aspen Music Festivals as well as the Summergarden Music Series at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. He joined the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in 1993 and is married to pianist Candace Bawcombe. They have two children, Cateline and William, four dachshunds and a cat.

Andrzej Kapica graduated with a master's in music from the Warsaw Conservatory, playing previously with the Warsaw Philharmonic and the Warsaw Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra. In addition to his work with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, which he joined in 1983, Kapica teaches privately.

Bing Wang joined the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in 1997. Born in Shang Hai, China, he began his violin studies with this father, professor De-Wen Wang, at age 4. He is the recipient of the 1991 Davidorff Young Musician of the Year award in Germany. Wang has played solo and chamber music performances in the U.S., China, Japan, Portugal, England, Greece, Germany and Mexico. He earned his bachelor's degree in music from the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, with Dorothy DeLay and Kurt Sassmannshaus, and his master's degree from the University of Southern California with Alice Schoenfeld. Wang also studied at Indiana University with Henryk Kowalski. He and his wife Xiaohua Sheng have one son and one daughter, David and Catherine.

Bruce Patti has been a violinist with the Dallas Symphony since 1982. He received music performance degress from Indiana and Yale Universities, where he studied with Josef Gingold, Jaimie Laredo and Broadus Erle. He was the concertmaster of the Yale Philharmonia as well as performing with the Chattanooga Symphony, with the Detroit Opera, in off-Broadway productions and at several music festivals. He has toured internationally with famed conductors including Leonard Bernstein, Eduardo Mata, Andrew Litton and Henry Mancini. Currently he is the director of the Concert Classics Series at Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church and often performs solos for their live broadcasts on WRR. Patti is a published composer who has won several ASCAP awards and has had his music performed to critical acclaim by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Plano Symphony Orchestra, the Eastern Music Festival and the Fine Arts Chamber Players. He currently performs his music in area schools through the DSO's Symphony YES program and his commissioned pieces have been performed as far away as Estonia.

After playing the cello for a year as a child, Bruce Wittrig began serious musical study with viola lessons at age 12. At 19, he turned to violin. In addition to his symphony duties, Wittrig enjoys chamber music and serves as music director at his church, Bethany Presbyterian in Uptown. His wife, Mary Alice, formerly with the Dallas Opera, is now a violin teacher as well as a published and award-winning composer of songs and music for students. They have a multi-talented daughter, Melanie.

Daphne Volle was born in 1972. The first recognition of her talent came when she won the National Radio Competition for children at the age of six. She received her early training at the Conservatory of Lyon, from which she graduated at the age of 14. Since the age of 17, Volle has played professionally with such orchestras as the Lyon Symphony, French Camerata and the National Orchestra of France. In 1993, she was chosen as the concertmaster of the European Philharmonic Orchestra and toured in Europe and the United States. In 1992, she was awarded a full scholarship to study at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. She graduated with both an artist certificate degree and a master's degree in 1996. She was also the winner of the concert competition in 1994. Volle joined the Fort Worth Symphony in 1995, and a year later the Dallas Symphony, where she is currently a member of the first violin section. Besides playing with the DSO, Volle is an active chamber music player and teacher in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Violinist Emanuel Borok is Concertmaster of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Before Dallas he served for 11 seasons as Associate Concertmaster of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Concertmaster of the Boston Pops Orchestra. Born and trained in the Soviet Union, he attended Darzinya Music School in Riga, Latvia, and the Gnessin School of Music in Moscow. In 1964 he won the National Violin Competition in the former Soviet Union and in 1971 became Co-Concertmaster in the Moscow Philharmonic. Emigrating to the West in 1973 Mr. He has performed with Yehudi Menuhin, Pinchas Zukerman and Janos Starker. His chamber music partners include such distinguished artists as Itzhak Perlman, Lynn Harrell, and Emanuel Ax, Yefim Bronfman and Christopher Hogwood, Joshua Bell, Ralph Kirshbaum, Cho-Liang Lin and Paul Neubauer. H is recordings include Voces Americanas" (which was nominated for a Grammy Award), the Shostakovich Violin Sonata with Tatiana Yanpolsky , and the solo part of Vivaldi's Four Seasons with musicians from the Boston Symphony. His most recent recording entitled "A Road Less Traveled" was released to critical acclaim on the Eroica label. Mr. Borok has taught at the Tanglewood Music Center; the Academia Musicale Chigiana in Italy; the Menuhin Festival in Gstaad, Switzerland; Royal Conservatory and Academy of Music in London, Conservatoire de Paris and the Academy of Music in Prague; and the Tchaikovsky Conservatory and Gnessin Academy in Moscow. In 2005 he was invited to teach at the famous Verbier Festival in Switzerland. He currently serves on the faculty of the University of North Texas.

