Violinist Ji Young An is an accomplished performer, studio musician, and educator based in Los Angeles. She has recently been appointed Concertmaster of the Santa Monica Symphony, and also serves as Acting Concertmaster of the San Bernardino Symphony, Principal Second Violin of Opera Santa Barbara, and Acting Principal Second Violin with the Redlands Symphony. An performs regularly with leading Southern California ensembles, including the Pacific Symphony and Santa Barbara Symphony, and serves as Concertmaster of the Los Angeles Conducting Workshop and Competition during the summer season. In addition to her orchestral career, An is an active studio musician whose performances can be heard on numerous film, television, and video game soundtracks. Known for her versatility and musical leadership, she is equally dedicated to nurturing the next generation of musicians. An is a Distinguished Lecturer in Violin Performance at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, where she teaches violin and mentors young artists. Born in Seoul, South Korea, An received her early professional training at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris before continuing her studies at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, where she earned both Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees on full scholarship.

Assistant Concertmaster Daniel Persitz never really had a chance to avoid music. Born into a family of professional musicians, he was handed a violin at age 5 and has been playing ever since. Growing up in Minneapolis, he won several solo competitions before heading to Yale University, where he earned a degree in music.

Daniel joined the Santa Monica Symphony in 2013 and has since performed with numerous Southern California ensembles including the Westside Chamber Orchestra, San Bernardino Symphony and Burbank Philharmonic. When he’s not on stage, he lives a double life as a screenwriter, producer and director. Most recently, he directed Key of Genius, an award-winning short film about the extraordinary true story of blind, autistic piano savant Derek Paravicini.

Outside of music and filmmaking, Daniel spends his time chasing after his son Max, trying to earn smiles from his daughter Zoe, teaching new tricks to his rescue dog Allegro, and convincing himself that this will finally be the year for the Minnesota Vikings.

Cole Dachenhaus joined the first violin section of the Santa Monica Symphony in 2019. He began playing as a child growing up in Ohio, earning concertmaster and first violin positions in many regional and Ohio state-wide orchestras, as well as serving as the Associate Concertmaster of the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp’s International Youth Symphony Orchestra touring Europe and North America. While attending Kenyon College, where he studied German, sociology, and music, he had opportunities to perform with the West Virginia Symphony, the New Albany Symphony, various masterclasses with artists such as Soovin Kim, attended the Eastern Music Festival as a rotating Concertmaster, and performed as a soloist with the College’s symphony. In his non-musical life, he has lived in Cleveland, Berlin, New York, and Boston, but is proud to call LA home. He currently lives in Beverly Hills and works in marketing and advertising at an independent creative agency.

Rosalind discovered her passion for music at an early age. She began studying violin at 10 and earned her Bachelor’s in Violin Performance from California State University, Northridge, in 2015. As an accomplished violinist, Rosalind has served as concertmaster for the CSUN Symphony Orchestra the West Coast Classical Orchestra. She is currently a section player and Jr. Symphony conductor of the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles, violinist of the Santa Monica Symphony, along with past performances with Southeast Symphony. She has subbed for AYS, YMF Debut Orchestra, and Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra. Her stage collaborations include performances with artists such as Yolanda Adams, Andrea Bocelli, Metro Boomin, Imagine Dragons, John Legend, Natalie Cole, and Machine Gun Kelly, as well as contributions to television and emerging artists’ recordings.

Since 2011, Rosalind has nurtured her passion for teaching. After earning her teaching credential from California State University, Los Angeles in 2020. She serves as the Strings Director for the El Segundo Unified School District, she inspires students to excel in music while fostering a love for diverse musical traditions. Rosalind balances her roles as an educator and performer, sharing her talents with students and audiences alike.

Monica Minden is a retired research scientist/ program manager inlasers and optics from the former Hughes Research Laboratory inMalibu. Her musical training included public school lessons;private lessons; High School of Music and Art in NY; MIT Symphony;overseas tours with the Camarata of Los Angeles; semi-pro engagementsin LA; more private lessons; and participating as a community member of the Pepperdineorchestra – until family and career grew too demanding. Afterretirement and empty-nesting, she picked up the violin again, and hasenjoyed devoting the last ten years to regaining and extending her proficiencywhile devouring repertory in orchestral and chamber music, operas andBroadway shows.

