FLUTE

Camille Ploux is a French flutist currently studying at the Haute Ecole des Arts du Rhin (HEAR) in Strasbourg, France, under the guidance of Sandrine François. She aims to obtain her Bachelor's degree in June 2025. In addition to her studies, she teaches the flute at the municipal school of Soultz-Sous-Forêts. She has also taken part in several orchestral projects with the Haendel-Hendrix Academy conducted by Jean-Christophe Spinosi, the Via Luce Orchestra and the HEAR Orchestra.

She had the great opportunity to study the flute with Jerome Gaubert and Emmanuelle Ophèle, both great musicians, and the piccolo with Sandrine Poncet.

FLUTE

Alexa Hunleth is a junior at the University of Maryland, where she is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education. She studies flute under Dr. Sarah Frisof and is an active member of the University of Maryland Wind Ensemble, the Mighty Sound of Maryland, and the Maryland Pep Band. Passionate about both performance and education, Alexa enjoys watching operas with her sister and looks forward to participating in productions this summer.

FLUTE

Michael Salm is a flutist and piccoloist pursuing his Bachelor of Music Performance at the University of North Texas, where he studies with Mary Karen Clardy. Michael performs as a member of the Concert Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Clay Couturiax and was a member of the opera orchestra for UNT Opera’s production of Strauss II’s Die Fledermaus, conducted by Steven Mulligan.

At the University of North Texas, he is a member of the Violette Quintet, who advanced to the finals of the 2024 George Papich Chamber Music Competition. Last summer, he attended the Bay View Wind Institute at Bay View Music Festival, focusing on wind quintet repertoire and performing in the pit orchestra for a production of Fiddler on the Roof.

Michael looks forward to performing in the Chicago Summer Opera Orchestra and exploring his father’s hometown of Chicago!

OBOE

Stephanie Albers is an oboist and English horn player from southern California. She recently received her Bachelor’s degree in music performance from Arizona State University, studying under Martin Schuring. Having returned to Southern California, Stephanie now studies under Ted Sugata and freelances with various ensembles in the Orange County area.

OBOE

Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Luca de la Florin is currently the principal oboist of The Missouri Symphony, Aspen Winds Quintet, and is on faculty at Utah Valley University as a Lecturer of Oboe and Music Studies. Additionally, Florin plays with the Utah Symphony and Utah Opera, Utah Chamber Artists, Chamber Orchestra Ogden, Salt Lake Choral Artists, and NOVA Chamber Music Series. Florin also teaches as the adjunct professor of oboe at Snow College and presents the Finishing Touches lectures for the Utah Symphony through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at The University of Utah. As a reed-maker, Florin has sold his reeds across the world and maintains a private oboe studio in downtown Salt Lake City. Florin has recorded with the Naxos and Bridge record labels and has appeared with the Detroit, Toledo, Great Falls, Jackson, and Battle Creek Symphonies as well as the Grand Teton Music Festival. In 2024, Florin founded "Orchestra: XPLOR," a new professional chamber orchestra in Salt Lake City designed to present classical music in innovative ways.

CLARINET

Amber Lo is currently pursuing a Master of Music degree in clarinet performance at the University of North Texas, where she studies with Dr. Phillip O. Paglialonga and performs with the North Texas Wind Symphony.

Amber earned her B.M. in clarinet performance from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, where she studied with Dr. Margaret Donaghue. At Frost, she was a member of the Stamps Woodwind Quintet class of 2023, an elite fellowship under the mentorship of Professors Richard Todd and Valerie Coleman. Most notably, the quintet commissioned Woodwind Quintet no. 2 “American” by Dr. Kenneth Fuchs and gave the world premiere at the Stamps Scholars National Convention in 2023. She also regularly performed with the Frost Symphony Orchestra and Frost Wind Ensemble, participating in several world premieres and professional recording sessions, including televised broadcasts on South Florida PBS. She has spent summers at the Miami Music Festival, Eastern Music Festival, and Buffet Crampon Summer Clarinet Academy.

Amber also serves as a teaching artist, working with students in the Celina and Dallas independent school districts.

