OLPA Member Profiles* Principal
Orchestra Member
Orchestra London Players’ Association Chair: Jeffrey Garrett
Louise Bellhouse
grew up in Winnipeg. She was inspired to make a career as a
Mary-Elizabeth Brown, 23, holds an Hons. B.Mus, cum laude from the University of Toronto and a M.Mus (Performance) from the Université de Montréal. Her principal teachers have included Dr. Robert Skelton, David Zafer, Mark Skazinetsky, Ilya Kaler and Vladimir Landsman. Mary-Elizabeth has been the recipient of awards and grants from the University of Toronto, Corporation of the City of London, DePaul University, Canadian Scholarship Trust Foundation, Hazel Crydermann-Wees Foundation, Université de Montréal, Fonds des Amis de l'Art, and the American Suzuki Foundation. As a soloist, she has worked in masterclasses with Regis Pasqier, Pierre Amoyal, Sylvia Rosenberg, Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Pamela Frank, Pinchas Zukerman and the late Lorand Fenyves, among others. She has appeared with the London Youth Symphony, Orchestra London Canada and the Banff Festival Chamber Orchestra. Mary-Elizabeth is a two-time laureate of the Canadian Music Competition National Finals as well as the winner of the London Kiwanis Festival Rosebowl for "…the most outstanding performance of the festival" (2001). As a chamber musician, Mary-Elizabeth has been heard on CBC Radio and at major festivals across Canada including ScotiaFest, Le Festival Internationale du Domaine Forget and the Banff Summer Arts Festival. She has worked closely with members of the St. Lawrence, Orford, Artur Leblanc and Brentano Quartets as well as the Gryphon Trio, William Aide and Laurence Lesser. An advocate for New Music, she regularly collaborates with emerging Canadian composers and has worked with Gary Kulesha, Kryszstof Penderecki, Walter Boudreau and the Societé de Musique Contemporaine du Québec (SMCQ). Equally at home as an orchestral player, she is currently the Associate Concertmaster of Orchestra London Canada, as well as the Concertmaster of Youth Orchestra of the Americas. She has played under distinguished conductors such as Kryszstof Penderecki, Raffi Armenian, Agnes Grossman, Benjamin Zander, Carlos Miguel Prieto, Isaac Karabtchevsky, Richard Bradshaw, David Robert Coleman and Placido Domingo. As the Concertmaster of YOA, she tours extensively and has recently recorded Verdi's Requiem for Deustche Grammaphone and Sony Classical (to be released in 2007) as well as several broadcasts for Radio France and Deustchlandradio. Mary-Elizabeth plays on a 1737 Guidantus violin and F.N Voirin bow kindly on loan from the Banff Centre for the Arts.
Ian Franklin has been Principal Oboist of Orchestra London since 1986. His orchestral career began when he was appointed Principal Oboist of the Victoria Symphony Orchestra at the age of seventeen. His teachers included Bernard Shapiro of the Seattle Symphony and Ray Still of the Chicago Symphony. He has also been Principal Oboist with the Regina Symphony, the Colorado Music Festival, and has performed with many other orchestras including The Vancouver Symphony, The Orchestre symphonique de Montreal, The Calgary Philharmonic, The Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, the National Ballet of Canada, and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. He has been a lecturer at The Don Wright Faculty of Music, University of Western Ontario for sixteen years. Ian is a founding member of The Aeolian Winds, one of Canada’s finest chamber ensembles. The Aeolian Winds have been frequent performers on CBC Radio, and have toured repeatedly from coast to coast. In 1998 The Aeolian Winds presented five concerts in Taiwan, as part of the True North festival of Canadian art and music. They have produced three CDs to date: Pastels, IBS Records, 1992; Home Suite Home, IBS Records, 1998, and The Devil’s Dictionary, CBC Records, 2001. They have appeared on several other recordings, including a CentreDisc recording by The Elmer Iseler Singers of the choral works of Harry Freedman. Ian is active
as a soloist and recitalist, performing frequently on CBC Radio.
He has performed concerti with numerous orchestras including the
CBC Orchestra (Vancouver), the Orquesta Sinfonica de San Luis Potosi,
Mexico, and on numerous occasions with the Victoria Symphony, the
Regina Symphony, and Orchestra London. He is a featured soloist
with Erik Schultz, trumpet and David Haward, bassoon, conductor
Vladislav Czarnecki, and the Southwest German Chamber Orchestra,
Pforzheim, on the ebs recording, Cantabile Virtuos.