Violinist Gary Levinson joined the Dallas Symphony Orchestra as its senior associate concertmaster in 2001 after 13 years with the New York Philharmonic. He earned his master's degree at Juilliard. Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, and immigrating to the United States in 1977, Levinson made his US solo debut at the age of 13 with the Minnesota Orchestra. Levinson appears as a regular recitalist in Western Europe, Carnegie Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, the Bohemians at the Kosciuszco Foundation and various music festivals.

Heidi Itashiki has played for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra since 1982. Before coming to Dallas, she performed with the symphony orchestras of Hartford, Jacksonville, Savannah and Fort Worth. Itashiki earned her undergraduate degree in music education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and completed her master's degree at Hartt College of Music in Connecticut. She currently teaches privately and at the New Conservatory of Dallas. She is married to Mike Itashiki and has two daughters, Chloe and Daphne.

James Nickel joined the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in 1999 as assistant principal horn. At the age of 22, he joined the Montreal Symphony as associate principal horn. He has been featured as soloist with the Florida Orchestra, the Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra, the New England Conservatory Symphony and Wind Ensemble, the Oberlin Chamber Symphony and the Tampa Bay Symphony. Nickel has also performed with the Sun Valley Summer Symphony, Music in the Mountains and has toured Europe with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. He graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music where he met his wife, Julianna Miller Nickel.

Jan Mark Sloman has served as associate concertmaster of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra since 1977. A former University Scholar and Naumburg Grant recipient at Princeton University, Mr. Sloman was accepted without audition at the Curtis Institute of Music. He performed as concertmaster of the Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Florence, Italy, with conductors such as Carlos Kleiber, Zubin Mehta and Carlo Maria Giullini, and has performed as guest concertmaster of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in Geneva, orchestras in Lugano and Melbourne, and the Pittsburgh Symphony at the invitation of Lorin Maazel. A noted teacher, Sloman was named TMTA's Music Teacher of the Year in 2004. The competitive success of his students has brought him not only national recognition but also recent invitations to teach in Europe and China.

Janet Cherry came to the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in 1969 after two years with the Louisville Orchestra. She received her bachelor's degree in music education from Western Reserve University and master's degree in music from the University of Louisville, where she was awarded a fellowship. Her teachers have included James Barrett, Jeanette Drinkall Meyer, William Kroll, Paul Kling, Toshiya Eto and Anshel Brusilow. She has participated in the Aspen Festival Orchestra in Colorado and the Peninsula Festival Orchestra in Wisconsin.

Jose Reyes is an Account Executive for Cingular Wireless. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in advertising and marketing from the University of North Texas in Denton, TX. He has a background in public relations, and has worked for advertising agencies and media companies including Temerlin McClain, The Richards Group, Moroch & Associates, and The Dallas Morning News. Besides being an active member of the business community, Jose has held leadership positions for various arts and cultural institutions, including the Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and the Latino Cultural Center for the city of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs.

Kaori Yoshida joined the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in the fall of 2006. Previously, she was a section first violinist with the Honolulu Symphony and has performed and toured with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Lukes, American Symphony Orchestra, New Haven Symphony Orchestra and the New York Symphonic Ensemble, with whom she has appeared as a soloist in major cities in Japan. As a chamber musician, she has played in several ensemble groups including the Voices of Change in Dallas and has performed at Carnegie Hall, the United Nations, Chalet de Lacroix in Switzerland, various venues in Hawaii and Casals Hall in Tokyo. She has also participated in numerous music festivals, including the Caramoor Music Festival, OK Mozart Festival, Colorado Music Festival and Aspen Music Festival. A native of Japan, Yoshida earned her bachelor's degree from the Toho Gakuen School of Music, and received both master's and artist diploma degrees from Yale University. She has studied with Koichiro Harada, Erick Friedman, members of the Tokyo Quartet and David Arben.

