Sphere Ensemble

Brett Omara is a freelance violinist in the Denver area. She is currently Assistant Concertmaster of the Colorado Springs Philharmonic and performs regularly with Opera Colorado, the Boulder Philharmonic, Sphere Ensemble and the Santa Fe Concert Association Orchestra. Brett has toured with Kanye West, taught violin and doubled for Jessica Alba in feature film ‘The Eye’, and was a member of DBR & the mission who toured with Phillip Glass and Bill T. Jones Dance Company. Brett has performed at Carnegie Hall, SNL, MTV, and Madison Square Garden on numerous occasions and toured Europe and Africa with the World Youth Symphony. She has also performed with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Burt Bacharach, Itzhak Perlman, Kurt Masur, and Lorin Mazel. On a side note, Brett has played for over 500 weddings, recorded a music video on the stern of a rocking pirate ship, and taught violin in the Virgin Islands for 3 years. She plays in a gypsy rock band and sometimes performs on electric violin with a wah pedal. In her spare time she likes to hang out in parks & coffee shops, write pretty harmonies and take pictures. She is also a fan of cats, making collages and cooking. Brett received her BA degree in violin performance from the Manhattan School of Music.

Chris Jusell
Chris Jusell is a freelance violinist living in Denver. He is Concertmaster of the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra and a former member of the Fort Collins and Cheyenne Symphonies; he has also played with the Boulder Philharmonic, Greensboro Symphony, Virginia Symphony, and Colorado Music Festival. Chris received his Bachelor’s in Music from Colorado State University, where he studied with Ron Francois. Chris started the Penumbra String Quartet, plays violin and sings for the band Danielle Ate the Sandwich, works at a cool vegetarian restaurant in Denver and an even cooler coffee shop in Fort Collins, and is generally a very busy person.

Christine Short
Chris Short, from Syracuse, NY, went to school at Ithaca and CU-Boulder. She plays with the indigenous professional orchestras of Fort Collins, Greeley, and Boulder, with a title position in the first group. She has two cats and a husband with whom she is dangerously in love. She is a fast driver and a level-headed giver of advice.

David Block
A native of Kansas, David began playing violin at the age of 2 as part of a very musical family. His parents and his siblings are currently all professional musicians. David has two degrees in music performance. He completed his undergraduate studies at Florida State University and his graduate studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music. David has performed with the National Repertory Orchestra, the Cleveland Pops Orchestra, the Spoleto (ITALY) Festival, and the United States Air Force Academy Band. He is currently the Assistant Concertmaster of the Colorado Springs Philharmonic. David recently relocated to Minnesota and is anxious to explore musical opportunities in the Twin Cities.

Emily Lewis

Born in Boulder, CO, Emily began her musical studies on the piano at five years old halfway around the world in Nagoya, Japan. Upon returning to the United States at the age of nine, she switched to the violin. Since then, she has dabbled with most styles of music, ranging from classical to jazz and hip-hop to bluegrass. As well as the Sphere Ensemble, Emily is a member of the Fort Collins Symphony Orchestra, and is the fiddler and vocalist with the bluegrass/Americana band Blow the Vault.

Emily received her Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her Masters of Music from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science at the University of Denver.

Maisie Block
Maisie grew up in Wayzata, MN, and began studying the violin at the age of four. She grew up taking violin lessons at the MacPhail Center for Music, and participated in the Greater Twin Cities' Youth Symphonies. Maisie received her Bachelor’s Degree from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and her Master’s Degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music. While in Cleveland, she participated in the Intensive Quartet Program, which reinforced her passion for chamber music.

Since graduation, Maisie has pursued a career in orchestral and chamber music performance. She has been a member of the Canton Symphony Orchestra, the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, the Boulder Philharmonic, the Central City Opera, and the Colorado Ballet Orchestra. She is also currently a substitute member of the Minnesota Orchestra. When Maisie is not playing violin, she enjoys horseback riding, relaxing on Lake Minnetonka, and spending time with her husband, David, their two cats, and their dog, Rocksy.

Violas:

Aniel Caban

Aniel Cabán began his viola studies at the age of 8 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He has attended world renowned summer music festivals including Interlochen Arts Camp, Meadowmount School of Music, National Repertory Orchestra (NRO), Festival Casals de Puerto Rico, The Yehudi Menuhim Chamber Music Festival and The Sarasota Music Festival. His primary instructors have included Stanley Konopka, Erika Eckert, Eugene Becker and Guillermo Figueroa. He has studied Chamber Music with Peter Salaff, James Dunham, The Takács String Quartet, The Cavani String Quartet, Anne Epperson and Robert Levin.

