JONATHAN DAITCH, MD, Concertmaster, has been playing the violin since age 6. He grew up in Westfield, NJ and studied with Steven Wolosonovich. He spent summers at Julliard summer string camp Meadowmount and attended the Aspen Music Festival while in medical school. He has performed the Beethoven, Brahms and Bruch violin concertos with orchestras during his career. He is an active chamber musician. Trained as an anesthesiologist, he presently works as a full-time Interventional Pain Physician in Fort Myers. He serves on the board of the Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra.
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MARY ANNE FARESE, Principal Second, is a native of Bayonne, NJ. Mary Anne played the violin with the New York Philharmonic at age 15 under the direction of Maestro Wilfred Pelletier in Carnegie Hall and is proud to name Dorothy DeLay among her teachers. She holds four degrees in music, including two in musicology. At New York University her dissertation topic was "First Performances of Wagner's Operas in America." She served as associate professor and Chair of the Fine Arts Department at Fairleigh Dickinson University, teaching Italian, photography and a variety of music courses. At the Chapin School in Manhattan, she was Choral Director and Head of the Music Department. After moving to Cape Coral in 1999, Mary Anne taught music at Seacrest Country Day School in Naples where she directed many musicals including HMS Pinafore, Fiddler on the Roof and The Wiz . In 2001, she and her husband Ron, also a faculty member, received Seacrest's first Teaching Excellence awards, giving them the opportunity to visit Greece and Turkey. The school's yearbook was dedicated to them in 2004. The couple has traveled extensively and Mary Anne has studied Latin, French, German, Italian and Hebrew. Now retired, she continues to pursue a variety of musical endeavors.
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SALLIE ATKIN is from Endicott, NY and is a seasonal resident of Fort Myers. She is an accomplished orchestral violinist and has been a member of the Tri-Cities Opera Company Orchestra in Binghamton, NY since 1993. She was also a long term member of the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra. She has performed with other orchestras including the BC Pops, the Bermuda Philharmonic and the Schenectady International Touring Orchestra. She is a graduate of the Crane School of Music of the State University College at Potsdam, NY. She has studied with Professor Janet Brady at Binghamton University, Charles Libove of the Beaux Arts String Quartet and Sanford Reuning, founder of the Ithaca Talent Education Suzuki School. She is a trained Suzuki violin instructor and has taught privately and in the public school system.
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HEATHER CAPITANIO, a retired San Diego business woman, played the violin throughout her youth and has resumed her playing in recent years, primarily in several different community orchestras. Brought up in Wichita, KS, she played in the United States Youth Symphony, which included performances on television and an appearance at Carnegie Hall. After completing her education, she moved to Los Angeles where she made appearances in TV commercials and the print media. After relocating to San Diego and subsequently raising her family, she became owner of and built the "Bridal Bazaar", now the largest bridal convention show in the United States. She has represented the Inland Valley Symphony in the San Diego area as part of their Chamber Ensemble quartet, playing alongside the conductor and concert master. Since moving to Florida in 2004, she has played in local community orchestras and several chamber groups.
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MARCIA KORWIN played violin in high school and college and then stopped for 40 years to raise children, be a township clerk and have an insurance agency. When her husband passed away in 1997, Marcia found there was suddenly time for things left undone and came back to the violin. She began taking lessons from an excellent teacher Rosemary Malocsay, as well as playing in quartets and orchestras. Each summer for the last 6 years, she has gone to chamber music camp at Interlochen in Michigan. For the past two years, Marcia has served on the Board of the Sanibel Music Festival and on the Community Advisory Board for WIAA (classical music radio). Music and the people associated with it form a large part of Marcia's new life. Meanwhile, golf, gardening and reading take care of her idle hours. "Retirement is a very special time."
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PHILLIP LEFTON is a retired NYC high school principal (public and private schools), social studies teacher and supervisor who career spanned 40 years. He is an amateur and semi-pro violinist and has been married to his beautiful wife Charlotte for 53 years. Phillip and Charlotte are parents of three adult children (an engineer and two physicians). They enjoy gardening and other physical activity, as well as all the cultural opportunities in Fort Myers.
