Orchestra
“Our orchestra is the very fabric of who we are as an institution. We cherish their contribution; they add immeasurably to the greatness of PNB.”
– PNB Artistic Director Peter Boal
Lauded as “the best ballet band in America” by The New York Times and other critics, the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra is an accomplished group of musicians led by the skilled baton of Emil de Cou. PNB’s artistic leaders have always prioritized live music as an integral part of the ballet artform and consider collaboration with the Orchestra to be a key pillar of PNB’s success. Today, The PNB Orchestra consists of nearly 60 musicians (many with a tenure of over 25 years) and regularly performs with the Company at McCaw Hall and on tour.
PNB has long been dedicated to live music; the Company’s first Nutcracker program credits the Pacific Northwest Dance Orchestra. However, the PNB Orchestra wasn’t officially founded until 1989, when a three-year contract with the International Guild of Symphony, Opera, and Ballet Musicians was signed. Former PNB President and CEO Arthur Jacobus’s vision then of “an ensemble of excellent musicians who are dedicated to performing for the ballet,” has truly been realized today.
Emil de Cou
Music Director/Principal Conductor
Emil de Cou assumed the full-time position of Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Music Director and Principal Conductor at the start of the 2011-2012 season. He was associate conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra, participating in a wide range of NSO performances and events following his Wolf Trap debut in 2000. Mr. de Cou debuted at Carnegie Hall as guest conductor for the New York Pops and has also conducted Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops, and Colorado Symphony Orchestra. He was Principal Pops Conductor for the San Francisco Symphony and served as musical consultant for NASA collaborations, including “Salute to Apollo, the Kennedy Legacy” at the Kennedy Center. In 1985, Mikhail Baryshnikov hired Mr. de Cou to conduct American Ballet Theatre and in 1994, he joined the staff of San Francisco Ballet. He has also conducted New York City Ballet, Suzanne Farrell Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, Netherlands Dance Theatre, Hong Kong Ballet, and National Ballet of Holland, among others. Mr. de Cou was born in Los Angeles and studied at the University of Southern California. He was the subject of a documentary on National Public Radio and was chosen from 200 candidates to study in Leonard Bernstein’s master class at the Hollywood Bowl.
Orchestra Members
Conductor
Josh Archibald-Seiffer
Violin 1
Michael Jinsoo Lim, Concertmaster
Jennifer Caine Provine, Associate Concertmaster
Emilie Choi, Assistant Concertmaster
Stephen Daniels**
Tom Dziekonski**
Ella Marie Gray**
YeSol Im
Lynn Bartlett Johnson**
Petro Krysa
Violin 2
Rita Lee, Principal
Ingrid Fredrickson**
William E. Boyd**
Anne Cady**
Adrianna Hulscher
Laurie Wells
Kim Zabelle**
Viola
Alexander Grimes, Principal
Betty Agent**, Assistant Principal
Kayleigh Miller
Joyce Ramée**
Laura Renz
Eileen Swanson**
Cello
Page Smith**, Principal
Virginia Dziekonski**, Assistant Principal
Meg Brennand**
Andrea Chandler**
Charles Jacot
Brian Wharton
Bass
Todd Larsen**, Principal
Stephen Schermer**, Assistant Principal
Maurice Clubb
Ben Musa**
Flute
Evan Pengra Sult, Principal
Laura Werner**
Piccolo
Laura Werner**
Oboe
Dan Williams**, Principal
Tad Margelli**
English Horn
Tad Margelli**
Clarinet
Jennifer Nelson**, Principal
Denise Lum
Bass Clarinet/E-Flat
Denise Lum
Bassoon
Mona S. Butler**, Principal
Dana Jackson
Horn
Rodger Burnett**, Principal
Danielle Lemieux
Richard Reed**
Ryan Stewart
Trumpet
Sarah Viens, Principal
Richard Werner**
Trombone
Mark Williams**, Principal
Bass Trombone
Douglas Nierman**
Tuba
Ryan Schultz, Principal
Tympani
Phil Hanson**, Principal
Percussion
Matthew Kocmieroski**, Principal
Gunnar Folsom**
Harp
John Carrington**, Principal
Keyboard
Christina Siemens, Principal
Joshua Archibald-Seiffer
Personnel Manager
Rodger Burnett**
Music Librarian
Mona S. Butler**
*Founding members of PNB Orchestra (1989).
**25 plus years with PNB Orchestra.
The Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra is composed of musicians represented by the PNB Orchestra Players Organization.
Steinway & Sons is the official piano of PNB.