Since the runaway success of her 1990 debut album Circle of One (which went Platinum), and the impassioned hit single “Get Here” (the Brenda Russell composition that became an unofficial anthem of the 1991 Gulf War) Oleta Adams has inspired a growing legion of fans in the U.S. and Europe with journeys of the heart via songs that draw deeply from her roots in gospel, while crossing effortlessly into the realms of soul, R&B, urban, and popular music. Her success, nurtured by worldwide tours with Tears for Fears, Phil Collins, Michael Bolton, and Luther Vandross, has been solidified by four Grammy nominations and a seemingly bottomless well of creative energy.

A long-time resident of Kansas City, Kansas, where she has found sanctuary from the turmoil of the entertainment industry, Oleta Adams also remains anchored by her upbringing in the Pacific Northwest. The youngest of three girls and two boys, Oleta spent her formative years in Seattle before traveling over the mountains at age six to Yakima, Washington, an idyllic town of 60,000. She first demonstrated her budding vocal gifts in the Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church where her father served as minister.

By the time Oleta was eleven, she was directing and accompanying four choirs, having already established herself as a piano prodigy. She credits her further musical development in junior high school to Lee Farrell, “the brilliant Julliard-trained teacher and voice coach who changed my life.” School provided another outlet for Oleta Adams: the theatrical stage. In her senior year she broke barriers and traditions as the star of Hello Dolly! admitting that “early on I realized the pleasures of being a big fish in a small pond.”

Turning down the chance to pursue an operatic career as a lyric soprano, along with a scholarship to Pacific Lutheran University, Oleta instead spent a summer in Europe before heading to Los Angeles in the early 1970s. One demo tape and $5,000 later, she discovered that the disco movement had deafened music executives. Oleta’s gospel-flavored voice was not “in.” With the help of Coach Lee Farrell she wound up in Kansas City, where she launched her career playing piano bars, hotel lounges and showrooms.

Oleta quickly became a local institution, with her own billboard and a regular gig at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Celebrities from every musical genre caught her act, including Eartha Kitt, Cab Calloway, Air Supply, Gino Vanelli, Yes and Billy Joel. Finally serendipity came in the form of the British band Tears for Fears, whose frontmen Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith asked her to appear on their 1989 “The Seeds of Love’ album, video and European tour. Proving that good things come to those who wait, upon her return to the U.S. Oleta signed a record deal for her first solo album in 1991.

With eight CD releases including secular, gospel, and a Christmas album, worldwide acclaim and over two-and-a-half million albums sold. Oleta’s musical odyssey continues – spiritually and creatively. For this consummate artist – composer – producer – musician, many goals remain on the horizon. The first of which is two new songs being released on iTunes from an in the works prayer album Safe and Sound & Long and Lonely Hours.

With a contagious smile and captivating charm, trumpet virtuoso, BYRON STRIPLING, has ignited audiences internationally. As soloist with the Boston Pops Orchestra, Stripling has performed frequently under the baton of Keith Lockhart, as well as being featured soloist on the PBS television special, “Evening at Pops,” with conductors John Williams and Mr. Lockhart. Currently, Stripling serves as artistic director and conductor of the highly acclaimed Columbus Jazz Orchestra.

Since his Carnegie Hall debut with Skitch Henderson and the New York Pops, STRIPLING has become a pops orchestra favorite throughout the country, soloing with Boston Pops, National Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Cincinnati Pops, Seattle Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Toronto Symphony, and Dallas Symphony, to name a few. He has been a featured soloist at the Hollywood Bowl and performs at jazz festivals throughout the world.

An accomplished actor and singer, STRIPLING was chosen, following a world wide search, to star in the lead role of the Broadway bound musical, “Satchmo.” Many will remember his featured cameo performance in the television movie, “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles,” and his critically acclaimed virtuoso trumpet and riotous comedic performance in the 42nd Street production of “From Second Avenue to Broadway.”

Television viewers have enjoyed his work as soloist on the worldwide telecast of The Grammy Awards. Millions have heard his trumpet and voice on television commercials, TV theme songs including “20/20,” CNN, and soundtracks of favorite movies.

STRIPLING earned his stripes as lead trumpeter and soloist with the Count Basie Orchestra under the direction of Thad Jones and Frank Foster. He has also played and recorded extensively with the bands of Dizzy Gillespie, Woody Herman, Dave Brubeck, Lionel Hampton, Clark Terry, Louis Bellson, and Buck Clayton in addition to The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, The Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, and The GRP All Star Big Band.

