Principals

Apollo’s Concertmaster, Claudia Chudacoff is the former concertmaster of the U.S. Marine Band’s White House Chamber Orchestra. Following her retirement in 2015, she joined the National Symphony Orchestra for three years. She is currently concertmaster of the Apollo Orchestra, Wolf Trap Opera Orchestra, Alexandria Symphony Orchestra and the National Gallery Orchestra, and performs regularly with the National Symphony, the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, the Richmond Symphony, and the Buffalo Philharmonic. Prior to moving to Washington, DC, Claudia was the Assistant Concertmaster of the Louisville Orchestra, and she has appeared several times as a soloist with the Marine Chamber Orchestra, the National Gallery Orchestra, the Alexandria Symphony, the Louisville Orchestra, and many others.

Claudia is a member of both the Sunrise Quartet and the National Gallery Quartet, and was the Principal Musician with Chamber Dance Project for ten years. She recently participated in the International Festival of Sacred Music in Quito, Ecuador. She can be heard on many recordings and radio broadcasts, including several appearances on National Public Radio’s Performance Today program.

Claudia co-founded the College Park Youth Orchestra and directs its Chamber Ensemble. She also coaches chamber music for Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras, the NSO’s Youth Fellowship Program and the Summer Music Institute at the Kennedy Center. In addition, Claudia has served on the faculty of the University of Louisville and Indiana University. Claudia earned her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees at the Eastman School of Music, where she studied with Sylvia Rosenberg and Zvi Zeitlin.

Violinist Tommy Atkinson enjoys a dynamic career as a performer, educator, and administrator. He has performed with orchestras including the Bermuda Philharmonic and Two Rivers Chamber Orchestra, among others. Tommy has taught instrumental music in Bermuda, El Paso (TX), Baltimore (MD), and Washington DC, and now serves as an administrator for DC Public Schools. Tommy earned degrees from Shenandoah University and the University of Maryland. He performs on an instrument built by Arthur Toman in 1995, and a bow built by Claude Thomassin in 1916.

Principal Viola Mary Dausch grew up in Washington, DC and is a graduate of the DC Youth Orchestra and NSO Youth Fellowship Program. She received her Bachelor of Music Performance from San Francisco Conservatory and her Master of Music from Rice University. In addition to Apollo, Mary plays in Virginia Chamber Orchestra and Arlington Symphony and freelances with many ensembles, including Washington Concert Opera, Cathedral Choral Society, and Maryland Symphony. She teaches private violin and viola lessons out of her home studio in Silver Spring, MD. Mary plays on a viola made in 2014 by Dalton Potter.

Cellist Lori Barnet is a graduate of Bennington College. She is an experienced orchestral, chamber and solo performer with special interests in contemporary repertoire and period performance. Lori’s current positions include Principal Cellist of the National Philharmonic, the Apollo Orchestra, Washington Concert Opera and the Wolf Trap Opera Orchestra, and she serves as principal cellist of Opera Henriette, a period ensemble. She has toured Russia, Europe and Cuba and recorded for Orion and CRI. Lori was a Professorial Lecturer in cello and chamber music and coordinator for string studies at The George Washington University from 1991-2023.

Michael Rittling is an active free-lance bassist in the Baltimore and Washington, DC areas. He joined the Apollo Orchestra in 2012 and currently holds the position of principal bass. Michael also performs as principal bass with the Inscape Chamber Orchestra in Washington, DC. Michael held the principal bass position in the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra (2008-2013), associate principal bass in the Maryland Symphony (2011-2018), and has performed with numerous ensembles including the Delaware Symphony, Annapolis Symphony, National Philharmonic, West Virginia Symphony, Tallahassee Symphony, Mid-Atlantic Symphony, and Washington Concert Opera. Michael began studying the double bass at the age of 8 in his hometown of Lancaster, NY, a suburb of Buffalo. He holds degrees from the Florida State University and Indiana University, and his primary teachers were Melanie Punter and Lawrence Hurst.

