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Meet the Orchestra:
Phyllis Aronson, Principal Flute.
 A
gifted pedagogue, Phyllis has taught at the Hartford Conservatory of Music,
Westfield State College, Brown University, UMASS-Dartmouth, and Western New
England College. In addition to teaching flute to young children through older
adults, beginners to college music majors, she has taught music appreciation to
people as diverse as a class of police officers.
Ms. Aronson currently is Principal Flutist with the Claflin Hill Symphony
Orchestra and chamber players. She recently began to work with the Metrowest
Youth Symphony Orchestra in their mentorship program. She has been featured on
National Public Radio in a premiere solo performance. She won an audition with
the Plymouth Philharmonic and has begun her first season there. She is on the
faculty of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Music School where she teaches flute
and chamber music. Through the Music School, she leads an innovative educational
program for school shows and has a tradition of arranging concerts of her
students in nursing homes.
A gifted pedagogue, Phyllis has held
positions at the Hartford Conservatory of Music, Westfield State College, Brown
University, UMASS-Dartmouth, and Western New England College. In addition to
teaching flute to all ages and levels, she has taught music appreciation to
people as diverse as a class of police officers.
Ms. Aronson currently is Principal
Flutist with the Claflin Hill Symphony Orchestra and chamber players. Other
recent performances include the Rhode Island Philharmonic and a premiere solo
performance featured on National Public Radio. She is on the faculty of the
Rhode Island Philharmonic Music School where she teaches flute, chamber music,
and where she leads an educational outreach program.
 Lynne
Canavan - Violinist
Photo is by
Marc Lyonnais, Bradford, MA
Lynne Canavan received her
undergraduate degree in violin performance from The University of Lowell,
Massachusetts, and master's degree in management from Lesley College. She has
studied violin with Alfred Schneider and Joseph McGauley of The Boston Symphony,
John Lowry, now associate concertmaster of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra,
as well as Virginia Neikrug.
Lynne has been a freelance violinist
in the New England area for over 18 years. In addition to The Claflin Hill
Symphony, she has performed with area orchestras including The Civic Symphony of
Boston, Cape Ann Symphony, New Hampshire Philharmonic, Indian Hill Orchestra,
Concord Symphony, and The Worcester Symphony Orchestra. She is currently
Assistant Director of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) Orchestra and
chamber music coach for the Medwin Honor's String Quartet. In 2004, Lynne
toured Poland and the Czech Republic with the WPI orchestra and jazz ensemble.
In March of 2005, Lynne accompanied the WPI Glee Club to Madrid and Barcelona
Spain where she performed on two world premiers specially commissioned for the
tour by the Chicago-based composer, Paul Carey.
Among her many past accomplishments,
Lynne has taught traditional and Suzuki violin at The Westford Suzuki School and
at Indian Hill Arts in Littleton, MA. She also successfully designed and
implemented a pilot string program for the Billerica Public School system.
Lynne is a founding member of The Woodvale String Quartet, a professional
ensemble providing elegant chamber music for business events, parties and
weddings in the New England area. 2005 marks the quartet’s 20th
anniversary. Upcoming projects include new popular and jazz arrangements by
Woodvale musicians, a Christmas CD and a CD with soprano Alison Trick. Lynne
resides in Framingham, MA with her husband, Dave, and six year old daughter, and
budding pianist, Lorraine.
Lynne wishes to thank Paul
Surapine for his efforts to provide such a high quality orchestra for audiences
in the Metrowest area, interesting programs to play, and last but not least,
jobs for musicians. Thanks a million, Paul!
 Thaddeus
L. Coverdale - Oboe and English Horn
Mr.
Coverdale began studying oboe in 1968; in 1972 he began studying with John Mack,
principal oboe of The Cleveland Orchestra, and also with (then a student) Elaine
Douvas, now principal oboe of The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Mr. Coverdale
moved to Boston in September 1993 and began studies with Dr. Stuart Dunkel to
prepare for audition to The Boston Conservatory. He was accepted and won
scholarship beginning in the fall of 1994. While preparing for auditions, Mr.
Coverdale was principal oboe with The Brockton Symphony, and second oboe with
The Longwood Symphony Orchestra. The Houston Civic Symphony,
Symphony-by-the-Sea, Symphony-Pro-Musica, New Bedford Symphony, Brookline
Symphony, Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra and several chamber groups in the
Boston area have also engaged Mr. Coverdale. During the summer of 1997 Mr.
Coverdale won scholarship and was principal oboe at The Rome Festival in Rome,
Italy. During the summer of 1992 he also won scholarship to The Texas Music
Festival in Houston, Texas.
