Midsummer’s Music Welcomes New Talent during 2019 Season

Each year, Midsummer’s Music’s artistic director, James Berkenstock, draws on the extraordinary talent of professional musicians from the Chicago Symphony, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Milwaukee Symphony, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and Indianapolis Symphony, among others, who play during the growing concert seasons. The ensemble welcomed the following musicians this season.

French hornist Fritz Foss enjoys a career as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral player and music educator. As the assistant principal/utility hornist of the Lyric Opera of Chicago since 2012, he also performs with the Chicago Philharmonic.

As a chamber, orchestral and opera musician, bassist Andrew Keller was a 2018 Global Academy fellow with the New York Philharmonic. He has performed with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, New World Symphony, Houston’s KINETIC and the Hear and Now contemporary ensemble.  

JJ Koh joined the Madison Symphony Orchestra as principal clarinet in 2016, is the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra’s assistant principal E-flat clarinet for the 2018-19 season, and plays with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. Koh has also performed with the Toronto Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, Lexington Philharmonic, ProMusica Chamber Orchestra and New World Symphony. 

Lindsay Flowers Koh is principal oboist with the Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra and English hornist of the Quad Cities Symphony Orchestra. She’s performed with the New Mexico Philharmonic and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, for which she served as a Civic Fellow under the mentorship of Yo-Yo Ma, with whom she appeared on WFMT and in numerous Chicago venues.

Violinist Vinicius Sant’Ana was introduced to Midsummer’s Music in 2017 as a member of UW-Madison’s Fox Quartet, which performed in concerts presented by Midsummer’s. Since then, he has joined Midsummer’s Music’s resident string ensemble – the Griffon String Quartet – and earned his master’s of music degree at UW-Madison. 

A native of Russia, pianist Alyona A. Waldo has pursued a career as a chamber musician, collaborative pianist and educator and has performed in recitals across the U.S. and China as a member of the cello/piano team A.W. Duo. In Russia, she won the Second Gavrilin Governor’s International Competition and was a finalist in the Third International Gnessin Piano Competition in Moscow.