Romeo and Juliet

The National Ballet of Canada is privileged to be one of the only ballet companies in the world to have its own full Orchestra. With over 60 members, The National Ballet of Canada Orchestra is led by Music Director and Principal Conductor David Briskin and has performed in each of the National Ballet's seasons since the company's inception in 1951. The Orchestra has toured extensively with the company through Canada, US and Europe. Over the years, the Orchestra has received much acclaim from audiences and critics alike and is an indispensable part of The National Ballet of Canada.

Music Director and Principal Conductor
David Briskin

Conductors
Julian Pellicano
Ormsby Wilkins

Violins
Aaron Schwebel, Concertmaster     
Lynn Kuo, Assistant Concertmaster 
Jamie Kruspe, Principal Second Violin
Russell Iceberg, Assistant Principal 2nd Violin
James Aylesworth*
Sandra Baron+
Bethany Bergman+
Jennie Baccante*
Joelle Crigger
Terri Croft+
Patrick Goodwin+
Sheldon Grabke
Xiao Grabke*
Nancy Kershaw
Sonia Klimasko-Leheniuk
Csaba Koczó
Dominique Laplante
Clara Lee+
Wendy Rogers
Jung Tsai+
Joanna Zabrowarna
Paul Zevenhuizen

Violas
Shelia Jaffe, Principal                
Joshua Greenlaw, Assistant Principal 
Carolyn Blackwell+
Emily Eng
Valerie Kuinka                        
Johann Lotter
Nicholaos Papadakis+
Angela Rudden

Cellos
Maurizio Baccante, Principal
Marianne Pack, Assistant Principal
Drew Comstock+
Mary-Katherine Finch+
Bryan Holt+
Olga Laktionova                 
Elaine Thompson 
Andrew McIntosh*                                              
Jill Vitols+

Basses
Tony Flynt, Principal
Jonathan Yeoh, Assistant Principal*
Samuel-San Vachon, Acting Assistant Principal
Michael Cox+
Ben Heard+
Doug Ohashi+

Flutes
Leslie J. Allt, Principal‡*
Shelley Brown*
Kevin O’Donnell+
Maria Pelletier

Oboes
Mark Rogers, Principal
Aleh Remezau
Lesley Young, English Horn

Clarinets
Max Christie, Principal
Colleen Cook , Bass Clarinet+
Gary Kidd*
Emily Marlow, Eb Clarinet

Bassoons
Chia-Yu Hsu, Principal△
Thomas Roy-Rochette
Sofia Stefan, Contra Bassoon+

Horns
Jessie Brooks, Principal    
Carlie Bigelow    
Gary Pattison+
Courtney Prizrenac+
Sin Yu Wang+                    
Scott Wevers

Trumpets
Richard Sandals, Principal
Brendan Cassin+
Mark Dharmaratnam
Charles Watson

Trombones
David Pell, Principal
David Archer
Shin Tanaka, Bass Trombone+

Tuba
Sasha Johnson, Principal*

Harp
Clara Wang, Principal

Tympani
Andrew Rasmus, Principal

Percussion
Kristofer Maddigan, Principal
Daniel Morphy+
Mark Mazur

Piano/Celeste
Andrei Strelieav+

Mandolin
Sandra Baron+
Valerie Kuinka
Nancy Kershaw
Johann Lotter

Music Librarian
Robert Conquer

Orchestra Personnel Manager and Music Administrator
Raymond Tizzard

*On Leave of Absence
+ Additional Musician
‡ The Principal Flute position is endowed by The Herridge Family Fund.
△ The Principal Bassoon Position is endowed by The Herridge Family Fund.

Top Photo: Isabella Kinch and Oliver Yonick. Photo by Karolina Kuras.