
Meet the Iris Musicians
Five times a year, Iris musicians travel from around the world to gather in Germantown, TN and share their talent and love of music with the audiences of the Mid-South. Our musicians touch the lives of people of all ages through Iris Orchestra concerts, chamber concerts, community engagement programs for adults and students, and ongoing relationships with their host families. At the end of each performance week, Iris musicians return to their home cities, carrying stories of the warmth and generosity of the Memphis/Germantown community, becoming ambassadors who champion the reputation of the Mid-South across the country and across the globe.
STRINGS

AARON TUBERGEN
Aaron Tubergen currently serves as the principal violist of the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, where he was recently featured as soloist in Berlioz’s “Harold in Italy.”

ADDA KRIDLER

ADRIANA LINARES

AJIBOLA RIVERS
Ajibola Rivers is a Nigerian-American performing artist of many talents. He has received classical training as a cellist and is a self-taught composer.

ALEX FORTES

ALEX SHIOZAKI
ALISA COFFEY
Alisa Coffey joined the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra as Principal Harpist in 2011 and has established an active performing and teaching career in Little Rock. She currently teaches at University of Arkansas and Hendrix College. Orchestrally, she performs regularly with the ensembles such as Artosphere

ALLISON OSTRANDER
Violinist Allison Ostrander is concertmaster of the Minnesota Opera, a member of the Iris Orchestra and The Four Voices String Quartet, and performs regularly with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Minnesota Orchestra. Previously, she has held positions with the Naples Philharmonic

ANDREA LEE

ANGELA PICKETT

ANNIE RABBAT

ARA SARKISSIAN
Ara Sarkissian began studying violin at the age of four and continues to teach and perform domestically and abroad as a conductor, soloist, and chamber and orchestral musician.

ARI ISAACMAN BECK

ARIANA KIM

ARLEN HLUSKO
Internationally acclaimed Canadian cellist Arlen Hlusko is a dynamic, versatile young artist who has performed extensively as soloist and chamber musician across North America, Asia, and Europe.

ASHLEY VINES
Ashley Vines is a violist and teaching artist from Philadelphia. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Music Performance from Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance and was a viola student of Renard Edwards.

AYANE KOZASA

BENJAMIN HART

BENJAMIN KRONK

CAITLIN EDWARDS

CAITLIN SULLIVAN

CARLOS RUBIO

CAROLYN HUEBL

CHRISTIE KEIKO ABE

CRAIG BATE

CREMAINE BOOKER
Cremaine Booker, aka That Cello Guy, is a cellist who hails from Dallas, TX. He currently serves as principal cello for the Nashville Philharmonic Orchestra

DANIEL PEREIRA
Daniel Pereira, from Caracas, Venezuela, enjoys a multifaceted and versatile career as a cello teacher, chamber music coach, orchestral performer and chamber musician.

DAVID BJELLA
DARA HANKINS

DOMENIC SALERNI

ELISE BLAKE

ELIZABETH HAINEN

EMILIE-ANNE GENDRON

EMILY POPHAM GILLINS
Violinist Emily Popham Gillins has been blessed to travel the world as a soloist and chamber musician since her debut at age 11 with the Louisville Orchestra. As a member of Ensemble Connect,

ERIC STEPHENSON

FATIMA AAZIZA

FELIX WANG

HAJNAL PIVNICK

HENRY JENKINS
Henry Jenkins is a violinist from Cleveland, Ohio, based professionally in southern Indiana. After studying with Professor Milan Vitek at the Oberlin Conservatory,

JANE CORDS-O'HARA

JASON HEATH

JESÚS MORALES

JONATHAN CHU

KAREN OUZOUNIAN
KAREN POMMERICH
KEIKO TOKUNAGA

KIMBERLY PATTERSON
Hailed by the Chicago Sun Times as a “superb cellist,” Dr. Kimberly Patterson was the founding cellist for the Tesla Quartet, winners of the 2012 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition

KORBINIAN ALTENBERGER
The violinist Korbinian Altenberger is an established and much appreciated soloist and chamber musician worldwide. After several years of studying and performing in the USA, he returned to his hometown Munich to take the position of concertmaster of the 2nd violins at the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.

LAURA COLGATE

LAURA METCALF
Cellist Laura Metcalf, renowned as a compelling solo and chamber musician, has been acclaimed for her “brilliant” playing (Gramophone Magazine), “gorgeous cello legatos” (Washington Post) and described as “a cellist whose passion for music is as evident as her artistry and talent”

LEAH HOLLINGSWORTH

LENNY SCHRANZE

LESLIE SHANK

LINDA KLINE

LOUIS LEVITT
As a member of Sybarite5, Louis Levitt was the first double bassist to win the Concert Artist Guild Competition. Since then, he has performed with Sybarite5 in hundreds of concerts across

MARCIN ARENDT
MARCOS SANTOS

MARI LEE
Praised as “an outstanding musician…with an artful, expressive power” by Zürichsee Zeitung, Mari Lee is a violinist dedicated to engaging her audience by instilling curiosity for music. A concert violinist, chamber musician, and a teaching artist, she aims to bridge the gap between the audience, the performer, and the composer.

MARIA SAMPEN
Dr. Sampen teaches a talented studio of violinists at the University of Puget Sound. She also coaches chamber music, directs the New Music Ensemble and chairs the string

MARIAMA ALCANTARA
Mariama was introduced to music by her father, a professional guitarist in Brazil, and chose violin as her way to travel the world and gain exposure to different cultures.