Sarah Worden started playing the violin at the age of 7, where she studied first with Gherman Markosian and later with Moscow-based violinist Boris Markosian via Skype. She holds degrees in music performance and physics from UCLA, where she studied with Movses Pogossian and Varty Manouelian. During her time at UCLA, she performed as a soloist in the 2018 UCLA All-star Concert, participated in the concertmaster rotation for the UCLA Philharmonia, performed in multiple summer chamber music festivals, and played in the UCLA Camarades chamber music program, performing in series such as LACMA’s “Sunday’s Live” and the Dilijan Chamber Music series. Post college, she has played in multiple orchestras and chamber music groups. When not playing music, she is a graduate student researcher at UCLA, investigating tropical rainforest carbon and water cycles.

Zach Zyskowski has been performing violin since the age of seven. He has studied with some of the most gifted violinists and pedagogues of our era, including Dr. Zaven Melikian, former chair of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and the late Nellie Shkolnikova of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Zach has also studied violin at the Conservatoire Royal de Liège, CSU Humboldt, and UCLA, where he graduated phi beta kappa and cum laude.

Zach has performed throughout North America, Europe and South America. He has been a member of the Music in the Mountains Festival Orchestra and performs a variety of solo and chamber performances regularly in the U.S. and abroad. In addition, Zach maintains a busy career producing shows for network, cable and streaming platforms including ABC, CBS, FOX, HBO, and NETFLIX. In 2015, Caitlyn Jenner presented Zach the Point Horizon Award for being a visionary young leader in the Entertainment Industry.

Sarah Tatman is a freelance violist and violinist based in Southern California. She has performed with the Santa Monica Symphony since the 2013 season. She runs a private string lessons studio in Orange County, and she coaches strings at local high schools. In addition to her diverse orchestral and chamber music experience, Sarah is currently the violinist for the indie rock band, LA River Crossing. Sarah received her Bachelor of Music degree in viola performance from the University of Arizona Fred Fox School of Music where she studied with Hong Mei Xiao. She has also studied with Igor Veligan, Ann Weaver, Peter Marsh, and Robert Becker.

George Goldberg is a retired medical doctor, but playing music has always been his passion. A “switch-hitter” equally comfortable playing the viola or violin in the SMS, George has played in community orchestras for more than 70 years! Originally an East Coaster, he studied violin/viola and music theory in the New York area and at the renowned National Music Camp (now called Interlochen Center for the Arts) in Interlochen, Michigan. He enjoys playing a wide spectrum of classical music – from Haydn and Mozart through Debussy, Stravinsky, Bernstein, and the composers of today. George thanks the audiences who attend our concerts: He appreciates their enthusiasm for the music and their attention to our performances, and he is also grateful for their financial support.

The viola and Solomon Leonard go hand in hand. A 23-year-old Master of Music student at the USC Thornton School of Music, Solomon has built a musical identity that extends far beyond the traditional boundaries of classical performance. A graduate of Oberlin College and Conservatory, his breadth of study includes Black American Music, West African folkloric music, Cuban and Brazilian musical traditions, and Indian Carnatic music, alongside his primary focus on classical viola performance.

Solomon has distinguished himself through both artistic achievement and professional experience. In 2023, he won First Prize in the National Association of Negro Musicians (NAMN) Strings Competition, one of the nation’s most prestigious competitions dedicated to supporting Black classical musicians. He also served as Associate Principal Viola of the Oberlin Orchestra during its 2022 performance at Carnegie Hall in conjunction with the United Nations.

His performance career has included appearances on some of the world’s most prominent stages. In 2020, he performed at the Grammy Awards alongside renowned artists including Lang Lang and Joshua Bell. He was also a contributing musician to the Academy Award-winning animated short film If Anything Happens I Love You.

Currently, Solomon studies with Karen Dreyfus at USC Thornton. His previous teachers include Peter Slowik and Dr. Minor Wetzel, and he has worked with distinguished violists such as Tabea Zimmermann and Juan-Miguel Hernandez through festivals and masterclasses. His second album, Senior Exit, was released in August 2025 and is available on all major streaming platforms.

