Toledo Symphony

Principal violist Valentin Ragusitu joined the Toledo Symphony in 1999. Mr. Ragusitu has a long and distinguished career as principal violist, soloist and chamber musician.

Mr. Ragusitu began studying viola at age of 10 in his home country Romania. He received several first prize awards at the prestigious national string competitions in Romania including the well known "Darclee" Competition. Known for his contribution on the Romanian musical scene, in 1993, immediately following his studies at the Bucharest Music Academy he was appointed principal violist of the National Radio Orchestra and Assistant Professor at the Bucharest Music Academy.

In 1995 Mr. Ragusitu came to the United States as a violist of the ÙLipattiˆ String Quartet. He studied at the Leonard Sorkin Chamber Music Institute with Jerry Horner from Fine Arts Quartet, and earned his master of music from Northern Illinois University studying with Richard Young and Vermeer Quartet. During these years Mr. Ragusitu sustained an extensive educational outreach activity.

Mr. Ragusitu's international honors include second prize at the 1996 Shostakovich International String Quartet Competition, second prize at Fischoff Chamber Music Competition in 1997 and fourth prize at the 1997 London String Quartet Competition.

He has recorded on London Olympia label with Romanian Radio Orchestra as a principal violist the complete orchestral works of George Enescu.

Mr. Ragusitu resides in Toledo where he teaches violin and viola privately.

Concertmaster Kirk Toth earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at the University of Michigan and was the recipient of the School of Music’s highest award, the Stanley Medal.

Prior to joining The Toledo Symphony in 1983, Mr. Toth was a member of the Rochester Philharmonic in New York and served as a faculty member at Stetson University in Florida.

He has recorded (on the Musical Heritage label with the Toledo Trio) works of Charles Ives, Beach and Parkers. Mr. Toth appears frequently as a soloist on several of The Toledo Symphony concert series. Mr. Toth resides in Sylvania, OH, with his family and enjoys fishing and tennis.

The Toledo Symphony’s Associate Principal Second Violinist since September 2000, Merwin Siu has rapidly assumed a dynamic role in Toledo’s cultural landscape. Solo appearances with the TSO have ranged from performances of the Great Masters on their Mostly Mozart series to his Pops solo debut in September 2002. Area audiences also know him as a presenter and performer of recitals and concert events, with recent appearances in Mentor, Tiffin, Archbold, Oxford, and numerous Toledo venues. In recent months, Merwin made his solo debut with the Cleveland Pops Orchestra in downtown Cleveland’s State Theatre, performed as a member of the Toledo Trio at the Toledo Museum of Art’s It’s Friday! Series, appeared on CBS’s AM Saturday show, and performed several times on WGTE’s Live on FM 91 concert series. He recently appeared as soloist in the TSO’s presentation of Lou Harrison’s Concerto for Violin and Percussion Orchestra, and will be featured next year as a soloist in a work by Keith Jarrett for violin and strings. Merwin also serves as the Toledo Symphony’s Artistic Administrator, coordinating artistic input from conductors, musicians, and audiences for subscription series concerts, outreach appearances, and educational performances alike.

In addition to his Symphony positions, Merwin is the founder and director of Project Aeolus, Toledo’s newest voice for contemporary music and performance art. The third Aeolus Festival was held in the first week of June 2004. In three years, the Festival has performed over a dozen world premieres, utilized hundreds of area performers, attracted thousands of audience members and drawn in guest artists from throughout the United States. Merwin also serves on the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s Orchestra Forum Planning Committee, setting initiatives and determining objectives for the country’s largest private source of orchestra funding.

Merwin’s commitment to music education has led to workshops at numerous Toledo Public Schools, music appreciation classes at the East Side Boys and Girls Club, and lessons and coachings with students at Earlham College and the University of Toledo. An enthusiastic teacher, his private studio includes many prizewinners of regional competitions. He is frequently asked to serve as an adjudicator for regional and statewide competitions. A chamber music devotee and an advocate of music of our time, Merwin has performed with the Kronos Quartet, Florestan Trio, and members of the Smithsonian Chamber Players, and has presented numerous world premieres.

