Port Townsend Chamber Music Series Musicians

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Artistic Directors

Musicians

Percussionist Thomas Blomster worked decades as a performer, composer, conductor, arranger and educator across five continents. He studied percussion at the Aspen Music School and Hochschule fur Musik in Berlin. He holds degrees in music performance and conducting from Colorado’s Metropolitan State University and University of Denver. As music director of The Mercury Ensemble and Colorado Chamber Orchestra, Thomas introduced world premiers of contemporary music in the United States, Scotland, Morocco, and Mongolia. He performs classical to jazz, rock, and world/ethnic music, and is featured on numerous recordings. Thomas and his wife Nikki Tsuchiya recently retired to Port Townsend, where they enjoy the rich cultural offerings of the Olympic Peninsula and time with their daughters on Whidbey Island.

Violist Anne Gantz Burns was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska. Anne is thrilled to now call Poulsbo her home, and excited to join the Port Townsend Chamber Music Series. Prior to moving from Alaska, Anne was Principal Viola with the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra, the Anchorage Opera, and the Anchorage Concert Chorus for over 20 years. She performed as a soloist, chamber musician, and recording artist for many groups throughout Alaska during this time. Since moving south to warmer climes, Anne has played with the symphony orchestras of Olympia, Bainbridge Island, Bremerton, Bellevue, and Port Angeles. Currently, she is a member of the Port Angeles viola section, where she has found a true musical home. In addition to performing, she maintains private studios in both Port Angeles and Poulsbo. Anne received her musical training at the University of Alaska Anchorage with Dr. Russell Guyver, and received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Anne happily retired from nursing in 2024, and is able to focus on music full-time. She and her husband Greg have two adult daughters, and three wonderful dogs.

Drummer Howard Gilbert was a member of the Seattle Symphony, Opera and Ballet Orchestras for over 25 years. He studied drumming with Joe Amato, timpanist of the Portland Symphony. In high school he joined the musician’s union in Portland and later the Musician’s Association of Seattle – Local 76-493 AFM. He is a life member of the union still at the current age of 92. Howie graduated from Cornish School of the Arts where he studied piano and composition with Stephen Balogh. He moved to Munich to perform as a jazz musician and compose music for the film industry there. Howie became a member of the Seattle World’s Fair Band and was a jobbing drummer in Seattle for 75 years. He studied drumset with Candy Finch and Jack Wolcott, among others. He is married to cellist, Pamela Roberts, and they live on Lake Leland in Quilcene. Together they own and manage their family forest – Lost Mountain Tree Farm in Sequim.

Cellist Pat Gunning says the main loves of her life include God, her husband of 55 years, her 2 daughters, sons in laws; her 4 grandchildren; teaching; music involvement with church; PTSO; ensemble playing and travel. Pat graduated from the University of Portland “eons ago”.   Her post- grad experiences include Gonzaga University; Arizona State University; Eastern Washington State University and Washington State University.  She started playing ‘cello in high school.  Pat taught an award winning general music program in Glendale, Arizona; choir and strings for 37 years in the public school system (all levels) with junior high as her primary focus. She co-founded the Spokane Area Children’s Choir (Spokane Symphony’s official children’s choir).  Pat has received recognition with the Spokane Rotary Club; was nominated for the Disney Teacher of the Year Award; and was awarded the Teacher of the Semester out of the nearly 4000 teachers in the Spokane Public School District.  2 years before Pat retired, she  received an anonymous donation of $35,000 for the music program at Garry Middle School, (a Title One school).  She says retirement in Port Townsend has provided her the opportunity to be a small part of the wonderful Port Townsend music family.

Violinist Sara Mary Hall is a scientist by training with over twenty-five years of gene therapy experience in the US, Europe, Japan, and Australia. Born in West Germany to the Air Force Liaison to NATO in Western Europe, she spent her formative years (and most of her career) gleefully roaming the world. She has been the scientific co-founder/CEO of four private and a fifth public biotech company, and has served extensively as a director, advisor, and executive, specializing in clinical development and regulatory strategies for inherited retinal diseases and other genetic disorders of the eye. She has spearheaded multiple initiatives for women and girls in STEAM (STEM plus the Arts) and remains a vocal and passionate advocate. She began violin at a young age and, after 50 years of playing, deeply treasures the analytical skills, pattern recognition, creativity, and discipline intrinsic to music. Sara moved to the PNW in 2017 and joyfully performs with numerous string ensembles, the Bainbridge Symphony Orchestra, and the Port Townsend Symphony Orchestra.

