Musician profiles are in alphabetical order.

Noteworthy: Pro Arte Quartet; Concertmaster: Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Spoleto Festival Orchestra (USA), Bay Area Women's Orchestra; Wichita Symphony and Orchestre Philharmonique de Nice.
Oddest practice quarters: On the train from Chicago to Charleston.
Funniest concert experience: During my solo debut with an orchestra, the conductor, who had too much to drink, forgot to bring in the orchestra after the cadenza.
What your colleagues don't know about you: I once fell asleep - literally - while playing repeated whole notes in a slow contemporary piece.
Recurrent musical fantasy: Finding it necessary to take a leave from my job in the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra to perform Berg's Lyric Suite with my quartet.

Noteworthy: BA in English-Secondary Education and Masters degree in Music Education from UW-Madison; orchestra teacher at Sherman Middle School in Madison.
Oddest practice quarters: A very small two-person canvas tent at Tower Hill State Park.
Funniest concert experience: A pianist played with the Madison Symphony Orchestra whose encore was unforgettable: as she played, the pins from two of the lid hinges came out and the lid came crashing down in the midst of the piece, but she didn't miss a beat and got a standing ovation for her efforts.
What your colleagues don't know about you: I play bass, tenor, alto, and soprano recorder which gives me an outlet for my love of Renaissance and Medieval music.
Recurrent musical fantasy: I dream for the day when each person in our society supports and values the music programs in our schools, and appreciates the contribution on music to the development of the whole personality and intellect of each child.

Noteworthy: B.M. in Violin Performance, Lawrence University. Awarded three "Premier Prix" (gold medals) with honors in Violin Performance, Chamber Music Performance and Music Theory from music conservatories in France.
Funniest concert experience: Playing in the orchestra for a symphony concert in France with American clown Buffo (Howard Buten) as guest artist.
What your colleagues don't know about you: My wife Deanndra and I repair and rehair violin, viola, cello and bass bows. We provide our services to orchestral musicians as well as teachers and students in music schools.
Recurrent musical fantasy: To assist at a performance of Vivaldi's Concerto for Four Violins, in which the guest soloists would be Gil Shaham, Hilary Hahn, Vadim Repin and Joshua Bell!
If I was John DeMain for a day: I would program Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier Suite and Enesco's Roumanian Rhapsody No. 1 next season.

Noteworthy: Bachelor's and Master's degree in accounting. Currently work in financial reporting systems for the UW Medical School.
Oddest practice quarters: In a roomette aboard the San Francisco Zephyr (a passenger train).
Funniest concert experience: After running out of gas, I arrived at an MSO concert at 7:58, thinking I had made it. My colleagues, however, had stopped warming up. As I walked on stage, the audience started clapping, thinking I was the concertmaster.
Recurring musical fantasy: Composing wonderful sacred music like Bach, Handel, and Mozart.

Noteworthy: Professor of Violin, UW-Madison; extensive research and many recitals of Polish music, including a CD of Romantic violin-piano works released in October 1999.
Oddest practice quarters: As a boy in the dining room with my pet parakeet riding on the violin bow.
Funniest concert experience: A tuxedo cumberbund noisily fell to the floor while taking a bow at the very front of the stage during a well-attended, formal recital.
What your colleagues don't know about you: I have a large HO model railroad layout in my basement.
Recurrent musical fantasy: To hear live performances of some of the great legendary musicians of the past.

Noteworthy: Performed in the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra; participated in the Illinois All-State Honors Orchestra for three years; concerto winner with the York High School Symphony.
Oddest practice quarters: In the car en route to a cable TV taping.
Funniest concert experience: When I was three years old, I regularly performed for a community service organization's pancake breakfast in exchange for pancakes.
What your colleagues don't know about you: I was active in gymnastics from childhood through high school.
If I were John DeMain for a day: I would have a concert with the orchestra performing all Dave Matthews music.

Noteworthy: Studied with Roland and Almita Vamos at the Music Institute of Chicago, 1996-99; finalist in several competitions including the Milwaukee Symphony's Young Artist Auditions in 1996-98; currently pursuing a B.A. in violin performance at UW-Madison.

