Ryan Murray, Principal Pops Conductor

Ryan Murray

Principal Pops Conductor

American conductor Ryan Murray has found steady acclaim as a compelling, dynamic and unflappable presence on the podium. Ryan is currently Principal Pops Conductor for the Modesto Symphony, Music Director of the Auburn Symphony, and Artistic Director of Music in the Mountains. An award-winning opera conductor, Ryan spent his early career working as an assistant conductor and répétiteur, and is currently the Music Director of Opera Modesto. He has served as an assistant conductor at the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera, is the past Music Director of Fresno Grand Opera, and previously worked as a staff conductor for the Bay Area Summer Opera Theater Institute (BASOTI) and The Opera Academy of California in San Francisco. Effortlessly moving between genres, Ryan currently enjoys a wide range of performance genres & platforms, including traditional orchestral and operatic repertoire, pops performances, movies in concert, and a notable emphasis on contemporary American operatic works.

Ryan was the winner of the Vienna Philharmonic’s prestigious Ansbacher Fellowship for Young Conductors, and spent the summer in residence alongside the Vienna Philharmonic at the 2014 Salzburg Festival. Ryan was also awarded second place in the 2019 American Prize for Professional Orchestral Conducting for his work with the Modesto Symphony, and has garnered national recognition for his dynamic, compelling performances of contemporary opera as the winner of the 2017 American Prize in Opera Conducting for his highly lauded production of A Streetcar Named Desire. He was a 2016 semi-finalist for the Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for the Performance of American Music for his production of Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking.

A charismatic pops conductor, Ryan has worked with prominent artists such as Storm Large of Pink Martini, SuperDiamond and the phenomenal symphonic tribute to David Bowie. He was recently engaged to step-in at the last minute as assistant and cover conductor for Andrea Bocelli's Believe Tour with the Sacramento Philharmonic where he conducted rehearsals to acclaim. He has led some of the top vocalists from Broadway and beyond, including Ben Crawford (Broadway's The Phantom of the Opera), Ashley Brown (Broadway's Mary Poppins), and Alli Mauzey (Glinda from Wicked), as well as some of today's top young jazz vocalists including Tony DeSare and James Tormé. With an enthusiasm for film scores, Ryan enjoys the unique challenges of conducting movies in concert and was recently added the the Disney & ICM Approved Conductors list. Recent and upcoming performances include Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Pixar Animation Studios' Pixar in Concert, Star Wars: A New Hope and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.

Ryan holds degrees, summa cum laude, in Bassoon Performance and Voice Performance from California State University, Sacramento and also holds a master’s degree, with distinction, in Music Business from the Berklee College of Music where he studied with industry professionals to develop tools for success in the modern music industry, including new technology, policy, law and finance. Ryan has a strong commitment to education and currently serves as the Director of Symphony Orchestra & Opera at California State University, Sacramento, and as the conductor for the Sacramento Youth Symphony's premier orchestra. Driven by a lifelong passion for learning, Ryan has attended conducting masterclasses and seminars around the world. Ryan recently conducted the Romanian Chamber Orchestra in concert and was one of just eight conductors worldwide to be invited to the Musiikin aika Summer Festival Masterclass in Finland led by Susanna Mälkki. He has previously attended the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music's Conductors Workshop; the contemporary music symposium led by Alan Gilbert featuring the New York Philharmonic; the Aurora Chamber Festival in Sweden, where he studied under Maestro Kurt Masur; the Lucerne Festival Academy’s Conducting Masterclass in Switzerland; and the Eastman School of Music’s Summer Conducting Institute. Widely praised for his tireless work ethic, natural poise, and impassioned, inspired performances, Ryan continues to connect deeply with orchestras and audiences alike, and has proven to be a formidable presence on the podium.

