 | Doug BaumanDoug is basically a country boy at heart, born and raised in the country. He works as a software engineer and developer, but when he’s not on the computer he tends to drift back towards the environment he likes best: the great outdoors. He sits on the board of a local land preservation organization, and does what he can to keep the land natural, wild and pristine. One of his pet peeves: air pollution; he believes we need to stop burning so much coal and make use of alternate clean energies. Doug is an avid bicyclist. He’s been riding all his life, almost every day, and brings his camera along for the ride. In the summer he is also a birder, recording the calls, songs and sightings of birds for the Pennsylvania Breeding Bird Atlas project as a volunteer. “I’d like to think I am an artist, but only with the camera. Sort of like those actors: “I’m not a doctor, but I play one on TV”, well I’m not an artist, but I play one on Flickr…” Visit Doug’s gallery on Flickr. In addition to everything else, Doug also likes to write. You can visit his personal blog at http://javadoug.blogspot.com/. |
 | Cynthia CloskeyMy Brilliant Mistakes is the personal blog of Cynthia Closkey. Cynthia is president of Big Big Design, where she develops marketing strategies and designs websites for small businesses and nonprofit entities. She has worked at high-tech companies (NeXT Computer, Oracle Corporation, Gensym Corporation, and elsewhere), and has undergraduate and graduate degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Sloan School of Management at MIT. In her work she brings together skills in marketing strategy, user interface design, communications, product design, business process improvement, and management. Cynthia co-founded the Pittsburgh Bloggers blog directory. She speaks to businesses, schools, and other organizations about blogs and social media. |
 | David DeAngeloBorn in New Haven during the last 5 weeks of the Kennedy Administration and raised more or less precisely 10 miles due north-by-almost-northeast of Yale University, local Pittsburgh blogger David DeAngelo comes to the Pittsburgh Symphony blog with a dazzling array of intellectual blog qualifications:
Mr. DeAngelo can usually be found at home writing about national politics at the “2 Political Junkies” blog or admiring the smile of his wife, Janet. When asked, he states without hesitation that the smile is far more interesting. Educated long ago as a trumpet player, Mr. DeAngelo still owns all his horns (a Bach B-flat, Bach C, Yamaha D/E-flat, and a Getzen piccolo) and still plays them from time to time, weather permitting and as the mood strikes, if he feels like it. Finally, Mr DeAngelo comes from Southern New England where the best pizza on the planet can be found. |
 | Bethany Hensel2008 has been a seminal year for young writer Bethany Hensel, highlighted with the finishing of her novel and the premiere of her new arts and entertainment blog, bethanyhensel.blogspot.com. International bestselling author Heather Graham says: “Bethany is wonderful… a professional who is natural and puts everyone around her at ease while asking incisive questions that lead to all kinds of interesting thought and conversation.” As an arts and entertainment writer, Bethany has compiled a varied and extensive catalogue of articles on world-renowned performers such as violin superstar and Grammy winner Joshua Bell, violin virtuoso and Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame Award- winner Sarah Chang, winner of Criss Angel’s Phenomenon television show, magician Mike Super, award-winning dance company Les Ballet de Monte-Carlo, two-time silver medalist figure skater Marie-France Dubreuil, CEO of the Romantic Times Kathryn Falk, Emmy winner Hank Phillippi Ryan, founder of the international Shoe Box Tour Jay Gilligan and more. She has also interviewed prominent Pittsburgh people such as Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, Artistic Producing Director of Point Park University’s world-class theatre company the Pittsburgh Playhouse Ronald Allan-Lindblom, actor and Richard Rogers Award-winning playwright Marcus Stevens and many others. In addition, Bethany has also created four successful interview series: Pittsburgh Featured Model, Friday Night Rush (co-created and co-written by Brian Corlett) Booklovers Tuesdays and Fridays and So Thrill Me! – the latter two having afforded her the chance to meet and interview a plethora of international and national bestselling novelists such as Julie Anne Long, Julia Quinn, Barry Eisler, Christine Feehan, Mary Jo Putney, Kim Harrison, Heather Graham, Jeaniene Frost, Lori Foster, Celeste Bradley and Mary Balogh. Bethany’s vivacious style,” states award-winning author CJ Lyons, “communicates itself through her writing almost as vividly as it does in person.” Bethany will continue the year and head into 2009 with coverage on the Pittsburgh Symphony, PNC Broadway Across America tour and a first-time collaboration with famed Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. Born in Seoul, South Korea but adopted when she was young, Bethany was raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is one of thirteen family members. |
 | Robert LauverRobert Lauver joined the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra horn section in the 2000/2001 season. Often armed with a video camera, Bob provides our blogging audience with an insider’s perspective of the PSO. Take a look at one of his most popular videos. Previously, Bob was a member of the horn section of the Saint Louis Symphony, as well as the St. Louis Symphony Brass Quintet. He has played with the Columbus Symphony, Alabama Symphony, Austin Symphony, Chicago Chamber Brass and Baltimore Symphony Bob attended The Peabody Conservatory of Music, Northwestern University, and Western Michigan University. |