STRIPLING enjoys conducting Seminars and Master Classes at colleges, universities, conservatories, and high schools. His informative talks, combined with his incomparable wit and charm, make him a favorite guest speaker to groups of all ages.

STRIPLING was educated at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York and the Interlochen Arts Academy in Interlochen, Michigan. One of his greatest joys is to return, periodically, to Eastman and Interlochen as a special guest lecturer.

A resident of Ohio, STRIPLING lives in the country with his wife, former dancer, writer and poet, Alexis and their beautiful daughters.

A native of Detroit, Michigan, Damon Gupton held the post of Assistant Conductor of the Kansas City Symphony from 2006-2008. Gupton received his Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Michigan. He studied conducting with David Zinman and Murry Sidlin at the Aspen Music Festival and with Leonard Slatkin at the National Conducting Institute in Washington, D.C. He served as American Conducting Fellow of the Houston Symphony for the 2004-2005 season, and has made conducting appearances with the Cleveland Orchestra (as part of a Blossom program with David Zinman), the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the National Symphony Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony, The San Diego Symphony, The San Antonio Symphony, the Princeton Symphony, the Toledo Symphony, the Monte Carlo Philharmonic, the NHK Orchestra of Tokyo, the Orquesta Filarmonica de UNAM, the New York University Orchestras, the Kinhaven Music School Orchestra, The Vermont Music Festival Orchestra, the Brass Band of Battle Creek, The Michigan Youth Arts Festival Honors Orchestra and the SPHINX Symphony as part of the 12th Annual Sphinx Competition. He led the Sphinx Chamber Orchestra on a national tour, culminating in performances at Carnegie Hall and a well-reviewed recording available at White Pine Music. He is a winner of the Third International Eduardo Mata Conducting Competition, held in Mexico City. Musical collaborations include work with Marcus Miller, Kenn Hicks, Kathleen Battle, and Jamie Cullum.

An accomplished actor, Gupton graduated from The Drama Division of the Juilliard School in New York. He has had roles in television, film, and on stage, including the Broadway production of Bruce Norris’ Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning Clybourne Park, Superior Donuts (The Geffen), Christina Anderson’s Inked Baby (Playwrights Horizons), Meg’s New Friend (The Production Company), Wendy Wasserstein’s An American Daughter(Arena Stage), True History and Real Adventures (The Vineyard Theatre), and Treason (Perry Street Theatre). He starred opposite Tony award-winner Phylicia Rashad in the world premiere of Tracey Scott Wilson’s The Story at New York’s Public Theater. He also performed the title role of Academy Award-winner Eric Simonson’s Carter’s Way at Kansas City Repertory Theater. Mr. Gupton was featured in title role in the critically acclaimed Heart of America Shakespeare Festival production of Othello. He received an AUDELCO nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his work in Clybourne Park.

Awards include the Robert J. Harth Conducting Prize and The Aspen Conducting Prize. Mr.Gupton is the inaugural recipient of the Emerging Artist Award from the University of Michigan School of Music and Alumni Society. He was named a Presidential Professor by the University of Michigan in January 2009.

I began performing as a regular member of the Long Beach Symphony in 1971 while attending Long Beach State University. At CSULB I was awarded The Long Beach Dramatic Allied Arts Guild Fellowship and attended both the Yale University Summer Arts Program and the Aspen Institute on scholarship. I graduated cum laude in 1974 having earned a Bachelor of Music degree in performance.

Separate from my tenure with the Long Beach Symphony I have had a business career largely in the music products industry. This career includes having been President of the Rico Reed Company and Boosey & Hawkes Musical Instruments. Additionally, I was a management partner of The Music Group Ltd, a London based international manufacturer and distributor of musical instruments and accessories. During my tenure with The Music Group I lived in Europe for a little over a year. In 1992 I earned a MBA degree from Pepperdine University.

In January 2006 I acquired Hamilton Stands Incorporated, located near Dayton, Ohio. Hamilton is one of the best known brands of sheet music and instrument stands having started business in 1883 in Hamilton, Ohio.

I will continue to perform with the Long Beach Symphony while residing in Ohio. Additionally, since moving to Ohio I have begun to perform as an ‘extra’ with the Dayton Philharmonic.

Lynda Sue began to play on occasion in the percussion section of the Long Beach Symphony during the season of 1957 on “mallets” whilst a junior at Wilson High School. Nick Furjanick was then concurrently Concertmaster of the Long Beach Symphony and the Wilson High School Band and Orchestra director.