CLARINET

Originally from Stillwater, MN, Brian Jaap is a clarinetist and music educator currently based in Madison, WI. He received his Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, and is currently obtaining his Master of Music degree in Clarinet Performance from the Mead Witter School of Music at UW-Madison, studying under Alicia Lee. He serves as the Program Assistant for the Division of the Arts’ Arts Residency Program, and the Front of House Manager at the state-of-the-art Hamel Music Center at UW-Madison

HORN

Originally from Madison, Wisconsin, Sophie Griffith-Oh received her bachelor’s degree in French horn performance from Oberlin Conservatory in the spring of 2025. While at Oberlin, Sophie studied with Jeff Scott and David Byrd-Marrow, and performed regularly with the Oberlin Orchestra, contemporary music ensembles, and various chamber groups. She also appeared as principal horn on Oberlin Opera Theater’s productions of Britten’s Albert Herring, Bernstein’s Candide, and Rossini’s L’Occasione fa il ladro. In the summers, she has enjoyed combining her passions for traveling and furthering her musical interests by participating in festivals in Sweden, Canada, Italy, and Czechia, including the Saluzzo Opera Academy, Pacific Region International Music Academy, and Music Academy Telč. In her free time, she enjoys writing letters, discovering good vegetarian food, and engaging in environmental activism.

HORN

Hannah Hadraba is a current sophomore attending Elmhurst University with a double major in Music Performance and Music Business. She is the current principal horn of the Wind Ensemble and Philharmonic Orchestra, and is an active member in chamber ensembles. She is currently studying with Emma Sepmeier and has previously studied with Anna Mayne. Outside of performing, Hannah is very active in the music business scene, holding multiple leadership positions, and is the head sound engineer for the Elmhurst University Jazz Band. When not at school, Hannah enjoys reading, hanging out with her family, and walking her seven dogs.

TROMBONE

Ty Waters is a freelance trombone player based in the Chicago area. He earned his Bachelor of Music in Trombone Performance from the University of Iowa in 2024. Ty has performed with professional ensembles including the Ottumwa Symphony Orchestra, the Iowa City Chamber Singers Chamber Orchestra, Georgia Bridgewater Orchestra, and Jordan Kahn Orchestra. During his undergraduate studies, Ty participated in a variety of festivals, performing with the National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute, Le Domaine Forget de Charlevoix, the Berlin Opera Academy, Chicago Summer Opera, Brevard Jazz Institute, and the Bay View Music Festival. Ty's accomplishments include being a finalist in the American Trombone Workshop Solo Jazz Trombone Competition, a semifinalist in the Southeast Trombone Symposium Excerpts Competition, and an alternate in the International Trombone Association Trombone Quartet Competition. He was also selected as part of the inaugural class of Shires Rising Artists. In his free time, Ty enjoys cooking and relaxing with his fiancée and their two dogs, Bisou and Miso.

TROMBONE

Lavonte Smith is a trombonist based in the Twin Cities, MN (St. Paul and Minneapolis, MN). He is pursuing a Master of Music degree in Trombone Performance at the University of Memphis. He is a freelancer, playing musical theater shows like Company, The Addams Family, Pippin, and Newsies. Lavonte has been performing worldwide including North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, California, Bolivia, Canada, and Spain with Concert Bands and Orchestras on domestic and international tours. As a composer, Mr. Smith had a world premiere of his piece for Trombone Choir by the University of Memphis Trombone Choir conducted by the composer on April 11, 2024. In addition to that he has written songs, string quartets, brass quintets, woodwind quintets, and orchestral works. Lavonte holds a bachelor’s degree in music from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. He has just finished his Master of Music degree in Music Performance from the University of Memphis in Memphis, Tennessee. His primary teachers include Richard Gayner, Edward Huttlin, and Nat Dickey, Martin McCain.

TROMBONE

My name is Jonathan Samayoa Ramos, I live in Portage, Indiana. I studied a master's degree at Roosevelt University. I have been playing the trombone for 20 years and can cover different genres such as classical, jazz, pop, salsa, among others.

VIOLIN

Geunwoo Kim was born in 1995 in Daegu, South Korea and received his first violin lessons at the age of 9. He has already graduated with honors from the Karlsruhe University of Music in Germany with a first solo master's degree and is currently pursuing a second master's degree in chamber music. He won first prize in the chamber music category at the Shostakovich International Competition. He is currently performing as an intern at the Aachen Symphony Orchestra in Germany.