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Upcoming Concerts

Daniel R. Afonso Jr., Chorus Director

Daniel R. Afonso Jr. has served as conductor of the Modesto Symphony Orchestra Chorus since its foundation in 2001 and has prepared several choral works with the ensemble. He is also Coordinator of Vocal and Choral Studies at California State University, Stanislaus. Afonso received a B.M.E. degree from the Universidade do Rio de Janeiro (UNI -Rio), a M.M. degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and a D.M.A. degree in Choral Conducting and Pedagogy from the University of Iowa. Dr. Afonso is originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and has studied conducting with Carlos Alberto Figueiredo, Cees Rotteveel, Eph Ehly, and William Hatcher.

Dr. Afonso has performed with choral groups in Brazil, U.S., and Europe, and has previously taught music at the Conservatório Brasileiro de Música, Universidade do Rio de Janeiro (UNI-Rio), and Doane College, Nebraska. In 1988, he won the first prize and the best performance of Villa-Lobos work award at the Concurso Villa-Lobos de Canto Coral, a national choral competition sponsored by the Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro. Dr. Afonso is strongly committed to the performance of new music and has commissioned and premiered many new choral works in the last few years, including several of his own works as well as works by young composition students.  He had his New York debut in 2012, conducting Mozart’s Requiem with members of the MSO Chorus and students from CSU Stanislaus at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

He is also a composer, arranger, and editor of choral music and has choral works published by earthsongs, Colla Voce, and Alliance Music Publications. He served as composer-in-residence with the San Francisco Choral Artists during their 2014-2015 season and has also written works for the Los Angeles Children’s Choir, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles, and other ensembles in the US and abroad. He has written innumerous arrangements for the Modesto Symphony Orchestra, including a new version of The Star-Spangled Banner for chorus and orchestra, recently premiered at the opening concert for the 2015-16 concert season. Dr. Afonso is widely recognized for his research and performance of Brazilian choral music and continues to frequently present workshops and lectures about the Latin American choral repertoire.

Richard Colla, Opus Handbell Ensemble Artistic Director

Richard J. Colla is artistic director and conductor of the Opus Handbell Ensemble, a post he has held since 1995. He is on the faculty at Modesto Junior College where he teaches Introduction to American Popular Music. Over the years, Richard has taught a variety of courses and has directed all the choral groups. In 2020, Richard retired from his position as Minister of Music and Worship at Trinity United Presbyterian Church in Modesto where he had directed a variety of vocal and instrumental ensembles since 1990.

Richard has also served as a member of the voice faculty at California State University, Stanislaus, and is an active adjudicator and lecturer. He has presented lectures on a variety of topics including vocal technique and literature, choral literature and methods, as well as handbell techniques. He and his wife, Ginger, also conduct joint workshops in vocal techniques.

Richard has been active as a bass-baritone soloist and has appeared extensively in recital, oratorio and opera performances. Richard served a four-year term (1993-1997) as the California State Chair for Repertoire and Standards of Music in Worship for The American Choral Director’s Assoc. (ACDA). He has also published articles in The NATS Journal for the National Association of Teachers of Singing, The Cantate California for the American Choral Director’s Assoc., and The Journal for the Choral Conductor’s Guild. Richard received his Bachelor of Music degree with honors from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln in vocal performance, and his Master of Music degree at the University of Illinois in choral conducting.

Richard and his wife, Ginger, were honored as the recipients of the 2007 Excellence in Arts Awards for Music by the Stanislaus Arts Council. Richard’s choir at Trinity (Koinonia Choir) was invited to participate in a performance of John Rutter’s Requiem in New York’s famous Carnegie Hall in 2005 with the composer conducting. The Choir and Opus Handbell Ensemble toured to England where they performed Handbell and Choir concerts in June (2008). Richard has also taken his choir on tours to Italy in 2012 and Austria in 2015.

Opus Handbell Ensemble

Opus Handbell Ensemble, Inc., a non-profit organization, has been a group of aspiring musicians in Modesto since 1992. They are currently 13 ringers strong, and have been under the artistic direction of Richard J. Colla since 1995. With over 140 combined years of ringing experience, they perform on five octaves of Malmark handbells, four-plus octaves of Malmark tone chimes and occasionally, a selection of Whitechapel handbells.

