October 3, 2003

Sandra Clark (Horn)

Sandra Clark grew up in San Jose, CA, a product of an outstanding public school music program. Her parents were encouraging of her love of music and provided piano lessons from an early age. Sandra attended San Jose State University where she studied with the ever patient Dr. William George, earning a BA in music performance in 1982. After a two year stint as an insurance salesperson, phone solicitor and other such jobs, Sandra decided she'd rather play the horn, and so went on to The Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music where she studied with Lowell Greer, earning a Master of Music in 1987.

Sandra has been Co-Principal horn of The Toledo Symphony since late 1990. She’s also a former first prize-winner in The Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition as a member of The Taft Wind Quintet, as well as a finalist in four previous American Horn Competitions (winning the second prize in 1997 and 2001). Sandra has been a guest recitalist in California, Nevada, and New Mexico as well as a featured soloist on a number of occasions with The Toledo Symphony.

Jocelyn Langworthy (Clarinet)

Jocelyn Langworthy has held the position of second clarinet in the Toledo Symphony since the fall of 2000. She moved to Toledo from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where she had played principal clarinet in the Cedar Rapids Symphony since 1995. Originally from Vermillion, South Dakota (home of the "Shrine to Music Museum") Jocelyn received her bachelor's degree in clarinet performance from the University of Minnesota where she studied with Burt Hara. She received a Masters degree from the University of Southern California, where she studied with Yehuda Gilad and Mitchell Lurie. In 1998 Jocelyn took a leave of absence from the Cedar Rapids Symphony to begin doctoral studies at Boston University, studying with Tom Martin. During her tenure in Iowa Jocelyn taught clarinet at several area colleges including Grinnell, Coe and Cornell Colleges, as well as at the Cedar Rapids Symphony School.

Jocelyn enjoys travelling and meeting new people and has had the opportunity of do both through many summer music festivals including Tanglewood, Aspen, The Colorado Music Festival, National Repertory Orchestra, Pacific Music Festival (Japan), and Spoleto (Italy). While at Tanglewood in 1994 she participated in the "Marsalis on Music" video project with Wynton Marsalis and Seiji Ozawa, and at Spoleto in 1999 she played principal clarinet on the Chandos recording of Prokofiev's opera, 'War and Peace'

Valrie Kantorski (Piano)

Valrie Kantorski has performed in chamber music groups in the Salzburg Music Festival, at Carnegie Recital Hall and numerous other venues throughout the United States. In addition to performing as pianist with The Toledo Symphony for 15 years and playing on many concerts of The Toledo Symphony’s Blade Chamber Series, she in an adjunct assistant professor of piano at Bowling Green State University and maintains a private piano studio in Bowling Green.

Ms. Kantorski, who first soloed with orchestras playing Beethoven and Mozart concerti at the age of 16, has performed with Metropolitan Opera singer Jerome Hines and New York Philharmonic principal English horn soloist Thomas Stacey, and as master class pianist for Metropolitan Opera singer Sherill Milnes. She has also served as collaborative recitalist at the International Double Reed Society conferences, the International Saxophone Workshop, and the International Double Bass Workshop, and as accompanist for the United States finals of the International Chopin Piano Competition. Ms. Kantorski has also performed at the national finals competitions of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, and the Music Teachers National Association, as well as at state and national conventions of the Music Educators National Conference. She has been a member of the Kantorski-Pope Piano Duo, a three-time recipient of First Prize in the Graves Duo Piano Competition. The Duo was awarded the prestigious Virginia E. Schrader Residency in Performing Arts at the Toledo Museum of Art in 1990 in conjunction with the national touring exhibition entitled Impressionism. Ms. Kantorski has also performed as a pianist in the Ohio Arts Council’s Touring Artist Program, on National Public Radio and Television, and numerous times as a guest artist in the New Music and Art Festival sponsored by the MidAmerican Center for Contemporary Music at Bowling Green State University.

She has been on the faculties of Florida State University and Florida International University, a member of the Florida Philharmonic, Fort Lauderdale and Greater Miami Opera Orchestras, and the South Florida Chamber Ensemble, and has recorded on the Coronet, Capstone, and Access labels. Ms. Kantorski, a third-generation classical musician, and her husband Vincent, Professor of Music Education at Bowling Green State University, have two musician sons: Brian, a guitar and bass player, and Matthew, a percussionist in the Toledo Youth Orchestra.