Discussion Panel

Andrew Raciti is currently Assistant Principal bass for the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Before joining the MSO in September of 2006, he was in the Sydney Symphony Orchestra for 4 and 1/2 years, where he was Assistant Principal for the last 2 and 1/2 years. While living in Australia he also subbed with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

He has performed at various summer music festivals, including 2 summers with the National Repertory Orchestra, the Sarasota Chamber Music Festival, the Colorado Chamber Music Festival, and the Madeline Island Music Festival.

His principal teachers include Paul Ellison at Rice University, Richard Davis at UW-Madison, and Laura Snyder of the Milwaukee Symphony.

A native of Milwaukee, he is a proud alumni of the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra and a public school string program.

A native of Philadelphia, Philip Middleman has been a member of the first violin section of the Munich Philharmonic since 1981. Early violin studies were with Frank Costanzo, a member of the Philadelphia Orchestra. After attending Swarthmore College, he received a Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Louisville and a Master of Music at Indiana University. He also studied with Paul Kling and Tadeusz Wronski.

Mr. Middleman attended such festivals as the Temple University Music Festival at Ambler, the Meadowmount School of Music, the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood and the Festival dei due Mondi in Charleston, SC and Spoleto, Italy, as well as the Yehudi Menuhin Festival in Gstaad, Switzerland.

A member of various chamber orchestras and chamber music ensembles, Philip Middleman has concertized extensively throughout Europe. In addition he has served on the orchestra committee of the Munich Philharmonic.

Robert Levine has been the Principal Violist of the Milwaukee Symphony since September 1987. Before coming to Milwaukee Mr. Levine had been a member of the Orford String Quartet, Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Toronto, with whom he toured extensively throughout Canada, the United States, and South America. Prior to joining the Orford Quartet, Mr. Levine had served as Principal Violist of The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra for six years. He has also performed with the San Francisco Symphony, the London Symphony of Canada, and the Oklahoma City Symphony, as well as serving as guest principal with the orchestras of Indianapolis and Hong Kong.

He has performed as soloist with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Oklahoma City Symphony, the London Symphony of Canada, the Midsummer Mozart Festival (San Francisco), and numerous community orchestras in Northern California and Minnesota. He has also been featured on American Public Radio's nationally broadcast show "St. Paul Sunday Morning" on several occasions.

Mr. Levine has been an active chamber musician, having performed at the Festival Rolandseck in Germany, the Grand Teton Music Festival, the Palm Beach Festival, the "Strings in the Mountains" Festival in Colorado, and numerous concerts in the Twin Cities and Milwaukee. He has also been active in the field of new music, having commissioned and premiered works for viola and orchestra from Minnesota composers Janika Vandervelde and Libby Larsen.

Mr. Levine was chairman of the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians from 1996 to 2002 and currently serves as President of the Milwaukee Musicians Association, Local 8 of the American Federation of Musicians, and as a member of the Board of Directors of the League of American Orchestras. He has written extensively about issues concerning orchestra musicians for publications of ICSOM, the AFM, the Symphony Orchestra Institute, and the League of American Orchestras.

Mr. Levine attended Stanford University and the Institute for Advanced Musical Studies in Switzerland. His primary teachers were Aaron Sten and Pamela Goldsmith. He also studied with Paul Doctor, Walter Trampler, Bruno Giuranna, and David Abel.

He lives with his wife Emily and his son Sam in Glendale.

Louise Shackelton is a violinist with the London Symphony Orchestra and was until recently one of the Board's player directors. She began her British career with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, appointed by Sir Simon Rattle as co-principal second violin. Before 1994, she lived in the US, her family having emigrated to the US from the UK in the 1970s. She received a Bachelor of Music from Northwestern University and a Master of Music from the Eastman School. Her first job was with the Florida Symphony. She went on to play with the Rochester Philharmonic, Buffalo Philharmonic, New Haven Symphony, Hartford Symphony, Boston Ballet Orchestra and the Rome Opera Orchestra.