MARIAN SHAFER
Marian Shaffer is Principal Harpist with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and is a charter member of the Iris Orchestra. She taught at Vanderbilt University and the University of Memphis for 20 years

MARY JAVIAN

MELISSA MELENDEZ
Melissa Melendez, an accomplished violist and teacher, is sought after as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestra player, clinician and artist teacher. A native of Venezuela,

MIA LEE

MICHAEL HAAS

MICHAEL JORGENSEN
Described as an exceptional musician by Maestro Lorin Maazel, violinist Michael Jorgensen is the Professor of Practice in Orchestral Strings at Lehigh University, where he serves as the concertmaster of the Lehigh University Philharmonic Orchestra.

MIHO SAEGUSA
Violinist Miho Saegusa enjoys a multifaceted career as a versatile chamber musician, orchestral leader, and soloist. She is a founding member of

MILANA REICHE

MILENA PAJARO-VAN DE STADT

MONI SIMEONOV
A native of Bulgaria, Moni Simeonov began playing the violin at age 5, and ten years later, came to the United States on a full scholarship to the Idyllwild Arts Academy in California.

PAUL WIANCKO

REBECCA ANDERSON
Violinist, Rebecca Anderson is a versatile soloist and chamber musician based in New York City. Her recent appearances include solo performances with the Philidelphia Orchestra

ROSA ORTEGA IANNELLI

ROSS MONROE WINTER

SAM BERGMAN

SAMI MERDINIAN

SARAH WHITNEY

SHANNON THOMAS

SHARON ROFFMAN

SHIRA MAJONI

SIMON ERTZ
Simon Ertz is principal viola of the Winston Salem Symphony and also a member of the Greensboro Symphony. He plays as a regular substitute in both the

STEPHANIE GRIFFIN

STEPHEN MIAHKY

TIFFANY TIEU

TIM PEARSON

TIMOTHY CHRISTIE

TIMOTHY PITTS

WILLIAM HAKIM

YUN ZHANG

ZOË MARTIN
WINDS

ADRIAN MOREJON
Adrian Morejon has been a member of Iris Orchestra since 2002. When not in Germantown,

AGNES MARCHIONE

AMY TAYLOR

ARPI ANDERSON

AUSTIN SMITH
In Fall 2019, Austin Smith was appointed Instructor of Oboe at the University of Mississippi, where he directs the oboe studio, teaches applied oboe methods, and plays with the faculty wind quintet. As an orchestral musician,

BILL KALINKOS

BRYAN YOUNG

CASEY GSELL
At six years old, Casey won free piano lessons in a school raffle, and her life has been full of music ever since.

DANNY GOLDMAN
Danny Goldman is a multi-faceted musician, clarinetist, and producer. He most recently became a core member of

ELISE BLATCHFORD

GINA CUFFARI

HARRISON HOLLINGSWORTH

JOHN WARREN
John Warren joined the Kennesaw State University faculty in 2006. His previous university affiliations include Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, Georgia, and The University of Nebraska at Omaha.

JULIE WILLIAMS

KATHLEEN NESTER

KEMP JERNIGAN

LAURA DWYER

LEAH CRAFT BEDARD

MARK TIMMERMAN
Mark Timmerman, a native of Davenport, Iowa, is an accomplished orchestral and chamber musician. He is member of the New Jersey Symphony

MAYA STONE
Maya Stone is a faith-filled, Black female classical musician, creator, performer and educator. Her creative output is filtered through that personal and professional lens.

NUNO ANTUNES

PETER KOLKAY

RENA KRAUT

REID MESSICH

SAMUEL BLAIR

SASHA GE ENEGREN

SHANNON ORME

TIM DANIELS

TODD SKITCH
Canadian flutist Todd Skitch joined the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in 2013. He is also a member of the Atlanta Chamber Players and is the Artist-in-Residence at Kennesaw State University.

TONIMARIE MARCHIONI
Dr. ToniMarie Marchioni has been a member of the Iris Orchestra since 2007. Most recently, she has been a featured artist at the Moab Music Festival, as well as in Carnegie Hall’s collected stories festival and the Stefan Wolpe Society’s series, Portrait of a Visionary. She has appeared with the National Symphony, American

VIVIANA CUMPLIDO WILSON
BRASS

ANDREW KARR

ANDREW SORG

ANNA SPINA

BRANDON CRASWELL

CHRIS BEAUDRY

CHRIS BUBOLZ

DARIN KELLY

DAVID MURRAY

GAIL WILLIAMS
Gail Williams ’76 MMus is an internationally recognized hornist and brass pedagogue. She has presented concerts, master classes, recitals and lectures throughout North America, as well as in Europe and Asia.

JACQUELYN ADAMS

JAIME MORALES-MATOS

JEFFREY KAYE
Jeffrey Kaye is an internationally acclaimed orchestral and chamber musician, soloist, and teacher. He performs frequently with many South Florida ensembles,

JEREMIAH FREDERICK

JOE SELLMANSBERGER

JOHN FREEMAN

JOHN ROJAK

KIMBERLY PENROD MINSON
Originally from Washington D.C., Kimberly studied horn performance at the Interlochen Arts Academy and Rice University.

KRISTI CRAGO

LEANDER STAR

LYDIA VAN DREEL

MARY ELIZABETH BOWDEN

MICHAEL HOSFORD

MIKE LORMAND

NATHAN PAWELEK

NATHANIEL DICKEY

PHILLIP OSTRANDER

TIM ALBRIGHT
PERCUSSION

ALEX WADNER

PETER WILSON

ROBERT SCHULZ
Drummer/percussionist/
KEYBOARD
