Season listing | Biographies | Program
Chrysalis Chamber Players
The Chrysalis Chamber Players, now in their fifth season, is a non-profit chamber music ensemble, committed to performing a kaleidoscope of high caliber chamber music. Its core members and founders, musicians local to South Florida, are trumpeter Mary Bowden, flautist Meghan Brachle, and pianist Catherine Lan. They collaborate with a variety of other musicians in innovative and exciting programs around south Florida and across the country. They have featured works in acclaimed performances ranging from Bach’s suites and concerti to the chamber music of living composers such as Jim Stephenson and Eric Ewazen. Chrysalis is the recipient of a Yale Alumni Ventures Grant, enabling the group to reach out to students through residencies in south Florida schools.
Catherine Lan – Pianist/Harpsichordist
Dr. Catherine Lan performs across the US, Canada, Japan, France, Mexico, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand at venues such as Carnegie Hall. Season highlights include debut recitals in United Kingdom, Switzerland and Slovenia.
Appeared as a soloist with Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, Sinfonia of the North Shore, British-Columbia Chamber, Braddell Heights Symphony, Frost Symphony, Fifth Avenue Chamber, Vancouver Symphony, Edmonton Symphony, Broward Symphony, and Palm Beach Atlantic Symphony, she also collaborates with Naples Philharmonic, Palm Beach Symphony, Southwest Florida Symphony, and Atlantic Classical Orchestra, and records for Centaur Record label.
An artistic director of Beaux Arts Chamber Music Series and a co-founder of Chrysalis Chamber Players, Dr. Lan received her degrees from University of British-Columbia, Indiana University, and University of Miami, and teaches at Palm Beach Atlantic University and Broward College. www.catherinelan.com
Mary Elizabeth Bowden – Trumpeter
Gold Medal Global Music Award Winner Mary Elizabeth Bowden has been described by Gramophone Magazine as “radiant in new repertoire for trumpet.” Bowden, a Yamaha Performing Artist, released her debut album, “Radiance”, on Summit Records in 2015. She has performed as a soloist with the Chameleon Arts Ensemble, Laredo Philharmonic, Croatian Army Wind Band, Springfield Symphony, San Juan Symphony, and Springfield Symphony.
Bowden is a founding member of Seraph Brass and Chrysalis Chamber Players. A frequent guest artist at the Marlboro Music Festival and currently the Principal Trumpet of the Artosphere Festival Orchestra, Bowden has served as Principal Trumpet of Sarasota Opera Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia, Daejeon Philharmonic in Korea, and with the Lucerne Festival Academy Orchestra. She studied at The Curtis Institute of Music and Yale School of Music.
Meghan Brachle – Flautist
A native of Denver, Colorado, Meghan Brachle was awarded a full tuition academic and music scholarship to study at Loyola University New Orleans. She completed additional studies at the University of Miami. As a young musician, Ms. Brachle performed in music festivals in Ireland, Italy, and in Colorado.
Ms. Brachle now resides in Florida and has performed with the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra, the New World Symphony, the Boca Sinfonia, Ars Flores Symphony Orchestra, and the Symphony of the Americas. She has performed alongside musicians such as Dame Evelyn Glennie and Anne Murray, and has been featured in solo and chamber music performances in venues around Florida, and with the Luzerne Chambrer Players faculty recital series in New York. Meghan is a co-founder of the Chrysalis Chamber Players.
Jennifer Kozbial Posadas – Violinist
Canadian violinist Jennifer Kozbial Posadas holds degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music and the New England Conservatory. She has spent summers at the Domaine Forget Music Festival, the Aspen Music Festival and School, the Blossom Music Festival, Music Academy of the West and the Tanglewood Music Center, where she served as concertmaster. Currently spending her summers in Santa Fe, New Mexico as a member of the Santa Fe Opera orchestra since Jennifer has been a member of the Naples Philharmonic (FL) since 2007. Jennifer is a founding member of the Ars Nova String Trio and has collaborated with artists such as James Ehnes, Andres Diaz and members of the Cleveland Quartet. Off-stage, Jennifer enjoys spending time with her husband and twin baby girls.