Merwin holds a Masters in Music from Indiana University and degrees in English and Music from Montreal’s McGill University. An avid reader and hockey fan, he lives in Toledo’s Old West End.

Kimberly Bryden has been Principal Oboist, frequent soloist, and featured chamber musician of The Toledo Symphony since 1985. She has appeared as soloist on the Classics, Mozart and More, and the Neighborhood Series.

Prior to joining the TSO, Ms. Bryden performed for two seasons as principal oboe of the Canton Symphony Orchestra. Since that time she has had the opportunity to perform with the Cleveland Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony, and the Detroit Chamber Winds. In October of 2002, she was invited to perform as principal oboe with the Baltimore Symphony for a week and later that year performed for two weeks as principal with the Richmond Symphony. Ms. Bryden has been featured on over twenty Windham Hill recordings with Toledo composer Tim Story, including this year’s release, A Windham Hill Christmas II. She is an active teacher and is on the faculty of The University of Toledo.

Jocelyn Langworthy has held the position of second clarinet in the Toledo Symphony since the fall of 2000. Prior to joining the TSO she had been the principal clarinetist of the Cedar Rapids Symphony. Originally from Vermillion, South Dakota (home of the National Music Museum), Jocelyn received her bachelors degree in clarinet performance from the University of Minnesota, where she studied with Burt Hara of the Minnesota Orchestra. She received a masters degree from the University of Southern California, studying with Yehuda Gilad and Mitchell Lurie.

Ms. Langworthy has participated in many summer music festivals, including the Aspen Music Festival, Tanglewood, the National Repertory Orchestra, the Colorado Music Festival, the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan and the Festival dei due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy. She has taught at several colleges and music schools in Iowa, Los Angeles and the Boston area, and teaches privately in Toledo. Locally, Jocelyn has been featured on WGTE’s “Live from FM 91” and in performances for the Aeolus Festival. She is also a founding member of the Parkwood Players.

Georg Klaas has served as Principal Clarinet for the Toledo Symphony for the past two seasons. A native of Stillwater, Minnesota, he began playing both the clarinet and piano at an early age through the encouragement of his parents. Although briefly tempted to give up the clarinet in Junior High School for a chance to play in the much "cooler" percussion section, he now feels relatively confident he made the right decision by sticking it out during this universally awkward stage.

Georg received his formal training on the clarinet at Indiana University where he received a Master of Music degree. He continued his studies at the University of Southern California, where he became the first ever recipient of the Mitchell Lurie Award in 2001. His principal teachers include Eli Eban, Yehuda Gilad, Mitchell Lurie, and Joaquin Valdepenas. He also holds a Bachelor or Arts degree from St. John’s University.

In addition to his orchestral playing, Georg has appeared in numerous chamber music performances in the past few years both here in Toledo and at numerous venues throughout the country including: The Sarasota Music Festival, the Brevard Music Festival, the Kent/Blossom Music Festival, Chautauqua, and the Aspen Music Festival, where he has collaborated with such artists as violist James Dunham, bassoonist Steven Dibner and pianist John Nauman.

Lauraine Carpenter received her undergraduate degree in Music Education from Ithaca College and her Master of Arts degree in Performance from New York University. Lauraine is the Principal Trumpet with the Toledo Symphony and is Professor of Trumpet at the University of Toledo. She was a member of the San Jose and Oakland Symphonies from 1991 - 98 and held a one year position with the San Antonio Symphony during the 1996-97 season. Her musical resume includes an east cost tour with Robert Palmer, a national tour with San Francisco Symphony, and a big band engagement at the Casino in Monte Carlo. During the summer she is Principal Trumpet with the Cabrillo Music Festival for Contemporary Music in Santa Cruz, California.

Lauraine enjoys cooking, gardening, travel, and speaking French to her Cornish Rex cat Marco.