Noteworthy: Degrees from Florida State University and University of Wisconsin; played in New World Symphony from 1996-1999; currently teaching and performing locally.
Oddest practice quarters: The tiny, windowless basement practice rooms in music schools (including UW) strike me as very odd places to spend one's college years.
Funniest concert experience: Having a conductor knock my music stand over, right into my lap, during an outdoor concert. The music blew away, and we just kept playing while my stand partner ran to get the music, put the stand up, etc. I don't really think anyone was listening as much as laughing at the mishap.
What your colleagues don't know about you: I love early music, and enjoy playing the Baroque violin.

Noteworthy: BA and MM in violin performance; soloist with Kent State and UW Symphony as an undergrad; former member of Akron Symphony. In 1981 my love for playing was abruptly halted by left hand paralysis due to a broken disk. With surgery, therapy and great determination, I overcame the handicap. I now teach privately, and play in a string quartet trio.
Oddest practice quarters: Watching it rain up to 17 inches in Bangladesh while practicing for a recital (which did occur despite the weather).
What your colleagues don't know about you: Using a computer and MIDI system, I arrange orchestra parts from a piano score to accompany my son's trumpet solo with the Sacramento Symphony.

Noteworthy: Gold medals at the high school, university and conservatory levels in the Russian/Soviet educational system.
Oddest practice quarters: A basement room at the Sverdlovsk Conservatory; it was also a favorite place for mosquitoes. I had only one choice to survive: kill them. Then I lined them up on the piano keys; I had one for each key!
What your colleagues don't know about you: I love the outdoors. I am an avid mushroom fanatic, and "fisherman," and I know many kinds of healing herbs.
Recurrent musical fantasy:To live in the time of Heifetz, Rubinstein, Oistrakh, Horowitz and Maria Callas.

Noteworthy: Bachelor of Music from University of Wyoming; Master's from Western Michigan U; currently MSO Music Librarian, member of con vivo!...music with life chamber music ensemble; teach violin with Suzuki Strings of Madison.
Funniest concert experience: While playing, my stand partner's bow went flying into the air. She caught it and barely missed a beat!
Recurrent musical fantasy: To play in the Berlin Philharmonic with Herbert von Karajan conducting and the Vienna Philharmonic with Seiji Ozawa conducting.

Noteworthy: B.M. in music education, UW-Madison. Teacher at Waunakee Intermediate School; nominated for Wisconsin Music Educator's Award, 2004.
Funniest concert experience: In spring 2005, during an intensely exciting ending of a Mahler symphony, I stabbed my stand partner in the temple with the tip of my bow. He wasn't hurt, but he nearly fell off his seat, and I was worried he would bleed to death!
What your colleagues don't know about you: I love to do arts and crafts--paint, draw, crochet, cross-stitch--and I make all my Christmas presents.
Recurrent musical fantasy: To play the solo part in the Bruch Scottish Fantasy with the MSO.

Noteworthy: Studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston, received music degree from UW-Madison. Gunther Schuller recently brought me to Washington to play at the Jazz Violin Summit with Johnny Frigo, Matt Glaser and Johnny Gimble. Have recorded with Freedy Johnston, Willy Porter and Garbage.

Oddest practice quarters: The turret of an Austrian castle.
Funniest concert experience: I got to an out-of-town show and realized I had forgotten my violin, so I played the gig on a borrowed mandolin.
What your colleagues don't know about you: Most of the gigs I play are improvised and non-classical. This year I recorded with two punk bands, a country group, and a traditional Hmong singer.

Noteworthy: B.A. in English and Psychology from Indiana University; freelance music engraver.
Oddest practice quarters: Aboard the Washington Island ferry in rough waters.
Funniest concert experience: Playing in a Scandinavian fold band for a group of Lutheran clergy. I led off with the wrong tune, and the band quickly fell apart. "That's sinning boldly!" I remarked, and the audience and band erupted in laughter.What your colleagues don't know about you: My other instrument is a Hardanger fiddle.
Recurrent musical fantasy: Playing "second guitar" backing up Stephane Grapelli and Django Reinhart.