 JEFFREY
GARRETT- Cello
Jeffrey Garrett received his early music training at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. His teachers have included Daniel Domb, Janos Starker, and Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi. He received his Bachelor of Music from McMaster University then participated in The Orchestral Training Program in Toronto. There he worked with a long list of internationally recognized musicians that included Iona Brown (Artistic Director and violinist with The Academy of St .Martins in the Fields), Dale Clevenger (Principal Horn, Chicago Symphony) and Joseph Silverstein (Concertmaster, Boston Symphony). His other musical activities have included two summers with the Canadian Chamber Orchestra in Banff, two summers with The National Youth Orchestra, and The String Quartet Institute in Kingston. Jeffrey Garrett has had the opportunity to work with some outstanding Conductors. He was Principal Cellist under Antal Dorati for Wayne State University's Bartok Festival, and held that position while working with Klauss Tennstedt and Kazuyoshi Akiyama in the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. Jeffrey's first full time position was as Principal Cello with the International Symphony of Sarnia and Pt. Huron. He has been playing with Orchestra London since 1984. Jeffrey lives in London, enjoys skiing, sailing and hiking with his companion Marie and his two beautiful daughters Larisa and Inara.
Sasha Gorbasew has been a member of Orchestra London Canada since 1997. He has performed with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Kitchener Waterloo Symphony Orchestra and Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra. Sasha holds a Bachelor of Music degree (Performance) from the University of Western Ontario and a Masters of Music (Performance) degree from the University of British Columbia. Past teachers include Wayne Jeffrey, Martin Hackleman, John Zirbel and Rick Wood. Sasha has participated in masterclasses with Froydis Ree Wekre, Roland Pandolfi, James Sommerville and Ifor James. Sasha lives
in London with his lovely wife Francesca and two sons Samuel and
Michael.
He has performed with several Canadian orchestras and has been active in musical theater productions at the Huron Country Playhouse and the Stratford Festival. His very successful Bang a Drum education concert for elementary schools is both highly regarded and enthusiastically received. D'Arcy's compositions
for acoustic and electronic percussion instruments have been performed
internationally and are published by Tymtech Music Productions.
His composition "Four Loops" was the subject of an article
published by the Percussive
Arts Society in their scholarly journal "Percussive Notes",
where his compositions have also been reviewed.
Born in San Francisco, Ronald George began his horn lessons with Earl Saxton. Upon moving to Canada he pursued his musical studies through high school with Robert Creech and then at the University of Toronto with Eugene Rittich. With the generous aid of a grant from the Canada Council, Ron continued his studies in Essen, Germany with Hermann Baumann. Since 1979 Ronald George has held the position of principal horn with Orchestra London Canada, with whom he appears regularly as a soloist. As well as his duties with OLC, Ronald teaches at the Faculty of Music at the University of Western Ontario. Ron is in demand both as an orchestral and chamber musician and can be heard regularly on the CBC. Some of Ron's more recent activities include performing with the Canadian Opera Company in their Wagner Ring Cycle production, a European tour with the Calgary Philharmonic, a Japanese tour of Don Giovanni with Opera Atelier, recordings and performances with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, concerts at the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, touring and recording with Tafelmusik, a performance of the Ligeti Trio at the University of Western Ontario, a performance of the Strauss Second Horn Concerto with Orchestra London, the Britten Serenade with the Thunder Bay Symphony and the International Symphony, perfomances with the Kitchener-Waterloo, Toronto and Detroit Symphony Orchestras and the premiere of a new work for horn and piano written by London's Jeff Christmas at the International Horn Society Symposium held at Western Michigan University. Ron is fortunate
and proud to be performing on a hand crafted instrument made in
Canada by Keith Berg.
Marie was born in Montreal and grew up in Sherbrooke in the Eastern Townships. Despite her English last name she is a real French Canadian, her family having been French for 9 generations! At the age of 7 she started piano lessons and in grade 8 started clarinet so that she could join the school band. During those early formative years she was a member of various youth orchestras, including The National Youth Orchestra of Canada. She completed a Bachelor of Music and a Master's of Music in performance at the University of Montreal. A travel grant from the Canada Arts Council allowed her to continue her studies at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Freiburg, Germany where she obtained an "Aufbaustudium Diplom", a post-graduate performance degree. Her main teachers were Robert Crowley, principal clarinetist with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and Dieter Klöcker, a founding member or the German chamber group Consortium Classicum. After several years in Freiburg and Dresden, she left Germany in 1995, and returned to Canada where she settled in Toronto. Since then she has been a very active performer and teacher. Marie has played with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra, the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra and the Windsor Symphony. She spent the 2000-2001 season playing second and bass clarinet with the Orchestre symphonique de Québec, a one year appointment. In the fall of 1998 Marie started teaching clarinet at Upper Canada College, a position she still holds. In addition she teaches privately in her home studio and especially likes to work with beginner students. Since October 2004 Marie has played second clarinet and bass clarinet with Orchestra London. She is a member of the Clarinet Quartet "ƒƒourtissimo" playing the bass clarinet. Occasionally she also performs at Huron County Playhouse in Grand Bend. She was a member of the orchestra for "The Secret Garden" and Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Mikado". Marie lives
in London with her partner Jeff, his two daughters Inara and Larisa
and their dog Meisha. She enjoys cooking and baking, gardening,
reading English and French Literature and going to the movies.