 | Charles LiretteCo-Principal Trumpet Charles E. Lirette graduated from Oberlin College Conservatory of Music having studied with Gene Young. He also studied with Don Tison of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Bernard Adelstein of the Cleveland Orchestra. He has been a member of the Buffalo Philharmonic and was principal trumpet for the Jerusalem Symphony. Mr. Lirette joined the Pittsburgh Symphony as co-principal trumpet in 1981 and has appeared as soloist with the Pittsburgh Symphony both in subscription concerts and on the Pittsburgh Pops Series. He has performed with the Symphony’s Chamber Music at Heinz Hall Series and at Hartwood Acres. He is on the faculty of Duquesne University and also teaches privately. |
 | Lawrence LohResident Conductor Recently promoted to Resident Conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra starting in the 2007-2008 season and entering his third season as Music Director of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, Lawrence Loh is one of the most exciting young talents on the classical music scene today. He was brought to national attention in February 2004 when he substituted last-minute for an ailing Charles Dutoit with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Conducting Stravinsky’s Petrouchka and Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique, Loh received enthusiastic acclaim from orchestra players, audience members and critics, alike. Since his appointment as Music Director of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic in 2005, the orchestra has flourished artistically, defining its reputation as one of the finest regional orchestras in the country. His leadership has attracted such artists as André Watts, Anne Akiko Meyers, Jon Nakamatsu and Sharon Isbin. A huge advocate of early childhood exposure to music, Loh created a family concert series that is dedicated to the youngest of audiences. He is very active in the region as an arts leader and music advocate, and is constantly in demand as a guest speaker and clinician. As Resident Conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Lawrence Loh conducts a wide range of concerts. He leads an array of educational and community engagement concerts and is the conductor of the enormously popular Fiddlesticks Family Series. He also conducts in the Pops subscription series and is cover conductor for half of the Classical Masterworks series, working closely with the PSO’s triumverate leadership team of Sir Andrew Davis, Yan Pascal Tortellier and Marek Janowski. In addition to his duties on the podium, Lawrence Loh edits radio broadcasts, delivers pre-concert lectures and makes many public appearances. His association with Pittsburgh began as Assistant conductor in 2005-2006 and Associate conductor in 2006-2007. Following a guest conducting appearance at the Detroit Symphony in 2007, Loh was immediately invited to conduct several concerts in the 2007-2008 season. Other recent guest conducting engagements include the Malaysian Philharmonic and the symphony orchestras of Portland, Cedar Rapids, Colorado Springs, East Texas, Fort Collins, Fort Worth, Lubbock, Plano, Shreveport, Sioux City, Spokane and Tallahassee. He’s also led Korea’s Daejeon Philharmonic Orchestra, the Binghamton Philharmonic, the Yale Philharmonia, Omaha Area Youth Orchestra, Ottawa’s National Arts Centre Orchestra and the Dallas Chamber Orchestra. He has appeared at special summer festivals at Bravo! Vail Valley, Breckenridge, Hot Springs, Performing Arts Institute (PA), Las Vegas and the Carnegie Mellon Summer Strings Camp. Lawrence Loh held the positions of Assistant and Associate Conductor of the Dallas Symphony from 2001-2005. He led the Dallas Symphony in a variety of classical programs throughout each season including classical subscription. Highlights include meaningful performances of Brahms Requiem, Beethoven’s 3rd Symphony and Brahms 2nd Symphony, among many others. Prior to his Dallas appointment, Lawrence Loh completed a highly successful three-year tenure as Associate Conductor of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, with whom he conducted more than 50 concerts annually, including classical subscription, Pops, education, family and outreach programs. While in Denver, he was also Music Director of the Denver Young Artists Orchestra, the premiere youth orchestra in the Colorado Rocky Mountain Region. Mr. Loh also served as the Interim Director of Orchestras and Head of the Orchestral Conducting Program at Denver University’s Lamont School of Music. In May 1998, Lawrence Loh received his Artist Diploma in Orchestra Conducting from Yale University, also earning the Eleazar de Carvalho Prize, given to the most outstanding conductor in the Yale graduating class. During his years at Yale, he was chosen to be the Assistant Conductor of the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra and Apprentice Conductor of the Hot Springs Music Festival. He received further training at the world-renowned Aspen Music Festival and School. He is also a graduate of Indiana University and the University of Rochester. A dedicated teacher, Mr. Loh held the position of Associate Instructor in Music Theory at Indiana University and, later, that of Teaching Assistant at Yale University in Advanced Hearing, Conducting and Orchestration. He was also the Guest Curator at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science for “What Makes Music?,” an interactive exhibit, offering the opportunity to explore the science of music and sound, as well as the role of music in culture. Lawrence Loh was born in southern California of Korean parentage and raised in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He and his wife Jennifer have a son, Charlie, and a daughter, Hilary. |