Stacy Newbrough Ascione, an accomplished flutist in the Washington, D.C. area, earned degrees in flute performance at The University of North Texas and Northwestern University. She has performed in ensembles such as American Festival Pops Orchestra, Fairfax Symphony Orchestra, Prince William Symphony Orchestra and Tysons McLean Orchestra. Stacy has also done extensive studio work with the American Symphonic Winds and the Washington Winds. Stacy is the piccoloist in The United States Air Force Concert Band in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Noelle Drewes is an acclaimed professional oboist and oboe repair technician. She plays principal oboe with the Apollo Orchestra, the Two Rivers Chamber Orchestra, and the Gettysburg Chamber Orchestra. She plays second oboe/English horn with the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra and the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra. Noelle has appeared extensively as a substitute with the National Symphony Orchestra and NSO Pops on both second oboe and English horn, including performances at the Kennedy Center and Wolf Trap. Noelle received her Bachelor of Music degree in oboe performance from the Ithaca College School of Music, and Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the University of Maryland. For more, go to www.ndrewes.com or find her on Instagram at @noelle_oboe.

Clarinetist Shawn Buck holds performance degrees from the Peabody Conservatory of Music and the Manhattan School of Music. His teachers include Ignatius N. Gennusa, Peter Simenauer, and Kalmen Opperman. A former member of the U. S. Air Force Concert Band, Shawn is an active freelance musician, performing with many of the area’s regional orchestras, including Maryland Symphony, Manassas Ballet Theater Orchestra, Two Rivers Chamber Orchestra, Opera in Williamsburg, Opera Camerata of Washington, and the American Pops Orchestra. Shawn is Professor of Clarinet at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, WV, and authors the program notes for Apollo’s concerts.

A native of Washington DC, Eddie Sanders III studied bassoon with Lewis Lipnick before attending Towson University to study with Dr. Gene Griswold. After graduation, he won a position with the United States Air Force Band in 2000 and was appointed principal bassoon in 2002. His Kennedy Center solo
debut was in 1999, performing the Weber Concerto for the finals of the National Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition, and he won the Yamaha Young Artist Competition the same year. Eddie is an active freelancer on bassoon and contrabassoon, performing with Maryland Symphony, Annapolis Symphony, and Richmond Symphony, as well as many other professional orchestras. Eddie is a founding member of the Atlantic Reed Consort reed quintet, touring across the United States for concerts in venues such as Carnegie Hall, The National Gallery, Eastman School of Music, and St. Thomas Episcopal Church (NYC). ARC has commissioned new works for the group from composers Jessie Montgomery,
Nathan Lincoln-DeCusatis, and Greg C. Brown, and their recordings can be found on digital platforms such as Amazon Music, Spotify, and Apple Music.

Co-principal horn Clinton Soisson has been a member of The United States Air Force Band in Washington DC since 2023. In addition, he is an active freelancer with the Lancaster Symphony, Maryland Symphony, Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, and other groups in the area. Equally invested in chamber music, Clinton holds the horn position in the Parkway Brass Quintet and Old Bay Brass Quintet, performing nationally and around the DMV. Clinton holds degrees in Music from the University of Akron and Lynn Conservatory, and he pursued a DMA degree at the University of Maryland where he studied with Greg Miller and Phil Munds.

Co-Principal horn Dr. Bradley Tatum is an active educator and freelancer, performing with the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, Washington Concert Opera, and many other groups throughout the D.C./Baltimore area. He holds degrees in horn performance from the University of Maryland and the Lynn Conservatory of Music. A nationally recognized baroque hornist, he performs on historic instruments across the country. He holds the position of Principal Natural Horn with the Washington Bach Consort, Bach Society of Minnesota, and The Thirteen Choir and Orchestra (Washington DC). He also specializes in the rare Corno da Tirarsi of Bach.

