The Winona Symphony Orchestra proudly features some of the area’s finest professional musicians. Learn more about the inspiring members of your community orchestra.
Director
Erik Rohde
Director
Erik Rohde
Dr. Erik Rohde maintains a diverse career as a conductor, violinist, and educator, and has performed in recitals and festivals across the United States and in Europe and Asia. He is the newly appointed Director of Orchestral Activities at the University of Northern Iowa, the Music Director of the Winona Symphony Orchestra (MN), and the founding artistic director of the Salomon Chamber Orchestra, an orchestra dedicated to promoting the works of living composers and of Haydn and his contemporaries. Prior to his appointment at the University of Northern Iowa, Rohde served as the Director of String Activities and Orchestra at Indiana State University where he conducted the Indiana State University Symphony Orchestra and taught violin, chamber music, and Suzuki pedagogy.
A committed advocate for contemporary music, he has premiered and commissioned many new works by both established and young composers, and is constantly seeking to discover new compositional voices. In addition to regularly bringing new orchestral works to programs each season, he is the violinist of the new music duo sonic apricity, which is dedicated to uncovering and commissioning new works by living composers for violin and viola. At Indiana State University he helped to host the annual Contemporary Music Festival – now running for over 50 years. He has worked with Joan Tower, Augusta Read Thomas, Libby Larsen, Meira Warshauer, Elliott Miles McKinley, Christopher Walczak, Michael-Thomas Foumai, Pierre Jalbert, James Dillon, David Dzubay, Marc Mellits, Carter Pann, Narong Prangcharoen and countless others. He has recently released two recordings with composer Elliott Miles McKinley, conducting his percussion concerto Four Grooves and performing on his eighth string quartet.
In his native Minnesota, Rohde has served as the Music Director of the Buffalo Community Orchestra, conductor and violinist for the Contemporary Music Workshop, Camarata Suzuki orchestra conductor for the MacPhail Center for Music, String Ensemble conductor at the Trinity School, and first violinist of the Cantiamo and Enkidu String Quartets. Rohde holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Conducting from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, where he studied with conductors Mark Russell Smith, Kathy Saltzman Romey, and Craig Kirchhoff and violin pedagogue Mark Bjork. He also holds degrees in Violin Performance and Biomedical Engineering.
Rohde lives in Cedar Falls, IA with his wife Erin and their children. More at erikrohde.com
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Violin I
Hillary Kingsley
Concertmaster, Violin I
Hillary Kingsley
Hillary Kingsley joined the Winona Symphony as Concertmaster in the fall of 2018. Based in the Twin Cities, she has performed in orchestras and chamber ensembles throughout the United States on both violin and viola. Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Hillary completed her Bachelor’s degree at the University of Georgia, where she studied violin with Michael Heald and viola with Maggie Snyder. She continued graduate studies on violin with Sally O’Reilly at the University of Minnesota. Hillary now delights in teaching her own students and has a particular fondness for teaching adult amateurs. She has also cultivated a passion for both gardening and martial arts, and she likes to think that the attention to beauty and the intensity in these hobbies add inspiration (and a little kick) to her musical performances.
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Heidi Guenther Ryan
Violin I
Heidi Guenther Ryan
Heidi Guenther Ryan holds degrees in violin performance and music education and has been a free lance violinist and studio teacher and was a founding member and violinist with the Ars Classica String Quartet with whom she performed for fifteen years. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Winona Symphony Orchestra and assistant principal first violin in the orchestra. Following a love of linguistics and philosophy, she became an active member of the classical education movement and member of the American Classical League, both teaching and developing interdisciplinary curriculum in history, literature, and philosophy. She has received the Busines and Professional Women’s Outstanding Young Career Woman Award, the PCAE’s Inspirational Teaching Award, and was recognized by the Minnesota Department of Education for individual achievement and accepted into the Professional Development Program. Having a passion for baking, she attended classes at the French Pastry School in Chicago and enjoys sharing her culinary art with friends as an amateur pâtissier. She currently enjoys the role of a lifetime as “Grandmama.”
