Academy DMSO at Home Family Concert: Find Us in Des Moines

Hanna Wolle Violin

A native of Des Moines, violinist Hanna Wolle has quickly established herself as a dynamic performer, chamber musician, and orchestral player in the Des Moines area.

After beginning her musical studies at age four, Hanna quickly emerged as a talented violinist, winning several competitions in the Midwest. In 2005, she won a First Violin spot with the Des Moines Symphony as a junior in high school and rejoined the Symphony and the First Violin section in 2017 after moving back to Des Moines. In addition to performing with the Symphony, Hanna performs with her string quartet, Quartet 515, and the Dueling Fiddles with fellow Violinist Geneviève Salamone. Through various musical engagements, Hanna enjoys maintaining an active performing career in the area.

Hanna graduated from the University of Iowa with degrees in Economics and Chinese, and currently works at the Principal. In 2017, Hanna was recognized as a finalist for the Juice YP Creative of the Year award and was honored as a 2017 Business Record Forty Under 40 recipient.

Charles Miranda Viola

Violist Charles Miranda earned his bachelor’s degree in violin from Indiana University and his master’s degree in viola performance and literature from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y., studying with teachers including Heidi Castelman and Jeffrey Irvine. Miranda participated in the Cleveland Quartet Seminar while at Eastman and has performed at the Blue Hill and Aspen Music festivals.

Charles was a member of the Pioneer String Quartet and currently performs with the Des Moines Symphony and the Des Moines Metro Opera along with teaching at the Des Moines Symphony Academy. Charles is also on the faculty at Grinnell College, Grandview University as well as Des Moines Area Community College. 

Michele Senger Cello

Michele Senger has been a member of the string teaching staff in the West Des Moines Community Schools since 1998. She is currently an Orchestra Director at Valley Southwoods Freshman High School and Valley High School. Michele is a member of the Des Moines Symphony and conducts the Des Moines Symphony Youth Philharmonic. She directed the intermediate and advanced orchestras for the Des Moines Area Suzuki Institute (DASI) from 2000-2009.

Prior to moving to West Des Moines, Michele taught in the Amphitheater Public Schools in Tucson, Arizona. She was also a member of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra and performed regularly with “Go for Baroque” and the Marelle String Quartet. She has a Bachelor of Music degree in cello performance from the University of Arizona and a Master of Music from Ohio University. Her major professors included Gordon Epperson, Leighton Conkling, and George Sopkin.

Paul Virgilio Cello

Hailing from New York, Paul Virgilio moved to Des Moines, Iowa in 2009 to study cello with Dr. Ashley Sandor-Sidon at Drake University. In that time, Paul has grown his career in the Greater Des Moines area through various orchestral engagements, work with Quartet 515 (of which he is a founding member), and solo/chamber projects.

Ashley Eidbo Double Bass

A native of Fargo, North Dakota, Ashley Eidbo began playing the bass at age ten. She earned a bachelor of music degree from the University of Minnesota as a student of Chris Brown, and a master of music degree from Indiana University as a student of Lawrence Hurst. After noticing the musical instrument accessory market was lacking products specifically designed for double bassists, she started her own line of stool cushions and accessories. She currently resides in Coralville, Iowa.

Jennifer Wohlenhaus Principal Oboe

Dr. Jennifer Wohlenhaus is the Principal Oboist of the Des Moines Symphony and oboist with the Polaris Wind Quintet. She performs frequently as a freelance oboist in the Des Moines/Central Iowa area.

In addition to performing, Dr. Wohlenhaus serves on the music faculty at both Drake University and Grinnell College. She is a Teaching Associate at Drake University, where she teaches oboe, bassoon, music theory, and aural skills. She is an Applied Music Associate at Grinnell College, where she teaches oboe and bassoon. Dr. Wohlenhaus also maintains an active private studio of oboe, bassoon, and piano students.

Dr. Wohlenhaus holds a D.M.A. from the University of Iowa, an M.M. from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and a B.M. in Applied Music and Music with Elective Studies in Business from Drake University. Her teachers have included Mark Weiger, Jay Light, and John de Lancie.

Casey Maday Principal Trombone

Trombonist Casey Maday grew up in the small town of Antioch, IL and now is Principal Trombonist with the Des Moines Symphony Orchestra. Before moving to Jacksonville Florida in June of 2018 he was the premier trombonist of Iowa holding tenured positions as Principal Trombone of Des Moines Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Iowa, and the Waterloo Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra, as well as substitute Principal Trombone for the Quad Cities Symphony. As an active performer, he has worked with ensembles such as the Minnesota Orchestra, Nashville Symphony, Sarasota Orchestra, the Florida Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony, Sarasota Opera, Monterrey Symphony Orchestra of Mexico, Omaha Symphony, Dayton Philharmonic, and many others. You can also regularly hear him performing for touring Broadway shows in the orchestra pit of the Civic Center in Des Moines, Iowa. Recent performances include: Mean Girls, Aladdin, Sound of Music, Evita, Pippin, Cinderella, Lion King, Newsies, Book of Mormon, Beautiful, and more.

