Kerri Sellman, violinist Kerri received her Master's of Music degree from Northwestern University and did her undergraduate study at the Eastman School of Music and Western Illinois University. Before her affiliation with the Savannah Sinfonietta, she served with the Savannah Symphony, Tulsa Philharmonic, National Repertory Orchestra, Charleston Symphony and Memphis Symphony. Mrs. Sellman is currently the Director of the Lyric Strings Ensemble-a training string ensemble that is part of the Armstrong Atlantic Youth Orchestra. In addition to her work with Lyric Strings, Mrs. Sellman is a registered Suzuki teacher with an active private studio program in Savannah.

Brandon Nichols, horn
has served as Principal Horn of the Charleston Symphony since 1991, having been a member since 1989. Mr. Nichols has frequently appeared as a soloist with the Charleston Symphony performing solo works by Haydn, Telemann, Richard Strauss, Fida, Franz Strauss and Bach on the Chamber Series. In addition to his busy schedule in Charleston, Mr. Nichols performs regularly with the Atlanta Symphony, The New York Big Brass and as Principal Horn with the Brevard Music Festival. Mr. Nichols studied at Arizona State University as well as the Mannes College of Music in NY. He enjoys spending his spare time with this wife Lisa and his daughters Amanda and Sarah.


Lorraine Jones, flute
Lorraine was a member of the former Savannah Symphony and is currently the principal flutist with the Savannah Sinfonietta and Chamber Players, the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra and the Savannah Danse Theatre Orchestra. Ms. Jones is the flute instructor of Armstrong Atlantic State University, conducts the Coastal Flute Choir and is the Executive Director of the Armstrong Atlantic Youth Orchestra. Born in Toledo, Ohio, she graduated from the College of Musical Arts at Bowling Green State University. Her primary flute teachers has been Judith Bentley and William Herbert. In the USA, Ms. Jones has performed with the Florida Orchestra, Jacksonville, Alabama, Charleston, Augusta, Greenville and Toledo Symphonies. Prior to her position with the former Savannah Symphony, Ms. Jones was a member of the Orquesta Filahomonica de la Ciudad de Mexico and toured extensively through Mexico, Europe, Japan and The United States.


Gretchen Frazier, viola
has performed with the Columbus Symphony, the Chattanooga Symphony and the Chamber Orchestra of Northern New York. She joined the former Savannah Symphony as assistant principal viola in 2000, at which time she established a violin, viola and cello studio. Her summer festival experience includes the Des Moines Metro Opera, the Grandin Chamber Music Festival and the Opera Theater of Lucco. She holds degrees from the Cincinnati Conservatory, where she was the 1999 winner of the CCM concerto competition, and Crane School of Music. Ms. Frazier currently teaches violin at Virginia Heard Academy and Armstrong Atlantic State University. She is a member of the Hilton Head Orchestra and plays with the Forsyth Ensemble and Fischbach quartet.

Linda Cionitti, clarinet
performs at international, national and regional events such as the International Clarinet Fest, the International competition for Musical Performers in Geneva (semifinalist), the Music Teachers National Association conference, the College Music society convention, The University of Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium and at universities through the United States. She has given four world premiers, performed throughout Italy in 2005 and is an active commissioner of works for her instrument. Dr. Cionitti received her BM degree from the Crane School of Music and her MM and DMA degrees from Michigan State University. She joined the faculty of Georgia Southern University in 1989 and is a Professor of Clarinet, Instrumental Area Chair and Co-Coordinator of Music Department Advising.


Ruth Berry, cellist
is a music educator, artistic director and administrator. In addition to her work as cellist and education director with the Greenville Symphony, she is a member of the Magellan String Quartet, the resident string quartet of Georgia Southern University. Prior to joining the staff of the Greenville Symphony in 2006, Ms. Berry has twenty years of experience in many areas of the music profession. She taught at Mansfield University, did research for the New Groves Dictionary of Jazz and wrote program notes for the Encore Chamber Series. Ms. Berry has held the position on principal cello for the Augusta Symphony for the Augusta Symphony and Augusta Opera and has recorded on the Spectrum and Nonesuch labels. Since 1990, Ms. Berry has enjoyed traveling to Savannah to perform with the Savannah Symphony and she is glad to have the opportunity to perform with its former members in the newly formed Savannah Sinfonietta and Chamber Players.


