Robert Royse has been the English Hornist and a member of the oboe section of the Columbus Symphony (CSO) since 1987. He received his education at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he was a student of John Mack after attending high school at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan. He has served as the English Hornist of the Akron and Canton Symphony Orchestras, Kansas City Philharmonic, and San Francisco Symphony for a one-year appointment. Prior to joining the CSO, Mr. Royse played Principal Oboe in Cape Town, South Africa for three years. He also has played the English horn in The Cleveland Orchestra as a substitute.
When the CSO is not in session, Mr. Royse will inevitably be found pursuing his passion for birding and photography. His work has been used by book, magazine, calendar, and software publishers around the world and can be seen at www.roysephotos.com. He also enjoys long bike rides and unicycling.
Niles Watson, from Damascus, MD, joined the Columbus Symphony in February 2019. He is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Jeffrey Khaner. Niles’ prior teachers include Aaron Goldman of the National Symphony Orchestra. Before coming to Columbus, Niles spent two seasons playing full-time with The Philadelphia Orchestra. He has played extensively across the United States and abroad while on tour with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra and The Philadelphia Orchestra.
As a winner of the Greenfield Student Competition, Niles made his solo debut with The Philadelphia Orchestra in 2011. He also has been a soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra, Valley Forge Orchestra, and Amerita Chamber Players. Playing with the Qwinda Woodwind Quintet, Niles toured Colorado as part of the Bravo! Vail Young Professionals In-Residence program in 2016. He also was in-residence with Qwinda at Music from Angel Fire, working at schools and playing local concerts.
In his free time, Niles enjoys hiking, lifting weights, racing go-karts, racing online in Gran Turismo, and fishing, though he is not very good at any of these activities.
Appointed as Second/E-flat Clarinet of the Columbus Symphony in 2019, Mark Kleine has performed with several orchestras across the United States, including the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Dayton Philharmonic, ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, Toledo Symphony Orchestra, Phoenix Symphony, and the Louisville Orchestra. Prior to joining the Columbus Symphony, Mark performed with the Lexington Philharmonic from 2012-2017 as Second Clarinet and from 2017-18 as Principal Clarinet.
Mark has remained an active chamber musician throughout his career, performing with concert:nova chamber ensemble (Cincinnati, OH) and the Mill Avenue Chamber Players (Tempe, AZ) and serving as clarinetist for the Lexington Chamber Music Festival’s July series. As a soloist, he has appeared with both the Columbus State University (GA) Symphony Orchestra and the Arizona State University Chamber Orchestra.
An active pedagogue, Mark is on the faculty at the University of Dayton, where he teaches clarinet and performs with the faculty woodwind quartet. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, a Master of Music from Arizona State University, and a Bachelor of Music from Columbus State University in Georgia. His principal instructors include Jonathan Gunn, Robert Spring, and Lisa Oberlander.
In his spare time, Mark enjoys cycling, board games, playing Rocket League ®, and sous vide cooking.
Lydia Roth is Second Flute and Piccolo of the Columbus Symphony. Prior to joining the CSO in 2021, she performed frequently with the orchestra as an associate musician in addition to holding the position of Principal Flute with Symphony in C and appearing as a substitute musician with The Philadelphia Orchestra, Louisville Orchestra, and The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia.
Lydia enjoys performing as a chamber musician and soloist, having presented duo recitals in Palm Beach and Longwood Gardens. As part of Curtis on Tour, she performed Mozart quartets throughout California as well as in London for a live broadcast on BBC Radio 3. She has completed a residency in Fayetteville, AR, where she performed a recital and worked with students at local high schools. Lydia also has led masterclasses for Play On Philly, Philadelphia Musical Alliance for Youth, Philadelphia All-City Orchestra, and the Columbus Symphony Youth Orchestra and maintains her own private studio.
