2. Bios
The University of Alberta Symphony Orchestra (USO) was established in 1945 as a student orchestra which presented at least two major concerts a year.
Decades of stellar performances, memorable collaborations, and fearless directors have seen the ensemble grow into Edmonton's premier community orchestra. Although membership is based around the music department at the University of Alberta, students from other faculties in the University and members of Edmonton's musical community also perform in the USO.
The University Symphony Orchestra regularly gives up to six concerts a year and often participates in choral and operatic presentations. The repertoire performed ranges from the Classical period to present day. Although most concerts are held in the University's Convocation Hall, the USO also performs in Edmonton's renowned Winspear Centre for Music.
The USO's mandate is to prepare the music students thoroughly for professional symphony orchestra life, by providing study and performance of the main symphony repertoire and preparation for the professional audition process through judicious choice of repertoire and individual and sectional excerpt coaching. Members also receive training in orchestral etiquette.
Past conductors of the orchestra include G.T. Lindskoog, Arthur Crighton, Normal Nelson, Malcolm Forsyth, and Tanya Prochazka.
The University Symphony Orchestra is currently directed by Petar Dundjerski, a fierce advocate for music education. Petar was born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia and has lived in Canada since 1994. He received his Master's degree in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Toronto and continued his studies at the American Academy of Conducting in Aspen, Colorado and the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. His principal teachers were Mark Gibson, Raffi Armenian and Earl Davey. Mr. Dundjerski has also studied with David Zinman, Jorma Panula, Boris Brott and Gary Kulesha.
In 2002 he was the Assistant Conductor with the National Academy Orchestra of Canada and in the summer of 2004 served as a Resident Conductor at the Banff Centre for the Arts.
Mr. Dundjerski has received various awards including a 2003, 2006/08 Canada Council for the Arts Grants. He has worked with several distinguished instrumentalists including Shauna Rolston, Scott St. John and Jens Lindemann.
Petar also teaches within Edmonton Public School Board Music Enrichment Program. Mr Dundjerski was the Assistant Conductor-in-Residence of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra 2006/08, under the mentorship of Music Director William Eddins. This was a two-year appointment, funded in part by the Canada Council for the Arts.
3. Roster
UNIVERSITY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 2016-2017
VIOLIN I
Mingmei Xu, concert master
Gi Park
Jasmine Aziz
Rafael Piesiur
Yuxi Lin
Faustine Spillebout
Lara Hyrak
Katarina Ondrusova
Yue Deng
VIOLIN II
Holly Christiani, principal
Corentin Chatelier
Ivy Poon
Kathleen Pickford
Thomas Mathieu
Jocelyn Joe
Cynthia Johnston
Saoirse Cipko
Tianxiu Li
Xin Yang
Vivian Kwok
VIOLA
Jenna Sabolsky, principal
Michele Moroz
Darrell Soetaert
Arwen Thysse
Joshua Trytten
CELLO
Katherine Pernal, principal
Nicholas Yee
Isis Tse
Joshua Ching
Adam Caulfield
Conrad Sobieraj
Matthew Vriend
Zoe Kruschke
BASS
Mitchel Rees, principal
Shawn Gan
Logan Lindström
Evan Schollie
FLUTE
Kendra Litwin+
Vanessa-Lynn Pastor*
Emily Casavant^
OBOE
Kara Loewer+*
Zofia Stefanicki^
CLARINET
Claire Neilson+*
Adriana Janković^
Dayna Lueck
BASSOON
Pablo Montes, principal
Courtney Schmidt
HORN
Taran Plamondon+
Olivia Imbrogno*^
Kendra Montes
Alex McNaughton
Rachael Erdmann
TRUMPET
Christopher Young*
Frank Engli^
Magnus Sterr+
TROMBONE
Michael Buckler, principal
Julian Eveneshen
Thomas LaGrange
TUBA
Myles Peet
TIMPANI
Simon Nahachewsky
Ben Dubois (in Cello Concerto)
PERCUSSION
Ben Dubois
Ben Vanderkruk
Amanda Chung
Jacob Kryger
PIANO
Thomas Mathieu
+principal in Symphony No. 3 in F, Op. 90
*principal in Danzón No. 2
^principal in Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 129