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Joel Zabel
Violin I
Joel Zabel
Joel Zabel is a Violinist from Marshall, Minnesota. He has studied with Cindy Min, and is currently a student of Bacco Liu. Joel has attended, studied and taught at numerous music festivals over the years. These festivals include the Southwest Minnesota String Festival hosted by the Meadowlark Quartet, the Saint Mary’s Chamber Festival in which he was a counselor, and Stringwood hosted by the Artaria Quartet. Joel’s symphonic experience is ever growing, where he has been performing with the South West Minnesota Orchestra since 2016 and the Winona Symphony since early 2019. Joel is currently studying Violin Performance at Saint Mary’s University of Winona, where he has played with the SMU Chamber Orchestra and helped form the Razumovsky Trio. Alongside the Violin, Joel appreciates studying piano, and has been involved in choral singing for many years. Joel also teaches students at the beautiful Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts found in Winona. He studied at Saint Mary’s until May of 2022.
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Violin II
Molly Breitlow
Violin II
Molly Breitlow
Molly Breitlow is a second violinist who plays regularly with the Winona and La Crosse Symphony Orchestras. She enjoys collaborating with local area quartets and ensembles for weddings, concerts, and community events. Molly lives in Winona with her husband (Stan) and two daughters (Daphne and Penelope), serves as a member of the Winona Symphony Board, and works at HBC as a Customer Care Representative. In her spare time, she teaches Community Education Ballroom Dance Lessons and is a River City Ballroom Dancers board member. Molly is a Wisconsin native and enjoys traveling, spending time with family, and hosting community events.
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Betsy Neil
Violin II
Betsy Neil
My musical life began seated on the church organ bench next to my mother. Later, I’d spend hours at home playing and creating on our piano. Next, I had a strong desire to play the violin and discovered three old violins, stored deep in a closet waiting for me from the past; they belonged to my grandfather and two great grandfathers. During high school, I had the privilege of performing in the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphony and the Chimera Theater. I was fortunate to play under world-renowned conductors and with extremely talented musicians. As a young adult I continued to perform in symphonies, quartets and theater pits, but became interested in swinging my bow a different direction. Beginning with Bluegrass in the 1970’s, my interest shifted to traditional dance music, focusing on Appalachian Old Time, Celtic, Cajun and Swing. I currently perform in a Minneapolis based Cajun band, Roux La La. My most notable performing band was The Buffalo Gals, also based in Minneapolis. I teach privately and taught in public schools as well as La Crosse’s School of Technology and Arts. I’m currently delighted to be playing in WSO under the direction of Eric Rohde!
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Viola
Elizabeth Loudon
Viola
Elizabeth Loudon
Elizabeth Loudon has been principal violist of Winona Symphony since the Fall of 2015. She resides in the Twin Cities metro area where she enjoys a busy freelancing career. Her orchestral experience includes playing with Minnesota Sinfonia, Minneapolis Pops, Cedar Rapids/Waterloo Symphony, Philomusica (MN), Chicago Lyric Opera-Young Artists, L. A. Philharmonic, Illinois Symphony (formerly the Springfield Symphony), Champaign Urbana (IL) Symphony, Sinfonia da Camera (IL), Nebraska Chamber Orchestra and Lincoln (NE) Symphony. She has been viola soloist with the St. Olaf Choir, Bloomington (MN) Symphony, Kearny (NE) Symphony and the Metropolitan Symphony (MN, where she performed the Bartok Concerto). Her festival experience includes a 3-year fellowship at the Aspen Institute of Music, a fellowship at the
L. A. Philharmonic Institute of Music, and tuition waiver participant at the Killington (VT) Music Festival. She received her MM from the University of MN-Minneapolis studying with the internationally renowned pedagogue Roland Vamos and her BM at the University of IL-Urbana Champaign with Guillermo Perich and Catherine Tait. Other teachers have included Richard Marshall, Heidi Castlemann, Jeffery Irvine, Ellen Rose, and Morris Collier. Currently she is also principal violist with the Rochester Symphony (MN) and a founding member of the Rosewood String Quartet (MN).