 | Louis LuangkesornLouis Luangkesorn is in his third season of blogging for the PSO. He is a Chicago transplant, moving to Pittsburgh in 2004 to work as a researcher. He grew up playing the clarinet and the klui (a Thai bamboo flute), but now is merely a thoughtful listener. Louis has a wide variety of interests. He is an active runner and hiker, with 6 marathons behind him. He has deployed to support the military in Afghanistan, and with the Red Cross to respond to local fires and distant hurricanes. He and his wife marvel how one life can include all these aspects, and he likes to think and write about how all of these aspects of life as well as music fit together. |
 | Natalie PaoliniNatalie Paolini is currently a high school student, and has been studying the violin for 9 years. She currently studies with PSO member Alison Fujito. At present, Natalie is a member of The Pittsburgh Chamber Orchestra. She will be auditioning for The Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra in May for the 2011/2012 season. Natalie plans on attending a music school as a violin performance major. At this time, she is looking into Colleges/Universities. Natalie is new to the PSO Blogs, but looks forward to sharing her views on performances, and her love for the art of classical music. |
 | Elizabeth PerryElizabeth Perry is a writer and new media artist. Her daily sketchbook journal may be found at www.elizabethperry.com/woolgathering, where she has been blogging since 2002. She is a fellow at the STUDIO for Creative Inquiry at Carnegie Mellon University and she works at The Ellis School, where she helps teachers integrate technology into a PK-12 curriculum. Perry has spoken and taught workshops about blogging and other social technologies for teachers and artists both locally and nationally. A children’s book she wrote, Think Cool Thoughts, was published by Clarion Books in 2005. In 2006-7, she spent nine months drawing daily at the Carnegie Museum of Art and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, and maintained a blog to chronicle that experience at www.museumdrawing.com. She looks forward to drawing and discovery with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. |
 | Jennifer PizzutoJennifer Pizzuto is a self-proclaimed know-it-all and compulsive blogger; in addition to her PSO blog, she maintains blogs on Vox, Facebook and MySpace. Jennifer has a B.A. in Writing from the University of Pittsburgh. She currently works in Human Resources at Giant Eagle in Retail Corporate Recruiting and is a part-time barista at Starbucks, the love of her life. Jennifer currently resides in the North Side with her two precocious cats, Chewy and Magic. Editor’s Note: Jennifer is a first-timer who had never been to Heinz Hall or a PSO performance before joining our blog team. We’re looking forward to discovering the experience through her eyes and ears! |
 | Stephanie TretickStephanie Tretick joined the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra viola section in 1980. A native of Boulder, Colorado, Ms. Tretick began her instrumental studies with the piano, and later took up the violin at the Interlochen Arts Academy. She attended Vassar College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts cum laude, and earned a Master of Music summa cum laude at Indiana University, where she was a fellowship student of Josef Gingold. Before coming to Pittsburgh, Stephanie Tretick was a member of the Baltimore Symphony for five years, serving there as a violinist and violist. She also has performed on both instruments in Pittsburgh, substituting on short notice as a first violinist during a PSO Far East tour and appearing as violin soloist with the Orchestra in a performance of the Concerto in D by her father, the late Sidney Tretick. Ms. Tretick has been associated with the Aspen and Casals festivals and the Bach Aria Group, the latter with which she collaborated in a recording of Bach’s six Brandenburg Concertos. Solo engagements have included a performance of Brahm’s Double Concerto with the Phoenix Symphony and an appearance in Indiana playing the Tretick Concerto. |
 | Chad WinklerChad Winkler joined the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra as fourth/utility trumpet in November 2008. Prior to this appointment, Chad played this same position for two seasons as an acting member of the PSO trumpet section. Originally from Morgantown, WV, Chad earned his Bachelor of Music degree from West Virginia University, where he studied with his father, Dr. John Winkler. Upon completion, Chad earned his Master of Music degree from Duquesne University, where he studied with PSO Principal Trumpet, George Vosburgh. Chad comes from a musical family. His father, as previously mentioned, is a trumpeter, and his mother is a pianist. In addition, his siblings have active musical careers. Chad began studying the trumpet at the age of 12. He spent a summer studying at the Interlochen Arts Camp in 1996, where he was a winner of the concerto competition. Chad performed with Interlochen’s World Youth Symphony Orchestra at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, GA. Chad also attended the Brevard Music Center from 1998-2000, where he was twice the winner of the concerto competition. Chad also won the National Trumpet Competition in 1995, 1998 and 2000. Chad spent the summers of 2001-2008 as a member of the music staff orchestra at Camp-of-the-Woods in Speculator, NY, where he performed as soloist and principal trumpet. Prior to the Pittsburgh Symphony, Chad held positions with the Wheeling (WV) Symphony, the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra and the Erie Philharmonic. He has also performed with the orchestras of Honolulu, Jacksonville and Louisville. Chad and his wife Elissa, who is a music educator and has a successful voice studio, live in Mt. Lebanon, PA. |
