Santa Monica Symphony Guest Soloists

Gary Bovyer, clarinet

Clarinetist Gary Bovyer, "a virtuosic and passionate soloist" according to the Los Angeles Times, is principal clarinetist of the Santa Monica Symphony. He serves that same role with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and the Long Beach Symphony and was formerly a principal clarinetist of the Los Angeles Opera and the Jerusalem Symphony. Bovyer spends much of his professional time in the recording studios playing for soundtracks and albums. He has worked with numerous composers including David Newman, James Horner, Danny Elfman, William Ross and Stephen Warbeck. Recently he has been heard on the motion picture soundtracks for "Mystery Men", "Instinct", "Titanic" and "Anastasia". He is also a member of Pacific Classical Winds, a period instrument ensemble. He received his Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School where he was a pupil of the legendary Joseph Allard and is currently on the faculty of Pomona College. He resides in Sierra Madre with his wife Michele, a member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's first violin section, their daughter Joanna and son Isaac. In his spare time he enjoys motorcycling, hiking and bicycling.

Brian Pezzone, piano

Bryan Pezzone is an active free-lance pianist in the Los Angeles area and may also be heard in performance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Players and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. He is actively involved in the studio scene and has recorded a number of original artist disks for the Yamaha Disklavier. He works regularly with composers and conductors John Adams, John Harbison, Oliver Knussen and Pierre Boulez in their Los Angeles engagements. Bryan can be heard on recordings of contemporary music including Mel Powell's Settings and John Harbison's song cycle, The Natural World, on New World Records. As piano soloist, Pezzone has performed concerti with the Long Beach Symphony, the UC Irvine Orchestra, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute Orchestra, the Pacific Symphony, the International Orchestra of USIU in San Diego, California and the Eastman Philharmonic. He has created new works and transcriptions for the Yamaha MIDI Grand Piano and has been a featured performer of these works at the United States Piano Pedagogy Conference, the Miami Festival and most recently at Rice University, presenting a program of twentieth century piano works, original compositions and improvisations. He is also a contributing editor for the well-known magazine Piano and Keyboard.

Adrien Raynier, mezzo-soprano

Adrien Raynier is a versatile mezzo-soprano whose diverse roles range from Suzuki in Madame Butterfly to the lead in Bizet's Carmen. She enjoyed playing a trouser role in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, and has sung in over forty productions with the Los Angeles Music Center Opera. She entertained thousands of Southern California children as Hansel, pushing the wicked witch into the oven over 400 times! Ms. Raynier is in demand as an oratorio soloist, concert artist and recitalist. She has performed major works with the Long Beach and Pacific Symphonies, and the Orange County and Ventura Master Chorales. For recitals, Adrien Raynier's repertoire includes art songs, lieder, operetta, chamber music, light and grand opera. Besides singing in many musical theater reviews, Adrien has performed leading roles in such recent classics as West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof, and Kismet. In collaboration with composer/pianist Dorothy Wright Barrett, Ms. Raynier recently released a CD entitled Songs of Earth and Sky. Adrien Raynier is a member of the American Guild of Musical Artists, the Screen Actors' Guild, and Tuesday Musicale. She is also a second generation Californian, who loves to play tennis, ski, and practice Yoga and Taiji.

Jonathan Mack, tenor

Jonathan Mack "is a musician of remarkable refinement and the owner of an extraordinarily pliant, sweet, and ever-growing tenor," writes Martin Bernheimer of the Los Angeles Times. Mr. Mack's expanding international career proves this opinion correct. Now in his thirteenth season with the Los Angeles Music Center Opera, Jonathan Mack has performed over thirty leading roles with major opera companies around the world. His concert appearances include engagements with the London Symphony, the LA Philharmonic, and the Minnesota Orchestra, as well as on the stages of the Chatauqua and Carmel Bach Festivals. Mr. Mack recently returns from a tour of Quebec, performing Beethoven's powerful Ninth Symphony with the Montreal Metropolitan. He is featured as soloist on recordings with the William Hall Chorale, the Los Angeles Vocal Arts Ensemble, and the LA Philharmonic. A versatile performer, Mr. Mack can also be heard on such popular soundtracks as Jurassic Park, Amistad, Men in Black and Anastasia. Jonathan Mack has performed solo recitals throughout the country, sponsored by the National Federation of Music Clubs, the National Association of Teachers of Singing, and a Martha Baird Rockefeller Grant for advanced study. A graduate of the University of Southern California, he is now a member of their faculty, as well as that of Chapman University.

Lawrence Sonderling, violin

Lawrence Sonderling, a Los Angeles native, has been a member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since 1977. He began violin studies at age nine under the guidance of such teachers as Victor de Veritch and Mehli Mehta. He subsequently earned a bachelor's degree in music from Occidental College with a minor in physics and computer science. Mr. Sonderling is a former concertmaster of the American Youth Symphony, and he has been a member of the Indianapolis Symphony and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. He has appeared in numerous recitals, chamber music concerts and solo performances in Southern California.

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