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.

Leslie Lashinsky plays lots of low notes. She has been a member of the Long Beach Symphony since 1980. Her other orchestral credits include the L.A. Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic, L.A. Opera, Bolshoi, ABT and Joffrey Ballets, Glendale and Pacific Symphonies, L.A. Chamber and Hollywood Bowl Orchestras, and many theatrical productions., She has played bassoon and contrabassoon on many soundtracks, including Jurassic Park, The Lion King, The Matrix, The Chronicles of Narnia, Spiderman 3 and Enchanted, as well as chamber music recordings. Leslie has toured the world with Zubin Mehta, Leonard Bernstein and Esa-Pekka Salonen. Her original music and multimedia works have been included in Lincoln Center’s “Serious Fun Festival,” The Los Angeles Festival, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, and New Music Across America. Leslie holds an M.F.A. from The California Institute of the Arts (Cal Arts) and a B.A. from Middlebury College. She has taught at Art Center College of Design and is currently on the faculty of Pepperdine University. Leslie teaches privately and coaches musicians preparing for auditions.

Tenured in 1999

Judith Farmer enjoys a rich and varied career as a chamber musician, orchestra musician, soloist and teacher. She received her education at Indiana University and at the Hochschule fuer Musik in Vienna. From 1984-1996 she was principal bassoonist of the Austrian Radio Symphony Orchestra, performed and toured regularly with the Camerata Academica Salzburg under Sandor Vegh and with numerous chamber music ensembles in Vienna. Ms. Farmer has appeared as a soloist in the U.S. and in Europe, including the Salzburg Festival, and has participated in chamber music festivals in Prussia Cove (UK), Martha’s Vineyard (MA), Salem (NY), La Jolla (CA), Oaxaca (Mexico), Beverly Hills (CA) and Garth Newel (VA). For the 1995-96 season she held the position of visiting professor at the Hochschule fuer Musik in Graz, Austria. She has also taught at the International Mozart Academy in Prague, the Chautauqua Music Festival and the Henry Mancini Institute.

In 1996 Ms. Farmer moved to Los Angeles and since then has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic – including as guest associate principal in spring of 2009 – as well as for over 100 major motion pictures. She is currently principal bassoonist of the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, a member of the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra and the Long Beach Symphony.

Judith Farmer teaches bassoon at the University of Southern California. She is an avid chamber musician, who enjoys collaborating with composers on new works and has had a number of works written and dedicated to her. Her recordings as a soloist and chamber musician are available on Albany, Ex-House and Orfeo Records.

Critics have described bassoonist Judith Farmer’s playing as “impeccable” (American Record Guide), “masterly” (Fanfare Magazine) and “brilliant” (Kronenzeitung, Austria). Barnaby Rayfield also noted in the July/August 2011 issue of Fanfare Magazine: ” … the playing on [composer Gernot Wolfgang’s CD Short Stories] is uniformly excellent, especially from Judith Farmer on bassoon, finding expressive extremes of that instrument I didn’t think possible.”

Leslie Lashinsky plays lots of low notes. She has been a member of the Long Beach Symphony since 1980. Her other orchestral credits include the L.A. Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic, L.A. Opera, Bolshoi, ABT and Joffrey Ballets, Glendale and Pacific Symphonies, L.A. Chamber and Hollywood Bowl Orchestras, and many theatrical productions., She has played bassoon and contrabassoon on many soundtracks, including Jurassic Park, The Lion King, The Matrix, The Chronicles of Narnia, Spiderman 3 and Enchanted, as well as chamber music recordings. Leslie has toured the world with Zubin Mehta, Leonard Bernstein and Esa-Pekka Salonen. Her original music and multimedia works have been included in Lincoln Center’s “Serious Fun Festival,” The Los Angeles Festival, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, and New Music Across America. Leslie holds an M.F.A. from The California Institute of the Arts (Cal Arts) and a B.A. from Middlebury College. She has taught at Art Center College of Design and is currently on the faculty of Pepperdine University. Leslie teaches privately and coaches musicians preparing for auditions.

Tenured in 1982

Julie Feves is a graduate of the Juilliard School of Music. She has performed extensively as a soloist, chamber performer and orchestra principal in music ranging from the baroque to the avant-garde. The New York Times has praised her “virtuosic flair” and The San Francisco Examiner admired “the sureness of her pitch and the tenderness of her phrasing.” Ms. Feves has appeared with numerous orchestras throughout the United States, including the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the American Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Aspen Festival Orchestras. Currently Ms. Feves serves as principal bassoonist with the Long Beach Symphony. She has performed contemporary music with the New Century Players, Speculum Musicae, and the Contemporary Chamber Ensemble. Performing on early bassoons, she has worked with the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, the Los Angeles Baroque Orchestra, the Mozartean Players, and the Pernucio Ensemble. As a chamber music artist, Ms. Feves performs regularly her Baroque group, Bach’s Circle and with the new Long Beach Chamber Players. She appears regularly with Chamber Music Northwest in Portland, Oregon. She has also appeared with Music from Angel Fire in Angel Fire, New Mexico, with the Bravo Colorado Music Festival in Vail, Colorado and as a guest artist with the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society. She has recorded for Delos, Columbia Records, Nonesuch, Harmonia Mundi, Leonarda, Nine Winds, and the AudioQuest labels. She is also active as a recording musician for major motion picture and television studios in Los Angeles. Currently Ms. Feves serves as Associate Dean and Director of Instrumental Performance programs in the School of Music at the California Institute of the Arts.