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Elizabeth Becker
Viola
Elizabeth Becker
When Elizabeth Becker was a beginner 5th grade violin player in Austin, Minnesota, her orchestra director (and mom, Sue Radloff) handed her an instrument and told her that since they needed violas in the orchestra she needed to ‘go figure out how to play it’. She has been playing violin and viola ever since.
Elizabeth graduated from the University of Minnesota (Minneapolis) and took an elementary orchestra job in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, where she has been teaching since 1989.
In 1994 she and Betsy Neil founded the fiddle group ‘Blufftown Fiddlers’ (now ‘River City Strings’ in LaCrosse) and Elizabeth currently teaches orchestra grades 4-8 at North Woods International and Logan Middle School.
Besides playing in the Winona Symphony, Elizabeth plays in LaCrosse, Rochester and Austin Symphonies and plays with her mom and sister in the Stringendo Trio.
When not playing her viola she plays organ at her church, teaches private violin and viola students, plays fiddle in a bluegrass band, rides her dressage horse and hangs out at her hobby farm with her husband, horse and two cats.
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Tiffany Kacir
Viola
Tiffany Kacir
Tiffany Kacir, was born and raised in Rochester, MN and lives there today with her husband and two sons. Tiffany works in social services as a supervisor in Child and Family Services for Olmsted County.
Tiffany began playing the viola at the age of 9 after being introduced to the instrument through the public school’s band, orchestra, choir (BOC) program and hasn’t stopped since.
Tiffany joined the Winona Symphony Orchestra in 2003 as a student at Winona State University. After graduating from the college Tiffany has continued as a member of the Winona Symphony Orchestra enjoying playing alongside an esteemed group of musicians.
Tiffany also plays the viola with the Rochester Pops Orchestra.
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Violoncello
Rachael Ryan Dahlgren
Violoncello
Rachael Ryan Dahlgren
Drawing from many interests, Rachael Ryan enjoys a diverse career in the arts as both musician and dancer, performer and teacher. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music in Cello Performance, her experience as a musician has taken her across the country and across centuries, from performing viola da gamba with Boston Early Music Festival to premiering new compositions by Dale Warland. She has played alongside many of the world’s leading artists and Grammy-award winning musicians such as Phillipe Jaroussky, Paul O’Dette, Charles Castleman, and Gavriel Heine. As a teacher, Rachael serves as both private and classroom instructor in music and dance at the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts for cello, early childhood music, and beginning through advanced ballet. She has choreographed and staged multiple ballets as well as programmed several concerts and organized community programs.
As a woman of many hats, Rachael’s most cherished role is as a wife and mother to three little girls she calls her GEMs.
Rachael is driven by a passion to elevate the lives around her through the arts.
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Bass
Flute
Rachel Haug Root
Flute
Rachel Haug Root
A freelance flutist, orchestral musician, and private instructor, Rachel Haug Root is the Adjunct Flute Instructor at Winona State University and Director of Flute Sales for Schmitt Music. In addition to performing with the Winona Symphony, she holds the piccolo position with the Mankato Symphony Orchestra and is the first-call substitute flute/piccolo with the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra. She maintains an active private studio in the Twin Cities, and her students are consistently selected for All-State, honors ensembles, and festivals.
Dr. Haug Root holds a DMA and MM in flute performance from The Ohio State University, where she studied with Katherine Borst Jones, and a BA from Luther College under the instruction of Dr. Carol Hester. Her doctoral research, An Introduction to Twentieth-Century Flute Music by Norwegian Composers, seeks to broaden awareness of the available flute repertoire.
An in-demand soloist, Dr. Haug Root has performed as a featured artist at the National Band Association-Wisconsin Chapter convention, with the Winona Symphony Orchestra and Winona State University Wind Ensemble, and is engaged to perform with the Plymouth Concert Band. She is featured on the Naxos recordings Network and Rest, and in the 2008 Emmy Award-winning production, Christmas at Luther. She has toured with ensembles throughout the United States, Europe and Japan.