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MONIKA LINDMAYER originally from the Washington, D.C. area, began her study of the violin at age eight. She is also a member of the Naples Orchestra and Chorus, as well as serving as their Treasurer. She is a licensed C.P.A. and holds a B.A. degree in theoretical mathematics from Brown University, as well as a M.S. degree in accounting from American University in Washington, D.C. She joined the Gulf Coast Symphony in 2007.
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DR. DAVID MILLER, prior to retirement, held the position of Director of Orchestras and String development at Fort Myers Senior High School and the Cypress Lake Center for the Arts. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education from The Ohio State University, his Master of Arts degree in Music from The American University in Washington, D.C. and his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Music Education and Television from The Ohio State University. He is the recipient of awards in teaching strings and orchestras and has had string and orchestra articles published. In addition to composing music, Dr. Miller plays violin in the Gulf Coast Symphony and flute in the Lee County Community Band.
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CLIVE OWENS, TD, B.Eng, M.Sc, C.Eng, MIEE, was born and raised in Liverpool, UK, and trained as an electrical and control engineer. He pursued a career in consumer goods manufacturing with M&M/Mars Inc. and Cadbury Schweppes, plc in the UK and USA. In parallel, he has also pursued a lifelong interest in music, with 40 years experience playing the violin in a wide range of musical environments. Orchestral experience includes both amateur and professional groups and has played with orchestras in the UK and USA including: University of Liverpool Orchestra, Liverpool Mozart Orchestra, City of Chester Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, D’Oyly Carte Opera, Royal Festival Ballet, Capistrano Valley Symphony (California) and Naples Orchestra. He recently retired as Group Operations Director with Cadbury Schweppes. He and his wife Elizabeth have a home in Gloucestershire, England, and also in Naples FL where they spend the winter season.
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ARMANDO PAYAWAL
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VIOLA
ELEANOR CROWFORD BLITZER (Genni) is a pediatrician practicing in Cape Coral. She started the viola when she was 13 and only gave up orchestra for three years, during residency at Boston City Hospital. Her husband Peter and her five children are her best fans. She feels blessed to be able to play in the Gulf Coast Symphony.
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ALFONSO GIORDANO (Principal Viola) was born in Port Washington, NY and his family moved to Cape Coral in 1979, at which time he started piano lessons. He chose to play violin in middle school and became concertmaster of the local youth symphony. He studied with Betty Haines from age 12 to graduation and then switched to viola in college, studying with William Hayden and Kathy Aagard. He played with the Charlotte Symphony for 11 years and is a founding member of the Gulf Coast Symphony. In his spare time he owns and runs Maria's Pizzeria and Restaurant in Cape Coral with his brother.
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FLORENCE OHLBERG has been playing viola and violin professionally since the age of 18, beginning with the Phillips String Quartet. During this time, she studied at Carnegie Mellon University with Hugo Kolberg, concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Symphony under Fritz Reiner. She left Pittsburgh to become violist with the New Orleans Symphony from 1951 to 1954, under conductor Alexander Hilsburg and prominent guest conductors, including Leopold Stokowski. She returned to Pittsburgh in 1954 to marry, and reduced her musical activity to be an “at home mom,” though continued to maintain an active string quartet group. She gradually returned to playing professionally, performing full schedules in the tri-state area in as many as six orchestras in a season, including Wheeling, WV, Youngstown and Warren, OH, and Johnstown, Butler, Greensberg, and McKeesport, PA. She generally played principal viola in these orchestras and served in that capacity with the McKeesport Symphony through 2003 prior to moving to Florida.
