Musicians of Danek’s THSO (1970-1978)

David Chapman | August 2, 2026 | history@thso.org

Photo of the THSO published in its 1970-1971 season brochure — Danek’s first as conductor.

I’m still working on a big post about Victor Danek’s era with THSO, 1970-1978, and that is coming slower than I would like due to summer distractions! In the meantime, please enjoy this list of musicians known to have performed in the THSO during Danek’s directorship.

As before, we do not have access to a complete record of personnel from these years, relying on whatever programs and newspapers articles exist and are accessible. So if you know a name that does not appear here, tell us! We eventually plan to have a page on our THSO.org website with a list of all musician names from our entire century of existence, so your help in correcting this list is necessary and much appreciated!

Quite a few musicians here also played other instruments, and not just the more typical in-section doublings like flutes playing piccolo or oboists playing English horn! I have listed people by the instrument they appeared to play the most, then noted their secondary (or even tertiary) instruments in parentheses.

Conductor/Director: Victor Danek

Associate Conductor: Stanley Petrulis (1976-1977 season only)

Concertmasters:

  • Paul Tarabek (term: 1970-1972, beginning in the Barnes era)

  • Zoltan Szabo (term: 1972-1975)

  • Sharilyn (Miller) Wilhite (for one concert, October 1975)

  • Julie C. Ayers (for one concert, November 1975)

  • Eugene Purdue (term: 1976-1977)

  • Robert Billups (beginning with 1977-1978 season and continuing into the Meyer era)

Violin:

  • Kristin Agresta

  • Rodney Allen

  • Michael Antonello

  • Julie C. Ayers

  • Joy Baker

  • James W. Barnes (former THSO conductor!)

  • Carrie Barning

  • Paul Bass

  • Robert Bastian

  • Philip Baum

  • Margaret Berrio

  • Josef Biederman

  • John Bieler

  • Robert Billups

  • Dan Bogda

  • Leonard Braus

  • Jill Brewer (also viola)

  • Gary Brown

  • Kathy Brown

  • Penny/Pendra? Brown

  • Miriam Bruning

  • Cynthia Butter

  • Sally Chisholm (also viola)

  • Hal Cleveland

  • Kathy/Catherine Cleveland

  • Jane Cox

  • Drake Crittenden

  • Linda Dailey

  • Victor Danek

  • Mary Jane Davis

  • Terri Davis

  • John Dieler

  • Domer Dougherty

  • Hank Dutt (also viola)

  • Stephanie Farrell/Ferrell

  • Marion Fitzjarrald

  • Jerome Fougerousse (the THSO’s second longest-serving musician at the time; first concerts were 1934-1935 season; retired at the end of the 1971-1972 season)

  • Theresa Fream

  • Roger Frisch

  • Karol Gagstetter

  • Arturo Guerrero

  • Lee Ann Hallatt

  • Lee Hamlin

  • Melissa Hauer

  • Cassandra “Sandy” Haynes

  • Ruth Nell (Carnes) Hayward (first known concert in 1937; retired in 1972; still paying violin daily; I visited her in March!)

Ruth Nell (Carnes) Hayward in March 2026. As far as I can tell, she is the last living THSO musician to have performed under William Bryant!

Violin, continued:

  • Ellen Herskowitz

  • Holly Horn

  • Janet Huber (also viola)

  • Cindy/Cynthia Hunter

  • Susan Johns

  • Diana Kavanaugh

  • Sister Mary C. Keene

  • Kevin Kelly

  • Anthony “Tony” Kim

  • Leslie Klein

  • Brenda Kline

  • Ronald Kogen

  • William Henry Lackey (first known concert in 1937; retired at the end of the 1972-1973 season)

  • Tad Lauer

  • Becky Lidrbauch

  • Judy Lindstrom

  • Hazel Loewenstein (first known concert in 1943; retired at the end of the 1972-1973 season)