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Janet Heukeshoven
Flute
Janet Heukeshoven
Dr. Janet Heukeshoven, Professor of Music at Saint Mary’s University in Winona, Minnesota, currently serves as Director of Bands and Music Education Program Coordinator. Heukeshoven’s D.M.A. in Instrumental Conducting is from UW-Madison, her M.M. in Flute Performance from the Boston Conservatory, and B.S. in Music Education from the UM-Minneapolis. At Saint Mary’s she directs the Concert Band, coaches chamber ensembles, teaches music education courses, applied woodwind lessons and additional music courses. Heukeshoven is an active instrumental adjudicator, guest conductor, flute/piccolo soloist and clinician throughout the region. Heukeshoven regularly performs on flute and piccolo in the Winona Symphony and the Winona Municipal Band and Flutistry. Dr. Heukeshoven served on the MMEA Board of Directors for eight years as Collegiate Chair, and holds memberships in numerous professional organizations including: CBDNA (College Band Director’s National Association), UMFA (Upper Midwest Flute Association), IGEB (International Society for the Promotion and Research of Wind Music), NAfME (National Association for Music Education), MBDA (Minnesota Band Director’s Association) and SAI (Sigma Alpha Iota). She has lived in Winona with her family since 1984 and love the culture and natural beauty of the region.
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Oboe
Kristi Krause
Oboe
Kristi Krause
I am a freelance musician / Oboe/English Horn instructor in the surrounding Winona MN area. A favorite of mine is to connect with local young people and see their love for the oboe blossom. I currently teach as a Professor of Music, Applied Oboe, at Winona State University, St. Mary’s University, Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts, all in Winona MN. As a freelance musician I have enjoyed playing with the Winona Symphony Orchestra, Winona Municipal Band, the university ensembles, and chamber groups in the area. I am employed as an IT customer service representative at Fastenal, Winona, and I enjoy living in the upper Midwest with my family consisting of my husband, two sons, and two large hairy dogs. (My two daughters live elsewhere so I do enjoy traveling to visit.) It is my pleasure and joy to communicate through music, without words, but expressions voiced through the oboe, being an intimate conversation that can touch the inner workings of another. “Music is an outburst of the soul.” (Frederick Delius)
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Clarinet
Bassoon
Horn
Jodi Monerson
Horn
Jodi Monerson
Dr. Jodi Monerson is the 2nd horn player in the Winona Symphony Orchestra (WSO). She received her Bachelor’s degree in Education, with a minor in music and her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Winona State University. She also has a Doctorate of Education degree from St. Cloud State University in Higher Education Administration. In addition to playing with the WSO, Jodi has played with the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra and the Bemidji Symphony Orchestra, as well as numerous other musical opportunities throughout the nearby communities. When she is not playing music, Jodi enjoys spending time with her partner and three children.
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Trumpet
Timpani
Percussion
Piano / Keyboard
Eric Brisson
Piano / Keyboard
Eric Brisson
Pianist Eric Brisson is a Professor of Music at Winona State University. He holds a doctorate in piano performance from the University of Montréal, where he studied with Marc Durand, and he worked with Leon Fleisher and Marek Jablonski at the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto), where he was enrolled in a master class series. He also holds a Bachelor of Computer Science degree from McGill University.
Dr. Brisson has performed in Canada and the United Stated since 1989 and is a laureate of several Canadian national-level music competitions, among others the Canadian Music Competition (1st Prize winner in 1991 and 1992) and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra Competition. Dr. Brisson is active both as recitalist and accompanist, and has performed as a soloist with the Winona Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Music Winona and the WSU Symphonic Wind Ensemble. In 2018, he completed a decade-long project to learn and perform all of Claude Debussy’s solo piano music on the WSU campus. He is also employed as organist/pianist at Wesley United Methodist Church in Winona.