Annamaria Karacson

Concertmaster

Hungarian-born Annamaria Karacson (Concertmaster) has resided in Boulder with her family since 1986. After completing her studies at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, she became assistant concertmaster of the Hungarian Opera and Philharmonic Orchestras and of the Festival Orchestra, which she also helped establish. She won first prize in the Hungarian Opera's violin competition and was a recipient of the Bartók-Pásztory award. Ms. Karacson continues her orchestral playing in Colorado as assistant concertmaster of the Boulder Philharmonic, the Boulder Bach Festival and concertmaster of the Mahler Festival orchestras. She is also an active chamber musician and has appeared with University of Colorado music faculty members on numerous occasions and is first violinist of the Columbine String Quartet.

Gyöngyvér Petheö

Principal Violin II

Hailing from Budapest, Hungary, Gyöngyvér (Georgina) Petheö (Principal Violin II) is a dedicated violin instructor, an entrepreneur and an active performer in the Boulder and Denver region. She began her career in the Hungarian Symphony Orchestra and subsequently settled in Colorado in 1986. She has since performed as a professional violinist with the Central City Opera Orchestra, Boulder Bach Festival Orchestra, Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra, Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra and Colorado Ballet, among others.

Georgina’s biggest passion for music lies in teaching. She received her music diploma with a concentration in violin pedagogy from the prestigious Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, Hungary. As well as maintaining a private studio, she has been on the faculty the Parlando School for the Arts in Boulder, Colorado, and the Rocky Mountain Center for Musical Arts.Georgina’s dedication to reaching the community with music has led her to join the Tiny Tots and Inside the Orchestra ensembles, which travel throughout Colorado to schools to educate young people about music. She enjoys teaching students of all ages, from very young to adult beginners, and her strengths include tailoring her teaching methods to meet her students’ specific needs. She strives to create a fun and inspiring environment for learning, while incorporating basic theory and music history to give her students a well-rounded musical education.

An avid chamber musician, Georgina has established her own small business, Columbine Entertainment, which provides chamber musicians for a special event, such as a wedding. (For more information, please visit www.columbineentertainment.com). She is a member of the Columbine String Quartet, performed in several chamber music ensembles in Hungary, and continues to enjoy collaborating with others. In the past she has been a chamber music coach at the Chamber Music Performance Week in Pingree Park as well as the former Boulder Arts Academy (now Parlando School for the Arts).

Georgina is the proud mother of David Ormai, a professional violinist in Michigan. She enjoys reading, traveling, photography, chamber music, and spending time with her family and friends in her spare time.

Clayton Vaughn

Principal Cello

Clayton Vaughn (Principal Cello) was born in Mississippi where he began studying the cello at the age of ten. In 1998, Clayton began private studies with Paul York, who was then teaching at the University of Southern Mississippi. He also spent most of his high school summers studying with Mr. York at the Sewanee Summer Music Festival. In 2000 when Paul York left USM, Clayton spent the next two years studying with Deiter Wulfhorst and Alexander Russakovsky. During this time, he was also a member of the Meridian and Tupelo Symphonies. After graduating from high school, Clayton enrolled at the University of Louisville to continue studying under Paul York. Soon after, Clayton was exposed to Jazz for the first time and fell in love, but unfortunately he did not have an interest in playing jazz cello. So during his sophomore year, he began studying double bass in addition to cello to satisfy his desire to play jazz. Clayton graduated from the University of Louisville in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts i n Music and Humanities. He then went on to earn a Masters from the Cleveland Institute of Music studying with Dr. Melissa Kraut and Stephen Geber.

Clayton is currently enrolled at the University of Colorado where he is working on a doctorate in cello performance and studies with both Judith Glyde and Andras Fejer of the Takacs Quartet. He is also a member of the Greeley Philharmonic and is on faculty at the Parlando School for the Arts. When he graduates from the University of Colorado, Clayton plans to pursue a career in music that is both well rounded and varied, that may include orchestral performance, chamber music, teaching, and freelancing.

Aniel Cabán

Principal Viola

Aniel Cabán (Principal Viola) is currently a Master of Music candidate in Viola Performance at the University of Colorado-Boulder where he studies with Professor Erika Eckert. Mr. Cabán has participated in many world-renowned music festivals some of which include Interlochen Arts Camp, Meadowmount School of Music, Festival Casals of Puerto Rico, Yehudi Menuhin Chamber Music Seminar, the Karen Tuttle Viola Workshop, and the National Repertory Orchestra in Breckenridge, Colorado. His Chamber Music experience includes studies with well-renowned musicians such as Peter Salaff of the Cleveland Quartet, The Takács String Quartet, The Cavani String Quartet, Anne Epperson, and Judith Glyde of the Manhattan String Quartet.

Mr. Cabán received a Bachelor of Music Degree in Viola Performance at the Cleveland Institute of Music (2002) where he studied with Stanley Konopka, Assistant Principal Viola of the Cleveland Orchestra. He is currently a member of the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra.

Kevin Sylves

Principal Bass

Kevin Sylves (Principal Bass) grew up in Buffalo, NY and earned bachelor degrees in double bass performance and aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan. His double bass teachers included Stuart Sankey, Diana Gannett, Stephen Molina, Paul Bresciani, and Derek Weller. He has performed with several groups in the Boulder area including the Boulder Philharmonic and the Longmont Symphony, and served as Principal Bass with the Symphony Orchestra Academy of the Pacific in Powell River, British Columbia. His chamber music experience includes the performance of a bass quartet on the internationally broadcast radio program "Art of the States."