In March 2016, Mr. Maday performed the Concertino by Ferdinand David as well as Blue Bells of Scotland by Arthur Pryor with the Fort Dodge Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Maday can be heard on the DVDs Symphony in Sculpture and Symphony in Sculpture II with the Des Moines Symphony Orchestra, as well as The Power of Music DVD with Ethan Bortnick, Damian McGinty, and Jane Monheit.

He resides in Jacksonville with his wife Dr. Erin Bodnar.

William Mann Trombone

William Mann joined the Des Moines Symphony Orchestra as second trombone in the fall of 2016 and is currently the Assistant Professor of Trombone at Georgia State University.  He is also a founding member of the American Trombone Quartet and second trombone with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra (GA).

Prior to his appointment at GSU, William taught at Morehead State University, the University of Missouri, Prairie View A&M University and the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor. In addition to college teaching, William taught instrumental music in the Texas Public Schools and served as a private studio teacher for over 12 years.

As a member of the American Trombone Quartet, William has appeared at the International Trombone Festival, the Lille Trombone Festival (Lille, France), the Midwest Trombone Euphonium Conference, the Big 12 Trombone Conference, Illinois State University, the University of Iowa, the University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, and James Madison University.

William is regularly sought after as a lecturer, clinician and performer throughout the United States and Brazil, including the Bay View Music Festival in Bay View, MI, the Third Coast Trombone Retreat, and the Festival Nacional de Musica in Goiania, Brazil.

In addition to performing with the Des Moines and Columbus (GA) Symphony Orchestras, William’s orchestral experiences also includes performances with the Atlanta, Chattanooga, Lexington Philharmonic, Ohio Valley, West Virginia, Quad-City, Missouri, Tuscaloosa, Meridian, Victoria and Waco Symphony Orchestras. He has also performed with the Austin Lyric Opera, as well as the Victoria Bach, Texas Music and Hot Springs Music Festivals, and the 49th Armored Division Band. His jazz experience includes performing with the Di Martino Osland Jazz Orchestra (DOJO) and the Waco Jazz Orchestra, among others.

William received his Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees in trombone performance from the University of Texas at Austin in addition to a Bachelor of Music Education from Baylor University.

Matthew Halbert Bass Trombone

Bass Trombone originally from Lambertville Michigan, Matthew Halbert is the Bass Trombonist of the Des Moines Symphony. His other affiliations include the Syracuse Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Buffalo Philharmonic, Quad Cities Symphony, Orchestra Iowa, Toledo Symphony, Detroit Chamber Winds, the Durward Contemporary Music Ensemble, and the Tri-Cities Opera.

Matthew currently holds positions as Teaching Artist of Low Brass at Drake University and Instructor of Trombone at Central College. He has taught at several other institutions including the Eastman Summer Trombone Institute, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, and is a faculty member of the Tomball Trombone Institute in Houston, TX.

Matthew holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music, the University of Michigan, and Central Michigan University. His teachers include David Jackson, David Gier, Mark Kellogg, Jonathan Allen, and Robert Lindahl.

Matthew has been a member of the Des Moines Symphony since 2018.

Ravil 'Bo' Atlas Principal Tuba

Ravil “Bo” Atlas is Principal Tubist with the Des Moines Symphony.

He served as Principal Tubist with the Topeka Symphony Orchestra for three seasons while finishing his Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Kansas. He has also been active as a freelance musician performing with groups such as the Lincoln Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, Kansas Brass Quintet, Blackhouse Improviser’s Collective, Kansas City Brassworks, and the Fountain City Brass Band.

An avid supporter of new music, Mr. Atlas commissioned a new work  “Hybrid Entities” by composer Ben McMillan, and has been a member of the North American Tuba Repertoire Initiative for multiple years. Mr. Atlas, himself a burgeoning composer, has had multiple performances of his tuba ensemble works “Remembrance,” “Finding the Silver Lining,” and the Bass Trombone solo “Soliloquy.”

Bo is a much sought after soloist and has received many accolades for his solo work including Semi-finalist at the International Tuba Euphonium Conference in 2010, Finalist at the Arapahoe Philharmonic Concerto Competition in 2011, winner of the University of Kansas Symphony Concerto Competition in 2012, winner of the Great Plains Regional Tuba Conference solo competition in 2009, and winner of the US Army Band Mock Audition in 2012.

Bo has studied tuba with Craig Fuller, Scott Watson, Patrick Stuckemeyer, Tony Clements, Peter Warhaftig, Sam Pilafian, and Christian Carichner.