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Winds Faculty
Oboist Geoffrey Deemer has been principal oboe of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia since 2002. He has also performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Baltimore Symphony. From 1997-2001, Mr. Deemer was the principal oboe of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra.
"Among the most consummate musical artists" in the region, Mr. Deemer has performed concerti with a number of ensembles and orchestras, including the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Ballet and Schola Nova. He also played solo concerts of Bach cantatas and orchestral suites during his summers at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland. A recording of his solo performance of Philadelphia composer Romeo Cascarino's Blades of Grass, under the baton of Joann Falletta, will be released by Naxos in early 2007.
Mr. Deemer received his early training at the Longly School of Music (Cambridge, MA) and the New England Conservatory of Music (Boston). He spent summers studying at Tanglewood. In 2001, he graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music where he held the Friends of Curtis Fellowship.
A student of Richard Woodhams, Mr. Deemer has performed with the world's best conductors including James Levine, Christoph Eschenbach, Kurt Mazur, Simon Rattle, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Mstislav Rostropovich, André Previn, Sir Neville Marriner, David Zinman, Robert Spano, Hans Vonk, Otto Werner-Muller, Ignat Solzhenitsyn, Marin Alsop, Yuri Temirkanov and Jahja Ling.
Mr. Deemer has been teaching oboe performance at the Pennsylvania Academy of Music since 2005 and joined the faculty of Franklin & Marshall College in 2006.
Doris Hall-Gulati
Clarinet
b. Lancaster, Pennsylvania
B.M., The Peabody Conservatory of Music
M.M., The University of Michigan
Doris Hall-Gulati was awarded first prize in the 1996 Louise D. McMahon International Music Competition. The following year, Ms. Hall-Gulati gave her New York debut at Avery Fischer Hall, Lincoln Center, then went on to debut at Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall in 1999. She performs with the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia and the Berkshire Opera Festival as Principal Clarinetist and with the Opera Company of Philadelphia as a bass clarinetist. In addition, she is a professor at Franklin & Marshall College and coordinator of the Sound Horizons Concert Series. Ms. Hall-Gulati regularly gives various chamber music and solo recital performances throughout the country and has performed in China and Russia. She has recorded in the MMC, New World and Naxos labels.
Rodney Mack
Trumpet
b. New Orleans, Louisianna
B.M. Curtis Institute of MusicBorn in New Orleans, Rodney Mack studied classical trumpet with his cousin, Wynton Marsalis. Referred to as a "trumpet prodigy," Mr. Mack made his solo debut at the age of 15 with the New Orleans Symphony. After having won various solo competitions, he received national attention at the age of 19 performing as soloist with the Boston Pops Orchestra. He has also performed as soloist with the San Diego Symphony, the Tenerife Symphony, the Orquestra Sinfonica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia and many orchestras throughout the United States and Europe.
Mr. Mack has made several world premiere recordings. In 1998 he made the premiere, critically acclaimed recording of Franz Waxman's "Carmen Fantasy for Trumpet and Orchestra" with conductor Lawrence Foster on the Koch International record label. Mr. Mack's debut solo trumpet CD, "Spirit of the Trumpeter," (Albany Records) has been dubbed a "best seller." He can be heard as soloist and principal trumpet on more than 30 different recordings with labels such as Decca, Naxos, Koch International Classics and Albany Records.
A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, Mr. Mack has been invited to give master classes at the Julliard School, the North Carolina School for the Arts, the National Trumpet Competition and the International Trumpet Guild Conference. He has also been invited to teach at the Eastern Music Festival and the Interlochen Music Academy.
Ryan Kauffman
Saxophone
b. Lancaster, Pa
Ryan Kauffman, saxophone, a native of Lancaster, holds music degrees from Eastern Mennonite University and West Chester University. He currently leads his own jazz trio and quartet, and has performed throughout the Central PA region, including appearances at Bethlehem Musikfest, Central Pennsylvania Friends of Jazz, Lancaster Jazz Festival, and Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival. In addition to appearances with noted jazz musicians and ensembles, Mr. Kauffman has also performed with the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra and the Manhattan Saxophone Ensemble. He has been a music educator at the Westtown School, the Darlington Fine Arts Center, and West Chester University.
Matthew Allison
Flute
M.M, Flute Performance, University of Kansas
D.M.A., Flute Performance, University of KansasMatthew Allison, flute, received both his Doctor of Musical Arts in Flute Performance and his Master of Music in Flute Performance from the University of Kansas, where he has been a Graduate Teaching Assistant in Flute. During his undergraduate work at the University of Louisville, Mr. Allison received the Award for Musicianship and Leadership in New Music, the Senior Award for Academic Achievement, and the Achievement Award for Prospective Teaching Studio. In addition to his current teaching experience at the University of Kansas, Mr. Allison has also been a guest lecturer, an ensemble conductor, a band director, and a guest clinician at various schools and festivals in Kansas and Kentucky. His resume also includes an impressive history of solo and ensemble performances in various genres, including performances for Kansas Public Radio and an ensemble performance that took him to Kunming, China.
Rainer Beckmann
Recorder
D.M.A., Flute Performance, University of KansasRainer Beckmann, the director of the new Early Music Program at the Pennsylvania Academy of Music is a graduate of the Utrecht School of the Arts, Netherlands, where he received both a teaching and performance diploma in recorder. He is currently working toward his Ph.D. in Historical Musicology at the University of Georgia. Mr. Beckmann is a first prize winner at the Holland Open Recorder Festival Competition and the Performance Contest of the Dutch Concert Agency. As a founding member of Il Flauto Giocoso and the Landini Consort, he has performed in Germany, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Italy, and Israel. Mr. Beckmann is the director of the Greater Philadelphia Area Recorder Academy. At the Pennsylvania Academy of Music, he will be developing the school’s first recorder class as well as providing opportunities for students to learn more about the history of early music.