Tenured in 1990

Clarinetist Gary Bovyer, “a virtuosic and passionate soloist” according to the Los Angeles Times, is principal clarinetist of the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Orange County’s Mozart Classical Orchestra, the Los Angeles Master Chorale Sinfonia and the Santa Monica Symphony. His playing has been described as “soulful and astute…sparkling with grace and warmth”, Los Angeles Times and “flexible and elegant” Ha’aretz Israel. The Long Beach Grunion Gazette said of his 2006 performance with the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra,” Quiet perfection marked the Mozart (Basset) Clarinet Concerto as performed by Gary Bovyer…the perfection came from the balance, the musicality, the just-right tempos and the sense of total authority. Bovyer was poised, his sound creamy and luscious…what came through was fabulous Mozart, in all its glory.”

In addition to his orchestral responsibilities Gary Bovyer is much in demand as a soloist. In 2007 he gave the world premiere of David Newman’s Concerto for Winds with the Long Beach Symphony and premiered Solo Movement for Clarinet and Orchestra also by David Newman with the Santa Monica Symphony. He has performed as soloist several times with the Santa Monica Symphony in Weber’s Concerto no. 1, Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante and the West Coast premiere of Dan Welcher’s Concerto for Clarinet. He has also appeared as soloist with the Jerusalem Symphony, the Santa Maria Philharmonic, the Bremerton Symphony, the Berkeley Orchestra and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. He is featured on the Philips recording Always and Forever by The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra with John Mauceri conductor, the Nonesuch recording of Steve Reich’s Daniel Variations and the New World recording of James Newton’s Sacred Works.

Gary Bovyer was a member of Pacific Classical Winds, a period instrument ensemble, which recorded several albums for New World Records. He was formerly a member of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra Winds, and was principal clarinetist with the Los Angeles Opera for several seasons. He was principal clarinetist of the Jerusalem Symphony for three seasons and was a founding member of the Ariel Ensemble Jerusalem which recorded several works for the Israel Broadcasting Authority. He is the founder and former co-director of Long Beach Symphony’s chamber music program “Sounds & Spaces”.

Gary Bovyer has been an active clarinetist in the Los Angeles recording studios for over 25 years and can be heard as principal clarinetist on many of the motion picture scores of James Horner, Danny Elfman, David Newman and George Clinton.

A native of Oakland, California, Gary Bovyer received his Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School where he was a pupil of the legendary Joseph Allard. He also studied with the British virtuoso clarinetist, Gervase DePeyer. Currently he resides in Sierra Madre with his wife Michele, a member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s first violin section, their daughter Joanna and son Isaac. In his spare time he enjoys motorcycling and hiking.

Tenured in 1983

Joseph Stone is a full-time freelance oboist/woodwind player performing in the Los Angeles area on oboe, flute, clarinet, saxophone and recorders. He joined the Long Beach Symphony in 1980 during the premiere season of music director Murry Sidlin, initially performing on saxophone at Maestro Sidlin’s first Long Beach Symphony Classical Series Concert. In 1982 he won the 2nd oboe position and in recent years has been playing Principal Oboe on the Long Beach Symphony POPS! performances. Along with his wife and fellow oboist, Laura Stone, he co-founded and plays flute for the Long Beach Symphony Woodwind Quintet since 1993, which has performed for thousands of LBUSD students as part of the Long Beach Symphony Ensembles in Schools program. As a studio musician he has played on as many as eight different woodwind instruments on movie scores for The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Star Trek, Wall-E, Cars 2, Super 8, and Bad Santa to name a few, including the Academy Award winning score for Pixar’s Up. He performed on the latest albums for Neil Diamond, Ray Charles, Johnny Mathis, and Barry Manilow, plus numerous TV shows, commercials and theme park attractions for Disney. He is Principal Oboe in both the Chamber Orchestra of the South Bay in Palos Verdes and the Long Beach Municipal Band. For more than 20 years he played in the Laguna Beach “Pageant of the Masters” orchestra, spent many years working with the Long Beach Opera and Ballet, and was in the pit for quite a few productions of the Long Beach Civic Light Opera. In 2008 he toured Japan for a month with the Percy Faith Orchestra and in September 2010 he performed live on National television with Neil Diamond for the Stand Up to Cancer Telethon.

Mr. Stone is a graduate of University of Southern California with a B.M. and a M.M in Oboe Performance where he studied with William Criss and Harvey Pittell. He is currently an adjunct Professor of Oboe at California State University Long Beach and teaches oboe, clarinet, and saxophone at Whittier College.