JULIA MACGREGOR - Cello British born
cellist Julia MacGregor studied at the Royal
Northern College of Music in Manchester, England with Raphael
Sommer and subsequently with Ralph Kirshbaum. During this time,
she was awarded the Brodsky and Henry Fielding scholarships administered
by the R.N.C.M. as well as the prestigous Martin Trust scholarship
for two years administered by the Philharmonia
Orchestra in London. Further study took place at Northern
Illinois University with Marc Johnson and Raya Garbousova where
she gained a Masters degree in performance.
As a member of Orchestra London, Sigmar has worked behind the scenes to develop a strong community outreach component. This has lead to extra funding and support from all areas including the City of London, the Trillium Foundation, and many local sponsors and donors. He has also performed with a variety of ensembles thoughout London and area schools creating awareness and knowledge of the many facets of music.
ANNELIE METRAKOS - Flute Hello, I'm Annelie
Metrakos and I have been the principal flutist of Orchestra
London since 1978. I was born in Holland where my mother who
was an artist and a violinist, took me to many concerts. When I
was 11 we moved to Calgary where I started flute lessons, and a
few years later I got to play with the Calgary
Philharmonic for the first time. My later studies
took me to New York when I won a Canada
Council grant to study with Julius Baker, who was then the pricipal
flutist of the New
York Philharmonic. I have played
with orchestas such as the Victoria
Symphony and the National
Arts Centre Orchestra and have performed as soloist both with
orchestras and for CBC recitals. I taught flute
at U.W.O for 25 years and now I especially love teaching my private
students at home. I have two sons, both of whom are amongst other
things,guitarists and song writers. I have always been equally in
love with both music and art and do a lot of art work in all different
styles If there are any music lovers out there, any level, any age, who would just love to learn to play the flute, just get in touch. I would love to hear from you.
Christine Newland,
a Canada
Council supported artist, has performed for CBC and BBC radio
and televison,and the West Deutches Rundfunk. She spent two years
in Germany, in the Master Class of Antonio Janigro, and toured Europe,
and Canada, in the Dusseldorf String Quartet, as well as a six week
solo tour in Japan sponsored by the Hellas Cultural Organization.
In 2000, Christine organized and promoted a special fund-raising
concert for Orchestra London, held at Centennial Hall. She was loaned
the six million dollar "Bonjour" Stradivari cello to perform
an all solo cello tribute to her friend Jacqueline Du Pre. The sold
out concert, raised considerable funds for the struggling orchestra.
Christine shared her letters from Ms. Du Pre with the public, (quotes
from Jaqueline Du Pre's letters to Christine can be found in Carol
Easton's book "Jaqueline Du Pre".) and performed the Elgar
Concerto amongst other solo works. Christine recalls the thrill
of being allowed to try Jaqueline's famous "Davidov" Stradivari
cello, when she was just 17. Christine also organized a fund-raising
concert for 911, in which Orchestra
London donated their services, raising $18,000 for The Red Cross
in the United States. She also organized a Fashion Show Fund-Raiser.
This was a fun evening, where the musicians of Orchestra London
performed, and walked the "catwalk" modeling clothing
from local Richmond Row vendors.
Spencer (Fred) Phillips, Orchestra London Canada’s Principal Bassoonist since 1995, has also served as the Principal Bassoonist of the Glimmerglass Opera Orchestra since 1983. A graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy and of Duke University, Mr. Phillips also holds an MS degree from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (in Environmental Management and Policy) and a Premier Prix de Virtuosité (Classe de Basson) from the Conservatoire de Musique de Genève. Orchestras of which Mr. Phillips is a former member include Orquestra Gulbenkian (Lisbon, Portugal), the Orchestre des Rencontres Musicales de Lausanne, the Albany Symphony Orchestra (New York State), Detroit’s Michigan Opera Theatre Orchestra, the Binghamton Philharmonic (New York State) and the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra (New York State). Others with which he has performed include the Windsor Symphony, the North Carolina Symphony and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. He can be heard on recordings released by Naxos, Chandos, Nimbus, Lyrinx and Erato. A native of the United States, Mr. Phillips is pleased to have become a Canadian citizen in 2000. When not playing the bassoon, he – an active member of both the London Centennial Wheelers and the London Cycling Club – can most often be found on his bicycle (on which he averages in excess of 10,000 kilometres per year).