Mr. Cabán received a Bachelor of Music Degree in Viola Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music (2002) and a Master of Music from the University of Colorado-Boulder (2006), where he was the recipient of The Gabor Ormai Viola Award. He has held the position of Principal Viola of the Boulder Chamber Orchestra since 2005 and is also a section member of the Boulder Philharmonic and the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestras. Other local ensembles where he has been a regular player include the Fort Collins and Cheyenne Symphony Orchestras.

Mr. Cabán is a also an active chamber musician in the Boulder area collaborating with local and guest artists such as Opus Two, David Korevaar and Andy Stein among others. He currently holds the position of Violin and Viola Instructor at the Flatirons String Academy and Viola/Chamber Music faculty of A Mid-Summer Day’s Dream String Camp in Boulder, CO.

Megan Edrington

Megan Edrington is a violist and teacher in the Boulder/Lafayette area. She holds a Masters degree in Viola Performance from the University of Colorado at Boulder studying with Erika Eckert. She earned her Bachelor of Music Education from Florida State University studying with Dr. Pamela Ryan and Karen Clarke. Megan currently teaches privately and performs with the MEO String Quartet, Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra and Sphere Ensemble.

In her spare time Megan enjoys hiking with her husband and daughters and enjoys doing anything else that involves spending time in the great outdoors.

Megan Tipton
Megan Tipton has had a relationship with her viola since 1989. In that time, her performing has taken her all over the country for orchestral work, chamber music playing, summer music festivals and two degrees, her undergraduate from Southern Methodist University and her masters from CU, Boulder. She currently runs a large private studio with students of all ages and levels and enjoys teaching beginning string classes at local schools. Megan is the assistant principal violist of the Boulder Philharmonic and freelances in the Denver metro area. When not at work. she enjoys the outdoors with her dog, Finn.

Phoenix, Arizona native Alex Vittal (B.M. in Viola Performance fromArizona State University and M.M. in Viola Performance and Pedagogy from CU-Boulder) keeps a busy schedule of teaching, arranging music, and performing. Vittal teaches kindergartners to play the
violin for El Sistema Colorado, teaches viola, violin, and music theory both privately and for Dana V. Music in Louisville, CO, and serves as Viola Section Mentor for the Greater Boulder Youth Orchestra, the Colorado Youth Symphony Orchestras in Denver, and for the Fairview
High School Orchestra in Boulder. As an arranger of music, Vittal has contributed repertoire to the Tetra String Quartet (Phoenix, AZ), Denver-based Argentine tango ensembles Extasis and
Orquesta Tìpica Natural Tango, as well as other arrangements for various ensembles, including several works for viola and classical guitar. Vittal is very excited to play with the Sphere
Ensemble, and can also be seen performing regularly with the Steamboat Symphony Orchestra and Orquesta Tìpica Natural Tango. Outside of music, Vittal enjoys long-distance running, reading, and tango dancing.

Cellos:

Beth Rosbach

Sphere founder and director Beth Rosbach began her life as a

cellist when she was 12, after a two-year stint playing violin. She received degrees in Cello Performance from the University of Oklahoma and the University of Colorado, and currently maintains a busy private studio in the Boulder area. She served as Assistant Principle cellist in the Fort Collins Symphony from 2004-2010, and has also appeared with the Philharmonic Orchestras in Boulder, Greeley, Oklahoma City, and the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra. Though classically trained, Beth embraces performing in a variety of musical styles - she is a member of the local indie-rock band Wadirum, and has appeared on stage at eTown, with members of the jam bands Railroad Earth and String Cheese Incident, and with Kailin Yong’s world-fusion fiddle-based ensemble The Peace Project. When not playing cello she wrangles cats and runs up and down dirt trails. Visit her website at www.coloradocello.com – she’s really proud of the picture

on the homepage.

David Short

David Short, cellist, teaches and performs across Colorado. In addition to Sphere, he performs with the Penumbra Quartet, Telling Stories, Fort Collins Symphony and Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra. With Mont Alto he has performed and recorded film scores for silent movies across the US, from Lincoln Center in New York to the Castro Theater in San Francisco. His performances with Sphere, Penumbra and Telling Stories have appeared on Colorado Public Radio's "KCFR Presents" and "Colorado Spotlight," both as soloist and collaborator.

Besides teaching his own private studio, David is cello instructor and assistant director of the Strings Attached program in Englewood, CO. Strings Attached was awarded a 2011 Creativity Grant from the Englewood Education Foundation for their efforts in providing lessons to children without access to string instrumental classes in their district.

Recently, David transcribed and expanded Mont Alto's score of "Amarilly of Clothesline Alley" for the Fort Collins Symphony's collaboration with the Mary Pickford Institute.

