WOODWIND FACULTY
Mark Barton, Wind Area Coordinator

Aralee Dorough, flute
Principal flutist of the Houston Symphony. Attended Oberlin Conservatory of Music as a student of Robert Willoughby, and continued her studies with Thomas Nyfenger at the Yale School of Music In 1993 she recorded the same concerto with Christoph Eschenbach and the Houston Symphony for the IMP label. She performed the world premiere of Bright Sheng’s Flute Moon, commissioned by the Houston Symphony, in a concert broadcast on PBS. She has a lso appeared with harpist Marisa Robles and baroque specialist Nicholas McGegan. Aralee has toured extensively throughout Europe and Japan, and performed at Chicago’s prestigious Ravinia Festival as a member of the Houston Symphony Chamber Players, often in collaboration with Christoph Eschenbach at the piano.

Randall Griffin, clarinet
Principal, Houston Ballet Orchestra; has performed as acting Associate Principal, Houston Symphony and principal, Orquesta Sinfonica Municipal de Caracas, Venezuela; appearances as soloist and chamber musician throughout Europe, South America, and the U. S.; active clinician and adjudicator.

Robin Z. Hough, oboe
Principal Emeritus, Houston Ballet Orchestra, Houston Grand Opera Orchestra; former principal, Fort Worth Symphony and Chamber Orchestra; active recitalist and chamber performer; member, Winds of Texas; D.M.A., University of North Texas; frequent performer, Texas Music Festival.

Cheryl Huddleston, bassoon
Regular appearances with Houston Symphony, Houston Grand Opera, Opera in the Heights, River Oaks Chamber Orchestra; appearances with Round Top Festival Orchestra, Sarasota Opera Orchestra, National Repertory Orchestra, Fort Worth Symphony, Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería of Mexico City; featured soloist, Houston Chamber Orchestra; author, Foundations for Success: Technical Training for the Young Bassoonist (Southern Music); B.M., M.M., University of Michigan; faculty, American Festival of the Arts, Las Vegas Music Festival.

Jennifer Keeney, flute
Currently second flute with the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra. Founding member of Trio Angelico.  Former Principal Flute of the Hong Kong Philharmonic and New World Symphony.  Performances with the Detroit Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Houston Grand Opera and Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, among others.  Recent master classes at University of Texas, Rice University, University of Colorado (Boulder), Texas Tech University, Bowling Green University, and The High School for the Visual and Performing Arts in Houston. M.M., Rice University.  B.M., University of Michigan.

Anne Leek, oboe (email)
Associate principal, Houston Symphony; former member, Pittsburgh Symphony; winner, Geneva International Music Competition; soloist, New York Philharmonic; concertized and recorded with Boston Symphony and St. Louis Symphony; recordings on DGG, Koch Schwann and Gramola; European duo tours with Christoph Eschenbach.

Jeffrey Lerner, clarinet
Performed with the New York City Opera, New York Goldman Band; principal with the Texas Opera Theatre, Houston Ballet Orchestra, Houston Symphony Orchestra and Houston Grand Opera Orchestra for many years; currently performs for HGO; active recitalist and member of Winds of Texas; faculty, Texas Music Festival; B.M. and M.M., Juilliard School of Music.

Jeffrey Robinson, bassoon
Bassoonist and Contrabassoonist, Houston Symphony Orchestra; Principal, Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, former Principal, New Mexico Symphony Orchestra and Santa Fe Pro Musica. Performances with National Symphony, Grand Tetons Festival Orchestra, Sun River Festival Orchestra, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival , Santa Fe Opera Orchestra. Soloist with the Houston Symphony, Texas Music Festival, New Mexico Symphony. Bachelor of Music, Eastman School of Music as student of K. David Van Hoesen. On faculty at UH, Texas Music Festival and Chautauqua Institute.

Chester Rowell, clarinet (email)
Chester Rowell, Affiliate Artist in Clarinet received his B.M, and M.M. from the Eastman School of Music. In addition, he was also awarded a Performers Certificate in Clarinet . Mr. Rowell has been a clarinet performer with the Houston Symphony, Houston Grand Opera and has been a contracted clarinetist/bass clarinetist for past 27 seasons. Mr. Rowell is also a lead reed doubler with the Theatre Under the Stars Musical Show Orchestra.

Peggy Russell, flute and piccolo
Since 1984, Peggy has been performing with the Houston Ballet Orchestra and also has performed with the Bach Society Orchestra, Ars Lyrica, and is a former member of Texas Chamber Orchestra. She has recently joined the faculty at the Moores School of Music, and is an active flute instructor and clinician around Houston. She is a founding member of the Winds of Texas Woodwind Quintet, and currently the Administrator for the Houston chamber music group, CONTEXT. Peggy has a B.M. from Oberlin Conservatory of Music and M.M. from Indiana University. Her teachers have included Robert Willoughby, James Pellerite, John Heiss, Geoffrey Gilbert and Claire Johnson.

Melissa Suhr, flute
Orchestral and chamber musician; founding member/flutist of Cimarron Woodwind Quintet in Houston; principal substitute with the Houston Ballet Orchestra for twenty-four seasons; principal flute of the Masterworks Chorus Orchestra; second flute with the Houston Chamber Orchestra and piccolo and substitute flute with the Houston Grand Opera and Houston Symphony; performs with Grand Teton Music Festival and the Sun Valley Summer Symphony.

Valerie Vidal, saxophone
B.M., The University of Texas at Austin; M.M., The Mannes College of Music, New York City; D.M.A. in progress, University of Houston. Performances with the Houston Symphony, Woodlands Symphony Orchestra, Texas Music Festival, Millenium Chamber Orchestra in New York City, and the New Jersey Lyric Orchestra.