Current appointments include performing with and serving on the
Artistic board of Bent Frequency, an avant garde performance
ensemble; and cellist of the newly forming Amalgamas Quartet.
Sarah Kapps holds degrees from The Manhattan School of Music
and The Mannes College of Music, and has studied with Paul
Tobias and Peter Wiley of the Guarneri Quartet. She lives in
Atlanta with her husband, pianist Peter Marshall.
John Smith, Principal Bass
,
performs regularly with
numerous professional orchestras including the Roanoke
Symphony, where he is Associate Principal Bass. He also performs
with Opera Roanoke and the Wintergreen Festival Orchestra, and
serves as librarian of the RSO. A Professor of Double Bass at
Roanoke College and Liberty University, Mr. Smith serves as an
active clinician and instructor for the region. He has toured
Germany, France, Italy, and Switzerland with orchestra. He
received his B.M. from George Mason University and his Artist
Diploma studies at the Boston Conservatory.
Julee Hickcox, Principal Flute
,
was born in Singapore and
spent her formative years in Hong Kong. She moved to the United
States with her family at an early age and attended the North
Carolina School of the Arts, where she studied flute with Philip
Dunigan. Ms. Hickcox is a member of the Roanoke Symphony
Orchestra, the Wintergreen Festival Orchestra, and Opera
Roanoke. Her mentors include contemporary piccolo masters
Jeffery Zook, Clement Barone, Jan Gippo, and Laurie Sokoloff. Ms.
Hickcox currently maintains a full flute & piccolo studio in
Roanoke, Virginia, and serves as orchestra contractor for the RSO.
William Parrish, Principal Oboe
,
lives in Lynchburg, VA
and is currently principal oboe with the Roanoke Symphony
Orchestra, Opera Roanoke and Opera on the James as well as a
member of the Wintergreen Festival Orchestra. He is an adjunct
music faculty member at Lynchburg College, Sweet Briar College
and Washington and Lee University. Bill served as the Associate
Director of Pre-College at the Juilliard School for ten years and has
played with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, New Jersey
Symphony, San Francisco Symphony and Honolulu Symphony
Orchestra. Mr. Parrish received his BFA in oboe from Carnegie-
Mellon University, his M.M. from The University of the Arts in
Philadelphia and an Artist’s Diploma in oboe performance from the
Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He was a prize winner in
the 1988 Lucarelli Oboe International Solo competition at Carnegie
Hall in New York City. Bill’s principal oboe teachers include Robert
Bloom, Harry Sargous, John Ferrillo and Elaine Douvas. Mr. Parrish
maintains a vibrant and successful private oboe studio in
Lynchburg and is co-facilitator and guest teaching artist at the
Charleston Oboe Camp in Charleston, SC.
Carmen Eby, Principal Clarinet
,
is a freelance artist in the
Piedmont Triad region and frequently performs with the
Greensboro and Winston-Salem Symphonies. She is currently
principal clarinet with the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra and
Opera Roanoke.
Ms. Eby is adjunct professor of clarinet at Guilford College in
Greensboro, North Carolina. Additionally, she maintains a private
lesson studio in Greensboro and is the director of instrumental
music at St. Pius X Catholic School. Ms. Eby gives clinics and
master classes throughout the Piedmont Triad Region as well as
working regularly with the Roanoke Youth Symphony Orchestra in
Virginia. She has also been on the faculty at UNCG Summer Music
Camp, Lutheran Summer Music Program and New England Music
Camp.
Previously, Ms. Eby was on the faculty at Otterbein College in
Westerville, Ohio, and has been an active clinician and educator in
the Central Ohio region. She holds her MM in clarinet
performance from Ohio State University and her BA in Music
Education from Luther College. Her principal teachers have
included Dr. Michael Chesher and James Pyne.
Cynthia Cioffari, Principal Bassoon
,
teaches bassoon at
The University of Akron and is a member of the Solaris Wind
Quintet. She is also contrabassoonist/section bassoonist of the
Columbus Symphony Orchestra and principal bassoonist with the
Wintergreen (VA) Summer Music Festival Orchestra. She has
performed with the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, ProMusica
Chamber Orchestra, Southwest Virginia Chamber Orchestra,
Toledo Symphony, West Virginia Symphony, Fort Wayne
Philharmonic, Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra, Columbus Light
Opera, Broadway Across America-Columbus and the Winds of
Wintergreen.
Prior to joining the faculty at The University of Akron, Ms. Cioffari
held adjunct positions at Capital University, Otterbein College and
Denison University. She has also taught at the University of
Alabama, Heidelberg College and Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. Ms.
Cioffari has appeared as a soloist or ensemble member at the
International Double Reed Society Convention, National Flute
Association Convention, International Clarinet Association
Conference, Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic and at the
International Horn Symposium in Cape Town, South Africa. In
1983, she was a finalist in the International Double Reed Society's
Gillet Young Artist Competition at Tallahassee, Florida.
Cynthia Cioffari can be heard on CD with the Columbus Symphony
Orchestra (“CSO Showcase” and “Live at Carnegie Hall”), with the
Bowling Green State University New Music Festival and with the
Bexley Chamber Ensemble. Recent premiere performances for her
include “Petite Suite” for oboe and bassoon by James Geiger,
“Breve Dúo Latino” for flute and bassoon by Richard Cioffari,
“Nocturne #1, Opus 529” for Chamber Ensemble by Stan Smith
and “Variations on a Theme of Grieg” for woodwind quintet by
Richard Cioffari. She holds a bachelor's degree in music
performance from Bowling Green State University and a master's
degree in woodwinds from the University of Michigan. Her
teachers have included L. Hugh Cooper, Robert J. Moore and
Russell Hinkle. Prof. Cioffari is listed in “Who’s Who in America
.”
Wallace Easter, Principal Horn
,
a western New York
native, began study of the horn at age nine and received early
instruction from Lowell Shaw, hornist with the Buffalo
Philharmonic and noted composer of music for the horn. While
attending the Oberlin Conservatory of Music he studied under
Robert Fries, who came to Oberlin from the Philadelphia
Orchestra. Mr. Easter’s graduate work at the Catholic University of
America included horn study with Joseph Singer of the New York
Philharmonic. Mr. Easter began his professional performing career
with the United States Marine Band, “The President’s Own” in
Washington, D. C. As a member of the Marine Band, he toured the
United States and performed frequently at the White House.
In 1981, Mr. Easter joined the faculty of the Music Department at
Virginia Tech and the Roanoke Symphony as principal horn. His
academic duties at Tech include teaching the horn studio, the
University Horn Ensemble and music theory. Mr. Easter has been