Handbells are a unique instrument requiring precision eye-hand coordination, music reading ability and a willingness to work as a team. Repertoire for this art form ranges from classical Bach to Heavy Metal and Rock 'n' Roll. Opus is known throughout the handbell community for reflecting, in bronze, the artistic interpretation of the director. They bring musicality and depth to a performance beyond the expectations of the listening and viewing audience.

Opus has spearheaded the art of handbell ringing in the Central Valley with themed concerts throughout the year. Opus has also hosted and conducted local workshops to raise the level of awareness of handbell ringing in the Modesto community. One of their greatest joys has been to take this artistic medium into the music mainstream through local schools by broadening the dreams of students who have never seen or heard a handbell choir.

Opus has played on the Community Concert Series in Porterville, four years on the Manteca Kindred Arts Council Concert Series and three years on the Sonora St. James’ Concert Series. They also played on two occasions for the Evensong Series in Lodi. These fine musicians have attended festivals and workshops from Riverside to the Bay Area. They were a featured choir to ring at Pinnacle 2000 in Las Vegas, and the Handbell Musicians of America Area Twelve Conference at Belmont in 2006. In June of 2008, Opus joined the Trinity United Koinonia Choir in Coventry, England for an International Choir Festival tour.

Opus has been the host ensemble along with seven other handbell groups for the Modesto Salvation Army Bells of Blessing benefit concert since 2010. For the first time, by an audition process, Opus was chosen to be the featured Showcase Ensemble for the Handbell Musicians of America Area Twelve Bell Odyssey Conference held at UC Davis, in June of 2010. They were honored again in 2016, as a Showcase Ensemble for Area Twelve Handbell Hop Conference held in Modesto.

Opus was featured on the Modesto Symphony Orchestra Holiday Pops Concert at the Gallo Center in 2007, 2008 and 2010. They were also featured guest musicians at the Modesto Symphony’s Candlelight Concert held at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church in 2009 through the present. In 2012 Opus presented a handbell drama/concert as part of the Arts Education Program of the Gallo Center for the Arts and paired it with an evening public concert through 2016. The Gallo Center contracted Opus again in 2018, as part of their holiday programs.

For more information contact Opus’ booking coordinator Lisa Traughber at 209-527-2214 or visit our website at opushandbell.org

Ilana Blumberg Thomas, violin

The Violin Player who Does it All...

Whether onstage at Davies Hall or playing to sold-out arena crowds, Ilana Blumberg Thomas has been at home performing for diverse audiences since she was a child. Following her solo debut with the San Francisco Symphony at age 16 for a celebration of renowned violinist Yehudi Menuhin’s historic debut, she embarked on a career that has spanned the worlds of classical and popular music, taken her across several continents and, most importantly, allowed her to share her craft with hundreds of thousands of eager concert-goers along the way.

Appreciating the vibrant variety and forward-thinking energy of the San Francisco Bay Area, Ilana currently lives in the East Bay, balancing a schedule that incorporates symphonic and classical violin concerts, chamber music and recording projects, appearances as an acoustic and electric violinist at prestigious private events, a busy teaching studio, and regular appearances as a popular violinist with an exciting array of celebrated artists. Recent past years have found her onstage supporting major acts including Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bublé, Gregory Porter, Chuck Prophet, Il Divo, Warren Haynes and Josh Groban, to name a few. With electronic duo ODESZA, she was featured in performances on NYE in San Francisco, at their inaugural music festival in Riviera Maya, Mexico, and at their tour finale shows in Stanford and Los Angeles, all of which received rave reviews and helped her satisfy her passion for electric violin music.

On classical violin, Ilana regularly appears with area orchestras from San Jose to Sacramento, including the Oakland Symphony, Santa Rosa Symphony, Berkeley Symphony, Symphony Silicon Valley, and the Modesto Symphony, where she serves as Associate Concertmaster. Other regular collaborations include the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, West Edge Opera, Earplay, Opera Parallele and guest appearances with many other established groups. She also treasures her role as a wedding violinist, helping innumerable couples seal their vows and celebrate their happiest of days with everything from Ed Sheeran songs to R&B hits to traditional favorites like the Pachelbel Canon. 

