Linda Ashworth, Oboe

Linda began her musical playing piano and clarinet, adding oboe to her musical passions in the early 80s. While studying oboe with Brenda Schumann-Post, she played with a variety of groups in the SF Bay Area. Chamber music became a passion with the formation of the Vineyard Quintet in 1985. After moving to the Central Coast in 2002, Linda joined the oboe section of the SLO Symphony in the fall of that year, playing English Horn as well as oboe. She also plays with the SummerWinds Quintet, Cuesta Master Chorale, Pacific Repertory Opera, and teaches oboe privately. When not playing music, she teaches genetics part-time at Cal Poly.

Claude Albanese, winds

Claude Albanese taught instrumental music in the public schools of Southern California for thirty-eight years.  He now accepts a limited number of private music students, school aged and adult, that wish to pursue advanced study of musical performance.  For the San Luis Obispo Symphony Association, he coaches the Symphonic Winds. Yearly, for the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association, he judges and holds clinics for at least sixty school bands and orchestras. Claude and his wife of forty-four years, Rhoda, live in Cambria, close to other members of their family on the Central Coast.

Randall H. Garacci, Violin

Randy began his violin studies in the music program at the elementary school he attended in Los Angeles. He continued his studies with the late Manuel Compinsky. He came to San Luis Obispo in 1975 to attend Cal Poly, where he performed with various ensembles in the music department. In 1976 Randy joined the San Luis Obispo Symphony. He has been a member of the Mozart Festival Orchestra since 1980.Randy is also a member of the Tolosa Strings and teaches private violin lessons. He is a computer software developer and consultant.

Ken Hustad, Bass

Ken Hustad shares his position of Principal bass in the San Luis Obispo Symphony with Lara Lehmer.  He is also a member of the Mozart Festival Orcehstra and plays with the Santa Barbara and Santa Maria Symphonies, the Cuesta Master Chorale, Pacific Repertory Opera, the SLO Vocal Arts Ensemble, the Cal Poly Baroque Orchestra and the Tolosa Strings Quintet.  In addition to serving as a string coach with the Youth Symphony, he is a bass instructor at both Cuesta College and Cal Poly and plays in several Central Coast jazz groups.

Kaoru Miyanouchi, Violin

Bio not available

Casey McDonald, Percussion

Minnesota native Casey McDonald has played concert percussion and drumset for the last 20 years.  In addition to performing with a number of groups on the Central Coast, Casey teaches private lessons to students ages 7 and up and performs solo shows on his second instrument, the guitar.  Casey moved to the Central Coast in 2006 to be closer to his family who live in Cambria.

Tanya Streder, Violin

Tanya grew up in San Jose, where she started playing the violin at age three. Her teachers included Al Gillis and Lauren Jakey, and she studied at San Jose State University and Biola University. Tanya plays in the San Luis Obispo Symphony and in several other performing groups.

Jane Swanson, Brass

Jane Swanson has studied French horn with Ralph Pyle, Fred Fox, Wendell Hoss, Sinclair Lott and James Decker in Southern California, and with Phillip Yaeger in Austin, Texas.  She also received extensive coaching in chamber music from Mitchell Lurie, both at the Music Academy of the West and at UCLA. She attended Pomona College and the University of Texas in Austin, completing a degree in music performance from UCLA. She was a winner of the Coleman Chamber Music Competition in 1966. A resident of San Luis Obispo for 38 years, Jane has long been active as a performer with the San Luis Obispo Symphony, the Mozart Festival Orchestra, Cuesta Master Chorale, and Pacific Repertory Opera.

Rosslyn Thorp-Clauson, Cello

Rosslyn Thorp-Clauson was a student of Margaret Rowell for 9 years, as well as Theodore Salzman, Laszlo Varga, and Colin Hampton. She was the recipient of the Congress of Strings scholarship in 1965 at Michigan State University. She graduated in 1969 from San Francisco State University with a major in cello performance. While residing in Southern California (1980-1985), she performed with the San Diego Symphony, San Diego Pops, Fox Theatre pit orchestra (Evita, Oklahoma, The King and I), New York Dancers of Harlem, Sesame Street and Company, Palm Springs Symphony and several college orchestras. While residing in Mt. Shasta, Ca. (1985-1994) she performed regularly with the Redding Symphony and Chico Symphony, and taught for the Mt. Shasta Unified School District where she started a string program. She was a member of the Ganarson piano trio which gave recitals regularly. She has been the featured soloist for the San Leandro Symphony, Shasta Symphony and Redding Symphony orchestras. Currently, Rosslyn teaches music full-time  for San Luis Coastal Unified School District, coaches the youth symphony cello/bass sections, and performs as a member of the San Luis Obispo Symphony Orchestra.

Margaret Whitson, Viola

Margaret Whitson began her musical studies on violin, then later viola, and was one of the original members of the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra, founded in 1966 by her late husband William Whitson.  She studied at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music with Paul Hersh and Isador Tinkleman focusing on chamber music, and at Mills College where she received a degree in Music Performance.  As a teacher, it has been her personal mission to introduce the lesser-known viola to string players.  Ms. Whitson performs regularly with the San Luis Obispo Symphony and its Chamber Ensembles, and the Cuesta Master Chorale. She teaches a full studio of private students, and offers an after-school string program specializing in ensemble playing on viola, cello and violin in local schools.