Trumpeter Kristopher Westrich, a Rochester, NY native, studied at the Eastman School of Music’s preparatory division and holds a B.M. from Northwestern University and a Professional Studies Certificate from The Colburn School. Joining the United States Air Force Concert Band in 2011, he is currently the assistant principal trumpet. Kris is an active freelancer and teacher, regularly performing with groups such as the National Symphony Orchestra, the Maryland Symphony, and the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Kris has been a member of the Apollo Orchestra since 2011.

Trombonist Dr. David Sisk, originally from Pittsburgh, PA, attended Youngstown State University where he received his Bachelor of Music in Music Education. He then attended The Manhattan School of Music in New York, NY receiving a Masters in Music Performance studying with David Finlayson of The New York Philharmonic. David is a former member of The USAF Concert Band & Ceremonial Brass, and has performed with groups including the National Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Irish Radio Orchestra, and Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra. In 2015 David earned his Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Maryland, and is now a licensed physical therapist in the State of Maryland and the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Willie Clark is lecturer of tuba and euphonium at the University of Maryland School of Music where he teaches applied tuba and euphonium lessons, coaches brass chamber groups and serves as the director of the UMD Brass Ensemble. Clark is also a retired member of the United States Air Force “Ceremonial Brass” in Washington, D.C., and was a founding member of the Barclay Brass and the professional Disney tuba quartet, “The Tubafours.” Willie has toured several countries, performing with the National Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, China National Symphony, the Empire Brass, American Wind Symphony Orchestra, Sam Rivers’ RivBea Orchestra, and Keith Brion’s New Sousa Band.

Timpanist Dr. Don Johns is in demand as a performer and educator in the greater DC metro area. He is a regular substitute musician with Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Richmond Symphony Orchestra, and various groups around the region. He is been principal timpani for Apollo Orchestra since 2014. He is the Founder and Director of the DMV Music Academy, a non-profit working to expose, engage, and enrich young people through all forms of instrumental music education. Don holds a DMA from Shenandoah Conservatory along with MM and BM degrees from University of Maryland. He is endorsed by Yamaha, Innovative Percussion, and Black Swamp Percussion.

Eric Plewinski, percussion, received his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of South Florida and his Master of Music degree at the University of Maryland, College Park. He has previously performed with such groups as the Baltimore Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, Richmond Symphony, Annapolis Symphony, National Philharmonic, Mid-Atlantic Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony, Orlando Philharmonic, Virginia Symphony, Maryland Symphony, New Orchestra of Washington, and the GRAMMY-nominated Inscape Chamber Orchestra. He has participated in multiple summer festivals including the National Orchestral Institute and four summers at the AIMS festival in Graz, Austria. Eric is currently on faculty at Washington College, Robinson Secondary School and West Springfield High School.

Cara Fleck is one of the leading professional harpists in the Maryland, Virginia, and  Washington, D.C. region. Principal Harpist of The Apollo Orchestra, she is also a core member of the Grammy-nominated Inscape Chamber Orchestra and has appeared with the New Orchestra of Washington, Maryland Symphony Orchestra, Washington Chorus and National Philharmonic. An avid chamber musician, Cara performs with the Annapolis Chamber Players and has been in residence at the Pike Falls Chamber Music Festival in Jamaica, Vermont. In addition to regularly performing in solo, chamber, and orchestral settings, Cara can often be found playing at weddings and private events.

A Rosenman Award recipient and graduate of Juilliard, where she obtained both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, Virginia Lum made her musical debut as a piano soloist with the Honolulu Symphony at age 8. Ms. Lum made her New York debut at Carnegie Hall with PDQ Bach (Peter Schickele) and has frequently performed as a soloist with the St. Louis and Baltimore symphonies, as well as a recitalist at the Kennedy Center, Phillips Collection, and Lincoln Center.

Also a graduate of Georgetown University’s law school, she enjoys her performances in courts of appeals as well as in concert halls. In addition, since 2001, she has been General Counsel on the Board of Directors for the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) of the National Capital Area, Washington, D.C., advising and overseeing the nation’s sole authorized solicitation of Federal employees on behalf of 24,000 charitable organizations across the nation.