Beginning in 1972, Mrs. Ohlberg was principal violist in the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera Orchestra at Heinz Hall for 18 summer seasons. For three years, she served as principal in the Knoxville, TN symphony, flying in from Pittsburgh monthly during the season. She was principal violist for three summers for the American Symphony Orchestra League orchestra at Orkney Springs, VA under conductor Richard Lert. She played principal violist in an orchestra that appeared in Pittsburgh with Pavarotti, Sutherland, Placido Domingo, and a smaller group that appeared with Liberace, Tony Bennett, Mel Torme, and notably Rudolf Nuryev and Margot Fonteyn. Her solo work included performances with the Johnstown Symphony and the Young Men and Women’s Hebrew Association concert series with Joanna Simon (which including artists such as Nathan Milstien, Van Cliburn, and Peter Serkin).
In 1986, with the opening of the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh, Mrs. Ohlberg was principal violist in the center’s orchestra serving the Pittsburgh Opera Company and the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater. She remained in that orchestra until 1999; her service included being a member of the orchestra committee whose main purpose was to negotiate the orchestra’s contracts.
She was a player with the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble (David Stock, conductor) from 1974 to 1999. The group enjoyed an active recording schedule with concerts recorded by National Public Radio and several commissioned commercial recordings. She was Personnel Manager for the last 8 years it existed.
Mrs. Ohlberg played violin in the Romanza Trio with a cellist and pianist, performing classics, light classics and show music at corporate events and social affairs at the most elegant venues in the Pittsburgh area. She also contracted extensively for orchestral performances that included up to 35 players, performing mainly Requiems with professional church choirs.
She has the distinction of being the first elected woman of the Executive Board of the Pittsburgh local branch of the American Federation of Musicians, serving 4 years in that capacity.
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RICHARD SKEWES has Ph.D. in Music from The University of Iowa and is the Director of Orchestras in Willmar, Red Wing, St Cloud, all in Minnesota. He served as a judge and clinician in Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and Texas. Richard is a professional pianist, violinist and violist. He enjoys playing in orchestras and string quartets. Richard spends seven winter months in Florida and five summer months in Faribault, MN. He plays both violin and viola in the Gulf Coast Symphony.
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VIOLONCELLO
JULIE BRUSEHABER is originally from western New York and has been living in the Fort Myers area for almost five years and has been playing in the Gulf Coast Symphony for the past two years. She began playing the cello in the 4th grade, took private lessons through the Eastman School of Music and played in both community and youth orchestras during high school. Julie received her degree in Food & Nutrition (her other passion)
from Florida State University and is currently employed as a registered dietitian for the Florida Department of Health in Port Charlotte.
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DIANE COFFMAN, Principal, is a well-versed cellist in many genres of music. For over 20 years, she worked with the major musical entities in the San Francisco Bay area and was a member of the Aspen Festival Orchestra. Diane's biggest passions are performing all styles of chamber music and playing for services at the Community Free Synagogue with Rabbi Bruce Diamond. Diane finished her Master's Degree in Music Performance at San Francisco State University under the tutelage of Lazlo Varga, who is the former Principal Cellist with the New York Philharmonic. While earning her Bachelor's Degree at Bowling Green State University, Diane was a student of Peter Howard, now the current Principal Cellist with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. In high school, Diane was accepted as a student of Fritz Magg, honored faculty member at Indiana University. All of her undergraduate and graduate college education, Diane was the recipient of full scholarships and was chosen to receive the Orion Award for Exceptional Musical and Academic Achievements. Diane has been soloist with the Artea Chamber Orchestra, Mannheim Steamroller and has been involved in film music recordings for Industrial Light and Magic Productions at Skywalker Ranch in Mendocino, California and for Walt Disney Productions musical score "Never Cry Wolf". She would like to add that one of her many brushes with fame include riding the elevator with Leontyne Price.
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ELEANOR FELICE received her undergraduate degree from Syracuse University in Music Education and her Masters from Cortland College. She taught vocal and instrumental music in the West Genesee School District, Camillus, N.Y. for 36 years until she retired in 1999. She is a member of the New York State Music Teachers Association, the American String Teachers Association, Sigma Alpha Iota Alumnae Association, Syracuse Parks and Recreation Orchestra, Rosewood Sting Quartet. Eleanor's husband Andrew is a retired teacher. She has two children: Mia, who is assistant principal of the Jamesville-Dewitt Middle School, and Andrew, who is a contractor in VT. She is a proud grandmother to Ventre and Vanessa Woolery and Amy Felice.