VIOLIN

Yujung Kim comes from Korea. In 2009, she graduated from the Gifted and Talented Academy at the Seoul Arts Centre at the age of 13. In 2013, she won second place in the Young Artists Competition. In 2016, she was awarded first prize in the Korea String Education Association Competition. She won first prize in the chamber music section of the 1st International Shostakovich Competition in January 2024.

She is currently studying for her solo master's degree with Mr. Khachatryan and her chamber music master's degree with Mr. Pinchas at the Karlsruhe University of Music and Performing Arts and plays in the Loh Orchestra in Sondershausen in Germany.

VIOLIN

Jungmin Lee, a violinist from South Korea, is actively involved in musical opportunities throughout Illinois and Michigan. With a strong background in ensemble playing, she has performed at Krannert Center and Wharton Center. She earned a Bachelor of Music from Sejong University and a Master’s from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, studying under Professor Meg Freivogel of the Jupiter Quartet. Currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts at Michigan State University with Professor Yvonne Lam.

VIOLIN

Dorian Rambaud began violin studies at the Academy of Music of Vence. After five years at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris, he was unanimously awarded his degree with first class honours in 2022. He completed his Artist’s Diploma programme at the Royal College of Music, as an RCM Scholar, with Emily Sun in 2024.

He has played at numerous chamber music festivals including appearances at the Philharmonie de Paris and has studied with many renowned musicians such as Christophe Collette, Gunter Pichler and Jean Mouillère.

As a soloist, he has performed at concerts with the Orchestre of the Syrinx concerts, alongside Gilles Apap, the Orchestre Symphonique Azuréen and with the Orchestre National of Cannes. His recital career has taken him, in addition to the Philharmonie de Paris, to such iconic venues as the Elgar Room at the Royal Albert Hall and St James's Church Piccadilly in London where he captivated his audiences with the sensitivity and refinement of his expression and his breathtaking, but seemingly effortless virtuosity.

He was winner at the international violin competition of Cambrai 2019 and won the Grand Prix du Rotary Paris-Normandie in2021. He also was awarded the prize of the strongest artistic personality at the Rudolfo Lipizer international violin competition and was a finalist in The Tillett Trust’s Debut Scheme in 2024.

VIOLIN

Sarah Razlin is a recent graduate of the Royal Northern College of Music (BMus) from Sheffield, England, where she studied under the tutelage of Catherine Yates. A keen orchestral player, Sarah recently completed a UK tour with Southbank Sinfonia and regularly enjoys performing with northern-based orchestras such as Brigantes Orchestra and Lakeland SInfonia. Prior to this, Sarah was able to participate in many projects during her time at RNCM. This included side-by-side projects with Manchester Camerata and BBC Philharmonic, also working with renowned conductors Sir Mark Elder, Antony Hermus, and Gabor Takacs-Nagy.

In the past year Sarah has studied and performed internationally, being awarded a place on the National Arts Centre’s Orchestra Mentorship Scheme in Ottawa, Canada. Here she had the opportunity to perform with the National Arts Centre Orchestra conducted by Alexander Shelley. Sarah also participated in the Miami Music Festival where she was Principal 2nd violin of the Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mark Gibson performing a variety of repertoire. She also was Associate Concertmaster for the Opera Orchestra performing Wagner’s ‘Die Walkure’, Mozart’s ‘The Magic Flute’, and Heggie’s ‘Dead Man Walking’ in venues throughout Miami Beach, conducted by Aaron Breid and Ben Makino.

Sarah is an avid chamber musician, premiering and performing works both in the UK and internationally with concerts in Spain, Italy, Malta, and Miami. Recently she has been enjoying developing her viola skills and performing with various different groups.

VIOLIN

McKenzie Lofgren is a recent graduate from Oklahoma City University, where she earned double Bachelor of Music Degrees in Vocal and Violin Performance. She has been performing and playing violin formally since the age of 9 and is excited to join the Chicago Summer Opera as a pit violinist this summer. Performing in numerous community and school theatre productions, including Mary Poppins (Miss Andrew) at City Circle Theatre Company, Matilda (Matilda) with Muscatine High School, A Friend of Dolly (Dolly) at Oklahoma City University, and Heathers (Heather Chandler) at the Center For Living Arts in Rock Island, IL, McKenzie likes to switch between being on the stage as a vocalist and instrumentalist. Previous violin experience includes being the Director for the Muscatine Summer Orchestra Music Camp, subbing as a first violinist with the Muscatine Symphony Orchestra, being a 2 year participant of the Emerald Coast Chamber Music Festival, and serving as Concert master for the Chloe Trevor Music Festival. Originally from Muscatine, Iowa, she wants to thank her parents for advocating for her to have all the opportunities and experiences needed to be successful and knowledgeable as a young musician from a not-so-musical area.