Rocco Leggett, Personnel Manager, first engaged her as percussionist in the Long Beach Symphony. She continued in the percussion section through 1962 whilst at the same time obtained both Music Performance and also Sociology Bachelor degrees. Lynda Sue continued to perform as percussionist 1963 through 1967 while she obtained her M.M. from U.S.C. in opera. During this time she performed as a regular member of the Long Beach Municipal Band as both xylophone and soprano soloist. She subsequently studied and performed opera as a soprano at the Zurich Opernstudio and Opernhaus. She returned to the states to play “mallets” for the Ice Capades and the Ice Follies in Long Beach, Los Angeles, and New York City.

In the East Coast she performed with the New Jersey Symphony under Conductor Henry Lewis and both played in the orchestra pit as well as sang on stage at Radio City Music Hall (two different shows). She also performed as well as conducted a season of summer stock in upstate New York and performed as “drummer”, actress, and singer in the Michael Cacoyannis version of Lysistrata with Melina Mercouri at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. It was in New York that she met her husband-to-be and together they sang the High Holidays with Jan Peerce as Cantor at the Chicago Lyric Opera House.

Returning to California in 1975 with husband John Guarnieri and three daughters, Maestro Bolet selected her as Principal Percussion of the Long Beach Symphony. The first contract in 1973 contained the language which stated that after performing for three full years, a performer with the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra would attain “Full Member Status”.

Lynda Sue has served as Principal Percussion since 1975 to the present day. She served on the orchestra committee for three terms, on the LB Union Board – Local 353 two terms, participated on the Music committee, and served on the Long Beach Symphony (as an elected member from the Orchestra). She served on the Donor Advocacy Committee. In her career she has maintained the professional dual role of both soprano and percussionist. She was commissioned to create “Percussion Paints Pictures” a program which is performed for all of the Elementary Schools in Long Beach. She has been a featured speaker at the Pre-concert lectures during the Falletta years. She has created and facilitated three different programs for donors given preceding the regular pre-concert lectures.

Tenured in 1993

Gary Long is Principal Timpanist of the Long Beach Symphony, Principal Timpanist of the Mainly Mozart Festival (San Diego), and Principal Percussionist of the San Bernardino Symphony. He is also on the teaching staff of California State University, San Bernardino as Lecturer in Percussion.

Gary has performed the Philip Glass Fantasy for Two Timpanist with The Los Angeles Philharmonic, The San Francisco Ballet, and The Long Beach Symphony. He has freelanced in Southern California orchestras such as The Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Diego Symphony, Pasadena Pops, Pacific Symphony, Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, Symphony in the Glen, and Redlands Bowl Orchestra presentations. Gary teaches private percussion lessons and is frequently heard in chamber music concerts throughout San Bernardino, Los Angeles, and Orange counties. In 1987 and 1988 Mr. Long was Principal Timpanist of the Nova Filarmonia Portuguesa, a chamber orchestra based in Lisbon, Portugal.

He received his musical training at the Juilliard School in New York City where he studied with Roland Kohloff and Buster Bailey, of the New York Philharmonic, receiving his Master of Music degree. He earned a Bachelor of Music from the University of Oregon in 1985 and was a student of Charles Dowd.

Gary resides in Redlands with his cellist wife Becky, who teaches elementary music in the Redland’s School District, and his two aspiring musician daughters: Madeline and Hannah. He looks forward to future days when he’ll be able to continue to perform, but also spend more time pursuing his other interests: Percussion Instrument Refurbishing, golfing, gardening, woodworking, and collecting as many percussion instruments as he can fit into his garage!

Tenured in 1998

“A player of astonishing flamboyance” (Los Angeles Times) and “impressive dash” (Orange County Register), Doug Tornquist has been a part of Southern California’s freelance musical world since 1987, including serving as Principal Tuba for Long Beach Symphony.

He grew up on a farm in the San Joaquin Valley, and came to Los Angeles for his Bachelor’s degree at the University of Southern California where he studied with Jim Self and Tommy Johnson. He earned his Master’s degree from Wichita State University, where he played with the WSU faculty brass quintet, the Wichita Symphony Orchestra and toured with the St. Louis Symphony under the baton of Leonard Slatkin.