Before her return to her native Bay Area, Ilana lived in New York City, where she performed as a popular violinist, in renowned chamber orchestras such as Philharmonia Virtuosi, and in various Broadway productions, including Elton John’s Aida and the Tony Award-winning Producers. Her Broadway affiliations have continued on the West Coast with ‘The Unreachable Stars’, featuring Phantom of the Opera lead Jeremy Stolle, and supporting the recent SF production of Anastasia. She also has appeared at all the major American music festivals, including Aspen, Marlboro, Santa Fe Chamber Music, and Tanglewood, where she participated in recording a series of videos with Wynton Marsalis. Her other recordings can be heard on the Deutsche Grammophon, Argo, and Albany labels.

When not performing, Ilana devotes herself to nurturing her varied group of students, ranging in age from 3 to ‘not willing to admit their age’, and her two sons. Never one to do anything halfway, she balances her love of distance running with a marginally unhealthy obsession with cookbooks.

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Website: https://www.sfweddingviolinist.com/

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Upcoming Performances

Central West Ballet

About the Central West Ballet

A resident company of the Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto, California, this exciting company of versatile dancers produces yearound performances and reaches a large population in California's Central Valley. Established in 1987 by founding Artistic Director Gretchen L. Vogelzang and by Juline Schmitz, founding Director of Juline School of Dance, the company was subsequently guided under the tenures the Artistic Directors of Karen Burns, Bill Lark and Coleen Patterson. Since 2004, Artistic Director René Daveluy and Ballet Mistress Leslie Ann Larson have led the way. Under René Daveluy's directorship, Central West Ballet has produced and furthered a growing number of full-length classics, such as Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake, Coppelia, The Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Giselle, popular story ballets such as Peter Pan, Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Dracula. The Company has also performed ballets by George Balanchine, Val Caniparoli and Ronn Guidi. In 2010, under the leadership of former Executive Director Cynthia Coughlin, the company branched off and moved into its own dedicated studios on Pentecost Drive, North Modesto. Additionally, the Central West Ballet Academy (established in 2014), and CWB II (a trainee company established in 2015), offers serious minded students opportunities to train with an eye toward performance. Central West Ballet believes in the importance of educational outreach to expose all factions of our community to the arts. Since 2018, Executive Director Karin Reenstierna has developped Central West Ballet's outreach programs and Academy operations to include Sensory dance classes for children on the autism spectrum, as well as performances for the deaf and hard of hearing community and special Nutcracker Sensory access performances.

Central West Ballet History

Modesto’s cultural history changed in 1987, when Mrs. Juline Schmitz, Founder of Juline • School of Dance, Mrs. Gretchen L. Vogelzang and Mrs. Debbie Bertucci took on the pioneering job of establishing a ballet company for Modesto and the greater Central Valley. Already an instant hit in the community, Juline • School of Dance was in its twelfth year of existence at the inception of Bravo! Repertory Dance Theatre, geared toward giving local dance talent opportunities for advanced training and performance experience. In a short time, this exciting dance troupe quickly established itself as a distinctive youth ballet company. From its full scale Nutcracker to other full-length ballets such as The Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and Coppélia, the company became an integral part of other community performing arts groups in Modesto. Its founding Artistic Director, Mrs. Gretchen Vogelzang, became the driving force behind many new works created or staged on the company. On this road to excellence, the Company acquired an Honor Status within the Regional Dance America Association (RDA), paving the way for Modesto to have its own recognized dance institution. On its Tenth Anniversary, the name of the company was changed to Central West Ballet to reflect the growing reach of the company in the Central Valley. In the early 2000s, following the passing of Mrs. Juline Schmitz, Mrs. Debbie Bertucci became the Director of Juline • School of Dance. In 2001, after fifteen years of fulfilling creativity and strong leadership, Gretchen Vogelzang moved to Virginia to become President of the RDA. From 2001 to 2004, Central West Ballet’s artistic directorships included tenures by Karen Burns and Coleen Patterson.