A native of Illinois, Kara Kirkendoll Welch joined the Dallas Symphony in 2000. She graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a bachelor's degree in flute performance and continued her studies at Southern Methodist University, where she earned a master's in flute performance in May 2000. Kirkendoll is the recipient of many reputable awards in such competitions as the International Flute Talk Competition (Chicago, 1999), the Orchestral Masterclass Competition with Jeanne Baxtresser (Dallas, 1997) and the National Flute Association Masterclass Performers Competition (1996). She was a featured soloist at the 2001 National Flute Association Convention in Dallas, and has been recognized in Flute Talk magazine.

Lauren Charbonneau, a native of Vermont, has been with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra since 1983. Beginning her orchestral career at 15, she has been a member of the Fort Worth Chamber Orchestra and the Hartford, Stamford and Berkshire Symphonies. Charbonneau graduated from the Hartt School of Music. In addition to her work with the Dallas Symphony, she has performed at summer festivals in Europe and Vermont, played with the Dallas Bach Society and the Dallas Chamber Orchestra. She also performs chamber music recitals and studio recording work. Charbonneau and her husband, Armand, have two children, Luke and Claire.

Lucas Aleman joined the Dallas Symphony as interim violinist in 2006 after leaving his post as concertmaster of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra. A native of Spain, Aleman was selected as concertmaster of the Royal Philharmonic of Galicia at the age of 22. An avid chamber musician, he has participated in such auspicious occasions as the Mozart Chamber Music Festival, Abiertos de Camara, Musica por Doquier and the Valery Gergiev Festival. He won top prizes in the 1995 Regino Sainz de la Maza and the 1996 Soria National Violin Competitions. Aleman has recorded for EMI Classics, Valois and Albany Records.

Maria Schleuning joined the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in 1994. She has been a soloist for the Oregon, Seattle, Columbia (Oregon) and Long Bay (South Carolina) Symphonies as well as the New Philharmonic of Irving. Since 1993, she has been a faculty member and performer at the Bowdoin (Maine) Summer Music Festival. She has also been a coach for the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra and performs regularly with Voices of Change and Walden Piano Quartet. Schleuning earned her master's degree at The Juiliiard School.

Mary Reynolds began her training with Vlado Kolitsch in her hometown of Riverside, California. She continued her studies at California State University at Fullerton, the University of Southern California and received her master's degree at the State University of New York at Binghamton. She has been coached by the acclaimed soloist Camilla Wicks. Honors she received at USC include Outstanding Orchestra Player Award, Friends of Music Scholarship and Outstanding Chamber Music Player. She was a member of the San Antonio and Pasadena (California) symphonies before joining the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in 1977.

Motoi Takeda joined the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in 1977 and became associate concertmaster in 1987. He studied violin in Japan and at the Moscow Conservatory, where he received his music diploma. He then attended The Juilliard School on full scholarship. He has performed in recitals and as a guest soloist with orchestras worldwide. His 1999 performance of three concertos in Tokyo earned recognition as one of the "ten best concerts of the year" from Ongaku No Tomo magazine. He also served as guest concertmaster with the Japan Philharmonic during the 2001 season. His first CD, "Romantic Violin Favorites," was released in 1994.

Paul Garner joined the Dallas Symphony Orchestra as associate principal and E-flat clarinet in 1992. Prior to his Dallas appointment, he held similar positions in the orchestras of Denver and New Orleans and was a member of the United States Military Academy Band at West Point. Garner has performed with the Grand Teton Festival Orchestra and has served on the faculty of Brevard Music Center in North Carolina. He made his debut as soloist with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra performing the Mozart Clarinet Concerto in 1994 and has appeared in numerous solo and chamber recitals throughout Texas. He holds degrees from the University of Kansas and Michigan State University, and his teachers include Kalmen Opperman, Else Ludewig-Verdehr and Larry Maxey.

Phil Graham joined the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in 1975 after playing with the Richardson Symphony and the San Angelo Symphony. He received a bachelor's degree in music education and a master's degree in music performance from Southern Methodist University. As a winner of the Ford Foundation New Music Grant, he was a soloist with the Houston Symphony. He is also a member of the Dallas Symphony Brass Quintet. Graham and his wife, Heidi, have two sons, Rob and Dennis. They enjoy playing golf and tennis together.

