St. Andrews Bach Society

Dynamic and engaging, violinist Carla Ecker has been Acting Concertmaster of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra for the 2008/09 season as well as permanently holding the position of Associate Concertmaster since 1999. She has performed with such orchestras as the Sarasota Opera Orchestra, New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, Santa Fe Pro Musica, Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Pacific Symphony, El Paso Symphony, and the Phoenix Symphony. Ms. Ecker has also maintained an active performing schedule throughout the United States while residing in Tucson. Since 1993, Ms. Ecker has spent her summers as a member of the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Other highlights of her career include a national tour with guitarist Ottmar Liebert and solo appearances with the El Paso Symphony and the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Ecker was also a featured artist at the 2007 Arizona Bass Player’s Festival performing with composer Frank Proto in his Duo for Violin and Bass.

A native Tucsonan, Ms. Ecker is a graduate of The University of Arizona where she was a student of Dr. John Ferrell. She is a strong advocate for live classical music in Tucson and as such has performed as Concertmaster for such local organizations as the Tucson Chamber Artists, University Community Chorus, Tucson Masterworks Chorale, and Niederlander Broadway Productions held at the TCC Music Hall. Ms. Ecker actively participates in various local chamber music ensembles including upcoming performances with the St. Andrew’s Bach Society Summer Concert Series, and is a founding member of the Daystar Chamber Players. In addition, Ms. Ecker performs solo recitals, teaches a private violin studio and is frequently in demand as an orchestral string coach for youth orchestras throughout the southwest.

Dr. Sara Fraker joined the Tucson Symphony Orchestra in 2005. She has performed in music festivals at Tanglewood, Aspen, Chautauqua, Spoleto Festival USA, and Schleswig-Holstein in Germany. The Boston Globe has praised her “aristocratic oboe playing.” Sara is a founding member of the Paloma Winds, which enjoys a chamber music residency in Greer, Arizona, every summer.In addition, she has performed with the Shenendoah Valley Bach Festival, Arizona Opera, Illinois Symphony, and Sinfonia da Camera. Sara teaches private oboe students and also works as a Teaching Artist in TUSD’s Opening Minds Through the Arts (OMA) Project. A graduate of New England Conservatory and Swarthmore College, Sara recently earned her doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Cellist Anne Gratz received Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees and an Orchestral Studies Diploma from Eastman School of Music, where she studied with Alan Harris.While at Eastman, Ms. Gratz was co-principal of the Eastman Philharmonia and a member of the cello section of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra through the Mellon Fellowship with Eastman’s Orchestral Studies program.Prior to attending Eastman, she spent three years at Interlochen Arts Academy and graduated as valedictorian.During three summers at the International Festival Institute at Round Top, Ms. Gratz pursued additional studies with Stephen Geber, Emilio Colon and Andre Emelianoff, was principal of the Texas Festival Orchestra, and performed frequently in faculty and honors chamber music concerts.

Ms. Gratz relocated to Arizona after graduating from Eastman in 2005 to join the Tucson Symphony Orchestra.Since moving to Tucson, her performance schedule has been diverse, including recent performances for the Southern Arizona Aids Foundation benefit Dance in the RED and the St. Phillips Bach Marathon, the Tucson Pops Orchestra, and the St. Andrews Bach Society.She joined the Kingfisher Quartet in 2009 and is performing recitals in Tucson and Green Valley. Ms. Gratz is also active as a teacher with a private studio in Tucson, and has been a faculty member at Chamber Music in the Mountains since 2006.She coaches cello sectionals for Tucson Junior Strings and has presented educational programs and clinics in local schools with both the Tucson Symphony String Quintet and Piano Trio.

James Karrer is Principal Double bassist of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, a position he has held since 1994, and Assistant Principal Bass of the Britt Festival Orchestra in Jacksonville, Oregon. He has served as Principal Bass in Arizona Opera’s “Der Ring Des Nibelungen” orchestra,Acting Assistant Principal in the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Principal Bass in the Aspen Chamber Orchestra and, at age 14, Principal Bass of the Central Ohio Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Karrer received both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in performance from The Juilliard School were he studied bass with Eugene Levinson and composition with David Diamond and Stanley Wolfe.

As a soloist Mr. Karrer has performed Johann Baptist Vanhal’s andFrantisek Hertl’s Concertos for Double Bass,Bottesini’s duo Concerto “Passione Amoroso” with Gary Karr and the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, and the Shostakovich Adagio for Bass and String Orchestra for the Red Cross9/11 benefit.

As a jazz bassist, James Karrer was featured with cabaret performer Steve Ross on Holland American and Cunard cruises of Asia and the Pacific and the Schick/Karrer/Libman Trio at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. Tucson audiences have heard Mr. Karrer in the rhythm section with singers Rosemary Clooney, Michael Feinstein, Dee Daniels, guitarist Dave Stryker and with local jazz greats John Ronstadt, Doug Martin, Susan Artemis, and Larry Redhouse.

Chamber music performances include those with the Daystar Chamber Ensemble,Sky Island Chamber Musicians, the Tucson Symphony String Quintet, the Southwest String Quintet, the Ying Quartet, performances with Paul Zukovsky at NYC’s Museum of Modern Art’s Summer Garden, and the Sarasota Chamber Music Festival.

