Bringing Broadway's incredible musicians from the pit to the stage!
Emily Bruskin Yarbrough, - Violin
Emily Bruskin Yarbrough has performed as soloist with the Virginia, Pacific, Utah, and Nashville Symphonies and has given chamber music recitals across the country and around the world in venues such as New York's Carnegie Hall, Rome's American Academy, Washington D.C.'s the Kennedy Center, Lucerne's Festival Hall, and Boston's Jordan Hall. As violinist of the Claremont Trio ("one of America's finest young chamber groups" - Strad) she has made critically acclaimed recordings on the Bridge, Arabesque, BMOP Sound, Tria, and Ongaku labels and has commissioned new works from Nico Muhly, Mason Bates, Gabriela Lena Frank, Sean Shepherd, Kati Agocs, Judd Greenstein, and Helen Grime.
Ms. Bruskin Yarbrough has appeared as guest concertmaster of the American Ballet Theatre Orchestra. She can also be heard playing with the Metropolitan Opera orchestra and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.
On Broadway, Ms. Bruskin Yarbrough was concertmaster of the orchestras at Frozen, Anastasia, and Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella.
Ms. Bruskin Yarbrough lives in New York City with her husband Chad Yarbrough and their two young children.
.jpg)
Julia Bruskin - Cello
Since her concerto debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at age 17, cellist Julia Bruskin has established herself as one of the premiere cellists of her generation. She performed Samuel Barber’s Cello Concerto with conductor Jahja Ling at Avery Fisher Hall and has also been soloist with the Nashville Symphony, Utah Symphony, Virginia Symphony, and Pacific Symphony among others. Her recent CD of music by Beethoven, Brahms, and Dohnanyi was praised by Fanfare Magazine for its “exquisite beauty of sound and expression”.
A founding member of the critically acclaimed Claremont Trio, Ms. Bruskin won 1st prize in the 2001 Young Concert Artists International Auditions and was awarded the first ever Kalichestein-Laredo-Robinson International Trio Award. The trio tours extensively, including concerts this year for the Library of Congress, New York’s Lincoln Center and a four concert series featuring Brahms' trios at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Bridge Records released the Claremont Trio’s newest recording of the Beethoven “Triple” Concerto with the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra and Beethoven’s Trio Op. 1 No. 1 last year to rave reviews.
Ms. Bruskin plays frequent solo recitals with her husband, Aaron Wunsch, including tours in China and concerts in New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Texas. They are joint artistic directors of the Skaneateles Festival in the Finger Lakes region of New York. A frequent guest at summer music festivals, Ms. Bruskin has performed at La Jolla Summerfest, Mostly Mozart, Caramoor, Saratoga, Bard, and Norfolk, and toured with the Musicians from Ravinia. Ms. Bruskin teaches at the Juilliard Pre-College and has given master classes at the Eastman School of Music, the Peabody Conservatory, the Conservatory at SUNY Purchase, the Boston Conservatory, Duke University and Middlebury College.
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Ms Bruskin began cello lessons at age four. Her teachers have included Timothy Eddy, Joel Krosnick, Andres Diaz, Norman Fischer, and Nancy Hair. She completed the five-year double degree program at Juilliard and Columbia University. In addition to performing with the Claremont Trio and playing recitals with her husband, Aaron Wunsch, Ms. Bruskin plays with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.
Sophiko Simsive - Piano
Sophiko Simsive, from Tbilisi, Georgia, has won numerous awards and accolades including 1st prize at Yamaha Piano Competition in Amsterdam, GrachtenfestivalPrijs, 1st prize at the Music Academy of the West and she has become the winner of the Concerto Competition at Yale School of Music as well as Manhattan School of Music. She has toured extensively throughout North America, Asia, and Europe, and made her debut at Carnegie Hall with cellist Kian Soltani. Sophiko has participated in the Yellow Barn Festival, Verbier International Music Festival, The International Holland Music Sessions, and many others.
Ms. Simsive has received Cum Laude bachelor’s degree from Amsterdam Conservatoire in 2007, further, she has received degrees from Berlin UDK, Yale School of Music and currently she is pursuing her doctoral degree at the Manhattan School of Music with Dr. Solomon Mikowsky. Sophiko has a passion for sharing music with larger audiences, she has given recitals at retirement homes, hospitals and has taught at local music schools. Most recently she has become a member of Vision Collective, New York-based ensemble that builds meaningful relationships with refugees and new Americans by sharing and exchanging music between diverse communities. She also serves as a senior teaching assistant at the Yale School of Music, coaching chamber music to undergraduate college students. Sophiko is represented by Interartists Amsterdam Management.