Sam Lorenzini, a native of Seal Beach, California, began studying violin at eight years old with Marcy Sudock. He has been the concertmaster of Musique Sur La Mer Youth Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra and won the highest honors 4 years in a row at the Los Alamitos-Seal Beach Solo and Ensemble Festival. Sam has been the featured soloist with MSLMYSO and MSLMCO both locally and abroad and has performed in numerous international venues including the Wiener Musikverein in Vienna, the Mozarteum in Salzburg, the Sydney Opera House, and the Teatro Nacional in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Sam received his Bachelor of Arts with an emphasis in Music Education from UCLA where he studied with Margaret Lysy. He then continued his education with a Master of Music degree in violin performance at the Bob Cole Conservatory at CSULB where he studied with Henry Gronnier. While pursuing this degree, Sam served as violist in the University String Quartet where he had the opportunity to participate in an intensive string quartet project with Midori Goto during the winter and spring of 2016. The quartet had a series of outreach performances with Ms. Goto, performing Britten’s String Quartet No. 2. In 2019, Sam returned to UCLA as violist for the VEM String Quartet and completed a second master’s degree in viola performance, studying under Che-Yen Chen. Sam remains a dedicated teacher and performer and is currently serving as Director of Orchestras at Lincoln Middle School in Santa Monica.

Mary Nabours was trained as a pianist and earned a music degree from UC Berkeley. However after over twenty years as a professional accompanist and piano teacher, she grew fascinated with early second- language acquisition and decided to become a Spanish Immersion teacher. During one of her family’s yearly stays in Guadalajara, Mexico the sound of a viola made by a luthier friend so enthralled her that she determined to learn to play it, giving up the piano entirely. Beginning an under-chin instrument — at age 40 and essentially self-taught — proved a serious challenge, but it’s a decision she has not regretted. Now retired after three decades of Immersion teaching, musically she has never been happier. She loves playing in chamber groups, is a violist in five local orchestras and is the librarian for the Santa Monica Symphony.

Rebecca Rodman, violinist and violist, earned her BA in violin performance at UCLA. Ms. Rodman was active in recording for motion pictures, TV and commercial recordings in the Los Angeles music industry. Her performing positions included Concertmaster of Palisades Symphony Orchestra (1975 to 2000) and violinist and violist in orchestras, including the Santa Barbara Symphony, Pasadena Symphony and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. Ms. Rodman was the violist in the Beverly Hills Piano Quartet and continues to play with numerous chamber music groups and orchestras in the US and around the world. Ms. Rodman’s non-performing career include:* West Coast Manager and member of the Board of Directors of Concert Artists Guild (1989 to 1995)Founder and Director of the San Juan Islands Chamber Music Festival in Washington State (1990 to 2001)Director of Music Development at Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences in Santa Monica, CA (1992 to 2000) Ms. Rodman moved to Cremona, Italy in 2001 and stayed for 14 years learning violin-making in the historic city. She started a Foundation, (Fondazione Maestro Cremona) that loans instruments she has made, free of charge, to emerging artists. She has moved back to Los Angeles to be near her grandchildren and to continue to play music and make instruments here in Los Angeles.

Andre Vanderhal started on violin at age 10, and at age 14 joined the Dutch National Youth Orchestra, of which he later became concertmaster. He participated in many local and national student orchestras, was chosen for International Youth Orchestras (Jeunesse Musicales International) in Amsterdam, Lausanne and Lisbon, and was Primasz of the Leiden Student Gypsy Band, Hoszpita. He performed as soloist in Saint Saëns’ 3rd violin concerto with the Leiden Student Music Society “Sempre Crescendo” under the baton of Andre Presser. He continued to play chamber music through medical school and while pursuing a successful career in Neonatology (newborn intensive care pediatrics). His studies and career brought him from the Netherlands via Israel to the USA. He retired from active practice in 2021. Since 2005 he reentered orchestra playing, initially as first violinist and later also as a viola player, and presently plays with the Santa Monica Symphony as well as the Palisades Symphony and Orchestra NOVA LA (formerly LA Doctors Orchestra). Besides music he enjoys spending time with his wife Nancy and their extended family of 4 children and 8 grandchildren, enjoying books, chess, photography, travelling, biking, and hiking.

Principal

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As a long time “student of the double bass” and before relocating to sunny southern California, Bill has performed with a large number of orchestras and ensembles. Some of these include the Bellevue Philharmonic, Washington Symphony, Tacoma Opera, Alexandria Symphony, Mahler Festival Orchestra and many other groups. In addition, he has performed a number of times in Europe as a guest artist with orchestras in Spain and France. Bill earned his Bachelors’ and Master’s degrees from the University of Delaware and has recently retired from The Boeing Company after a long and successful career.

Logan Foote grew up in Glendale, CA. He started playing cello at age 7, but switched to bass to pursue jazz alongside classical music. He studied physics at UC Berkeley, where he minored in music and performed in a variety of groups, including four seasons and two international tours with the UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra.