A native of Grand Rapids, MI, Lydia grew up in a musical home playing flute, oboe, and piano as well as studying composition. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in flute performance from the Curtis Institute of Music and Lynn Conservatory, studying with Jeffrey Khaner. She has spent summers studying and performing at the Aspen Music Festival, National Orchestral Institute, and Lake George Music Festival.
When she’s not performing, you can find Lydia drinking a mug of tea while reading a book or solving a crossword puzzle. She lives with her partner and their two kittens.
Hugo Souza has been performing with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra since the 2019-20 season. The 2021-22 season was his first year as Principal Oboe.
Hugo has performed extensively throughout Brazil, North America, and Europe as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player. Prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, he had the honor of performing with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, as a guest artist at Music@Menlo, and with the ensemble Pentaèdre in Montreal. He also has performed with the American Ballet Theatre and American Symphony Orchestra.
Born into a musical family in Natal, Brazil, he began playing oboe at age fourteen and immediately fell in love. He went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in oboe performance at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), where both of his parents serve as faculty in the music department.
Hugo continued his studies in the United States, earning his Master of Music from SUNY Purchase as a student of Maestro Humbert Lucarelli. He is a doctoral candidate at the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, where he studies with Richard Killmer.
During his time at Eastman, Hugo took a leave to accept a teaching position at his alma mater in Natal (UFRN). While on faculty at UFRN, he played an integral role in raising the oboe’s visibility and popularity throughout the country. He co-founded the Brazilian Double Reed Society, which has since held major international conferences featuring masterclasses with world renowned double reed artists. This organization continues to foster a thriving community for double reed players and has amplified classical music’s role in Brazilian culture.
Hugo is on faculty at Capital University’s Conservatory of Music. He resides in Columbus, where he enjoys spending time with his wife and son, exploring the surrounding culinary scene, and creating fusion recipes.
Heidi Ruby-Kushious plays flute and piccolo in the Columbus Symphony Orchestra (CSO). She received her Bachelor of Music from the Curtis Institute of Music as a scholarship student of Julius Baker, John Krell, and Murray Panitz. She continued her studies with Thomas Nyfenger at the Yale School of Music and with Alain Marion at the Salzburg Mozarteum.
Heidi made her solo recital debut in Carnegie Hall to rave reviews by Tim Page of The New York Times and has been featured as concerto soloist with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, CityMusic Cleveland, Curtis Symphony Orchestra, Yale Philharmonia, and Red {an orchestra} as well as in a duo concerto with Jean- Pierre Rampal and the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. As the first American flute finalist in 21 years, Heidi was Laureate Prize Winner of the prestigious Munich International Flute Competition. She received first prize in the Artists International, New York Flute Club, and National Flute Association competitions and was awarded the distinguished C.D. Jackson Master Award at Tanglewood.
In addition to playing flute and piccolo for twenty seasons with the CSO, Heidi has held Principal Flute positions in the Tanglewood, Spoleto, National Repertory, Cleveland Pops, Red {an orchestra}, and CityMusic Cleveland orchestras.
Since 1995, Heidi has enjoyed the opportunity of playing extra flute and piccolo in the Cleveland Orchestra and has had the distinct honor of playing with the ensemble on many domestic and international tours, including those celebrating its 100th year. She performs with the Blossom Festival Band and Orchestra every summer. Heidi also had the privilege of playing Second Flute in the Detroit Symphony (DSO) flute section for large portions of its 2008-13 seasons, including on DSO Live from Orchestra Hall recordings, DSO Beethoven Festival, and Carnegie Hall Spring for Music Festival concerts.
Heidi can be heard on numerous recordings, including Dominick Farinacci’s Short Stories and many Cleveland Orchestra, CityMusic Cleveland, and Columbus Symphony Orchestra releases.