Steven Malone - Piano
Bio coming soon!
Metamorphic Winds
Metamorphic Winds was formed in 2004 in order to perform all genres of chamber music in styles ranging from classical to jazz to light pop. Our members perform on multiple woodwinds in the pit orchestras of Broadway theaters as well as area orchestras and chamber ensembles. We have performed all over the New York tri-state area in venues as diverse as The Festival of the Arts in Nyack, NY, or the Sousa Bandshell in Port Washington, NY. During the Covid 19 pandemic, we continued to bring music to underserved communities via livestream performances.
Christine MacDonnell - Soprano Saxophone
Christine MacDonnell, a graduate of The Juilliard School, is a clarinetist and multi-woodwind specialist. As a professional performer, she is proficient on all clarinets, saxophones, flutes, and double reeds. She has been featured as a clarinet artist on the Washington DC radio station WPFW “The Jazz Collectors”. She has served two US Presidents in the “President’s Own” Marine Band as a clarinetist and saxophonist. Christine regularly performs in various Broadway and off-Broadway productions as well as Radio City Music Hall, Madison Square Garden, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Paper Mill Playhouse, Albany Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Hudson Valley Philharmonic, Northeast Philharmonic Orchestra, and others. National performances include the Walnut Theatre and The Philly Pops in Philadelphia, John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, and Atlanta’s Fox Theatre.
Christine has performed abroad as principal clarinet in the Orquestra Sinfonica Brasileira in Brazil and the Nova Philharmonia Portuguesa in Portugal. In addition, Christine is a woodwind instructor at the United Nations International School. She conducts master classes at various Universities within the United States, South America, and Taiwan. Christine is also a Yamaha Performing Artist and a D’Addario Performing Artist.
Mikki Ryan - Alto Saxophone
Mikki Ryan received her Master’s Degree in Woodwind Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music, and her Bachelor’s Degree from Boston University. After being cast in the off-Broadway musical, “Swingtime Canteen” she relocated to New York City. She has also been seen on stage in productions of “The Buddy Holly Story”, “Cabaret” and “Urinetown”. Micheale’s career includes performances with; Sarasota Opera, Spoleto Festival, NY Gilbert and Sullivan Players, Masterworks Chorale, Bronx Concert Singers, Pittsburgh Ballet, DiCapo Opera, Garden State Opera, Verismo Opera, Florida Orchestra, and the Naples Philharmonic. She also performs with the chamber ensemble “Metamorphic Winds” and the “Bard and Minstrel Storytellers”. She stays active in the theater world by substituting in various Broadway pit orchestras, including the “Lion King” and “Wicked”. Mikki can also be heard performing with clarinetist, Richard Stoltzman, on his recording “Aria”.
Erika Friedman - Tenor Saxophone
Erika Friedman holds education and performance degrees from Ithaca College (B.M. in Music Education and Saxophone Performance) and New Jersey City University (M.M. in Multiple Woodwind Performance). She is the current Reed 2 player for the 1st National Broadway tour of “The Prom”. Past tours include: ”Kinky Boots," "The Bodyguard," "Annie" and "The Producers”. Her travels have brought her to 49 US states, 7 Canadian provinces and parts of Southeast Asia! Erika maintains a private studio of woodwind and piano students from around the country and enjoys playing with the Metamorphic Winds Saxophone Quartet in the Tri-state area.
Tessa Dolce - Baritone Saxophone
Tessa Dolce is a freelance Multiple Woodwind Specialist based in the New York/Metropolitan area. Tessa received her MA degree in Multiple Woodwinds from Montclair State University where she was orchestra manager for Broadway conductor/arranger, Greg Dlugos, and performed with Meg Zervoulis. A student of Chad Smith and Harry Searing, Tessa played the world premiere of Cy Coleman’s ‘Pamela’s First Musical’ with music supervision by Kevin Stites, arranged by Charlie Rosen and conducted by Greg Dlugos. Tessa was a member of the pit orchestra for the world premiere of Joe Iconis’ ‘Love in Hate Nation’, orchestrated and arranged by Charlie Rosen and conducted by Anastasia Victory. In the 2021-22 season, she has performed with the Albany Symphony under David Alan Miller and Plainfield Symphony under Charles Prince.