Compositions by James Karrer have received performances in Tucson by pianist Angeline Ng, organist David Gay, and the Tucson Symphony String Quintet.

Currently residing in Tucson, Arizona, violinist Benjamin Nisbet maintains a diverse performance schedule. He is currently the Assistant Concertmasterof the Tucson Symphony Orchestra.Mr. Nisbet also serves as the concertmaster of the Bella Carita Chamber Orchestra and as Principal Second violin of the Tucson Chamber Artists and Tucson Chamber Orchestra. As a chamber musician he currently performs as a founding member of the Kingfisher String Quartet.Previously, Mr. Nisbet was 2nd violin of the Sonora String Quartet, a grouphailed as "Best New Classical Artist" by Tucson Weekly in 2006. Upcoming performances include chamber music on the acclaimed St. Andrew’s Bach Society series, and a world premiere in collaboration with the University of Arizona School of Dance in May 2009.He is also very active in music education in Tucson, teaching privately, in schools, and with local youth orchestras.Mr. Nisbet studied violin at the Oberlin Conservatory with Marilym McDonald.

Praised for his “excellent lyrical playing as well as technical prowess” by the International Clarinet Association, Dr. Jeremy Reynolds enjoys a prominent orchestral, chamber music and solo career.Having served as the Principal Clarinetist of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra since 2003, Dr. Reynolds’ performances consistently bring high praise from critics and public alike.As printed in the Tucson Citizen, “…Jeremy Reynolds has been one of the TSO’s finest recruits able to infuse his solos with such delicacy, exquisite tone and liquid lines as to draw the listener close enough to touch.”Prior to his appointment with the TSO, Dr. Reynolds performed with the Fresno Philharmonic, New World Symphony, National Repertory Orchestra, National Orchestral Institute, and Aspen Music Festival on stage with such great conductors as Michael Tilson Thomas, Robert Spano, Marin Alsop, Alan Gilbert, and David Zinman.Recently Dr. Reynolds gave performances at the International Clarinet Association ClarFest (Kansas City), International Double Reed Society (Provo), and the Oklahoma National Clarinet Symposium.In Europe, Dr. Reynolds has performed at the Cultural Festival of the World Exposition in Lisbon, Portugal as well as securing a semi-finalist position at the Audi Mozart! International Clarinet Competition in Rovereto, Italy.His playing has been heard on Arizona, Ohio and California Public Radio as well as the Carl Fischer Publishing Company and Mark Records.Future projects include the recording of chamber music composed by Northern Arizona University Professor Judith Cloud that will be released by Summit Records in 2009.

A native of New York, Dr. Reynolds holds degrees from Ithaca College, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music.At the Thornton School he was named Doctoral Student of the Year and was inducted into the Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society.His principal teachers include Yehuda Gilad, Monica Kaenzig, Michelle Zukovsky, Richard Hawley, Bil Jackson, Ted Oien, Michael Galvan and David Minelli.Dr. Reynolds has also performed in master classes presented by Mitchell Lurie, Mark Nuccio, Richard Loesser, David Shifrin, David Peck and David Howard.

A dynamic chamber musician, Dr. Reynolds has performed for the Sedona Chamber Music Festival and is currently a member of the Tucson Symphony Wind Quintet and The Agassiz Duo, a Flute and Clarinet Duo.With the Agassiz Duo, Dr. Reynolds is an active member of the American Flute/Clarinet Consortium having performed at the National Flute Association Convention (Albuquerque) and the Great Southwest Flute Fest.In addition, he has won awards at both the Coleman and Carmel National Chamber Music Competitions as well as collaborating with esteemed artists Itzhak Perlman, Don Weilerstein, Paul Katz, Ronald Leonard, Stefan Milenkovich, and Merry Peckham.

In demand as an educator, Dr. Reynolds recently taught at Idyllwild Arts Summer Program and held a term as Visiting Assistant Professor of Clarinet at Northern Arizona University where he was added to the roster of Who’s Who in Fine Arts Education. He has previously served on the faculties of the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music, California State University Long Beach and San Marino Public Schools, California.An active clinician, Dr. Reynolds has presented recitals and masterclasses throughout the United States, most notably at the University of Kansas, Pennsylvania State University, Michigan State University and the Keeping Score program through the auspices of the San Francisco Symphony.Dr. Reynolds currently maintains a private studio and coaches the clarinet section of the Tucson Philharmonia Youth Orchestra.

A native of Detroit, Ann Weaver started studying violin at the age of six with her parents, switching to viola five years later.She started her undergraduate studies at the Arizona State University with Dr. William Magers, then received her degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music where she studied with Heidi Castleman and Erika Eckert.She went on to earn her Masters Degree in music performance at Rice University, studying with Roberto Diaz andWayne Brooks.Ms. Weaver has attended many music festivals including Interlochen Arts Camp, Brevard Music Festival, and the Aspen Music Festival.She is currently Principal Viola in the Tucson Symphony Orchestra and a member of its Flute Viola Harp Trio.She soloed with the orchestra in 1999 on Hindemith’s Der Schwanendreher.Ms. Weaver spent last season on sabbatical leave to teach music in Haiti, where she has spent most of her summers since 2003.