Violins:

Violas:

Cellos:

Bass:


	Violins: Brett Omara Brett Omara is a freelance violinist in the Denver area. She is currently Assistant Concertmaster of the Colorado Springs Philharmonic and performs regularly with Opera Colorado, the Boulder Philharmonic, Sphere Ensemble and the Santa Fe Concert Association Orchestra. Brett has toured with Kanye West, taught violin and doubled for Jessica Alba in feature film ‘The Eye’, and was a member of DBR & the mission who toured with Phillip Glass and Bill T. Jones Dance Company. Brett has performed at Carnegie Hall, SNL, MTV, and Madison Square Garden on numerous occasions and toured Europe and Africa with the World Youth Symphony. She has also performed with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Burt Bacharach, Itzhak Perlman, Kurt Masur, and Lorin Mazel. On a side note, Brett has played for over 500 weddings, recorded a music video on the stern of a rocking pirate ship, and taught violin in the Virgin Islands for 3 years. She plays in a gypsy rock band and sometimes performs on electric violin with a wah pedal. In her spare time she likes to hang out in parks & coffee shops, write pretty harmonies and take pictures. She is also a fan of cats, making collages and cooking. Brett received her BA degree in violin performance from the Manhattan School of Music. Chris Jusell Chris Jusell is a freelance violinist living in Denver. He is Concertmaster of the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra and a former member of the Fort Collins and Cheyenne Symphonies; he has also played with the Boulder Philharmonic, Greensboro Symphony, Virginia Symphony, and Colorado Music Festival. Chris received his Bachelor’s in Music from Colorado State University, where he studied with Ron Francois. Chris started the Penumbra String Quartet, plays violin and sings for the band Danielle Ate the Sandwich, works at a cool vegetarian restaurant in Denver and an even cooler coffee shop in Fort Collins, and is generally a very busy person. Christine Short Chris Short, from Syracuse, NY, went to school at Ithaca and CU-Boulder. She plays with the indigenous professional orchestras of Fort Collins, Greeley, and Boulder, with a title position in the first group. She has two cats and a husband with whom she is dangerously in love. She is a fast driver and a level-headed giver of advice. David Block A native of Kansas, David began playing violin at the age of 2 as part of a very musical family. His parents and his siblings are currently all professional musicians. David has two degrees in music performance. He completed his undergraduate studies at Florida State University and his graduate studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music. David has performed with the National Repertory Orchestra, the Cleveland Pops Orchestra, the Spoleto (ITALY) Festival, and the United States Air Force Academy Band. He is currently the Assistant Concertmaster of the Colorado Springs Philharmonic. David recently relocated to Minnesota and is anxious to explore musical opportunities in the Twin Cities. Emily Lewis Born in Boulder, CO, Emily began her musical studies on the piano at five years old halfway around the world in Nagoya, Japan. Upon returning to the United States at the age of nine, she switched to the violin. Since then, she has dabbled with most styles of music, ranging from classical to jazz and hip-hop to bluegrass. As well as the Sphere Ensemble, Emily is a member of the Fort Collins Symphony Orchestra, and is the fiddler and vocalist with the bluegrass/Americana band Blow the Vault. Emily received her Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her Masters of Music from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science at the University of Denver. Maisie Block Maisie grew up in Wayzata, MN, and began studying the violin at the age of four. She grew up taking violin lessons at the MacPhail Center for Music, and participated in the Greater Twin Cities' Youth Symphonies. Maisie received her Bachelor’s Degree from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and her Master’s Degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music. While in Cleveland, she participated in the Intensive Quartet Program, which reinforced her passion for chamber music. Since graduation, Maisie has pursued a career in orchestral and chamber music performance. She has been a member of the Canton Symphony Orchestra, the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, the Boulder Philharmonic, the Central City Opera, and the Colorado Ballet Orchestra. She is also currently a substitute member of the Minnesota Orchestra. When Maisie is not playing violin, she enjoys horseback riding, relaxing on Lake Minnetonka, and spending time with her husband, David, their two cats, and their dog, Rocksy. Marcin Arendt Violas: Aniel Caban Aniel Cabán began his viola studies at the age of 8 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He has attended world renowned summer music festivals including Interlochen Arts Camp, Meadowmount School of Music, National Repertory Orchestra (NRO), Festival Casals de Puerto Rico, The Yehudi Menuhim Chamber Music Festival and The Sarasota Music Festival. His primary instructors have included Stanley Konopka, Erika Eckert, Eugene Becker and Guillermo Figueroa. He has studied Chamber Music with Peter Salaff, James Dunham, The Takács String Quartet, The Cavani String Quartet, Anne Epperson and Robert