Meet the Orchestra

The String Section is by far the largest in the orchestra; including violin, viola, cello, bass, and harp. Watch these musicians move their bows across the strings, making sounds as soft as a trickling stream or as loud as a thunderstorm. The harp makes beautiful sounds by plucking or stroking the strings.

The instruments of the Woodwind Section (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and sometimes saxophone) are long and tube-like, with rows of holes, played by blowing into them, often with a reed. Woodwinds can sound light and airy, or dark and scary.

The Brass Section instruments (French horn, trumpet, trombone, and tuba) are long tubes of shiny gold metal, bent and twisted into shapes that make them easier to hold. These instruments boom and blare!

The Percussion Section has the greatest variety of instruments; snare drum, bass drum, gong, triangle, xylophone, timpani, and piano, among many others. They are played by being struck or shaken. Watch as these musicians move around to play many different instruments during a concert.

The Conductor helps the musicians all start and stop together, and guides them to play faster or slower, and louder or softer, as they perform each piece of music. The conductor also shows the character of the music to the orchestra players and to the audience through her gestures. The conductor plays a very important role in a symphony orchestra, even though the baton makes no sound!

Meet the String Section

Violin

William Allmart

William Allmart has been studying the violin since the age of nine. Bill earned a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from Amherst College, and during those years he was also fortunate to be a student of Phillip Naegele, formerly a violinist with the Cleveland Orchestra and one of the founders of the Marlboro Festival.

Following several years playing in professional ensembles in Chile, Bill was accepted into the violin program at Indiana University but problems with his left hand forced him to switch to the business school instead, where he earned an MBA in Marketing and Finance. Careers in international banking, fundraising and international development followed.

Bill joined the DuPage Symphony in 2004 and currently serves as its Concertmaster.

Famous Violinists

Joshua Bell, Nicola Benedetti, Rachel Barton Pine, Sarah Chang, Julia Fischer, Hilary Hahn, Yehudi Menuhin, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Itzhak Perlman, Black Violin

Meet the Woodwind Section

Clarinet & Saxophone

Donald Lurye

Donald Lurye has played clarinets of various shapes and sizes in the DuPage Symphony since 2008. He believes he holds the DSO record for number of clarinets he managed in a concert at any one time (i.e., five). Ever wonder why he and his section mates can't be satisfied with playing just one instrument like the rest of the orchestra members? Watch this informative video to find out!

Donald recently retired as CEO of the Elmhurst Clinic. He is a board-certified physician in family medicine and is a past president of the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians. He and his wife Lillian live in Glen Ellyn and have two daughters and three grandchildren.

Famous Clarinetists

Larry Combs, Martin Fröst, Benny Goodman, Robert Marcellus, Anthony McGill, Ricardo Morales, Sabine Meyer, Richard Stoltzman, David Schirfin, Harold Wright

Popular Clarinet Concertos

Aaron Copland: Clarinet Concerto

Los Angeles Philharmonic, featuring Benny Goodman, clarinet

I. Slowly and expressively, II. Rather fast - Coda

John Corigliano: Clarinet Concerto

New York Philharmonic, featuring Stanley Druker, clarinet

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Clarinet Concerto in A Major, K. 622

Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, featuring Sabine Meyer, clarinet

Carl Nielsen: Clarinet Concerto, Op. 57

Changwon Philharmonic Orchestra, featuring Han Kim, clarinet

Carl Maria von Weber: Clarinet Concerto No. 1 in F minor, Op. 73 (J. 114)

Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, featuring Jörg Widmann

I. Allegro II. Adagio ma non troppo III. Rondo. Allegretto

Carl Maria von Weber: Clarinet Concerto No. 2 in E flat Major, Op. 74 (J. 118)

City of London Sinfonia, featuring Michael Collins, clarinet

I. Allegro II. Romanze. Andante con moto III. Alla Polacca

Meet the Brass Section

Horn

Gary Greene

Gary Greene holds a Ph.D. in historical musicology and so serves as the DSO program annotator as well as the principal horn. He's been with the DSO since the 1999-2000 season. He also plays in the DSO woodwind quintet and with a group of horn players who are largely DSO hornists. He recently retired after 21 years with the Illinois State Board of Education and was immediately snatched up to serve on the DSO board!

Harmonic Series

Famous Horn Players

Dennis Brain, Barry Tuckwell, Hermann Baumann, Michael Thompson, Peter Damm, Radek Baborak, Stefan Dohr, Sarah Willis, Dale Celvenger, Radovan Vlatkovic