VIOLA

Jake Westerbeke is a Finnish-American violist born and raised in Michigan. He attended the University of Michigan where he received his degree in Viola Performance under Caroline Coade. In his time in Michigan, he performed with numerous ensembles and orchestras. Some of these groups include: Traverse Symphony Orchestra, Adrian Symphony, and the U-M Percussion Ensemble, which went on to receive a Grammy Nomination for Best Orchestral Performance in 2022. Since moving to Evanston to pursue his Master’s in Viola Performance at Northwestern University under Helen Callus, Mr. Westerbeke has joined the Viola Faculty at the Music Conservatory of Illinois and soloed with the N-U Baroque Music Ensemble.

VIOLA

Chloe Cohen is a 17-year-old violist from Chicago, IL, and a student at Lincoln Park High School. They fell in love with the viola at age six and have been playing ever since. Chloe currently studies with Danny Lai of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Professor Helen Callus of Northwestern University. They are the principal violist of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra’s flagship ensemble and have had the opportunity to attend the Interlochen Viola Intensive, serve as principal violist of Interlochen’s World Youth Symphony Orchestra, and perform as a soloist on WFMT’s "Introductions". This fall, Chloe will head to Northwestern University for a dual degree in Political Science and Viola Performance, excited to keep exploring both their musical and academic passions.

VIOLA

Ivory Stephenson is a freelance violist in the Chicago area. She obtained a Bachelor's of Music in Viola Performance from University of Arizona. A current student of Helen Callus, she is currently preparing for graduate school auditions this coming fall. She enjoys playing in film scoring orchestras, and most recently completed a project with Netflix on "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F." She also has a passion for playing in pit orchestras and is excited to be joining Chicago Summer Opera for a second season.

VIOLA

Amelia Abouljoud’s musical journey began at age 11. Since then, she has performed for audiences across the United States and around the world. She has been a participant in the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (2018), performing in New York City at Carnegie Hall, Shanghai and Beijing, China, Taipei, Taiwan, and Seoul, Korea. She has also sat principal viola with the Snowbelt Symphony Orchestra, performed with the Cleveland Pops Orchestra, the accompanying orchestra for Andrea Bocelli, Mansfield Symphony Orchestra, and Firelands Symphony Orchestra. She has recently been appointed as a section member of the Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes.

Abouljoud is a graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy (2018), and a recent graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music (2023) with Bachelor’s degrees in Viola Performance and Music Theory. She is a current student at the Eastman School of Music pursuing her Master’s degree in Viola Performance and Literature under the tutelage of Phillip Ying and a Certificate of Achievement in Arts Leadership.

DOUBLE BASS

Ayaka started music at age of 3 in Yamaha music school electric organ course, studied solo double bass with Gary Karr and David Murray, earned Master of Music at DePaul University school of music under Michael Hovnanian and Rob Kassinger.

In Japan, she was a double bass faculty in Toho Gakuen School of music and a double bass instructor at Kawai music school, studied composition with Tokuhide Niimi and chamber music with Seiji Ozawa. She has received several scholarships and awards, keeps expanding her solo repertories.

DOUBLE BASS

Jane Hanneman is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Double Bass Performance studying under Rachel Calin at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). She has played with a variety of orchestras, including CCM’s Philharmonia and Concert Orchestras, the Colorado College Festival Orchestra, the Chautauqua Music School Festival Orchestra, and the Eastern Music Festival Young Artist Orchestras. Jane is also an active pit musician. She has played in the orchestra for Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the CCM Philharmonia, and for Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and Suor Angelica with the Chautauqua Music School Festival Orchestra. In the past year, she has also played in the pit orchestra for the musicals Fiddler on the Roof, The Wizard of Oz, and The Drowsy Chaperone, Beauty and the Beast, and Cinderella.