  • Sister Mary Lourdes

  • Susie Lussie

  • Margaret MacDuffie

  • Dortha Manning

  • Lucinda Marvin

  • Sheryl/Cheryl Mengle/Mendle

  • Paul Meyer

  • Susan Montgomery

  • Barbara Moore

  • Sister Carol Nolan

  • Mark Osborne

  • Kathryn Owens

  • Charlotte Parker

  • Janet Pfister

  • William Preucil

  • Eugene Purdue

  • Karol Reddington (also piano)

  • Marsha Ronk

  • Lynn Rosen

  • Paula Royce

  • Mary/Ginger? Rusch

  • Serban Rusu

  • Linda Sanning

  • Rachel Schenker (also viola)

  • Cheryl Schultz

  • Sheryl Schuster

  • Mary Seller

  • Marie Selness

  • Norman Selness

  • Debbie Serafini

  • Michael Shelton

  • Mary Elaine Smith

  • Elizabeth Sobreski

  • Jenny Sokol

  • Mary Sokol

  • Paula Sokol

  • Sharilyn (Miller) Wilhite

  • Don Studebaker

  • Zoltan Szabo

  • Paul A. Tarabek

  • Sho Mei Telletier

  • Richard Torstrick

  • Marilyn Walwik

  • Sarah Watkins

  • Christine Westcott

  • Kathryn Younger

Viola:

  • Laura Arnold

  • John Beard

  • Jeffrey Bersin

  • Martha Chalos

  • James R. Dailey

  • Beth DuMond

  • Becky Elmendorf

  • Martha Gray

  • Carole Grimes

  • Barbara Hardin

  • Glenn Mellow

  • Leanne Mersman

  • John Moon

  • Tim Mooney

  • Linda Nelson

  • David Renbarger

  • Mary Richardson

  • Margaret (Davis) Sklenar

  • Clayton Taylor

  • Jacqueline Weaver

Cello:

  • Kenneth Bandy

  • Marilyn Billups

  • Nick Butter

  • Susan Dailey (also viola)

  • Daphne Dougherty

  • Patricia Gerlach

  • Robert Hounchell

  • Robin Hounchell

  • Vernon Humbert

  • Allen Keathley

  • Benita Lewis

  • Brenda Logan

  • Susan Lovell

  • Wayne Magee

  • Robert Montgomery

  • Lou Petrulis

  • Jill Retherford

  • Henry “Hank” Roberts

  • James Schnabel

  • Darrel Spurlock

  • Debbie Terrell

  • Gretchen Tracy

  • Nancy Troxel

  • Brian Wells

Double Bass:

  • James Anderson (also viola)

  • Stewart Arfman

  • Miriam Ball

  • Warren Bandy (also cello)

  • Norma Brooks

  • Patricia Dougherty

  • Louise Hanson/Hansen

  • William Hatt

  • Wendy Hyman

  • Robert Jamison

  • William Kennedy

  • William Moring

  • Lucy Piety

  • William “Bill” Reid

  • G. Jean Smith (also cello)

  • Donald Tracy (also viola)

  • Deborah Van der Voohrt

  • George Watson

  • Carolyn White

Flute:

  • Patricia Clark (and piccolo)

  • Jane (Adams) Conner

  • Ann Cornelius (and piccolo)

  • Rita Morris (and piccolo)

  • Cheryl Sonderman (primarily piccolo)

  • Elizabeth Westgard

  • Joyce Wilson

Oboe (and English horn):

  • Jane Barkley (also flute and English horn)

  • J. William Denton

  • Lisa Halcomb (primarily English horn)

  • Lu Ann Hallatt

  • Jayma Hendricks (also flute and English horn)

  • Valli (Webster) Howard (also English horn)

  • Stephen Lind

  • John O’Bannon

  • Debbie Peiffer

  • Ann Tarvin (and English horn)

  • David Wilkinson (and English horn)

Clarinet:

  • Harry Gee (also saxophone)

  • Judith McCulloch (also bass clarinet)