Cellist Phil Hirschi. Shortly after college where he played cello in the Yale Symphony Orchestra, Phil was asked to join the second version of the iconic Mahavishnu Orchestra with John McLaughlin and Jean-Luc Ponty. After recording with the London Symphony Orchestra under Beatles’ producer George Martin, the MO toured the USA, Europe, and Australia. Later in life, after raising a family in Seattle, Phil began playing in a variety of indie bands including The Green Pajamas, Deep Energy Orchestra, Saint John and the Revelations, and Chaos and the Cosmos, and accompanying a wide variety of singer/songwriters. On guitar, Phil plays and records with the Sophie Florence Trio. Phil is also the designer of an exclusive line of cello-themed stickers, with phrases such as “You say goodbye, but I say cello”. Now in Port Townsend, Phil plays with the PT Symphony Orchestra whose principal cellist Pamela Roberts recently premiered Phil’s composition for solo cello. 

Bassoonist Kristina Holm. As a little kid in rural Minnesota, Kristina wanted to play bassoon, but in fourth grade she was assigned the clarinet.  She finally got to play bassoon in ninth grade band, playing mostly whole notes.  When she went to college, the manager of the orchestra sought her out because their only bassoonist was out of the country for a semester abroad.  Despite her lack of a bassoon and any orchestra experience, she was recruited, loaned a bassoon, and given bassoon lessons.  With time and a lot of practice, she became a real bassoonist.  After college, she continued to play with groups wherever she lived, the Lawyers’ Orchestra and various chamber groups at the 92nd Street Y in NYC and the Clark College and Jewish Community Orchestras in the Portland, Oregon area.  She has studied bassoon with Dr. William Jones, Jane Taylor, Ann Crandall, and Matt Volkar.  She is grateful to all of them for their patience, sparkle, and skill.  She currently lives in Port Townsend and plays with the Port Townsend Symphony Orchestra.

Kathryn Hunt is a poet who makes her home in Port Townsend, Washington, on the coast of the Salish Sea. She is author of two poetry collections, Long Way Through Ruin and Seed Wheel and two chapbooks,The Country I Come From and She Who Walks the Earth. Her poems have appeared in the Orion, Radar, Poetry Northwest, Missouri Review, and Narrative, among others, and she is the recipient of residencies and awards from Ucross, Willapa Bay AIR, Hedgebrook, Artists Trust, and Joya AIR (Spain). She is the artistic curator of Poetry on the Salish Sea, a poetry series that brings poets from around the Pacific NW and beyond to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington.

Pianist Jessica Larson started learning piano at the age of 10, encouraged by her father who was a classical music enthusiast though not a musician himself.  At the age of 16, she had the opportunity to study piano for 2 years with pianist Keiko Andrews at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida.  She played piano for pleasure sporadically for the next 24 years while pursuing college degrees and eventually starting her career.  She was thrilled to take up lessons again a couple years ago with renowned pianist and Port Townsend local, Jennifer Chung, with whom she continues to study.  Jessica also plays guitar and recently took up the accordion.  If she looks familiar to you, she might be your veterinarian.

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Pianist Helen Lauritzen’s musical life began with piano lessons at age 7 and grew to include choral singing and choral directing. In 1983 Helen founded the Seattle Peace Chorus, which she directed for 14 years. During the time of “citizen diplomacy” with the Soviet Union, the Chorus made three trips to that country and organized U.S. tours for three Russian choirs. Here in Port Townsend, Helen continues to accompany singers and instrumentalists, sings in RainShadow Chorale and directs the local Threshold Choir.

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Soprano Jeannie Bennett Oneppo started as a child singing in church choirs and has gone on to perform as a soloist in recitals, with choruses and orchestras, and while touring Europe, Turkey, and China. She taught singing full time for many years, and was faculty at the Yale School of Drama. She earned her BME from Illinois Wesleyan and MM from the Yale School of Music.

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Left-right: Al Thompson, Vincent Oneppo, Stephanie M. Neumann, and Jonathan Doyle.

The Port Townsend Saxophone Quartet is a new ensemble on the musical scene, having been formed in February of 2025.

Stephanie M. Neumann is a saxophonist/vocalist, composer, conductor, educator, and audiovisual editor, with music degrees from Mills College and Miami University. She has performed in various instrumental, vocal, and multimedia collaborations including Sleight Ensemble, Oak Wind Sax Quartet, and Voci Women’s Vocal Ensemble, among many others. Her compositions and audiovisuals have been featured by organizations such as Ensemble for These Times and the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music. Locally, she teaches private music lessons, and coaches woodwinds for the Chimacum band program.

Jonathan Doyle is renowned nationally for his performances and recordings of early jazz, swing, and traditional American music. A Chicago native, he studied at DePaul University and later immersed himself in the vibrant music scenes of Austin and New Orleans. He has toured and recorded with acclaimed groups such as the Fat Babies, the Tuba Skinny band, the Jim Cullum Jazz Band, Willie, and the Jonathan Doyle Quintet/Swingtet. He has performed at the Grand Ole Opry, at Preservation Hall, on the Austin City Limits TV show, Jazz At Lincoln Center, and many more venues on three continents.

