Described by critics as “thoroughly delightful, with remarkable tone in every register,” Jennifer Conner enjoys a dynamic career as both an orchestral musician for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and as a chamber player for several ensembles, including the acclaimed Pittsburgh Chamber Music Project at the Andy Warhol Museum. Previous to her appointment as Second Flute by former PSO Music Director Lorin Maazel, Conner performed for five seasons as Principal Flute with the Charleston Symphony in South Carolina. While working towards her Bachelor’s degree at the Juilliard School, Conner was afforded the luxury of studying with world-renowned flutists Jeanne Baxtresser and Julius Baker. Conner has performed numerous recitals in both the United States and Asia, and in 1987, was awarded first prize in the first annual Flute Talk magazine competition. In addition to her current position as Second Flute, Conner has made several appearances as soloist with the PSO. Outside of performing, Conner continues to show her dedication to training the next generation of flutists
through her long associations with Carnegie Mellon, Indiana (Bloomington), and Duquesne Universities, as a volunteer for the PSO’s Early Childhood Pilot Project, as an adjudicator for the National Flute Association, and as a contributing author for Flute Talk magazine.
BIOGRAPHY \ 2012-2013 SEASON
JENNIFER CONNER
MARYLÉNE GINGRAS-ROY A native of Québec City, Canada, Marylène Gingras-Roy joined the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra viola section in 1997, and in 2004 was promoted to fourth chair. She studied at the Conservatoire de Musique de Québec with Douglas McNabney and François Paradis and graduated in 1993 with unanimous First Prizes in both in viola and chamber music. She was then the recipient of Canada and Québec Arts Councils’ Scholarship Grants, enabling her to attend the Harid Conservatory with Victoria Chiang and the renowned Curtis Institute of Music with Karen Tuttle and Joseph DePasquale, where she earned an Artist Diploma in 1997. Marylène has participated in many festivals, including the Festival Dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy, the Solti Project at Carnegie Hall, the Jerusalem Music Festival, the Jeunesses Musicales World Orchestra, where she served as Principal violist, and since 2000 she is a member of the Sun Valley Summer Symphony in Idaho. She is heard regularly in chamber music concerts and maintains a full teaching schedule at Duquesne
University, privately and is the viola coach for the Three Rivers Young People Orchestra. Marylène has also taught at summer music festivals such as: Domaine Forget, Québec, Interharmony Festival in Germany and Italy and Advanced Chamber Music Seminar in Pittsburgh and will be teaching at Zodiac Festival in France this summer.
33