Judy Christy – Oboist
Judy Christy has been principal oboist of the Naples (FL) Philharmonic since 1996. Previously she played with the New World Symphony. Judy has performed as principal oboist of the Grand Teton Music Festival, the Des Moines Metro Opera, the Colorado Music Festival, and the Peter Britt Music Festival. Her solo appearances have included concertos by Vaughan Williams, Strauss, Harbison, Mozart, Bach, and Vivaldi.
Judy earned her bachelor’s degree at Oberlin Conservatory, where she studied with James Caldwell and Alex Klein. She then earned her M.M. degree at Rice University, studying with Robert Atherholt. With her siblings and her husband, Christy performs in the Christy Oboe Quartet,which has released a CD of music by Mozart, Britten, J.C. Bach, and James Stephenson.
Dima Dimitrova – 1st Violinist
An exceptionally versatile musician, Bulgarian violinist Dima Dimitrova has collaborated with artists of many different genres. At 26, Ms. Dimitrova has performed on four continents in major concert venues, including Carnegie Hall, The Metropolitan Museum in New York City, Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Royal Albert Hall in London, Beijing Concert Hall as a solo, chamber and orchestral musician.
Completed her studies at the Juilliard School in the studios of Professor Masao Kawasaki and Professor David Chan, Miss Dimitrova has been a part of numerous community outreach projects in Europe, Asia, South and North America. Currently, Miss Dimitrova plays with the New World Symphony under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas.
Katrina Rozmus – 2nd Violinist
Katrina Rozmus is a Polish American violinist who resides in Southwest Florida. She has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in violin performance mainly under the tutelage of Andres Cardenes, the former concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Symphony. Ms. Rozmus spent six years in Mexico where she was the assistant concertmaster of the Yucatan Symphony (one year) and the principle second of the Sinaloa Symphony Orchestra (five years). Recently Ms. Rozmus led the Saint Augustine music festival chamber orchestra as concertmaster and leader for their 10th anniversary concert. Currently she plays as a contracted per service violinist with the Naples Philharmonic.
Carl Larson – Violist
Carl Larson, violist, hails from Louisville, KY and maintains an active career as a member of symphony, chamber, opera, ballet, and session orchestras in New York, Florida, Tennessee, Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Alabama, and the Dominican Republic.
Carl has also toured with San Francisco’s JazzMafia, Deltron 3030, Barry Manilow, and many Nashville artists. Summer engagements include the Endless Mountain, Montreal Jazz, Artosphere, Bard, Interlochen, Aspen, and New Hampshire music festivals. He holds degrees in Mathematics and Viola Performance, and studied at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
Carl is also involved with the Miami, Cincinnati, and Nashville chapters of Classical Revolution, a project which seeks to revolutionize the way live classical music is programmed and heard.
Aaron Merritt – Cellist
Praised by the Miami Herald for his “eloquent” and “cathartic” playing, Aaron Merritt performs with Miami’s Nu-Deco Ensemble, the Palm Beach Opera, and the Naples Philharmonic, and has performed with Florida Grand Opera and New World Symphony under Michael Tilson Thomas. He has performed across the United States, Austria and the Netherlands and he performs at the Colorado Music Festival in Boulder and the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in Santa Cruz, California.
With his colleagues in the Sona String Quartet, Mr. Merritt has presented over one hundred educational concerts for underserved schools and communities. He is Adjunct Professor of Cello at New World School of the Arts. Studied at Indiana University (BM) and Rice University (MM). Principal teachers include Lynn Harrell, Emilio Colón and Helga Winold.
Juan Carlos Peña – Double Bassist
Born in Honduras, began musical studies at the Victoriano López School. Holds performance degrees from the Curtis Institute and Rice University, and a conducting degree from the University of Maryland.
Peña was Principal Bass with the Honduras National Symphony, the Orquesta Sinfónica del Valle (Colombia). Co-principal Bass with the Galicia Symphony (Spain). Visiting Assistant Professor of Double Bass at the University of Southern Mississippi (2003-2005).
Juan Carlos has been Principal Bass with the Florida Grand Opera Orchestra since 2008, the Palm Beach Symphony since 2012, and performs regularly in the bass section of the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra since 2006.
