Zachary Silberschlag, trumpet, is the acting principal trumpet of the Hawaii Symphony previously he was a member of the inaugural class "The Orchestra Now" based in New York. He also serves as principal trumpet of The Chesapeake Orchestra in the summers. Zachary holds a Bachelors degree from St. Mary's College of Maryland, Masters of Music from Manhattan School of Music, and a Doctorate from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Nathaniel Silberschlag, horn, is the current Assistant Principal Horn of the Kennedy Center Opera Orchestra in Washington, DC, and newly appointed principal horn of the Cleveland Orchestra. Additionally, He has performed with the New York Philharmonic and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Nathaniel is a student of Julie Landsman at The Juilliard School in New York and is a proud recipient of a Kovner Fellowship.  In 2017, his sophomore year, he won the Juilliard Concerto Competition performing the Strauss Concerto No. 2.  Nathaniel has been a member of The National Symphony Orchestra's Young Fellowship Program, Brass of Peace, Maryland Youth Symphony Orchestra, and he has attended the National Symphony Orchestra's Summer Music Institute, Eastern Music Festival, and The Music Academy of the West.

Since 2018, Slobas Koczur is a full time member of Suzhou Symphony Orchestra. From 2015-2018, Mr. Koczur was one of the inaugural members of The Orchestra Now. Prior to the New York Festival Brass Quintet, Mr. Koczur was one of the founding members of the Hudson Valley Brass, through which he had the privilege of participating as guest artist at the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival in South Africa alongside with musicians from the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Mr. Koczur was winner at The Orchestra Now Concerto Competition, and received prizes at prestigious competitions such as the National Trumpet Competition in Denver USA, International Interpretative Competition for Wind Instruments, Brno Czech Republic and Hungarian National Trumpet Competition Budapest. Mr. Koczur has studied with celebrated trumpet soloists including Gabor Boldoczki at the Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest and Jeroen Berwaerts at Hochschule fur Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover.

Dan Honaker holds degrees in tuba performance from Baldwin Wallace University and the San Francisco Conservatory of music. His primary teachers include Yasuhito Sugiyama, and Jeff Anderson. As an orchestral performer Dan has performed with many orchestras around the world including the Cleveland Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony and Malaysian Philharmonic.

Gabe Cruz recently obtained the position of Second Trombone in the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra. Prior to this, he was a member of The Orchestra Now where he met the members of the New York Festival Brass Quintet. Gabe studied at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and his primary teachers include Tim Higgins, Paul Welcomer and Michael Mulcahy. He has also played with some his favorite orchestras like Buffalo Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony, and the San Francisco Symphony.

The Estrella Consort (performer - saxophone quartet)

Named after the Sierra Estrella Mountain Range near Tempe, AZ, the Estrella Consort is a saxophone quartet committed to the performance of exciting works, both old and new. The group was founded in 2010 while all members were studying with Dr. Timothy McAllister, and has performed both nationally and internationally. The Estrella Consort was invited to tour Ecuador as part of a cultural exchange, performing and giving masterclasses in Cuenca, Loja, and Guayaquil. The group has also performed at the renowned Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, presented guest artist recitals and workshops at numerous institutions throughout the country and frequently performs at the Biennial North American Saxophone Alliance Conferences. The group is currently working on a recording project that will include Xenakis’ Xas as well as newer works for saxophone quartet. The Estrella consort has commissioned and premiered half a dozen works for saxophone quartet and looks forward to continuing to champion new music.

Soprano saxophone chair, Patrick Murphy, has performed throughout the United States, South America, and Asia. He has performed with such esteemed ensembles as The Chicago Symphony, The New World Symphony, The Musica Nova Orchestra, and The Orchestra of Northern New York. He is a founding member of the Estrella Consort and is saxophonist for the Paradise Winds Reed Quintet. In addition to performing, he currently serves as Manager of the Theater at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, AZ, assisting in the presentation of over 250 shows of incredible diversity every year. A proponent of support for the local arts and artists, he has taken on a further role, having joined the Phoenix Arts and Culture Commission. His teachers include Timothy McAllister, Eric Lau, and Donald Sinta. He previously taught saxophone, theory and history at SUNY College at Potsdam and he holds degrees from Potsdam, the University of Michigan, and Arizona State University.

Alto saxophone chair, Jeff Siegfried, combines a “rich, vibrant tone” (South Florida Classical Review) with “beautiful and delicate playing” (Michael Tilson Thomas) to deliver “showstopper performances” (Peninsula Reviews). He received first prize at the Luminarts Competition and the Frances Walton Competition and was runner up in the Carmel Music Society Competition and the North American Saxophone Alliance Quartet Competition. He has appeared as a soloist with the University of Portland Wind Ensemble, the Oregon State University Wind Ensemble, and the U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own.” He has also appeared with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the New World Symphony, and the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival.

Tenor saxophone chair, Allison Adams, is Assistant Professor of Saxophone at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. An avid performer, she is a member of the nief-norf Contemporary Music Ensemble, frequently performs with the Knoxville Symphony, and has been featured in recitals across the country. She has also performed at the World Saxophone Congress, the International Saxophone Symposium, the North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) Conferences, and the International Clarinet Association Conference. Besides her study of the saxophone, Adams’ main area of research centers around performance injuries, wellness for musicians, and the integration of yoga into music performance. A chapter on her recovery from focal dystonia is available in the collection Notes of Hope, published by Mountain Peak Music. She has also authored an essay on yoga for musicians, which can be found in the multi-media resource Cross Training for Musicians (available through Mountain Peak Music as well). Her main saxophone teachers include Timothy McAllister, Eugene Rousseau, and Steven Mauk. She is a D’Addario Performing Artist.

Baritone saxophone chair, Thomas Snydacker, a concert saxophonist and educator based in Chicago, has been praised for his “plush tone” (South Florida Classical Review) and his “thoroughly compelling” and “stunning tour de force” performances (Chicago Classical Review). As an orchestral musician, Snydacker has performed with world-class ensembles including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Cabrillo Festival Orchestra, Grant Park Symphony Orchestra, and the New World Symphony under the direction of such luminaries as John Adams, Leonard Slatkin, Michael Tilson Thomas, Susanna Mälkki, Marin Alsop, and Matthias Pintscher. As a soloist, he has performed with such ensembles as the University of Minnesota Wind Ensemble, the Northern Illinois University Wind Symphony, the University of Illinois - Chicago Wind Ensemble, and numerous others. Snydacker holds teaching positions at Northern Illinois University and the Merit School of Music in Chicago.