Terry Sefton has played cello with Orchestra London Canada for nearly three decades. Originally from Regina, Saskatchewan, Terry took her Bachelor of Music at McGill University, studied in England with William Pleeth, played with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada and with Jeunesses Musical World Youth Orchestra. She has played professionally with the Regina Symphony, the Welsh BBC Orchestra in Cardiff, Wales, and the Canadian Opera Company. Terry has been actively involved with the political life of Orchestra London, serving on the committees both locally and nationally, as well as serving on the Board of Orchestra London. Terry also has a busy teaching career, having taught privately, having taught as a classroom music teacher for the Thames Valley District School Board, and she is currently a professor of education at the University of Windsor.
Originally from Nova Scotia, in 1987 Shawn went to McGill University to study with James Thompson, celebrated principal trumpet of the Montreal Symphony. After completing his studies Shawn moved on to Toronto to do the Orchestral Training Program at the Royal Conservatory. After spending a year in Toronto Shawn continued his studies at Yale University where he received his masters. The next year was spent filling positions in the Thunder Bay Symphony and the Calgary based Foothills Brass Quintet.
Toronto ultimately drew Shawn back and he worked as a freelance musician for the next four years playing with all the major southern Ontario orchestras. In 1999 Shawn was appointed principal trumpet of Orchestra London Canada. Shawn now lives in London with his wife Barb, daughter Abby and son Owen.
Shawn is also active in the early music community where he plays baroque trumpet and cornetto. Performances on these instruments have taken him as far away as Japan and Brazil. He has played with Tafelmusik, Studio de Musique Ancienne de Montreal, the Toronto Consort and the Sante Fe Early Music Society.
Shawn has also been active as a teacher. He was trumpet instructor at the Canadian Forces School of Music from 1991-1998 and taught privately in Toronto and London for several years. He currently teaches at the University of Western Ontario.
Shawn loves to cook and enjoys reading Canadian literature and murder mysteries.
Sandra Stark is from a musical family. She was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she first studied violin with her father. Subsequent teachers included Rafael Druian, Richard Adams (her brother), Andor Toth and Ralph Aldrich. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota (violin major) and a Master of Music degree from the University of Western Ontario (Literature and Performance - viola major). Besides her many years as a member of Orchestra London Canada, she has served as concertmaster of the Clairion Symphony Orchestra (of Sarnia), the International Symphony Orchestra under the late Stan Kopac, the London Community Orchestra and the Woodstock Strings. For a number of years she conducted her own string group, the Amadeus Youth Ensemble. She also has an extensive class of violin and viola students, is Faculty violist for the National Music Camp and does adjudicating and workshops. When time allows,
she loves reading and gardening and meets with friends on a weekly
basis to play chamber music. She is married and has two grown sons.
Linda Umbrico, violist, is a graduate of the University of Toronto Faculty of Music. She has been a member of the Scotia Chamber Players, Vancouver Opera Orchestra, Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, and the Thunder Bay Symphony. An avid chamber musician, she performs regularly as a member of the Kawartha Trio and the Thames ensemble. In addition to her performance career, Ms. Umbrico is currently the music teacher at Listowel Central Public School.
Jeff has been a full-time member of Orchestra London since 1987. This is his second stint with the orchestra: after completing his Bachelor of Music at the University of Toronto (History and Literature of Music, class of '74) and Associateship of the Royal Conservatory of Toronto (Gold Medal, 1975) he joined the newly minted Sinfonia of the then London Symphony Orchestra in September, 1975. In 1979 he left to freelance in his home town of Toronto, where he became a member of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet Orchestra and was a frequent extra player with the National Ballet Orchestra, Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra and Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra. In 1981 he married London pianist Lois Sands, paving the way for his eventual return to the Forest City. They are raising one cat. Since 1996 Jeff has also been the author of the orchestra's programme notes (The Inner Voice), in which he turns his second violin chair into a soapbox and holds forth on the masterworks of Western music. His house is a library of recordings, books and periodicals, which he spends most of his spare time cataloguing. He has toured as a member of the orchestra for Les Miserables, and since 1995 has been a regular extra with the Stratford Festival Orchestra.
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Contracted
musicians are members of the 
LOUISE
BELLHOUSE - Violin
MARY-ELIZABETH
BROWN - Violin
IAN
FRANKLIN - Oboe
SASHA
GORBASEW - Horn
D'ARCY
GRAY - Timpani
RONALD
GEORGE - Horn
MARIE
JOHNSON - Clarinet
MELVIN
MARTIN - Violin
SIGMAR MARTIN - Violin
JACQUELINE
MILNE - Viola
CHRISTINE
NEWLAND - Cello
SPENCER
PHILLIPS - Bassoon
TERRY
SEFTON - Cello
SHAWN
SPICER - Trumpet
SANDRA
STARK - Violin
LINDA
UMBRICO - Viola
JEFFREY
WALL - Violin©
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