WESLEY COLLINS, VIOLA
Wes Collins joined the viola section of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in May 2008, having completed his bachelor of music degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music in May 2007, where he was a student of Robert Vernon. In Cleveland, Wes played as a substitute with the Cleveland Orchestra and also played in the Canton Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Chamber Symphony, and City Music Cleveland; he was assistant principal violist with the Akron Symphony. He has always been active in chamber music and was a founding member of the Vesuvius String Quartet from 2004 to 2006. His summer activities have taken him to the Tanglewood Music Center, Sarasota Music Festival, ENCORE School for Strings, and the Pacific Music Festival. Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, Wes began studying violin with his mother, Sandy, at the age of four. He also played trumpet under the instruction of his father, Philip Collins, former principal trumpet of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Wes later switched to viola under the guidance and inspiration of Michael Klotz, violist of the Amernet String Quartet.

MICHAEL WINTER, THIRD HORN
Elizabeth B. Storer chair, endowed in perpetuity
Michael Winter joins the Boston Symphony Orchestra as 3rd horn in September 2012. Prior to his appointment with the Boston Symphony, Mr. Winter was acting principal horn of the Buffalo Philharmonic and principal horn of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra for several seasons. He has also performed as guest principal horn with Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra on several occasions. Mr. Winter was born and raised in Southern California in a musical family. He began his horn studies with his grandfather, respected horn teacher Dr. James Winter, and later studied with Jim Thatcher and John Mason. Mr. Winter then moved to Boston to pursue a degree at the New England Conservatory of Music, where he worked with Boston Symphony members Richard Mackey and Richard Sebring. In New England, Mr. Winter has performed regularly with the Boston Ballet Orchestra, Rhode Island Philharmonic, Boston Philharmonic, Boston Pops Orchestra, and Boston Symphony Orchestra.

JAMES MARKEY, BASS TROMBONE
John Moors Cabor chair, endowed in perpetuity
Appointed to the bass trombone position of the New York Philharmonic in June 2007, James Markey joined the Philharmonic as associate principal trombone in 1997. Previously, Mr. Markey was orincipal trombone of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and since 2001 he has been a member of the Sun Valley Summer Symphony. Mr. Markey has had numerous solo appearances with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Sun Valley Summer Symphony, United States Army Band, Hora Decima Brass Ensemble, New York Staff Band of the Salvation Army, and the Hanover Wind Symphony. A sought-after educator, Mr. Markey has been a featured artist at the International Trombone Festival, the Eastern Trombone Workshop and the conferences of the New Jersey Music Educators Association and the New York State School Music Association. He has also appeared as a guest recitalist and clinician at major educational institutions, including the University of Toronto’s Glenn Gould School, Manhattan School of Music, James Madison University, the University of Calgary and Mount Royal College, Rutgers University, and the Boston Conservatory.  His three solo recordings include Offroad, on tenor trombone, released in 2003; On Base, a solo bass trombone recording, released in 2009; and an education album of orchestral excerpts for bass trombone titled The Bass Trombonist’s Listening Guide: Excerpts from the Opera and the Orchestra, with Denson Paul Pollard. He can also be heard as a soloist on the Hora Decima Brass Ensemble’s recording of Janko Nilovic’s Concerto for Two Trombones. Mr. Markey studied with Joseph Alessi at the Juilliard School, where he received his bachelor and master of music degrees in 2005 and 2006, respectively.