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TRISH FRENCH-LAWRENCE was raised in Sturgis, Michigan. However, she has lived mainly in Florida since 1971. She received her MSW from WMU in Kalamazoo, MI. and DMD from Univ. of Louisville in Kentucky. Trish has two wonderful children, Sarah and David, who both attend FSU in Tallahassee, FL. She has been practicing general dentistry in Naples since 1987.
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AMY PADILLA has returned to playing the Cello after a nineteen-year hiatus. She is an accomplished jeweler and goldsmith specializing in handcrafted designs that have been featured in a number of south Florida publications and galleries. Currently she helps manage her husband’s video production company and his commercial construction firm. She performs these jobs while raising two children and conducting delicious culinary experiments for her family. Amy joined the Gulf Coast Symphony in 2007.
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BASS
MIKE ENDRES (Co-Principal Bass) is a member of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra and conducts his own 18 member "Sun Coast Ensemble" during winter months in Fort Myers. Mr. Endres has Bachelor and Master's Degrees in Music from the University of Michigan and graduate studies at six other universities. He is retired orchestra director of the Plymouth/Canton, Michigan schools. His orchestras were invited four times to perform at state and national Music Educator's Conferences. He also formed and conducted both the Plymouth Youth Symphony and the Westland Civic Orchestra for several years. He is in his 27th year as conductor of the Symphony Orchestra at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Michigan in the summer and is a Scholarship Representative for Blue Lake the rest of the year. This camp serves over 5000 students each summer. He is an active bassist and string adjudicator in both Michigan and Florida. Michael and Judy Endres reside near Ann Arbor, MI the rest of the year.
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DONI LANDEFELD (Co-Principal Bass) began studying the double bass at age nine.  Originally from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania she attended the Pennsylvania State University (main campus) on a full music scholarship and received a B.S. in Music Education and a Performer’s Certificate in String Bass Performance.  In addition to teaching private music lessons, she was an active performer in groups throughout Central and Eastern Pennsylvania including the Allentown Symphony, the Nittany Valley Symphony, the Pennsylvania Centre Chamber Orchestra, Altoona Symphony, Music at Penn’s Woods, and other numerous Penn State and church ensembles.  After receiving her music degree, she immediately pursued a Masters degree in Higher Education Administration from Temple University and worked in college administration for six years. During this time, she played with the Abington Symphony. In 2004, she moved to Cape Coral with her husband Nathan, young son, and adopted greyhound.  Since then, she has been busy raising her son and pursuing a Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology from Walden University.  She is almost done with the Ph.D., expecting to graduate in early 2009, will soon return to work, and is thrilled to be back to her music.

FLORENCE MARTIN began her music studies in piano and violin at an early age. However, she put them aside to raise her family and pursue a career in teaching and nursing. After meeting her husband David, they decided to make beautiful music together. Because the bass was the instrument that complemented her husband's style of piano playing best, Florence embarked on studying that instrument. The rest is history. When in Florida she plays in three orchestras and in New York she studies bass and participates in the Long Island Mandolin and Guitar Orchestra (LIMAGO).
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MIKE MENDELSOHN is a classically- trained pianist. He turned to jazz as a teenager backing bands in Europe and London. Mike played with Zoot Sims, Bud Freeman, Kenny Devern, Peanuts Hucko, John Dankworth, Cleo Lane and Shirley Bassey. Mike returned to university to qualify as a pharmacist, joined the Orchestra of Ripon, St. Johns College of Music and City of York Guildhall Symphony Orchestra. Mike studied with Emil Zohar, principle bassist of the Israeli Philharmonic. On retiring to Naples, he discovered a vibrant music scene, playing with several jazz groups, an 18-piece big band (keyboards) and with Naples Chamber Orchestra and Gulf Coast Symphony (bass). Mike and his wife Jackie reside in Yorkshire, England when not enjoying Naples.
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