Vincent Oneppo, a native of Rhode Island, holds degrees from N.Y.U. and the Yale School of Music, where he worked in administration for over 40 years. Since moving to the PNW in 2017 and Port Townsend in 2023, he performed as soloist with Chamber Music Northwest in Portland and has been a member of the Port Townsend and Port Angeles orchestras, the Sequim City Band, and the Stardust Big Band. His “The Man Who Saved Christmas” will be performed by the Port Angeles Symphony Orchestra in December.

Al Thompson earned his Bachelor of Music Ed. degree from the University of Wisconsin, LaCrosse, and a master’s degree in educational psychology from UW-Milwaukee. Retirement after 38 years in public education, mostly as a band director, brought him to the PNW where he has pursued singing and playing clarinet and saxophone in various groups including Port Townsend Summer Band, Olympic Express Big Band, Stardust dance band, Unexpected Brass Band, Rainshadow Chorus, Copy Cats R/R trio, two different church choirs, and Wild Rose Chorale.

Harpist Barbara McColgan Pastore came to the harp late. Following her graduation from UCLA (B.S. Engineering) in 1974 she was commissioned in the US Air Force as a second lieutenant. It was an exciting (sometimes very exciting!) career that took her all over the world. Her primary duty was as a transport pilot, flying C-141 aircraft, although she also served as an air traffic control officer, staff officer, and mission commander for flights supporting the On Site Inspection Agency. A chance encounter with a small harp at a folk music store tweaked a thought and after her retirement her husband Ken bought her a Dusty Strings lever harp as a retirement present. She took lessons, learned to play traditional tunes, and eventually transitioned to playing the pedal harp about twenty years ago. While she’s worked with several instructors, her greatest teachers have been the kind and talented musicians of the Port Townsend Symphony Orchestra–patiently enduring her mistaken notes and gently correcting her often creative timing.

Violinist Karl Perry started playing violin in 4^th grade in Seattle. He studied with Seattle Symphony violinist Elizabeth Rowe through high school. Like most childhood musicians, Karl set his violin down for the next ten years while beginning his marriage to wife Melinie, his career, and his family. At thirty restarted playing and on moving to Port Ludlow in 2000 one of his first actions was to join the Port Townsend Community Orchestra. Except for a break from 2016-2022, he has played with the orchestra continuously, also serving several stints on the orchestra board of directors. He also plays with the Port Angeles Symphony, where he is currently vice-president of their board. A lifelong learner, Karl continues to study with local teacher Matthew Daline. The chance to get away from the digital world and immerse himself in the profoundly analog undertaking of playing violin gives him great pleasure, and he enjoys sharing his music with others.

Flautist Dr. Tamara Rotz specializes in historical performance on flute, violin and viola. Principal flutist with the Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado, she has soloed with the Dallas Bach Society and Port Angeles Symphony, among others. As a violinist/violist she has performed with many regional symphonies. Dr. Rotz holds a Master of Music Performance degree from Indiana University’s Early Music Institute and a Ph.D. in Learning Technologies from the University of North Texas. She works at Peninsula College as the eLearning Administrator and is a coach for the Kitsap Philharmonic Youth Symphony. 

Percussionist George Shaffer is mostly self taught having played percussion in high school. He then took a twelve year break through college and graduate schools. He resumed playing in Ketchikan when the orchestra timpanist suddenly moved out of town. George has played percussion in the concert bands and orchestras in Ketchikan AK, Sequim and Port Townsend. He believes that playing music in groups is the ultimate team builder.

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Violist Marcy Stewart began studying violin in 1960 but soon defected to the more sonorous viola. Over the past 60 years she has played in orchestras and chamber ensembles from California to Alaska. Marcy is a former children’s librarian and semi-retired classroom teacher who spends her free time spinning, hiking, bicycling and playing music.

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Soprano Laurel Sprigg has delighted audiences for years with her warm, vibrant singing. She studied vocal performance and music theory at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and Dance at Bennington College. An advocate of community engagement, Laurel has given recitals to benefit many community groups. She has recently moved to Washington, and has joined the Bremerton Symphony Chorale, Kitsap Opera outreach program, and the Ladies Musical Club of Seattle.

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Narrator Merion Wright grew up on the sandy shores of New Jersey, and with a few stops in between has landed on the Olympic Peninsula. She is an ocean loving, tree hugging, voracious reader who spends most of her time with her family exploring the many green shades of the Pacific Northwest. Merion teaches yoga, helps coach the local swim club and is a self-proclaimed expert on finding the best baguettes west of the Seine. She lives in Port Townsend with her husband, two daughters and an old man in fur named Whiskey.