Kari Ravnan was born in Nebraska and studied at the Juilliard School, graduating from the Eastman School of Music with a Performer’s Certificate. She later studied with Pierre Fournier in Geneva, William Pleeth in London and Sandor Vegh in Salzburg.

In addition to many recital tours with her father, pianist Audun Ravnan, of the Mid-West, USA, and solo recitals in Washington, D. C. and at the Bergen International Festival, she has appeared as soloist with several European and American orchestras, including the Aspen Philharmonia, Aldeburgh Festival Orchestra, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and the Norwegian Radio Orchestra. She has been a member of the Zennor String Trio (London), Prometheus Ensemble (London) and Borealis Ensemble (Oslo) and is often invited to chamber music festivals, such as Marlboro, Oslo Chamber Music Festival, Music from Salem and Prussia Cove. She was the winner of the 1985 Washington International Competition in Cello and made her solo debut in Washington DC.

She has served as principal cellist of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, the Norwegian Radio Orchestra and the Norwegian Opera Orchestra and is presently a member of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra. Kari is artistic director of the Horten Chamber Music Fest and teaches at the Barratt Due Music Institute.

A native of Philadelphia, Philip Middleman has been a member of the first violin section of the Munich Philharmonic since 1981. Early violin studies were with Frank Costanzo, a member of the Philadelphia Orchestra. After attending Swarthmore College, he received a Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Louisville and a Master of Music at Indiana University. He also studied with Paul Kling and Tadeusz Wronski.

Mr. Middleman attended such festivals as the Temple University Music Festival at Ambler, the Meadowmount School of Music, the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood and the Festival dei due Mondi in Charleston, SC and Spoleto, Italy, as well as the Yehudi Menuhin Festival in Gstaad, Switzerland.

A member of various chamber orchestras and chamber music ensembles, Philip Middleman has concertized extensively throughout Europe. In addition he has served on the orchestra committee of the Munich Philharmonic.

Robert Levine has been the Principal Violist of the Milwaukee Symphony since September 1987. Before coming to Milwaukee Mr. Levine had been a member of the Orford String Quartet, Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Toronto, with whom he toured extensively throughout Canada, the United States, and South America. Prior to joining the Orford Quartet, Mr. Levine had served as Principal Violist of The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra for six years. He has also performed with the San Francisco Symphony, the London Symphony of Canada, and the Oklahoma City Symphony, as well as serving as guest principal with the orchestras of Indianapolis and Hong Kong.

He has performed as soloist with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Oklahoma City Symphony, the London Symphony of Canada, the Midsummer Mozart Festival (San Francisco), and numerous community orchestras in Northern California and Minnesota. He has also been featured on American Public Radio's nationally broadcast show "St. Paul Sunday Morning" on several occasions.

Mr. Levine has been an active chamber musician, having performed at the Festival Rolandseck in Germany, the Grand Teton Music Festival, the Palm Beach Festival, the "Strings in the Mountains" Festival in Colorado, and numerous concerts in the Twin Cities and Milwaukee. He has also been active in the field of new music, having commissioned and premiered works for viola and orchestra from Minnesota composers Janika Vandervelde and Libby Larsen.

Mr. Levine was chairman of the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians from 1996 to 2002 and currently serves as President of the Milwaukee Musicians Association, Local 8 of the American Federation of Musicians, and as a member of the Board of Directors of the League of American Orchestras. He has written extensively about issues concerning orchestra musicians for publications of ICSOM, the AFM, the Symphony Orchestra Institute, and the League of American Orchestras.

Mr. Levine attended Stanford University and the Institute for Advanced Musical Studies in Switzerland. His primary teachers were Aaron Sten and Pamela Goldsmith. He also studied with Paul Doctor, Walter Trampler, Bruno Giuranna, and David Abel.

He lives with his wife Emily and his son Sam in Glendale.