Pinchas Zukerman has been recognized as a phenomenon for nearly four decades. His musical genius and prodigious technique have long been a marvel to critics and audiences, and his exceptional artistic standards continue to earn him the highest acclaim. His devotion to younger generations of musicians who are inspired by his magnetism has been applauded worldwide. Equally respected as a violinist, violist, conductor, pedagogue and chamber musician, Pinchas Zukerman is indeed a master of our time. Appointed Music Director of Canada's National Arts Centre Orchestra in 1998, Pinchas Zukerman is the fifth conductor to lead the 46-member, classical-sized ensemble, which was founded in 1969 as the resident orchestra of the newly opened National Arts Centre. Mr. Zukerman is deeply committed to enriching the Orchestra's cultural involvement within the region, and since his appointment has taken an interest in virtually every aspect of Ottawa's artistic community. He has made five recordings with the Orchestra, introduced a new Acoustic Control System to the NAC's Southam Hall, been involved in a number of national radio and television broadcasts and initiated the NAC Young Artists Programme as part of the summer's Great Composers Festival. The Conductors' Programme, launched in 2001, provides a valuable opportunity for conductors to develop under the expert guidance of accomplished orchestra leaders. The Zukerman Musical Instrument Fund works to acquire donated and new instruments for orchestral musicians. Since the arrival of Pinchas Zukerman, the National Arts Centre Orchestra has regained its commitment to regular touring both nationally and internationally. He led enormously successful Canadian tours in 1999, 2002, 2004 and 2005, as well as critically acclaimed tours to the Middle East and Europe in 2000 and the United States and Mexico in 2003, all highlighted by hundreds of unprecedented outreach activities with an innovative internet component. In addition to his position with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Mr. Zukerman chairs the Pinchas Zukerman Performance Program at the Manhattan School of Music. To maintain close relationships with his students while fulfilling the travel demands of his concert engagements, Mr. Zukerman has pioneered the use of distance-learning technology in the arts. Through the use of the school's videoconferencing system, his students are able to receive regular string instruction. Currently in his eighth season as Music Director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Mr. Zukerman leads the ensemble's Quebec tour in fall 2006, featuring numerous educational events. Also during the 2006-2007 season, Mr. Zukerman conducts the Pittsburgh, Seattle and Madison Symphonies and Rochester Philharmonic, and appears as soloist with the New York Philharmonic, Chicago, Indianapolis and Phoenix Symphonies. Overseas engagements include the 70th anniversary of the Israel Philharmonic, as well as the orchestras of Sofia, Bucharest and Valencia, Spain. Recitals with longtime collaborator Marc Neikrug take place this season in the United States, Spain, Italy, Germany and Sweden. Pinchas Zukerman performs regularly with the world's finest orchestras and has held numerous artistic positions. From 1980 to 1987, he was Music Director of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and became instrumental in bringing that ensemble to international prominence. He also served as Music Director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's Summer MusicFest for three years, London's South Bank Festival for three years and the Dallas Symphony's International Summer Music Festival for three years. Mr. Zukerman was Principal Guest Conductor of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra for two years. A frequent chamber music performer, Pinchas Zukerman has appeared regularly with such luminaries of the music world as Daniel Barenboim, Vladmir Ashkenazy, Itzhak Perlman, the Orion and Tokyo String Quartets, the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio, Ralph...

Conductor and pianist, Rei Hotoda is one of America's most dynamic classical musicians. She has guest conducted orchestras throughout North America and Europe including the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic, Thunder Bay Symphony, Hamilton Philharmonic, Greater Bridgeport Symphony Orchestra, the Staatskapelle Weimar Orchestra and the International Contemporary Ensemble. A protege of acclaimed conductor Marin Alsop, Hotoda is currently in her third season as assistant conductor of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. She has led the WSO in concerts to over 14,000 audience members in the Greater Manitoba area and has conducted a myriad of series with the WSO including the Masterworks, Musically Speaking, Outreach Concerts, Family and Educational Concerts, the New Music Festival, and the Baroque Music Festival where she conducted from the harpsichord. Ms. Hotoda is the newly appointed assistant conductor of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and will begin her new position in September 2009. Music Director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra Jaap van Zweden said, "She seems to be a very intelligent and strong musician. We look forward to having her with us." And President of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra Doug Adams added, "Rei Hotoda made a strong impression during the final round of auditions. She was the unanimous choice, and we are delighted that she will be joining the DSO team." Ms. Hotoda has held positions such as Assistant Conductor of the 2005 Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in California and the 2005 Hot Springs Music Festival. Other appointments include principle conductor of Chicago's new music group Noamnesia and Ensemble N_JP. She has conducted many famous touring groups including Five by Design, Platypus Theater Group, Dan Kamin and Jeans'n Classics. Recently, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Ms. Hotoda conducted Guy Maddin's film Brand upon the Brain for live orchestra with Isabella Rosselini as narrator. Ms. Hotoda has also toured with singer Steve Bell conducting various major orchestras throughout Canada. As an advocate of new music. Ms. Hotoda has conducted premieres of notable composers from Asia, Europe and North America including Toshio Hosokawa, Nicole Lizee, Dai Fujikura, Salvatore Sciarrino, and Michael Maierhof. She has worked closely with renowned composers Chan Ka Nin, Jennifer Higdon and Christos Hatzis. In 2007, Rei Hotoda recorded Symphony Sessions with Signpost records, a CD featuring singer Steve Bell and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. This fall, she will release two recordings including Apparitions, a solo piano compilation of contemporary Asian composers; and This Will Not Be Televised, featuring members of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra performing music by Nicole Lizee under Hotoda's baton. Ms. Hotoda studied conducting with Gustav Meier at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. She holds a doctorate in piano performance from the University of Southern California and a bachelor of music in piano performance from the Eastman School of Music.