Doug returned to Los Angeles in 1987 to earn his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from USC and soon became a busy freelance performer, playing everywhere from amusement parks to the ballet, opera and symphony (sometimes on the same day!). He has played with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Opera, Pacific Symphony, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Long Beach Symphony and all the regional orchestras in Southern California and under the batons of Erich Leinsdorf, Pierre Boulez, Zubin Mehta, Esa Pekka Salonen, Gustavo Dudamel, Witold Lutoslawski and Valerie Gergiev. He has recorded with Diana Krall, Neil Diamond, Barbra Streisand, Josh Groban, Randy Newman, Meat Loaf, and Beck, among others. The first time he was invited to play on a film score was in 1989 for Edward Scissorhands. Since then he’s played on the soundtracks of over 400 films, TV shows and video games. He was the voice of Wreck it Ralph and played on John Williams’ two most recent scores Star Wars: The Force Awakens and The Big Friendly Giant.

Among his more notable recordings are the GRAMMY® winning premiere recording of the Penderecki Credo (with the Oregon Bach Festival), two discs with Quintadillac, a German brass quintet, and the song from John Lithgow’s childrens’ book I’m a Manatee which features him as a soloist. He recently released a solo CD, Feels Like Far, and produced a CD of holiday brass music, Fiat Lux. He teaches at the University of Southern California, California Institute of the Arts, and the Colburn School.

Tornquist will be playing the instrument he was awarded as a prize winner at the 1997 International Tuba and Euphonium Competition in Riva del Garda, Italy. This season marks the beginning of his twentieth season with the Long Beach Symphony.

Photo credit: Joe Meyer

Tenured in 1982.

Alvin Veeh began studying the trombone with Clifton Plog at the age of 10, and he became a student of Byron Peebles at age 14. During his years in junior high and high school, Al won numerous competitions and was involved in many local honor bands and orchestras. He also spent several summers at Interlochen and ISOMATA. After graduating from high school, Alvin attended the University of Southern California and studied with Robert Marsteller, Lewis Van Haney, Jeffrey Reynolds and Terry Cravens. He graduated from USC in 1979 and received the Robert Marsteller Award for Outstanding Brass Player.

Alvin is a member of the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra, Long Beach Symphony and the Los Angeles Master Chorale Orchestra. He also performs regularly with the Pacific, Pasadena and Santa Barbara Symphonies, as well as with the Pasadena Pops and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. Alvin has served on the faculty at Cal State Fullerton and Cal Arts. You can hear Al on solo recordings Variations on “St. Bone” and Partita on “Hammering” by William Schmidt. He is also active in the film and recording industry working with many of the top composers in Los Angeles.

Tenured in 2003.

Principal trombonist Alex Iles enjoys performing in a wide variety of musical settings as an active member of the musically diverse Southern California freelance performing and recording community.

In October, 2002 Alex was appointed principal trombonist of the Long Beach Symphony. He has also performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pasadena Symphony, The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, and The LA Chamber Orchestra.

Alex toured for two years as lead and solo jazz trombonist with Maynard Ferguson and then toured for a year with The Woody Herman Orchestra. Today, Alex performs regularly with many of the top big bands and jazz groups in the Los Angeles area, including Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band and The Tom Kubis Big Band.

He has performed on The Motion Picture Academy Awards, The Emmy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, The People’s Choice Awards and hundreds of television series and motion picture soundtracks including “Avatar”, “Toy Story 3”, “Pirates of the Carribean 1,2, and 3”, “The Incredibles”, “Up”, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”, “LOST”, and “Dancing with the Stars”. He has also performed and recorded with Ray Charles, Barbra Streisand, Joe Cocker, Harry Connick Jr., Josh Grobin, Prince, Fallout Boy and Earth Wind and Fire.

Alex has been a faculty trombone and instructor in trombone, jazz and chamber music at the California Institute of the Arts, Azusa Pacific College and California State University, Northridge. He has appeared as a recitalist, guest soloist, and clinician at schools, universities and music festivals around the world including Indiana University, Texas Christian University and The Hong Kong Trombone Association. He has also appeared twice as soloist/faculty member of the International Trombone Festival.

Tenured in 2001

Marissa Benedict has been a freelance trumpet player in the Los Angeles area for 33 years. As well as playing in The Long Beach Symphony, she is also principal trumpet in The Pasadena Symphony and the Pasadena Pops Orchestra. She plays with such groups as The Los Angeles Opera, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra and The Long Beach Municipal Band. She can be heard on nearly 100 motion picture recordings and to name a few; Indiana Jones IV, Avatar, Sucker Punch, War of the Worlds and The Terminal. While staying busy with her music career she and her husband Mike just celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary and have raised three children. Katelyn has just graduated from Eastman School of Music in French horn performance, Andrew is in his 3rd year as a Nutrition major at Chico State and their youngest Cori is a junior in high school.