Musicians
Principal Players
Photos courtesy of Karen McLain Photography

Pam Dassenko, Co-Concertmaster

Pam Dassenko began the study of violin at age 7 under Miguel Szilagui in Montevideo, Uruguay. She has studied with Claire Hodgkin and most recently with Oliver Steiner at the Eastman School of Music. She is a 1974 A.F. of M. Congress of Strings Scholarship winner. In 1980 and 1981 she served as principal second violin for the Herbert Blomstedt Conducting Workshop at Loma Linda University. She has played with the Riverside and Redlands Symphonies as well as various chamber ensembles. Pam has been a member of the Mozart Festival orchestra since 1988. She is a dentist practicing in San Luis Obispo.

Paul Severtson, Co-Concertmaster

Paul Severtson was born and raised in California. He gained early experience as a student violinist with chamber music through a family string quartet, a high school string trio that was a prize-winner at the Coleman Chamber Music Auditions in Pasadena, and master classes with cellist Edgar Lustgarten in La Jolla. He attended Yale College where he was the first concertmaster of the Yale Symphony under the direction of John Mauceri. He received his Master of Music degree at the Yale University School of Music, where he studied violin with Broadus Erle and Syoko Aki. In his many years as a professional musician, he has performed in symphony, opera, ballet and chamber orchestras; popular, rock 'n roll and jazz groups; contemporary music ensembles; and as a folk musician with special interest in the Norwegian hardanger fiddle. In 1985 he was invited to perform on the hardanger fiddle at the opening of "Troldsalen," an intimate concert hall on the grounds of Edvard Griegs home near Bergen, Norway, with the royal family in attendance. In addition to being Co-Concertmaster of the San Luis Obispo Symphony, Mr. Severtson is a member of the SLO Mozart Festival Orchestra, the eXdingo contemporary music group, and is a founding member of the Tolosa Strings Chamber Ensemble. He moved to the Central Coast from San Diego in 1992 and works as the Development Director at Public Radio KCBX FM-90.

Randy Garacci, Violin II

Randy Garacci began his violin studies in the music program at the elementary school he attended in Los Angeles. Although he wanted to play the clarinet*, the school only had violins and cellos available. So he ended up studying the violin. He continued his studies with the late Manuel Compinsky. He came to San Luis Obispo in 1975 to attend Cal Poly, where he performed with various ensembles in the music department. In 1976, Randy joined the San Luis Obispo Symphony and in 1997 he was named Principal Violin II. Randy has been a member of the Mozart Festival Orchestra since 1980. He is also a member of the Tolosa Strings Chamber Ensemble and teaches private violin lessons. Randy is a computer software developer and consultant.

*Ironically, principal clarinetist Virginia Wright has always wanted to play the violin!

David Hennessee, Viola

David began playing the viola at age 10 in his hometown of Lawton, Oklahoma. His primary teacher was the late Wayne Crouse, Principal Violist with the Houston Symphony and Professor of Viola at the University of Oklahoma. He studied chamber music with Akira Endo, Michael Ma, Sally O’Reilly, and Janos Starker. David won Oklahoma’s Buttram String competition in 1989 and OU’s Sutton Chamber Music Award in 1992. He performed with the Lawton Philharmonic and the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, and after moving to Seattle in 1994 for graduate work in English at the University of Washington, David performed with Philharmonia Northwest, the Pacific Northwest Ballet, the Federal Way Symphony, and the Lumiere String Quartet. David earned his Ph.D from the University of Washington in 2001 and began teaching British literature at Cal Poly in 2002. Since moving here, he has performed with the SLO Symphony and many other local ensembles, including PCPA and the Pacific Repertory Opera.  (photo by Barry Goyette)

Mary Elliott James, Viola Principal Emeritus

Mary Elliott James is a Professor Emeritus of Pittsburg (Kansas) State University. She has served on the faculty of the Chamber Music Conference at Bennington College in Vermont. Ms. James has performed with the San Francisco Symphony, the Portland Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, among others. As a soloist on the viola damore, Ms. James has been featured at the Carmel Bach Festival, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, the Ojai Festival and many more. Currently, Ms. James plays with the SLO Mozart Festival, the Larkspur Quartet, Pacific Repertory Opera and Cuesta Master Chorale. Ms. James assumed her principal violist position with the San Luis Obispo Symphony in the 1994-95 season and retired as Principal - though still playing in the orchestra - in 2006.

