Sonya Stith Williams is assistant concertmaster of Symphoria, and was a member of the Syracuse Symphony for ten years prior to the new Symphoria. In these organizations, she has been a member of both the second and first violin sections,
and has served as guest concertmaster. She has ...

Sonya Stith Williams is assistant concertmaster of Symphoria, and was a member of the Syracuse Symphony for ten years prior to the new Symphoria. In these organizations, she has been a member of both the second and first violin sections,
and has served as guest concertmaster. She has also performed with the Buffalo Philharmonic, the Binghamton Philharmonic as guest principal second violin, the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, and the Rochester Chamber Orchestra.

Sonya received her B.M. in violin performance and her M.M. in performance and literature from the Eastman School of Music, where her primary teachers were the esteemed teachers and performers, Zvi Zeitlin and Ilya Kaler. As part of her training, she also attended the Music Academy of the West, the Quartet Program, and the National Orchestral Institute, where she served as concertmaster. She is a member of the Symphoria String Quartet that plays concerts, educational performances, and conducts masterclasses in schools as well as in the community.

She is active in many other local ensembles such as the Skaneateles Festival, the Society for New Music, the Civic Morning Musicals Recital Series, the Syracuse Friends of Chamber Music concerts, the Clinton String Quartet, and the Temple Concord concert series. Sonya has been guest speaker at an Eastman School Arts Leadership class, and at the Syracuse University’s Women in Leadership organization, and teaches at the Eastern US Music Camp. She has served on the Board of Directors of Symphoria and was the chair of the Symphoria Education and Outreach committee. She lives in Baldwinsville, New York where she raises her three young children with her husband Matt and also teaches violin lessons out of her home.

Amy Christian received her music performance degrees from Indiana University, Eastman School of Music, and CUNY Graduate Center. She studied under Franco Gulli, Charles Castleman, and Daniel Phillips. She enjoys teaching and performing equally and currently serves as a Visiting Lecturer on the faculty of Cornell University. Her students ...

Amy Christian received her music performance degrees from Indiana University, Eastman School of Music, and CUNY Graduate Center. She studied under Franco Gulli, Charles Castleman, and Daniel Phillips. She enjoys teaching and performing equally and currently serves as a Visiting Lecturer on the faculty of Cornell University. Her students have won awards and accolades and some have gone on to very successful careers as professors and performers. As a performer, she is a member of Symphoria (Syracuse, NY) and is the acting concertmaster of the Tri-Cities Opera (Binghamton, NY) and is principal second violin of the Binghamton Philharmonic. When she is not busy on those stages, she steps in and substitutes regularly in the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic. She plays on a Sgarabotto violin from 1911 that has been in the family for decades.

Described as bringing an “artisan storyteller’s sensitivity… shaping passages with clarity and power via beautifully sculpted dynamics… revealing orchestral character not seen or heard before” (Arts Knoxville) Lawrence Loh enjoys a dynamic career as a conductor of orchestras all over the world.

As Music ...

Described as bringing an “artisan storyteller’s sensitivity… shaping passages with clarity and power via beautifully sculpted dynamics… revealing orchestral character not seen or heard before” (Arts Knoxville) Lawrence Loh enjoys a dynamic career as a conductor of orchestras all over the world.

As Music Director of Symphoria, Lawrence Loh has helped to build a 21st century model of a modern symphony orchestra. “The connection between the organization and its audience is one of the qualities that’s come to define Syracuse’s symphony as it wraps up its 10th season, a milestone that might have seemed impossible at the beginning,” (Syracuse.com) Symphoria and Lawrence Loh show that it is possible to create a “new, more sustainable artistic institution from the ground up.”

Appointed Assistant Conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony in 2005, Mr Loh was quickly promoted to Associate and Resident Conductor within the first three years of working with the PSO. Always a favorite among Pittsburgh audiences, Loh returns frequently to his adopted city to conduct the PSO in a variety of concerts. Mr. Loh previously served as Music Director of the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Music Director of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Syracuse Opera, Music Director of the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra, Associate Conductor of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Associate Conductor of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the Denver Young Artists Orchestra.

Mr. Loh’s recent guest conducting engagements include the San Francisco Symphony, Dallas Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Sarasota Orchestra, Florida Orchestra, Pensacola Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, National Symphony, Detroit Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Seattle Symphony, National Symphony (D.C.), Utah Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Indianapolis Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Buffalo Philharmonic, Albany Symphony and the Cathedral Choral Society at the Washington National Cathedral. His summer appearances include the festivals of Grant Park, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Tanglewood with the Boston Pops, Chautauqua, Sun Valley, Shippensburg, Bravo Vail Valley, the Kinhaven Music School and the Performing Arts Institute (PA).

As a self-described “Star Wars geek” and film music enthusiast, Loh has conducted numerous sold-out John Williams and film music tribute concerts. Part of his appeal is his ability to serve as both host and conductor. “It is his enthusiasm for Williams’ music and the films for which it was written that is Loh’s great strength in this program. A fan’s enthusiasm drives his performances in broad strokes and details and fills his speaking to the audience with irresistible appeal. He used no cue cards. One felt he could speak at filibuster length on Williams’ music.” (Pittsburgh Tribune)

Mr Loh has assisted John Williams on multiple occasions and has worked with a wide range of pops artists from Chris Botti and Ann Hampton Calloway to Jason Alexander and Idina Menzel. As one of the most requested conductors for conducting Films in Concert, Loh has led Black Panther, Star Wars (Episodes 4-6), Jaws, Nightmare Before Christmas, Jurassic Park, Casablanca, The Wizard of Oz and Singin’ in the Rain, among other film productions.

Lawrence Loh received his Artist Diploma in Orchestral Conducting from Yale, his Masters in Choral Conducting from Indiana University and his Bachelor of Arts and Certificate of Management Studies from the University of Rochester. Lawrence Loh was born in southern California of Korean parentage and raised in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He and his wife Jennifer have a son, Charlie, and a daughter, Hilary. Follow him on instagram @conductorlarryloh or Facebook at @lawrencelohconductor or visit his website, www.lawrenceloh.com