In 2020, Logan moved to Pasadena to pursue a PhD in Physics at Caltech and began studying bass with Peter Lloyd. He currently works at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and maintains an active performance schedule with several orchestras and chamber groups in LA.

Karl “Eric” Messerschmidt was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley. While studying music performance at California State University, Northridge, Eric was hired to play at Disneyland with “The Jazz Minors” in New Orleans Square. This job led to many others at the park, including The Disneyland Band, The Kids of the Kingdom Band, and a 6 month stint in 1984 at Tokyo Disneyland.

In 1991, Eric was hired to be the road bassist for Johnny Mathis. He worked with the legendary singer for 10 years, performing throughout the US, two English tours, and an A&E “Live By Request” television special. Guest artists that Eric performed with during this time include Dione Warwick, Henry Mancini, and Patti Austin. Eric was the commercial bass instructor at Citrus College during his “road” years. 

Eric has recorded with artists such as Tom Kubis, Dean Grech, and Swing Savant; as well as several Film and TV credits, such as “How Stella Got Her Groove Back” and a Flintstones animated movie. 

In 2002, Eric began his High School teaching career as the Band Director at Wilson High School in Long Beach. He never stopped playing, performing with The Tom Kubis Big Band, The Southern California Brass Consortium, and Swingtown. He currently plays with the Long Beach Ballet, Santa Monica Symphony, and the Ed Code Jazz Quintet.

Ben Ross holds a Bachelor of Music degree in double bass performance from the University of Arizona Fred Fox School of Music. His primary double bass teachers have been Patrick Neher, Doug Basye, and John Schiavo. Ben has played in different orchestral, chamber music, and musical theatre settings, and he has also recorded and toured as an electric bassist for various non-classical groups. Ben has enjoyed performing with the Santa Monica Symphony since the 2012 season. He is also a clinical psychologist practicing in Orange County.

Jeff Schwartz is a member of MESTO, Passacaglia, the World Stage Big Band, and the Vicente Chamber Orchestra, as well as the Santa Monica Symphony, and is part of Los Angeles’ improvised and experimental music communities. He has performed with Glenn Branca, Anthony Braxton, Andrea Centazzo, Anna Homler, Lisa Mezzacappa, Adam Rudolph, Dog Star Orchestra, the Wild Up Collective Orchestra, and many others. He studied at St. John’s College, UC Santa Cruz, Bowling Green State University, the University of Texas at Austin, and the Creative Music Studio, and has written two books on music, plus numerous journal articles and conference papers.

Bom An is an active freelance oboist and English horn player based in Los Angeles. She studied with Allan Vogel at the California Institute of the Arts, where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Oboe Performance. A native of Korea, she won First Prize from The Music Association of Korea Competition and has performed with Hungary Debrecen Philharmonic Orchestra and Gwacheon Philharmonic Orchestra as soloist. Bom is the English horn of Santa Monica Symphony and a member of the San Luis Obispo Symphony. She performs regularly with Westside Chamber Orchestra, Opera San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo Master Chorale, Santa Maria Philharmonic, and Opera Italia. She is currently the principal oboe of the Lompoc Pops orchestra and Mission Opera.

Matthew is a Los Angeles-based bassoonist and educator. He is the principal bassoonist and Orchestra Manager of the Santa Monica Symphony and the inaugural principal bassoonist of the California Young Artists Symphony, and has appeared throughout Southern California with groups such as the American Youth Symphony, Mozart Classical Orchestra, Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra, and the Civic Dance Center. Matthew serves as the founding bassoonist of Fivemind Reeds, an LA-based reed quintet that will be returning to Northern Michigan in Summer 2025 for their third residency with Interlochen Public Radio’s Sound Garden Project.

Aside from his musical pursuits, Matthew travels throughout West LA as a tutor and an education specialist, working with students of all ages who have learning differences. Matthew holds a bachelor’s degree in music and linguistics from UC Davis and a master’s degree in bassoon from UCLA.

Jason Beaumont is a freelance French hornist based in Los Angeles. He serves as principal horn with the Santa Monica Symphony and Westside Chamber Orchestra, and performs with the Deadline Hollywood Orchestra alongside top film composers including Bear McCreary and Michael Giacchino. Jason is also a member of the San Luis Obispo Symphony and Opera SLO Grand Orchestra. He has studied with Hollywood horn legends Dylan Hart and Jim Thatcher. He holds a BM from Missouri State University and MM at California State University, Northridge.