Ken Hustand, Co-Principal Bass

In addition to the San Luis Obispo Symphony, Ken Hustad is a member of the Mozart Festival Orchestra and plays with the Santa Barbara and Santa Maria Symphonies, the Cuesta Master Chorale, Pacific Repertory Opera, the San Luis Obispo Vocal Arts Ensemble, the Cal Poly Baroque Orchestra, and in the Tolosa Strings quintet.  He is a string coach for the San Luis Obispo County Youth Symphony and bass instructor at Cuesta College and Cal Poly, as well as playing in several Central Coast jazz groups.

Lara Lehmer, Co-Principal Bass

Lara Lehmer volunteered to try the bass in 6th grade in SLO and was instantly hooked. She studied with Sarah Wood, Clifton Swanson,  Peter Mercurio, and Diana Gannett. She began playing in the SLO Symphony at the age of 14, as well as the Cal Poly Chamber Orchestra, the Cuesta Master Chorale, and soon after, the Mozart Festival. During high school, she played principal bass for the CMEA All-State, and CODA orchestras and, after her junior year, attended the Music Academy of the West.  Lara stayed busy playing bass while in college at Stanford University, graduate school at UCLA, and while living in Iowa, South Carolina, and Bakersfield.  After being away for 25 years, Lara and her family are grateful to once again call SLO home.

Alice McGonigal, Flute

Alice McGonigal, a member of the San Luis Obispo Symphony since 1975, became an international flutist with the New Symphony of Tokyo, the Barbants Ensemble of Holland, the North Wind Quintet (NWQ), the International Congress of Women in Music in Mexico City and the Korean Philharmonic of Los Angeles.  She has BA & MA degrees from CSU Northridge and was chosen to play in the 2003 National Flute Association Professional Flute convention Choir in Las Vegas, NV.  She teaches private Flute and Guitar, and conducts an after school program of flute choir music at Laguna Middle School for teens, adults and seniors.  Alice can be heard on the Cambria and Safari labels.

Wayne Asbury, Oboe

Wayne Asbury, a native of Buffalo, NY, moved to Lompoc in 1972 after graduating from the University of Colorado at Boulder, with a Bachelors Degree in Music Education. There, he was a student of David Abosch, principal oboist with the Denver Symphony. Wayne teaches music for the Lompoc schools. He is a frequent performer in chamber recitals throughout the Central Coast. Wayne is an active composer and arranger, and is a founding member of the Encore! Wind Quintet and Impromptu Chamber Players. He has been the principal oboist since joining the orchestra in 1975.

Virginia Wright, Clarinet

Born in Portland, Oregon, Virginia Wright has played principal clarinet with the Portland Symphony (now the Oregon Symphony), the San Jose Symphony and for over 30 years, the San Luis Obispo Symphony. As a soloist with the San Luis Obispo Symphony she has performed Premiere Rhapsody by Debussy and the concertos o f Mozart and Copland. Virginia was a member of the San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival from its inception in 1971 through the 1995 season. She is a member of the music faculty at Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo. In addition to her recital performances, Virginia performs throughout the county with Trio Vivo! and other chamber groups. She teaches clarinet privately at her home in Shell Beach.

Diana Sheridan, Bassoon

Diana Sheridan was recruited to play bassoon in the eighth grade in Amarillo, Texas, when the school orchestra needed a bassoonist. At the time, she played piano and percussion instruments that were well represented in the orchestra. She fell in love with the bassoon sound and it quickly became her favorite instrument. After two years playing in the Amarillo Symphony, Diana went to New York to study engineering. She gave up the bassoon for twelve years, working in Texas, Colorado and Hawaii until she arrived in San Luis Obispo and started to play again. She has performed with the San Luis Obispo Symphony since 1976, and has also played with many other musical performance groups on the Central Coast, both large and small, including solo work with the Symphony and other chamber orchestras. Diana and her photographer husband, Dennis Sheridan, enjoy involvement with many community organizations, and they both love to travel. Diana works for Chemron Corporation in Paso Robles and consults for Promega Biosciences, both of which sponsor her chair in the Symphony.

Jane Swanson, Horn

Jane Swanson has studied French horn with Ralph Pyle, Fred Fox, Wendell Hoss, Sinclair Lott and James Decker in Southern California, and with Phillip Yaeger in Austin, Texas.  She also received extensive coaching in chamber music from Mitchell Lurie, both at the Music Academy of the West and at UCLA. She attended Pomona College and the University of Texas in Austin, completing a degree in music performance from UCLA. She was a winner of the Coleman Chamber Music Competition in 1966. A resident of San Luis Obispo for 38 years, Jane has long been active as a performer with the San Luis Obispo Symphony, the Mozart Festival Orchestra, Cuesta Master Chorale, and Pacific Repertory Opera.