Sarah Hardesty studied violin with Eugene Stoia, Frank Noyes and Josef Gingold and chamber music with John Ehrlich and the Hungarian String Quartet. She is a graduate of Drake University and the University of Indiana. She joined the Symphony's first violin section in 1968. She has appeared in numerous recitals and chamber music series, including the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts Chamber Music Series at Bishop College, where she initiated a string program, and with the Dallas String Quartet from 1969-1978. She is a member of the American Orchid Society and the English Setter Association of America.

Sho-Mei Pelletier, Associate-Principal violin with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, follows a legacy of musicians and artists; families from China, Canada, and Mexico; and religious influences from Buddhism to Judaism. Her musical affiliations include membership in the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, playing for twenty five years as Associate-Principal violin with the Santa Fe Opera, as well as soloist with the Dallas Chamber Orchestra, the Voices of Change, the Dallas Bach Society, the Walden series, the Kodaly Ensemble, the Arensky Trio, the YES String Quintet, and the Young Strings Piano Trio. She has also appeared with the New Mexico Symphony, and Evansville Philharmonic, the Owensboro Philharmonic, and the New World Orchestra. Ms. Pelletier has taught at the Booker T. Washington School for the Arts and was an Associate Instructor of Violin at Indiana University with the world-renowned Pedagogue, Josef Gingold. She is married to Dallas Symphony bassist, Dwight Shambley, and has a son, Aaron Joshua, and a daughter, Alexis Jessica.

Shu Lee began playing with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in 1995. Lee, a native of Taiwan, began his musical studies at the age of six, and moved to the US in 1990 to attend the New England Conservatory. He received his bachelor's degree in 1993, and completed his master's certificate by giving a recital in Boston in 1996. Lee is a winner of the Diploma d'Honor from the Maria Canals International Competition in Barcelona.

Susie Ager grew up in Olympia, Washington, and studied with Helen de Pastel Pagels. She joined the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in 1978 after playing in the Spokane Symphony Orchestra, Spokane Chamber Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony (as a substitute), Grand Teton Festival Orchestra and Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra of Cincinnati. At the University of Puget Sound, where she earned a bachelor's degree in music, she received the Marjorie Heritage Music Award and studied with Edward Seferian. She was awarded a full scholarship for graduate study at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. She is on the DSO Young Strings faculty and has been very active in the recording industry, chamber music ensembles and private teaching. She and her husband, Brad Breitbarth, have two sons in college and a basset hound named Waldo.

Tom Lederer joined the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in 1978. Before joining the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, he played with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the McGill Chamber Orchestra and was principal bass with the CBC Radio Orchestra. Lederer received a bachelor's of music degree from Carnegie-Mellon University and is currently a part of the music faculty at Southern Methodist University. His son, Jean-Etienne, who is also a bassist, has performed on numerous occasions with his father and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

Wilfred Roberts has been principal bassoon of the Dallas Symphony since 1965. He graduated from Oberlin Conservatory and also studied at the Mozarteum Academy in Salzburg, Austria. Before beginning his career in the United States, he served as principal bassoon of the Camerata Academica Orchestra of Salzburg. He is on the faculty of Southern Methodist University and has served on the faculties of the University of Indiana, University of Michigan and University of North Texas schools of music. He has performed in major summer festivals throughout his career and currently holds the added position of Contractor of Musicians with the Dallas Symphony.