Minhui Luo, viola
was a violist with the former Savannah Symphony fro 1991-2003. He plays viola as well as violin and graduated from the Central conservatory of Music in Beijing with a Bachelor of Music degree in 1979. While attending the CCMB, Mr. Luo played for the famous violinist Isaac Stern in a string quintet which was featured in his documentary film "From Mao to Mozart". his other educational experiences include the Queensland conservatoire of Music in Brisbane, Australia, and a Master of Music degree from kent State University in Ohio. Mr. Luo has played professionally with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, the Queensland Theater Orchestra, the Puerto Rico Symphony, as first violin with the Charleston Symphony and Columbus Symphony Orchestras.


Stephen Rickett, doublebass
is a native of Greenville, South Carolina, and comes from a musical family. He graduated from the North Carolina School of the Arts and continued his education at the Cleveland Institute of Music. His teachers include his father-Peter Rickett, Gary Karr, Stephen Brewster, Lynn Peters, Lawrence Angel and Thomas Bernand. Mr. Rickett was a member of the former Savannah Symphony as well as Stage Manager for 25 years. He has served occasionally as principal bass of the hilton Head Symphony, Augusta Symphony, Augusta Opera, Atlanta Ballet, Akron, and Canton Symphonies; and has also performed with the Charleston, Greenville, Jacksonville, Charlotte and Macon Symphonies. Mr. Rickett participated at the Brevard Music Festival, Spoleto Festival (14 years), Crested Butte Music Festival and was a faculty member at the Eastern Music Festival. His hobbies are fishing and boating, golf, and riding a unicycle.

Neal Casey, violin
is the associate concertmaster of the Augusta Symphony, and founding violinist in the Excelsior Trio. In 1997, this trio finished third in the nation at the MTNA Chamber Music Competition in Dallas, Texas. Mr. Casey has appeared as guest artist with the Magellan String Quartet, Sterling Chamber Players, USC September Concerts and the Shenandoah Performs Series. A frequent presenter of solo recitals, he has performed in concert series throughout his native Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee. On the orchestral stage, Mr. Casey has appeared as guest concertmaster with the south Carolina Philharmonic, section violin with the New Hampshire Music Festival, Charlotte Symphony, Savannah Symphony and as concertmaster of the Piccolo Spoleto Conservatory Orchestra during this year's festival.

Sandra Nikolajevs, bassoon Born and raised in central Massachusetts, Ms. Nikolajevs began her formal musical education at the Oberlin College and Conservatory of Music in Ohio and continued studies at the Julliard School in New York City. After receiving her Bachelor's of Music degree from Julliard, Ms. Nikolajevs attended the Paris Conservatory and held the position of Principal Bassoon of the Orchestra de la Cite and joined the Orchestra de la Conservatoire National Superieur de Paris for their 1998 Eastern European tour. Ms. Nikolajevs has participated in the National Repertory Orchestra and the Tanglewood Music center summer festivals. She is currently co-principal bassoon of the Hilton Head Orchestra and also performs bassoon and contrabassoon with the Charleston and Charlotte Symphonies and the South Carolina Philharmonic.

D. Ray McClellan, clarinet
is currently Associate Professor of Clarinet at The University of Georgia and a member of the Georgia Woodwind Quintet. He has collaborated with notable ensembles including Lincoln Center ensembles Continuum and Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. While a member of "The President's Own" United States Marine Band, Dr. McClellan was a frequent soloist. Dr. McClellan has served a principal clarinetist in the Great Woods Festival Orchestra under Michael Tilson Thomas and has performed as principal clarinetist with the Augusta Symphony, Charleston Symphony, Alexandria Symphony, Garden State Philharmonic and National Women's Composers Symphony. Prior to his appointment at the University of Georgia in 2001, Dr. McClellan held professorships at James Madison University and Henderson State University. Dr. McClellan earned his bachelor, Master and Doctorate of Music degrees from Julliard School in New York City. He is an Artist for Buffet Crampon clarinets. He enjoys tennis and lives in Athens, Georgia with his wife and four children.


Paul Lott, trumpet
has lived in the Savannah area since 1999. He received is musical training at Florida State University, where he studied applied trumpet with Bryan Golf. He has maintained a busy and varied freelance career, playing jazz and classical music, including orchestral and chamber ensembles, as well as pit work for musical theater. He has performed with numerous orchestras throughout the Southeast, including Savannah, Charleston, Beaufort and Hilton Head since coming to this area. He has served on music faculties at Abraham Baldwin College and George C. Wallace College.


