The musicians of the BSO were not playing concerts in Baltimore in August, but many of them were busy with a wide range of musical activities.

Chris Dudley performed at the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado, and went on tour with the Cleveland Orchestra.

Brian Prechtl and Bob Barney performed at Grand Teton Music Festival in Wyoming.

Andrew Balio, BSO Principal Trumpet, had a very busy summer!

His summer was spent traveling three times to Italy to play solo concerts and teach masterclasses in the Tuscany and Piemonte regions. He also gave a week of masterclasses in Bydgczsz, Poland.

He has been performing and teaching regularly for the past four years in Brazil, as part of his regular participation in the Winter ( our summer!) Festival at Campos do Jordao, the largest classical music festival in South America. Andrew has taught many students from Venezuela's El Sistema, the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra program.

Last but not least, for the second time Balio competed in the Ironman Triathlon on September 7th, an event consisting of a 2.6 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a full marathon. (And a lot of Gatorade!). He knocked off 2.5 hours from his previous time.

Marcia Kämper
Steven Barta

Marcia Kämper, BSO Second Flute, is one of the organizers of a new music festival in Omaha: ARTSaha.

She performed a flute recital for ARTSaha, with the Monument Piano Trio as the guest artists. The Monument Piano Trio consists of BSO Assistant Principal First Violinist Igor Yuzefovich, BSO cellist Dariusz Skoraczewski, and pianist Michael Sheppard.

Marcia is also one of the co-artistic directors and co-founders of the ANALOG arts ensemble.

BSO musicians Dave Sheets, Steve Barta, Ed Hoffman, Jim Olin, and Chris Williams were on the faculty for the Asian Youth Orchestra in Hong Kong. The 100 members of the Asian Youth Orchestra (AYO) are among the finest young musicians in China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. They are chosen through highly competitive auditions held throughout the region.

Ed Hoffman, Steve Barta, Chris Williams, Mrs. Anson Chan (a member of Hong Kong's Legislative Council), Dave Sheets, Jim Olin

Ed Hoffman with the AYO trumpet section.

BSO violinist Gregory Kuperstein and his wife Janet, a violin sub with the BSO, played at the Endless Mountain Music Festival in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, one of the most picturesque and unspoiled places within driving distance from Baltimore. They were joined by their daughter Melanie who was an intern violinist at the Festival and performed along with members of the Buffalo Philharmonic, Kansas City and Charlotte symphonies, among others. Melanie is a freshman at the University of Maryland College Park. As a Maryland Distinguished Scholar in the Arts, she received a $12,000 grant ($3,000 a year for four years) from the State of Maryland, and, in addition, a $1,000 scholarship from the Baltimore Musicians Union Local 40 - 543, American Federation of Musicians.