Levin. Mr. Cabán received a Bachelor of Music Degree in Viola Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music (2002) and a Master of Music from the University of Colorado-Boulder (2006), where he was the recipient of The Gabor Ormai Viola Award. He has held the position of Principal Viola of the Boulder Chamber Orchestra since 2005 and is also a section member of the Boulder Philharmonic and the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestras. Other local ensembles where he has been a regular player include the Fort Collins and Cheyenne Symphony Orchestras. Mr. Cabán is a also an active chamber musician in the Boulder area collaborating with local and guest artists such as Opus Two, David Korevaar and Andy Stein among others. He currently holds the position of Violin and Viola Instructor at the Flatirons String Academy and Viola/Chamber Music faculty of A Mid-Summer Day’s Dream String Camp in Boulder, CO. Megan Edrington Megan Edrington is a violist and teacher in the Boulder/Lafayette area. She holds a Masters degree in Viola Performance from the University of Colorado at Boulder studying with Erika Eckert. She earned her Bachelor of Music Education from Florida State University studying with Dr. Pamela Ryan and Karen Clarke. Megan currently teaches privately and performs with the MEO String Quartet, Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra and Sphere Ensemble. In her spare time Megan enjoys hiking with her husband and daughters and enjoys doing anything else that involves spending time in the great outdoors. Megan Tipton Megan Tipton has had a relationship with her viola since 1989. In that time, her performing has taken her all over the country for orchestral work, chamber music playing, summer music festivals and two degrees, her undergraduate from Southern Methodist University and her masters from CU, Boulder. She currently runs a large private studio with students of all ages and levels and enjoys teaching beginning string classes at local schools. Megan is the assistant principal violist of the Boulder Philharmonic and freelances in the Denver metro area. When not at work. she enjoys the outdoors with her dog, Finn. Alexander Vittal Phoenix, Arizona native Alex Vittal (B.M. in Viola Performance fromArizona State University and M.M. in Viola Performance and Pedagogy from CU-Boulder) keeps a busy schedule of teaching, arranging music, and performing. Vittal teaches kindergartners to play the violin for El Sistema Colorado, teaches viola, violin, and music theory both privately and for Dana V. Music in Louisville, CO, and serves as Viola Section Mentor for the Greater Boulder Youth Orchestra, the Colorado Youth Symphony Orchestras in Denver, and for the Fairview High School Orchestra in Boulder. As an arranger of music, Vittal has contributed repertoire to the Tetra String Quartet (Phoenix, AZ), Denver-based Argentine tango ensembles Extasis and Orquesta Tìpica Natural Tango, as well as other arrangements for various ensembles, including several works for viola and classical guitar. Vittal is very excited to play with the Sphere Ensemble, and can also be seen performing regularly with the Steamboat Symphony Orchestra and Orquesta Tìpica Natural Tango. Outside of music, Vittal enjoys long-distance running, reading, and tango dancing. Cellos: Beth Rosbach Sphere founder and director Beth Rosbach began her life as a cellist when she was 12, after a two-year stint playing violin. She received degrees in Cello Performance from the University of Oklahoma and the University of Colorado, and currently maintains a busy private studio in the Boulder area. She served as Assistant Principle cellist in the Fort Collins Symphony from 2004-2010, and has also appeared with the Philharmonic Orchestras in Boulder, Greeley, Oklahoma City, and the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra. Though classically trained, Beth embraces performing in a variety of musical styles - she is a member of the local indie-rock band Wadirum, and has appeared on stage at eTown, with members of the jam bands Railroad Earth and String Cheese Incident, and with Kailin Yong’s world-fusion fiddle-based ensemble The Peace Project. When not playing cello she wrangles cats and runs up and down dirt trails. Visit her website at www.coloradocello.com – she’s really proud of the picture on the homepage. David Short David Short, cellist, teaches and performs across Colorado. In addition to Sphere, he performs with the Penumbra Quartet, Telling Stories, Fort Collins Symphony and Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra. With Mont Alto he has performed and recorded film scores for silent movies across the US, from Lincoln Center in New York to the Castro Theater in San Francisco. His performances with Sphere, Penumbra and Telling Stories have appeared on Colorado Public Radio's "KCFR Presents" and "Colorado Spotlight," both as soloist and collaborator. Besides teaching his own private studio, David is cello instructor and assistant director of the Strings Attached program in Englewood, CO. Strings Attached was awarded a 2011 Creativity Grant from the Englewood Education Foundation for their efforts in providing lessons to children without access to string instrumental classes in their district. Recently, David transcribed and expanded Mont Alto's score of "Amarilly of Clothesline Alley" for the Fort Collins Symphony's collaboration with the Mary Pickford Institute. Bass: Benjamin DeKock