Ann Cafferty, violin
is a member of the Savannah Sinfonietta, the Hilton Head Orchestra, and performs regularly with both the Charleston and Augusta Symphonies. She was Assistant Concertmaster of the Savannah Symphony, where she performed for fifteen years. Prior to this, she was a member of the Oklahoma symphony and the Tulsa Philharmonic. She was also the Assistant Concertmaster of the Chamber Orchestra of Oklahoma City and performed as a fellowship recipient at the Aspen Music Festival. Ms. Cafferty attended Boston University, received a B.F.A. for the State University of New York at Purchase and earned a Masters degree in performance from the University of Tulsa. She currently has a class of private students in Savannah.

Angela Loizides, violin
has extensive experience as an orchestral and chamber musician in the US and abroad. Before her association with the Savannah Sinfonietta, she has held positions with
Richmond, Savannah and Charleston Symphony Orchestras and currently works as a freelance violinist with orchestras such as the New York City Opera. Currently she maintains a full-time performing schedule as a member of the Jacksonville Symphony in Florida and the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra among others. Summer festival performances include ten seasons with the Breckenridge Music Festival, the Snowbird Festival in Utah, Spoleto Festival USA and as a frequent soloist to Charleston audiences during Piccolo Spooler in Charleston SC. Ms. Airside has recently concluded two solo recitals on the island of Cyprus. She holds the Bachelor's and Master of Music degrees with honors in Violin Performance from Berlin Conservatory.


Kelly Odell, oboe
has an undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa and a Performance Certificate from the See link Conservatory in Amsterdam. She was a winner of the Concerto Competition at the University of Massachusetts where she received her masters degree. She has been on the faculty at Bates College and is presently the oboe instructor at Augusta State University and Georgia Southern University. Ms. Od ell has performed with other orchestras including the Portland Symphony (ME) and the Springfield (MA) Symphony. She has toured Western Europe with the Inciting Ensemble, an orchestra dedicated to performing new music. The South Carolina Chamber Orchestra, the Pits Symphony, and the Augusta Symphony are among those orchestras where Ms. Od ell has performed as guest soloist. She has studied with Ray Still, Carlo Raveling, Fred Cohen, and Yvonne Powers.


Sarah Schenkman, cello
comes from a musical family in Norfolk, Virginia. Among her teachers were Ronald Leonard, Joel Krosnick and Clasu Adam as well as members of her family. She was a member of the Savannah symphony from 1992 until it folded in 2003. She has also played with orchestras in Grand Rapids, Toronto, Sarasota, Greenville, Richmond and Charleston, as well as with the national Ballet of Canada and Aspen Music Festival. She has performed as principal with the Savannah Symphony and the hilton Head Orchestra, and also played solos with both orchestras. Currently Ms. Schenkman is a member of the Hilton Head orchestra, the Forsyth Ensemble; she has a teaching studio and is a frequent chamber music performer. She was a regular performer on the Soundshorts program at the Sentient Bean where she championed new works for solo cello. Ms. Schenkman is married to violinist Terry Moore and they have one son.


Barbara Hofer, flute
was the former principal flutist with the Savannah symphony. She was a member of the Nashville Symphony, the Chattanooga Symphony and the Chattanooga Opera Orchestra. She has performed as principal flutist at the Boris Goldovsky Summer Opera Series in Mass., Oberlin's Summer Music Performance Institute, and the New College Summer Music Festival in Sarasota, Fla. She has studied with Josef Cobert, Robert Willoughby, James Pellerite and Julius Baker. Ms. Hofer has been on the faculty of Vanderbilt/Peabody's Blair Academy of Music and the Sewanee Summer Music Festival. She make her home in Savannah. She is married to George Hofer, former principal string bassist with the Savannah Symphony.


Charles Messersmith, clarinet, attended the Cleveland Institute of Music and received a Bachelor of Music degree while studying with Franklin Cohen (Cleveland Orchestra). He then went on to receive his Masters of Music degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music while studying with David Breeden (San Francisco Symphony). After graduation, he became the principal clarinet of the Augusta symphony and performed there for four years. In 1998 he was appointed to the Second Clarinet position with the Charleston Symphony, and in 2005 to the Principal Clarinet position. Along with regular performances with the symphony, he performs in Charleston with local chamber musicians as well as for Piccolo Spoleto programs in the spring, and in Virginia at the Wintergreen Music Festival in the summers.