Having
graduated from The Boston Conservatory in May 2000 with a Bachelor of Music in
Oboe Performance, Mr. Coverdale continues to study with Dr. Stuart Dunkel. Mr.
Coverdale teaches privately at the Arlington Public Schools. He is currently
second Oboe and English horn with the Claflin Hill Symphony in Milford,
Massachusetts and a free-lance performer in the Boston area.
During
the years, 1984-1996, Mr. Coverdale was employed as a Counselor for families and
children in crisis. He worked at various agencies in Houston, Texas and
ultimately in the Inpatient Psychiatry Department at Children's Hospital, Boston
Massachusetts. In additon, Mr. Coverdale has served on the Board's of Directors
of The Lone Star Symphonic Band, Houston, Texas and the North Shore Philharmonic
Orchestra in Beverly, Massachusetts.
 Nannette
Foley - Principle Horn
Ms. Foley loves to travel and her
horn playing has brought her to many interesting places around the world, such
as Italy, Barbados and China. She has traveled extensively, also, throughout
the eastern regions of the USA. When she’s not playing horn for the CHSO, she
can be found playing at various weddings, funerals, graduations, ballets,
operas, and orchestras throughout New England and abroad. She plays with
Symphony by the Sea Orchestra, located in Marblehead, Massachusetts, and with
the Hillyer Festival Symphony Orchestra in Salem.
In her home studio, Ms. Foley teaches
private lessons, and she also teaches at Dracut and Arlington High Schools. She
is also a teaching assistant in the Bedford High School Special Education
Department.
Ms. Foley ran a daycare business for
20 years while raising her two daughters, Katie 26 and Sharon 24, who currently
live in Ithaca, New York and South Boston, respectively.
In the future, Ms. Foley has hopes of
living in Italy where she plans to spend her time performing and teaching.
 Teri Herel
is a student of Kalmen Opperman and performs professionally with the Claflin
Hill Symphony Orchestra, the Blackledge Woodwind Quintet, the Paul Surapine
Clarinet Ensemble, the Hartford Pops Band, and the Claflin Summer Winds. Ms.
Herel is on the music faculty of The Hartford Conservatory, The University of
Connecticut Community School of the Arts, and the Pakachoag Music School in
Worcester.
She has completed course work for a
Master’s degree in clarinet performance at the University of Connecticut, where
she has performed Alvin Etler’s Concerto for Clarinet and Bernstein’s
Prelude, Fugue, and Riffs with the University of Connecticut Wind Ensemble.
She also completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Connecticut,
having received a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics and a Bachelor of Fine
Arts degree in Music.
Teri’s off-hours interests include
edible landscaping, wine making, and ballroom dance. She can be contacted at
cmdrherel@aol.com.
 Etleva
Hima, Violin. Etleva is a native of Albania, and began studying violin at
the age of seven. She was quickly noticed as being highly talented, and her
aptitude and mastery of the violin at a young age allowed her to appear in
competitions, concerts in premiere concert halls, and also in live TV shows. She
is the winner of several national competitions, including the Albanian National
Competition, which she won at the age of thirteen, playing the Wieniavsky Violin
Concerto.
Ms. Hima studied in Bucharest,
Romania with Stefan Georgiu and Serban Dimitrie Soreaunu. She continued her
studies at the Boston Conservatory under Ronan Lefkowitz (BSO) and Judith
Eisenberg of the Lydian string Quartet. Her solo repertoire includes all major
violin Concertos from Mendelssohn to Shostakovitch and almost the entire set of
Beethoven’s Violin Sonatas.
Ms. Hima is a very active musician.
She is the founding member of New Horizon Piano Trio, a performer at Salem
Chamber Music Series in New York, and also works as a recitalist and teacher. In
Boston and its surrounding areas, she teaches all levels, from beginners to very
advanced students. She has coached for the New England Conservatory Youth
Programs and is actively coaching for the GBYSO. Her students have participated
in the most prestigious youth orchestras in Boston and have won competitions as
“New England Superstars.”
As an orchestra player Ms. Hima has
performed regularly with the Claflin Hill Symphony Orchestra since 2000, Vermont
Symphony orchestra since 2002 and Opera Boston since 2004.