Will Grace is an active musician and teacher across Los Angeles. He has been playing horn for sixteen years and received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from UCLA in 2019 as well as a Master of Music Degree from USC in 2021. During his education he started his career as a freelance musician in Southern California and plays with groups including Santa Barbara Symphony, American Youth Symphony, Santa Monica Symphony and has performed in Uruguay, Argentina, Switzerland, and Germany. He is currently a student at CSUN pursuing a music teaching credential and teaches horn and trumpet for the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles.

Iona Pay is a freelance hornist performing in orchestral, chamber, and studio settings in Los Angeles and San Diego.

Her festival attendances include the American Brass Quintet Seminar at the Aspen Music Festival (AMF) in 2019, the National Brass Ensemble Academy at SFCM in 2022, the National Orchestral Institute (NOI) in 2024. She served as a Teaching Artist for NOI’s annual collaboration with the Hawaii Youth Symphony in 2025. Iona has also been invited to study at Domaine Forget De Charlevoix International Music Festival, Eastern Music Festival (EMF), and The Orchestra Now (TŌN).

In 2023, she co-founded the Los Angeles Brass Alliance (LAB-A), a brass collective platforming emerging brass musicians with a focus on new music. Since the ensemble’s inception, LAB-A has commissioned 25 new works for brass by L.A. based composers.

In addition to her performances with the Santa Monica Symphony, Iona can be heard with the Southern California Brass Consortium, West Side Chamber Orchestra, West Coast Wind Symphony, Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra, and other ensembles. Recently, she was a semifinalist at the 2026 Hollywood Bowl Orchestra second and fourth horn auditions.

Iona received her bachelor’s in Horn Performance from the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music under prominent Los Angeles freelancer Amy Sanchez. Other notable teachers include Richard Deane (New York Philharmonic, Assoc. Principal Horn), Annie Bosler (Studio Hornist, Educator) and Warren Gref (San Diego Symphony, Second Horn).

Adrian Reyes joined the Santa Monica Symphony, as principal trombone, in 2019.  He graduated from the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music and has performed with a number of ensembles. Some of these ensembles include the Debut Chamber Orchestra, the Huntington Beach Symphony, the Orchestra Santa Monica and the Bob Cole Conservatory Symphony. He has also attended events such as the Rafael Mendez Brass Institute, the Southeast Trombone Symposium, and the Georgia Trombone Summit. Adrian has studied under the guidance of Steve Trapani and Mike Hoffman; he has also worked with  Joe Alessi, Toby Oft, Steve Lange and Larry Zalkind. Adrian enjoys working with his hands and has taken on a variety of projects such as model tank building, leather working and instrument repair.

Thomas Idzinski is a Freelance Tubist, Contractor and Educator. Thomas has performed in a lot of different places such as Hawaii, South Korea and many more. Mr. Idzinski has a Bachelor’s Degree in Music from The Bob Cole Conservatory of Music in Tuba Performance, and will receive his Master’s Degree in spring of 2021. He has studied with many masters of the instrument including: John Van Houten, Gabriel Sears, and Roger Bobo. Since 2015, Mr. Idzinski has held the Principle Tuba position in the Santa Monica Symphony Orchestra. In 2016, he won the principal tuba position of The Debut Chamber Orchestra.  Currently Thomas is the Principal Tubist for the True Brass Choir and the Le Vents Winds. Thomas joined the Orange County School of the Arts family in 2016 teaching Music Theory, Chamber Music, and Symphonic Brass/Percussion. In the fall of this 2017, Mr. Idzinski started a wind band program for the students of Samueli Academy, which he still conducts currently.

Hailing from Tainan, Taiwan, Erica Hou started her percussion journey at the age of four with Ju Percussion Music School and immigrated to the U.S. in 2014. An alumnus of the California State Summer School of the Arts, she was awarded the title of California Art Scholar in 2019. Erica holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Percussion Performance from the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, where she studied with Gregory Goodall and Theresa Dimond. She is projected to earn her Master’s degree at her alma mater in 2028. An active freelancer, Erica has performed with Los Angeles Master Chorale, Los Angeles Opera, New West Symphony, Santa Monica Symphony, and many more. Outside of classical music, she is also an avid enjoyer of musicals and has played in Peter Pan, Everybody’s Talking about Jamie, and The Drowsy Chaperone. Her film credits include Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. Other credits include the RISE Film Scoring Orchestra, New York University Broadway Symposium, and Socia Festival of Music. In addition to being an accomplished percussionist, she is also an active photographer frequenting live events and portrait sessions. She is now based in Los Angeles.