  • Albert Francis Owens (the THSO’s longest-serving musician at the time; first concerts were the Percy Grainger concerts in the early 1930s; he retired at the end of the 1972-1973 season)

  • William Philpott

  • Beth Rheude

  • Charles Ruhl

  • Randy Salman

  • Ronald Saska (and bass clarinet)

  • Frank Sklenar

  • John Spicknall (and bass clarinet)

  • Terry Thomas (and bass clarinet)

  • Carol Waltersdorf

  • Donna Warble (and bass clarinet)

Bassoon:

  • Marc Apfelstadt (and contrabassoon)

  • Kathleen Bailey (and contrabassoon)

  • Robert Barton (also contrabassoon)

  • Ray Bibzak

  • Gary Brinkworth

  • Eric Buck

  • Donn Goins (also contrabassoon)

  • Jennie Hainlein

  • Ray Keller

  • Stanley Petrulis

  • Greg Spahr (and contrabassoon)

  • Larry Stunkel (and contrabassoon)

Saxophone:

  • Virginia Gill

  • Kenneth Strieby

  • Henry Wintczak

  • William Philpott

Horn:

  • Eric Apfelstadt

  • Leonard Brown

  • Scott Cornelius

  • Susan Davis

  • Michael Dezearn

  • Tom Dirks

  • Linda Fleck

  • Jon/Jan S. Florek

  • Barton/Burton Hardin

  • Richard Karkosky

  • Tom Leslie

  • Robert Liddil (also double bass)

  • Sharon Meurer

  • Jan Muller

  • Jane Patton

  • Bruce Thompson

  • Mary Vail

  • Steve Wall

  • David Watkins

  • Nancy Watkins

Trumpet:

  • Sherry Arvin

  • Gregory Barker

  • Dalvin Boone

  • Dennise Chattin

  • Ralph Conn

  • John Ellis

  • David Frazee

  • Dan Geminder

  • Mark Johnson

  • Debbie Knudsen

  • Lee Kupfer

  • Bill Magee

  • Allen Miller

  • Randall Mithoefer

  • Steven Purcell

  • Paul Salyers

  • David Sapp

  • Steve Shaw

  • Henry Wolfe

Trombone:

  • Charles Burgess

  • Melvin Carpenter

  • Dale Catt

  • Bruce Furr

  • Gary Gerdt

  • David Gibbs

  • Jerry Hammes

  • Michael Harbison

  • Fredrick Joynes

  • Carol McCafferty

  • Stephen Meurer

  • Randy Mitchell

  • Dave Morrison (also bass trombone)

  • David Nearpass

  • H. Joseph “Joe” Owens

  • Stephen Robey

  • Martin Schuster

Tuba:

  • Randy Koehler

  • John Lagle

  • Kelly Okamoto

  • Gerald Stitt

Percussion:

  • John All

  • Gary Bolinger

  • Jim Bollero

  • Melinda Dolan

  • Neal Fluegel

  • Bernard Gordon

  • Herb Hardt

  • Ron Hull

  • Jim Lisanti

  • Kirk McKenna

  • Jacqueline Meyer

  • Ramon Meyer (the next conductor of the THSO! Shh… No one knows that yet.)

  • Melinda Miller

  • Kenneth Murray

  • Sara Pace

  • Howard Pitler

  • Deborah “Dedee” Schwomeyer

  • John Shaffer

  • J. D. Sumner

  • Larry Vaught

  • Peggy White

  • Sam Winthrow

Harp:

  • Anne Eisfeller

  • Roslyn (Rensch) Erbes

  • Sister Ann Teresa Hannan

  • Pam Weest/Weist

Guitar:

  • Mark Wright

  • Michael Badertscher

Keyboards:

  • William “Bill” Hughes (harpsichord)

  • Carol Reddington (harpsichord)

  • Charlotte Norris (harpsichord and organ)

  • Nancy Thistle (organ)

  • Marian Danek (piano)

  • Stella Virginia Tatlock (celeste and piano) (first concert was in 1937; still appearing infrequently when Danek retired in 1978)

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