James Mosher, Hornist. A native of Michigan,
Jim has made Boston his home since 1984. He has played with the Claflin Hill
Symphony since its inception, as part of his busy free-lance schedule, which has
included performing with many of Boston’s leading ensembles, including the
Boston Symphony and Boston Pops, as well as regional orchestras throughout New
England. Since 1990 he has played the valveless natural horn with the Handel &
Haydn Society, Boston Baroque, Early Music New York, and New York State Baroque
and has recorded CDs with the Musicians of the Old Post Road. He has also
appeared on recordings with The Jazz Composers Alliance Orchestra. He has been
Co-Principal Horn with the Sarasota Opera Orchestra in Florida and the Orquestra
Sinfonica do Estado de Sao Paulo, Brazil. He has been a concerto soloist with
the Boston Virtuosi and performed the Mozart Horn Concerto No. 4 with the
Hillyer Festival Orchestra at the Hatch Shell on the Boston Esplanade. Mr.
Mosher teaches horn on the faculties of the New England Conservatory, the Longy
School of Music and the Powers School of Music in Belmont, Mass.
Jim especially loves playing operas, and particularly
enjoys his Claflin Hill experiences performing Carmen and Tosca, in concert
performances.
 Nikola
Takov, Concertmaster.
A Native of Sofia, Bulgaria, Nikola
began playing violin at the age of five. He received his Bachelors Degree in
Violin Performance from Louisiana State University and his Masters of Music and
Diploma in Performance from Boston University. His principle teachers include
Yuri Mazurkevich, Kevork Mardrossian, and Dora Ivanova. Mr. Takov has performed
extensively throughout the United States and Europe in solo, chamber and
orchestral settings. Nikola has won a number of competitions and has appeared as
a soloist with numerous ensembles in Europe and the United States, as well as
performing in master classes including those held by David Cerone, Joseph
Silverstein, Camilla Wicks, Sergiu Luca, Charles Cattleman and Elmar Oliveira.
Nikola is a founding member of
Kalistos Chamber Orchestra, and is currently the concertmaster of Claflin Hill
Symphony Orchestra. He is also a member of Portland Symphony Orchestra and Rhode
Island Philharmonic.
Angel Valchinov - Violin
Angel Valchinov, born on 26th
November 1979, has been a Semi-Finalist at the "Vaclam Huml" International
Violin Competition in Zagreb, Croatia, has won First Prizes at California Young
Artist Competition, Temecula Young Artist Competition, and has won the Concerto
Competitions at his former schools: Idyllwild Arts Academy and Harid
Conservatory in Boca Raton, Florida. He has also been a Semi-Finalist at the
renowned Spotlight Competition in Los Angeles.
Angel has performed with the
following orchestras: The Clafin Hill Symphony of Milford, Massachusetts, Gold
Country Symphony in Sacramento, California, Pacific Union College Symphony in
Napa Valley, Idyllwild Chamber Orchestra (there he performed with conductor
Ransom Wilson, which performance was broadcast over the Internet), and in his
home country, Bulgaria: Plovdiv Symphony Orchestra (second biggest), and
Pazardjik Symphony (fourth biggest). Angel’s solo recitals include recitals in:
Miami, Boca Raton, and Boynton Beach, Florida; Idyllwild, California; Plovdiv
State Radio (Bulgaria).
Currently a Master's student at
Boston University, his teachers include Aaron Rosand, Alexander Kerr
(Concertmaster of the Royal Concertgebow Orchestra), Naoko Tanaka (Dorothy DeLay
assistant), Viktor Danchenko, Sergiu Schwartz, Yuri Mazurkevitch, Todor Pelev.
Angel graduated from the Idyllwild
Arts Academy with two honors: Best Scholar in 10th Grade, and Most Distinguished
Arts Student (the highest award given to a student at that institution); and he
also graduated from the Harid Conservatory with three honors: he received the
award for Excellence in Violin Playing, the award Most Outstanding Chamber
Musician, and the distinction cum laude. He has attended the Aspen Music
Festival for three years on full scholarship, the Texas Music Festival, and the
Bowdoin Music Festival. He has also been a concertmaster of the Concert
Orchestra at the Aspen Music Festival, which premiered the opera "Gloria: a
Pig's Tale." This performance received a positive review in the New York
Times. Angel has been given grants from the Leni fe Bland Foundation, by Doris
Kovner (to attend the Aspen Music Festival), and Marie Iandoli (to attend Boston
University). He has had master classes with: Gil Shaham, Midori, Pamela Frank,
Joseph Silverstein, among others. He just started recording the Complete
Sonatas and Partitas by Bach, for Orpheus Violin House and is also engaged to
record the 24 Caprices by Paganini in the near future. Angel is truly grateful
to Hristo Tchechmedjiev for giving him the pleasure of playing on one of his
violins.
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