Musicians
Welcome to the Musicians Bio page. Each musician has a bio that can be accessed by clicking on their names.
Click on a principal musician’s name to read their bio.
VIOLIN 1
Jonathan Urizar, Concertmaster
Jonathan Urizar is the Concertmaster of the Dekalb Symphony Orchestra, a position he has maintained since 2017. He is an active performer across the Southeast, holding the position of Assistant Concertmaster of the Atlanta Pops Orchestra and regularly performing with The Greenville and Augusta Symphony Orchestras. Urizar has performed for the likes of James Ehnes, David Perry, Janet Ying, Alicia Weilerstien, Elias Goldstein, Robert Spano and David Coucheron, as well as the Grammy award-winning group Eighth Blackbird, The Ying Quartet, The Pacifica Quartet and The Aspen String Trio.
As a soloist, Urizar performed on a live television broadcast of The 34th annual Georgia Music Hall of Fame Awards; sharing the stage with Charlie Daniels, Sugarland, Otis Redding III, 38 Special and Diana DeGarmo. He has also performed alongside legendary rock band KANSAS and with the touring Broadway cast of Phantom of the Opera at the Fox Theatre. He has won first place in concerto competitions with the Georgia Philharmonic and Georgia College – where he subsequently performed a three-concert tour as the featured performer– and has appeared as a guest soloist with the Georgia Symphony Orchestra. Additionally, he performed as a guest artist in a chamber recital for the 20th anniversary of The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Talent Development Program. Hailed as a rising young artist in the metro Atlanta area, Urizar has been featured on Georgia Public Broadcasting, Mun2 – a web-based news channel, in Atlanta’s own “Mundo Hispanico” newspaper and on WABE 90.1 FM.
Urizar has studied with Dr. Lana Teko-Ahatefou, Juan and Carol Ramirez and Helen Kim and has his degree in violin performance from Kennesaw State University, where he served as the symphony orchestra’s concertmaster for two seasons. His musical endeavors have allowed him to enjoy traveling and performing in the Costa Brava International Music Festival in Calella and Barcelona, Spain, as well as the Central Conservatory of Beijing and the Peoples theater of Xi’an, China. He currently maintains a small private studio and is the lead violinist in Mariachi Búhos de Oro, a Mariachi group that performs extensively across the region.
Jonathan Urizar, Concertmaster
Alan Boda
Kristy Chun
Thomas Collins
Tammy Ma
Sharyn Parks
Richard Sherman
Andres E. Silva
Debbi Whiting
VIOLIN II
Adele Wang, Principal

Adele Wang, principal violin II
Bio coming soon!
Adele Wang, Principal
Jim Baugher
Frank Chiang
Polly Price
Deborah Stallworth
Donna Stroup
Roger Sumrall
Brittany Tyson
Carol Marie Underwood
Coryn Wilson
VIOLA
Patrick Shelc, Principal
Patrick Shelc, Principal
Ben Belzer-Carroll
Harry Daugharty
Kate Feltgen
Rachel Gorwitz
Marty Matteson
Elizabeth Sandlin
Sarah Silva
CELLO
Alana Bennett, Principal
Bio coming soon!
Alana Bennett, Principal
Rebecca Bays
Sally Brown
Alyssa Chiang
Esther Chung
CJ Drymon
Damian Mycroft
Lisa Pham
Kathy Schlag
Aaron Stambler
Amy Stone
Marvelyn Herbert Tapp
Lilian Wang
Rosemary Woolfitt
BASS
Stephen Ward, Acting Principal
Bio coming soon!
Stephen Ward, Acting Principal
James Bartlett
Chester Griffin
Duane House
Wayne Jones
FLUTE
Kathy Farmer, Principal

Kathy Farmer, principal flute
Bio coming soon!
Kathy Farmer, Principal
Jessica Harris
Lisa Mahoney
OBOE
Rebecca Testerman, Principal
Bio coming soon!
Rebecca Testerman, Principal
Leah Gamba
CLARINET
Andy Warwick, Principal
Bio coming soon!
Andy Warwick, Principal
Ronald Penn
Barbaraann Bongiovanni
BASSOON
Dan Worley, Principal

Dan Worley, principal bassoon
Bio coming soon!
Dan Worley, Principal
PJ Jones
HORN
Steve Alperin, Principal
Bio coming soon!
Steve Alperin, Principal
Joel Margolies
Sydney Queen
Cory Adamson
TRUMPET
Paul Poovey, Principal
Bio coming soon!
Paul Poovey, Principal
Joel Schultz
Stephen Musker
TROMBONE
Mike Wilson, Principal

Mike Wilson, principal trombone
Bio coming soon!
Mike Wilson, Principal
Chuck Musholt
Richard Rogers, bass trombone
TUBA
Andy Hertel, Principal

Andy Hertel, principal tuba
Bio coming soon!
Andy Hertel, Principal
PERCUSSION
Joel Morris, Principal
Bio coming soon!
Joel Morris, Principal
Anthony Bush
Dick Atcheson
KEYBOARDS
Janice Vernon