category: Woodwinds

Devan Jaquez is a graduate of the Colburn Conservatory in Los Angeles where he received a Master of Music Degree in 2019 studying with Jim Walker. He received his Bachelor’s Degree of Art in Music Performance in the spring of 2017 from UCLA where he also received the Presser Scholar Award and studied with Sheridon […]

Jill Bartine has been second flute with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra since 2000. She earned her Bachelor of Music in flute performance from Northwestern University, where she studied with long-time Chicago Symphony Orchestra members Walfrid Kujala and Richard Graef, and a Master of Music from the University of Tennessee, studying with Shelley Binder. Jill has been […]

Cynthia is a Knoxville native and began studying flute at the age of 10 with her father, Anthony J. D’Andrea. Tony D’Andrea is an iconic retired University of Tennessee band director and privately taught flute, saxophone and clarinet during his career. She also studied with David Van Vactor who was the Music Director of the […]

GRAMMY-nominated oboist Claire Chenette has been principal oboe with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra since 2014. Additionally, Claire performs in diverse settings as a member of the 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 and the Los Angeles […]

Gary Sperl is in his 38th season as a clarinetist in the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra and is a member of the newly formed Knoxville Symphony Woodwind Quintet. He also was on the faculty of the School of Music at The University of Tennessee for 36 years. During the summers, he was very active in music […]

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 […]

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 […]

Justin Cummings joined the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra as principal bassoonist in 2021. He was previously a bassoon fellow with the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, FL. He has appeared as guest principal with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and San Francisco Symphony, and has also performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, […]