Jocelin Pan - Viola
A sought after soloist and collaborator, violist Jocelin Pan enjoys a diverse career as a performer and teaching artist. She has played and recorded for film, television, pop, jazz, and contemporary classical projects. She currently holds the viola chair for Mrs. Doubtfire on Broadway and has performed in numerous theatrical productions. From Carnegie Hall to Madison Square Garden, she champions the music of living composers from all genres. Jocelin is currently on the viola faculty at the Music Advancement Program at The Juilliard School and the piano faculty at The Nightingale-Bamford School.
Emily Brausa - Cello
New York City cellist Emily Brausa continues to lead a diverse and dynamic performing career. She has toured worldwide with engagements ranging from Madeleine Peyroux at the Rose Theater—to a Japan tour with New York Symphonic Ensemble—to Saturday Night Live with Beck—to multiple performances of Max Richter’s eight-hour Sleep with American Contemporary Music Ensemble. An alumnus of Pierre Boulez’s Lucerne Festival Academy, Emily is an enthusiastic advocate of contemporary music. She was one of five cellists to compete to play Elliott Carter’s Cello Concerto during Juilliard’s centennial celebration, and she was a member of Lost Dog New Music Ensemble for seven years. This past fall, she returned to Switzerland as a part of the inaugural Lucerne Festival Forward, where she premiered Dahae Boo’s cello concerto d’où à où and performed in multiple concerts with the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra. Emily is a member of American Symphony Orchestra, plays regularly with American Ballet Theater, and is currently performing in Broadway’s The Music Man. She is on faculty at Third Street Music Settlement and holds both a Bachelor and Master degree from The Juilliard School.
Janey Choi - Violin
Canadian violinist/teaching artist/concert host, Janey Choi has performed, taught, and collaborated with artists across the globe, engaging audiences of all ages and genres. She is the recipient of numerous awards including National First Prize in the Canadian Music Competition, and an Artists International debut recital at Carnegie Hall, and has participated in such festivals as Mostly Mozart, Norfolk, Taos, Bar Harbor Music Festival, the Spoleto Festivals in the U.S. and Italy, Festival Musical de Santo Domingo, the Santa Fe Opera and the Sarasota Opera.
Highlights of recent years include performances with such groups as the Ardelia Trio, Atrikk Ensemble, on Broadway’s “Jagged Little Pill”, “Cher Show’ and “Aladdin”, on tour with Adele, Beyoncé, Bruce Springsteen, and Stevie Wonder, curating an interactive chamber series at the cell theatre in NYC, and her debut as a host of the New York Philharmonic’s Young People’s Concerts. She has held education posts for the New York Philharmonic, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Binghamton University, and has presented educational workshops for the College Music Society National Conference, Concert Artists Guild, Lincoln Center Institute, and Tokyo College of Music. Dr. Choi holds advanced degrees from the Juilliard School and Rutgers University where her major teachers were Joseph Fuchs, Joel Smirnoff, Harvey Shapiro and Arnold Steinhardt. She enjoys organizing chamber music readings, hiking, playing hockey and doing jigsaw puzzles with her husband and two daughters. For more information, please visit www.JaneyChoi.com
.jpeg)
Melissa Westgate - Cello
In addition to composing, performing, and recording her own multi-genre music (melissawestgate.com), Melissa has performed music of all styles with various chamber groups and orchestras such as the Knickerbocker Chamber Orchestra, Harlem Chamber Players, Radio City Christmas Spectacular and Spring Spectacular Orchestras as well as the New Haven Symphony, and Ridgefield Symphony where she held the Principal Cello position. Melissa is the cellist for the Broadway show "Mrs. Doubtfire" and a member of the Greenwich Symphony (CT).
Christopher Cullen - Clarinet
Clarinetist Christopher Cullen regularly performs with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, American Symphony Orchestra, Harrisburg Symphony, and Albany Symphony. An agile pro with all of the instruments in the clarinet family, Chris's Broadway credits include My Fair Lady, The King and I, South Pacific, Les Misérables, West Side Story, and Mary Poppins.
