2008 Orchestra Soloists
William VerMeulen, Horn
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Hailed as an impeccable solo hornist by the Berlin Neue Zeit, William VerMeulen leads his generation of American Horn Soloists. Fanfare magazine writes, Horn virtuoso William VerMeulen may be the best of the lot, commanding his difficult instrument with suavity and grace. In addition to his activities as a concerto soloist, William VerMeulen is Principal Horn of the Houston Symphony and performs with the most prestigious chamber music organizations. Arguably the most successful horn teacher working today, he is Professor of Horn at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University with students performing in major orchestras throughout the world including the New York, Los Angeles and Israel Philharmonics, Boston, Cincinnati and Dallas Symphonies, and the Cleveland Orchestra. Among his many awards, he received a Distinguished Teacher of America Certificate of Excellence from President Reagan and the White House commission on Presidential Scholars. Second Horn of the Sun Valley Summer Symphony since 1999, Brian Thomas is a native of Minneapolis and was influenced by his musical family and the rich artistic environment of his hometown. Both parents were cellists and his father played with the Minnesota Orchestra for 50 seasons before his recent retirement. Tod Bowermaster, a native of Ottawa, Illinois, has been Third Horn of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra since 1995. He served as Acting Principal Horn for the 2002-2003 season, and has appeared as a soloist with the orchestra on numerous occasions. He has also performed as a soloist with the Honolulu Symphony, the Sun Valley Summer Symphony, and numerous orchestras throughout the Midwest. Prior to joining the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, he was a member of the Honolulu Symphony and the Lyric Opera of Chicago Orchestra, and has also performed with the orchestras of Chicago, Houston, and San Francisco. Winner of the 1999 American Horn Competition and the 1982 Coleman Chamber Ensemble Competition, he continues to enjoy performing in both solo and chamber music settings. Lisa H. Conway, a native of Philadelphia, joined the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in 2008 as second horn. Prior to this, she was second horn in the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, a position she held starting in 2003. Since then, she has also performed with the Boston, San Francisco, and Montreal Symphony Orchestras. Lisa plays fourth horn in the Sun Valley Summer Symphony, and in past summers has served as assistant principal horn of the Britt Music Festival in Oregon.
Lisa is an enthusiastic chamber musician; she plays with the Bloomsday Woodwind Quintet, and has performed in the Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival, at BargeMusic in Brooklyn, and as part of the faculty concert series at the University of British Columbia, among other projects. Lisa was a fellow of the Tanglewood Music Center, the Festival dei due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy, and the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara. She was a soloist with the Aspen Academy Orchestra and the Yale Symphony Orchestra after winning their concerto competitions.
Lisa earned her bachelor’s degree from Yale University, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. Upon graduation she received the Wrexham Prize for excellence in music and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She went on to receive her Masters degree at Juilliard with William Purvis.
In her spare time Lisa enjoys swimming and hiking.
Brian Thomas, Horn
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Brian took up the horn at an early age and was guided by mentor and teacher Dave Kamminga to Northwestern University, where he studied with Chicago Symphony hornists Norman Schweikert and Dale Clevenger. He proceeded on to positions in the orchestras of Louisville, Columbus, and Syracuse before assuming his current post as the Second Horn of the Houston Symphony in 1995.
Brian has performed with the orchestras of Minnesota, Cincinnati and San Diego and played for many years in both the Colorado Music Festival in Boulder and the Skaneateles Festival in upstate New York. He is a frequent guest artist at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music and most recently was an Artist-in-Residence at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. Brian has performed frequently with the Scottish band The Rogues, and has recorded 2 CDs and a live concert DVD with the group.
He is an avid road cyclist, enjoys the artistic and technical aspects of high-end audiophile equipment, nourishes his soul with Celtic music and appreciates fine meals with good friends. Brian shares his house in the suburbs of Houston with his lovely wife, Victoria, and five grateful rescue cats.
Tod Bowermaster, Horn
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Tod has been a regular participant in numerous chamber music festivals nationwide, including the Kapalua Music Festival on Maui, the Bay Chamber Concerts in Rockport, Maine, Summerfest in Kansas City, the Innsbruck Festival outside of St. Louis, and Strings in the Mountains in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. He is also very active as a teacher, and has given recitals and masterclasses at Rice University, Illinois State University, Northern Illinois University, the Manhattan School of Music and the University of Missouri. When not playing the horn, he enjoys playing tennis, singing, and, most of all, family time. He resides in Kirkwood, Missouri with his wife, Cynthia, a violinist, and their children Kathryn and Ryan.
Lisa H. Conway, Horn
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