Heidi is the Instructor of Flute for the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) – Case Western Reserve University Joint Music Program, CIM Preparatory Division, and Musical Pathway Fellowship program. She has been the Instructor of Flute at Kenyon College, Capital University, and The University of Akron, where she performed as a member of Solaris Woodwind Quintet. Heidi also enjoys coaching chamber music and teaching privately, having conservatory bound students accepted at prestigious institutions around the world.
She and her husband Paul Kushious, a Cleveland Orchestra cellist and former CSO cellist, tour as a chamber music duo called INNovation, performing at inns and resorts worldwide. They live in Chagrin Falls, OH, and enjoy the long drive to their home away from home in the Taconic Mountains of Vermont. Heidi and Paul have a daughter who dances for The Walt Disney Company and a son who is a photographer and videographer.
Douglas Fisher joined the CSO as Second Bassoon in 1984 after graduating with Distinction and the Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music. He was a member of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra for two years and spent summers performing with the Spoleto Festival in Charleston and Italy, the Colorado Philharmonic, and the Heidelberg Castle Festival in Germany. He was also a finalist in the 1985 Gillet Competition of the International Double Reed Society. In 1992 Doug was one of the first two musicians to serve on the CSO Board and since 1995 has served as President of the Local Musicians’ Union.
Principal Clarinetist of the Columbus Symphony since 1989, David H. Thomas has had an outstanding career as a soloist as well as an orchestral player. Reviewing his performance of Aaron Copland’s Clarinet Concertowith the Columbus Symphony, Jennifer Hambrick said “Thomas slipped in with his first phrase as though entering a dream — quietly, prayerfully… … [with] heartbreakingly intimate playing in the first movement. In the second movement, Rather Fast, Thomas’ technique was flawless, his sound assured… His most-extroverted playing came at the climax in the concerto’s final moments… It was virtuoso playing that, quite rightly, brought the audience to its feet.”
During his previous position as Principal Clarinetist of the Kennedy Center Orchestra in Washington, DC, David was well known in the Washington area for his numerous solo and chamber music recitals.
Beyond his many appearances as soloist with the Columbus Symphony, Mr. Thomas has performed concertos with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, and National Chamber Orchestra. At age 18, he won first prize in competitions sponsored by the International Clarinet Association and Music Teachers National Association.
Born into a foreign service family, David grew up as a world traveler, living in India and Iran as well as Washington, DC. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking, collecting antique quilts, cooking, and gardening.
Reviewing an earlier performance of Rossini’s Introduction, Theme and Variations, the senior critic of the Columbus Dispatch wrote “David Thomas is…the clarinet equivalent of Cecilia Bartoli…I don’t recall a bigger or better reception for any artist, anywhere.” Mark Carrington of The Washington Post wrote about David’s performance of the Copland Clarinet Concerto with the National Chamber Orchestra: “David Thomas…was riveting.”
Betsy Sturdevant’s career began when she won the Second Bassoon position with the Binghamton (NY) Symphony at age 15. While attending the Eastman School of Music (studying with K. David van Hoesen), she won a contracted position with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. During summers at Chautauqua (NY) and Aspen (CO), Betsy studied with the renowned Japanese bassoonist Ryohei Nakagawa. After receiving a bachelor’s degree and Performer’s Certificate from Eastman, she won the Principal Bassoon position with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra.
Betsy has performed at summer festivals in Aspen, CO; Boulder, CO; and Spoleto, Italy and has been featured as a bassoon soloist with orchestras in Ohio, Indiana, and New York. In 2019, she performed the Hummel Grand Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra with the McConnell Arts Center Chamber Orchestra. Betsy has presented master classes and recitals as a guest artist at double reed festivals and had a new work for unaccompanied bassoon dedicated to her by composer Mark Biggam. Additionally, she maintains a private teaching studio of middle and high school-aged bassoonists and regularly coaches Columbus Symphony Cadet and Youth Orchestra wind players. Betsy is Professor of Bassoon at Capital University’s Conservatory of Music and regularly performs chamber music with colleagues from the Columbus Symphony and Capital University.
