GRAMMY-nominated oboist Claire Chenette has been principal oboe with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra since 2014. Additionally, Claire performs in varied settings as a member of the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra, Des Moines Metro Opera, Wildup modern music collective, and Nief Norf. Claire has been a regular guest with the San Diego, Pacific, and Chattanooga Symphonies […]
Archives: Musicians
Deniz Ayca Yayman
Jessica Smithorn
Alex Chang
Mark Tucker
Mark Tucker holds performance degrees from the Universityof Tennessee and the Manhattan School of Music. He has studied clarinet and saxophone with Douglas Masek, Ed Bingham, William Scarlett, Jerry Coker, Kalmen Opperman, and Joe Allard. Mark joined the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra as bass clarinetist in 1988 and became second clarinet in 1994. In addition to […]
Victor Chavez
Dr. Victor Chávez, Jr. is a Mexican-American, fifth-generation musician from El Paso, Texas. In 2014, he was appointed Assistant Professor of Clarinet at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and currently holds tenured orchestral positions with the Johnson City Symphony Orchestra in Johnson City, Tennessee, Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and the […]
Duncan Henry
Duncan Henry, raised in Savage, Minnesota, is the principal bassoonist with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra. He has played as a substitute bassoonist with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, and Chattanooga Symphony. He is an emerging artist at the Marlboro Music Festival and has attended the National Repertory Orchestra and Norfolk Chamber Music summer […]
Mackenzie Brauns
Jeffery Whaley
Originally from Sevierville, TN, Jeffery Whaley is the Principal Horn of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra. He also holds the principal horn chair in the Asheville Symphony Orchestra and Symphony of the Mountains in Kingsport, TN. Prior to his return to Tennessee, he held positions with the Omaha Symphony Orchestra, Wichita Symphony Orchestra, Wichita Grand Opera, and Wichita Brass Quintet. […]
Kelsey Bentley
Ms. Bentley is currently the Second Horn of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra. She has made orchestral appearances with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Nashville Symphony, Louisville Orchestra, Colorado Symphony Orchestra, and New World Symphony and from 2019-2021 was the Second Horn of the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera. With playing lauded by ArtsKnoxville as “impressive” and “lovely,” […]
Brooke Ten Napel
Brooke Ten Napel is an active orchestral and chamber music performer the greater Cincinnati area. Originally from Sibley, Iowa, Brooke holds degrees from Luther College (B.A.) and University of Cincinnati CCM (M.M., A.D.). Joining the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra in 2018, she also performs regularly with the Louisville Orchestra, Dayton Philharmonic, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Lexington Philharmonic, […]
Sean Donovan
Sean Donovan is currently the Fourth Horn of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra. He also serves as Principal Horn of the Johnson City Symphony Orchestra and as Fourth Horn of the Symphony of the Mountains. Engaged in orchestras across the southeast as a performer of the horn and the Wagner tuba, his playing has been called […]
Brian Winegardner
Brian Winegardner is currently Second/Associate Principal Trumpet with the Knoxville Symphony and is a member of the Knoxville Symphony Brass Quintet, which was created in 2024 and primarily performs educational and chamber music concerts in eastern Tennessee. He started performing with the Knoxville Symphony in this position during the 2015-2016 season. An active orchestral performer, […]
Shawn White
Shawn White has been a member of the KSO trumpet section since 1995. He received a BS in Education from the University of Tennessee, an MM in Trumpet Performance from Ithaca College, and an MBA from the University of Tennessee. In addition to performing with the KSO, he is a consultant for music in film […]
Samuel Chen
Samuel S. Chen, a Huntington, Indiana native, was raised in a musical family, and attended the Interlochen Arts Camp and Academy. Sam earned his B.M. in Trombone Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music in 1997, studying with Steven Witser. Continuing his education at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Sam studied with, Carl Lenthe, […]