LOBBY ARTISTS KATHRYN SLEEPER Kathryn Sleeper’s first bassoon was propped on a block while she played because she was too small to hold down the seat strap. It was the start of a long, rewarding relationship with a beautiful instrument. Reviewers write: “Kathryn Sleeper’s playing is every bit as exciting as the piece, and she manages to overcome the extreme level of difficulty of the work like a superhero.” —Jeffrey Lyman, The Double Reed. “…played with finesse and agreeably dark tone by the gifted Kathryn Sleeper.”—James Roos, Miami Herald ‘ “Bassoonist Kathryn Sleeper particularly shows her moto-perpetuo agility in the witty and litheyet-promethean closer.”—E. Agnew, Record Reviews. Kathryn has premiered over 25 works for bassoon, from solo pieces to concerti with orchestra, and has performed and recorded in the US, China, Argentina, Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic. She is the recipient of several awards, including an American Cultural Specialist grant from the US Information Agency for performances in Beijing and Shang-hai. Kathryn holds degrees in Music Performance from Southern Methodist University and University of Miami, as well as an AMI diploma in Advanced Montessori Education from Fondazione Centro Internazionale Studi Montessoriani in Bergamo, Italy. Currently based in Central Florida, Kathryn is Bassoonist/Contrabassoonist with the Naples Philharmonic, Substitute Bassoonist/ Contrabassoonist with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra and has been the Principal bassoonist of the villages Philharmonic Orchestra for 10 seasons. Kathryn is also a Music Specialist and Elementary Program Founder of Casa Montessori School in DeLand, and caretaker/tamer/home finder for the feral cat colony in her back yard. *Photo Credit: Nathan Hill
LORA MACPHERSON Lora MacPherson has a Master's degree in oboe performance from Northwestern University where she studied with the renowned oboist and teacher Ray Still of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She has been the principal oboist of the Villages Philharmonic Orchestra for 11 seasons. She is also the principal oboist of the Brevard Symphony Orchestra and the Walt Disney Candlelight Orchestra. She has been a substitute oboe with every major orchestra in Florida over the last 25 years, and previously was a fifer in the "Spirit of America Fife and Drum Corps" from 2001 -2015 during their tenure at Epcot. Lora is also a member of the popular chamber music group "Nova Era," which performed at Epcot 1999-2001, and currently performs at Disney Springs (previously known as Downtown Disney-Pleasure Island,) Orlando. 8
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