Jerry Boots, Trumpet

Jerry Boots is a native of San Luis Obispo and began his orchestral career playing with the California Youth Symphony, the Peninsula Symphony and the Humboldt State Symphony. He has been a frequent member of the Mozart Festival Orchestra and has played with the Theophilous Brass Quintet for the past 16 years. He is a founding member of Burnished Brass. Jerry has played principal trumpet with the San Luis Obispo Symphony since May of 1978. In addition to performing locally, he occasionally plays in the trumpet section of the San Jose Symphony.

Tony Clements, Tuba

Tony Clements started his tuba studies at the age of 7 in Lindenhurst, New York. At the age of 14, he and his parents moved to Modesto, where he attended Downey High School. During his high school years, he was mainly self-taught as the nearest tuba teacher was in San Francisco, 100 miles away. In 1975, Tony moved to Los Angeles to attend Cal State, Northridge; he played tuba in the symphony, bass trombone in the jazz band, euphonium in the wind ensemble and bass trumpet in the brass ensemble. He studied tuba with Tommy Johnson, Jim Self and finally, Roger Bobo. He got his symphonic training with Mehli Mehta in the American Youth Symphony and Myung-Whun Chung and the Young Musicians' Foundation Debut Orchestra. Along the way, Mr. Clements has spent summers playing at Disneyland and Marriott's Great America. Tony has played with the San Diego Symphony, the Oakland Symphony, the Sacramento Symphony, the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, The San Francisco Opera Orchestra and many free-lance orchestras in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is a popular Bay Area soloist, playing with virtually every college band in the area and many high school groups. Recently, Mr. Clements was appointed the Conductor of the Ohlone Wind Orchestra and was added to the conducting staff of the El Camino Youth Symphony. His teaching positions include Stanford University, San Jose State, Cal State Hayward and Ohlone College, where he directs the 25-member Tuba Union of the Bay Area.

David Landers, Trombone

Bio coming soon....

Barbara Hoff, Keyboard

Barbara Hoff has been the Symphony's Principal Keyboardist since 1977. She has also appeared as orchestra pianist with the Santa Monica, Santa Maria, and Mozart Festival orchestras. She accompanies the San Luis Obispo Vocal Arts Ensemble, and has toured internationally with that group, as well as with the Symphony. She works in Los Osos as a choir director, organist, and private teacher. Barbara is an active recital accompanist and chamber music player, and has performed with the Tolosa Strings, Impromptu Chamber Players, and Summerwinds.

Ross Sears, Timpani

Ross Sears, a native of San Luis Obispo, received his Bachelor of Music Degree in Percussion at Indiana University School of Music and his Master of Arts Degree in Percussion at San Jose State University. Ross has performed with the San Diego Symphony and Opera, Symphony Orchestra of Maracaibo, Venezuela, San Jose Symphony, Opera San Jose, West Bay Opera, Monterey Symphony, West Bay Stage, and the San Jose Civic Light Opera. Locally, in addition to performing with the San Luis Obispo Symphony, Ross performs with PCPA Theatrefest, Vocal Arts Ensemble, Cuesta Master Chorale, Pacific Repertory Opera, Santa Barbara and the Mozart Festival. Ross is currently teaching percussion at Cal Poly.

Marshall Granger, Percussion

Marshall Granger received his percussion instruction from San Francisco Bay area percussionist Martha Spore. He serves as Principal Percussionist with the Berkeley Opera and has played with the North Bay Opera, San Francisco Concerto Orchestra, Pacific Coast Chamber Orchestra, Marin Music Festival Orchestra, Tahoe Music Festival Orchestra and the North Tahoe Symphony. He has performed locally with the Coastal Valley Symphony, Cuesta Master Chorale and the Pacific Repertory Opera. Prior to taking up percussion, Marshall spent 20 years as a trumpet player. He studied with Joseph Alessi, Sr. and performed in a number of San Francisco Bay area ensembles including the Marin Civic Light Opera, Sonoma City Opera and the Hayward Symphony. Marshall has been a member of the San Luis Obispo Symphony since 1990. Marshall is also active in SLO Symphony Music Education. For the past two years, he has been part of the faculty for the Symphony Music Camp: OnStage at the PAC.

Katie Kirkpatrick, Harp

Bio coming soon...

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