Gilbert Dejean - Bassoon
Bassoonist Gilbert Dejean is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with Leonard Hindell and Steve Maxym. He is a member of the American Symphony Orchestra, Chappaqua Orchestra, and Saratoga Opera, and regularly performs with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, Stamford Symphony, New York City Ballet, and the New York Philharmonic.
Dejean performed in the orchestra for the Broadway productions of The Scarlet Pimpernel and West Side Story. He has recorded for BIS, Telarc, and Albany Records, and is a member of the Moose Hall Chamber Ensemble, which performs annually at the Inwood Shakespeare Festival.
Wayne J. du Maine - Trumpet
A native of St. Louis, MO, Wayne J. du Maine has been performing successfully in the New York City area for over thirty years. As a trumpeter, Wayne has performed and recorded with such ensembles as the New York Philharmonic, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and Orchestra of St. Luke’s. He currently holds the principal chair with the Brooklyn Philharmonic and the American Composers Orchestra. Mr. du Maine has also led the Hartford Symphony, Brooklyn Philharmonic, and Westchester Philharmonic as conductor of educational concerts. As a trumpet soloist, he has performed numerous concerti with the Concordia Orchestra as well as orchestras from Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Jacksonville, Springfield (MA), and Mid Coast (ME).
As a longtime member of the Manhattan Brass, Wayne has presented and created numerous educational outreach programs for K-12 students in the five boroughs, CT, NJ, and PA. He enjoyed his 20 years as a faculty member of Juilliard’s Music Advancement Program, where he led the trumpet ensemble and was founder, music director, and conductor of the MAP Orchestra. He has also taught at Columbia University, Princeton University, Bar Harbor Brass Week, and the Bowdoin Music Festival. Wayne is currently the Director of Bands at the Elisabeth Morrow School in Englewood, NJ, where he leads the Jazz Ensemble, Concert Bands, Jazz Quintet, Rock Band, and Trumpet Ensemble.
Mr. du Maine dedicates his summers to performing at music festivals. This began back in the late 80s, when he spent three summers with the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra performing as principal trumpet under Leonard Bernstein and Seiji Ozawa. He has since performed at festivals including Spoleto, Aspen, Vermont Mozart, Manchester (VT), Berkshire Choral, Bard, and, most recently, the prestigious Marlboro Music Festival.
Wayne has also been contracted to play many Broadway shows like Titanic, Music Man, Man of La Mancha, and The King and I. He has served as associate conductor for Fiddler on the Roof, the Lincoln Center production of South Pacific, and The Scottsboro Boys.
A major highlight of his career was having the opportunity to perform with Prince at his Paisley Park home in Chanhassen, MN. Wayne can be heard on Prince’s Newpower Soul recording.
Mr. du Maine holds degrees from the Juilliard School where he received the Peter Mennin and William Schuman Awards for outstanding excellence. He has been an associate musician with the Metropolitan Opera for 26 years. As a member of ensembles such as Absolute, Xenakis, and Orpheus, he has toured five continents.
2017-18 is his first year as director of the brass program at NYU Steinhardt.
Jamie Schmidt - Piano
Jamie Schmidt music director - conductor - pianist
Music Director/Conductor credits include: the national tour of The Lion King; first national arena tour of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular; conductor for Liza Minnelli’s symphonic tour; Kennedy Center Spring Gala; NY Drama League Gala honoring Angela Lansbury; gala re-opening of the Eisenhower Theater at the Kennedy Center; world premiere of the new musical Meet John Doe at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. Associate conductor/pianist for the Kennedy Center and Broadway runs of the revival of Ragtime.
As music director and pianist/conductor for the Long Wharf Theatre's production of Guys and Dolls, Jamie created new, acclaimed orchestrations. He was the founding music director for American Girl Place Theaters in both Chicago and New York, supervising the original productions of The American Girls’ Revue and Circle of Friends, and conducting the original cast recordings of both shows.
A veteran of a baker’s dozen of Broadway shows as pianist, international credits include music director/pianist for the American delegation for the Spring Friendship Arts Festival in Pyongyang, North Korea; Artist-in-Residence with the Holland Music Sessions, Amsterdam; and Artist-in-Residence at Banff Centre for the Arts, Canada.
As of this writing, he is happily back in New York City as Associate Conductor of Aladdin on Broadway.