Bert Truax began studing trumphet at the age of 7 and at age 13 was trumphet soloist with the San Francisco Symphony. Bert has been a member of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra since his graduation from the Curtis Institute of Music in 1976. In 1985 Mr. Truax took a leave of absence to play trumpet with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Bert began composing for the Dallas Symphony trumphet section in 1978, and many of his works have benn recorded on Chrystal Records. In Febuary 1995 his Fantasy for Trumpet and Orchestra was premiered by David Bilger and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

Paul Stewart is Chairman of Custom Nutrition Laboratories, a manufacturer of high quality nutritional supplements. Mr. Stewart grew up in Dallas and graduated from St. Mark's School of Texas in 1974. He then earned a Bachelor's degree in American Studies and a Master's degree in Humanities from Stanford University in 1978, and a law degree in 1981 from the University of Texas School of Law, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Texas International Law Journal. He practiced international business law for ten years, including internships in Munich, Paris and Singapore, and became a partner in Baker & McKenzie, the world's largest law firm. In 1991, Mr. Stewart left his law practice to become part owner and President of the U.S. operations of the Leibinger group of companies. Leibinger is based in Germany and is a leading medical device manufacturer in the fields of facial reconstruction, neurosurgery and precision radiotherapy. During 1995-96, Mr. Stewart helped arrange the sale of the Leibinger companies to Pfizer. Mr. Stewart then served within Pfizer as the worldwide President of the Leibinger group, which included two significant manufacturing facilities in Germany and global sales, marketing, product development, and distribution teams. He also served as a member of the Management Board of Howmedica, a $1 billion Pfizer subsidiary in the orthopedic market. Mr. Stewart left these positions at the end of 1998, when Pfizer sold Howmedica and Leibinger. He then helped found a small venture capital fund investing in technology companies in the healthcare industry. He also helped found two start-up nutritional supplement companies that he later merged into Custom Nutrition Laboratories. Mr. Stewart's wife, Melissa, is an equity shareholder in the law firm of Winstead Sechrest & Minick P.C. His son, Brent, attends Stanford University. His daughter, Meg, attends Bishop Lynch High School. Mr. Stewart became a member of the Young Presidents' Organization in 1994 and the World Presidents' Organization in 2006. He currently serves as President of Dallas Texans Soccer Club, the largest youth soccer club in the United States, and is a member of the Board of Directors of The Dallas Cup / Dallas is Diversity, the Board of Trustees of St. Mark's School of Texas, and the Dallas National Club. Mrs. Stewart serves on the Board of Trustees of Dallas Symphony Orchestra, The Winston School and the Downtown YMCA.

Gafford's experience in the construction and real estate development businesses began in 1972. Prior to joining Austin Industries, Gafford was a development and construction partner with Trammell Crow Company and a project manager with the Henry C. Beck Company. Gafford earned an undergraduate degree in building construction from Texas A&M University and is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at the Harvard School of Business.

Tammy Cancela leads NMG Marketing Partners, a group of independent senior level marketers who help NMG's clients apply our broad array of digital marketing tools from the perspective of real day-to-day experience. Named to Hispanic Business Magazine's Top 50 Women in Business in 2001, Ms. Cancela is a veteran of technology marketing. Her diverse background includes stints in architecture and engineering, telecommunications and general technology marketing, including over a decade at GTE and Sprint Business. While at GTE, Ms. Cancela launched SuperPages, GTE's (and now Verizon's) award winning online yellow pages. Since SuperPages was an early entry in the online business market, Ms. Cancela had the opportunity to pioneer some of the online advertising and promotional techniques that are now considered best practices in the industry. In addition to SuperPages, Ms. Cancela has led the market launch of some two dozen telecommunications line extensions as well as several truly groundbreaking new services. She has built extensive business-to-business database marketing platforms, launched digital sales channels and leveraged digital marketing tools extensively throughout her career. This extensive digital marketing experience over the last ten years provides her with a unique perspective from which to help clients leverage the NMG tool set. Ms. Cancela sits on the board of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, where she has chaired the Marketing Committee for the last two years. She has also been on the board of the Product Development and Management Association and has provided her marketing services extensively to non-profits on a pro bono basis over the years. She holds degrees in politics and business from Washington University in St. Louis.