Discussion Panel

Max Zeugner was a scholarship student of Orin O'Brien at The Juilliard School and Edwin Barker at Boston University's College of Fine Arts, where he won the 2005 concerto competition. Runner up at the 2001 Boston Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Competition, Max's previous teachers include Richard Hartshorne, Joe D'Angelo, Deborah Dunham, Vince Wilfork and Hank Poteat.

As a chamber musician, Max has performed throughout the United States and in Israel and South America. He has performed and recorded with the Apple Hill Chamber Players and the members of Quartet X, and has twice been a guest artist with the Boston Chamber Music Society. He has also performed on Bank of America's Celebrity Series at Boston's Jordan Hall with pianist David Deveau, and at the Elbereth Chamber Series in New York City, where he gave a performance of Mozart's "Per Questa Bella Mano" with bass-baritone Daniel Gross.

As a nonclassical artist, Max was formerly double bassist and electric bassist with the Eastern Jazz Project, the Charles Ketter Quartet and the Delfino Brothers Duo, and has collaborated with Tully Banta-Cain and renowned electronic music artist Kelley Polar.

He was recently appointed Principal Double Bassist with Northern Sinfonia, and currently resides in Gateshead.

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.

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.

Afa Sadykhly is Music Director of The Sphinx Organization, and oversees all artistic affairs, curricular design, and the artistic content of all programs. Ms. Sadykhly also serves as the editor for The Quarter Note, Sphinx’s quarterly newsletter. She has appeared as a speaker and presenter at national conferences, including the National Association for Schools of Music, the American Symphony Orchestra League, Americans for the Arts, and others. Ms. Sadykhly has also participated as an orchestra grant review panelist for the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs.

Most recently, she participated in the discussion panel hosted by Surdna Foundation on the topic of alumni tracking in educational institutions. She graduated with High Honors from the University of Michigan with Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Violin Performance. She has previously served on the faculty of Clarkston Community Conservatory in Southeast Michigan and was a member of the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra.

In addition to extensive teaching experience, she has performed with several symphony orchestras and chamber groups in Russia, Azerbaijan, Switzerland, Austria and the United States. She also has international corporate experience, having previously served as an Executive Assistant at ARCO, The International Oil and Gas Company in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Jeff Garza is Principal Horn of the San Antonio Symphony and the Britt Festival Orchestra in southern Oregon. He has served as guest Principal Horn of the Fort Worth Symphony and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and has previously held positions with the Houston Grand Opera, Utah Festival Opera, New World Symphony, Tanglewood Music Center, and National Repertory Orchestra.

Jeff received his musical training at Rice University and Interlochen Arts Academy. He is Professor of Horn at St. Mary's University in San Antonio.

Aaron A. Flagg was named dean of The Hartt School of the University of Hartford in March of 2009 by President Walter Harrison and Provost Lynn Pasquerella. As dean, he oversees a performing arts college for music, dance, and theatre with approximately 750 undergraduate and graduate students and 250 faculty and staff.

Originally from Baldwin Park, CA, Dr. Flagg is a professional trumpet player and received his undergraduate and master's degrees from The Juilliard School and his doctorate from the University of Michigan. His diverse experience includes concerto, recital, orchestral, and chamber music performances in classical, jazz, and new music.

Prior to his appointment at the University of Hartford, he was Executive Director of Music Conservatory of Westchester (2005-2009), a graduate faculty member and Director of Educational Outreach at The Juilliard School (2000-2005), and Director of the Jazz Studies program at the University of Connecticut (1999-2000).

As a trumpet player, Dr. Flagg has given concerto and other solo performances with orchestras, toured with chamber music groups, and performed numerous recitals. He has given master classes and recitals at Jackson State University and Fayetteville State University, and presented lectures at the Curtis Institute, Oberlin College, and Carnegie Hall.

His jazz performances include the Illinois Jacquet Big Band, the Music Outreach Jazz Ensemble, and the Aaron Flagg Quartet. He has toured with the Tania Leon's Son Sonora Ensemble; recorded with Roberta Flack and operatic soprano Barbara Conrad; and performed with the New York Philharmonic, Manhattan Virtuosi, Lansing Symphony, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Wynton Marsalis, Gladys Knight, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, among others.

Dr. Flagg is currently a board member of the League of American Orchestras in New York. He has served on numerous grant panels and was New York Metro Area chapter chair for the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts. He has been a consultant with arts presenting organizations and universities around the country, while also being a teaching artist for 15 years with organizations including the Lincoln Center Institute, Carnegie Hall Education, New York Philharmonic Education, Memphis Arts Council, Guggenheim Museum, and the New York City Opera. He was named a national spokesman for the Music Educators National Conference in Virginia in 1999 and received the Rising Star Award for Westchester's "Forty under Forty" in 2008.