Musicians
Welcome to the Musicians Bio page. Each musician has a bio that can be accessed by clicking on their names.
Click on a principal musician’s name to read their bio.
VIOLIN 1
Jonathan Urizar, Concertmaster
Jonathan Urizar is the Concertmaster of the Dekalb Symphony Orchestra, a position he has maintained since 2017. He is an active performer across the Southeast, holding the position of Assistant Concertmaster of the Atlanta Pops Orchestra and regularly performing with The Greenville and Augusta Symphony Orchestras. Urizar has performed for the likes of James Ehnes, David Perry, Janet Ying, Alicia Weilerstien, Elias Goldstein, Robert Spano and David Coucheron, as well as the Grammy award-winning group Eighth Blackbird, The Ying Quartet, The Pacifica Quartet and The Aspen String Trio.
As a soloist, Urizar performed on a live television broadcast of The 34th annual Georgia Music Hall of Fame Awards; sharing the stage with Charlie Daniels, Sugarland, Otis Redding III, 38 Special and Diana DeGarmo. He has also performed alongside legendary rock band KANSAS and with the touring Broadway cast of Phantom of the Opera at the Fox Theatre. He has won first place in concerto competitions with the Georgia Philharmonic and Georgia College – where he subsequently performed a three-concert tour as the featured performer– and has appeared as a guest soloist with the Georgia Symphony Orchestra. Additionally, he performed as a guest artist in a chamber recital for the 20th anniversary of The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Talent Development Program. Hailed as a rising young artist in the metro Atlanta area, Urizar has been featured on Georgia Public Broadcasting, Mun2 – a web-based news channel, in Atlanta’s own “Mundo Hispanico” newspaper and on WABE 90.1 FM.
Urizar has studied with Dr. Lana Teko-Ahatefou, Juan and Carol Ramirez and Helen Kim and has his degree in violin performance from Kennesaw State University, where he served as the symphony orchestra’s concertmaster for two seasons. His musical endeavors have allowed him to enjoy traveling and performing in the Costa Brava International Music Festival in Calella and Barcelona, Spain, as well as the Central Conservatory of Beijing and the Peoples theater of Xi’an, China. He currently maintains a small private studio and is the lead violinist in Mariachi Búhos de Oro, a Mariachi group that performs extensively across the region.
Jonathan Urizar, Concertmaster
Kristy Chun
Sharyn Parks
Richard Sherman
Andres E. Silva
Debbi Whiting
Alyssa Wong
VIOLIN II
Adele Wang, Principal
Adele Wang, principal violin II
Bio coming soon!
Adele Wang, Principal
Jim Baugher
Frank Chiang
Alice Cojocaru
Taylor Hendrix
Polly Price
Kyle Simmons
Deborah Stallworth
Donna Stroup
Roger Sumrall
Brittany Tyson
VIOLA
Cindy Beard, Principal
Cindy Beard, principal viola
Cindy Beard began her studies on the viola at the age of 10 in the school string program in Oklahoma City. She graduated from the University of North Texas with a degree in viola performance, studying under Dr. George Papich. She has performed extensively in the U.S. and Europe in both classical and pop concerts, including the Fort Worth and Charleston Symphony Orchestras, Ray Charles, Earth Wind and Fire, and Kansas. Cindy is widely recognized as one of the top viola instructors in Georgia, with many of her students pursuing professional music careers. A resident of Johns Creek, she is the principal violist for the DeKalb Symphony and the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra.
Cindy Beard, Principal
Stephanie Colón-Rivera
Joshua Cowan
Harry Daugharty
Kate Feltgen
Marty Matteson
Ben Robinson
Sarah Silva
CELLO
Alana Bennett, Principal
Bio coming soon!
Alana Bennett, Principal
Robin Ayers
Rebecca Bays
Esther Chung
Pronda Few
Chung-Won Lee
Damian Mycroft
Issa Osayimwese
Kathy Schlag
Aaron Stambler
Rosemary Woolfitt
BASS
David Goodwin, Principal
David Goodwin, principal bass
Bio coming soon!
David Goodwin, Principal
James Bartlett
Elizabeth Falkner
Chester Griffin
Duane House
Wayne Jones
Thalea Stokie
Stephen Ward
FLUTE
Kathy Farmer, Principal
Kathy Farmer, principal flute
Bio coming soon!
Kathy Farmer, Principal
Jessica Harris
Lisa Mahoney
OBOE
Rebecca Testerman, Principal
Bio coming soon!
Rebecca Testerman, Principal
Leah Gamba
Amy Jacoby
CLARINET
Andy Warwick, Principal
Bio coming soon!
Andy Warwick, Principal
Ronald Penn
Barbaraann Bongiovanni
BASSOON
Dan Worley, Principal
Dan Worley, principal bassoon
Bio coming soon!
Dan Worley, Principal
PJ Jones
HORN
Steve Alperin, Principal
Bio coming soon!
Steve Alperin, Principal
Joel Margolies
John Pirtle
Matthew Manley
Sara Altmann
TRUMPET
Shaun Branam, Principal Trumpet
Shaun Branam, principal trumpet
Shaun joined the Dekalb Symphony Orchestra as Principal Trumpet at the beginning of the 2013-2014 season. Shaun has performed at the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan, at the National Orchestral Institute in College Park, MD, and at the Brevard Music Center in Brevard, NC. He also maintains an active private trumpet studio in the metro Atlanta area. Shaun holds a master’s degree from Indiana University and a bachelor’s degree from Columbus State University. His principal teachers have included John Rommel, Robert Murray, Phil Elkins, and Moffatt Williams. Shaun is a native of Lawrenceville, GA and in his free time enjoys spending time with friends and family.
Shaun Branam, Principal
Scott Jones
Sally Stratton
TROMBONE
Mike Wilson, Principal
Mike Wilson, principal trombone
Bio coming soon!
Mike Wilson, Principal
Chuck Musholt
Richard Rogers, bass trombone
TUBA
Andy Hertel, Principal
Andy Hertel, principal tuba
Bio coming soon!
Andy Hertel, Principal
PERCUSSION
Joel Morris, Principal
Bio coming soon!
Joel Morris, Principal
Anthony Bush
Dick Atcheson
KEYBOARDS
Janice Vernon