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VIRGINIA CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
46th Season

David Grandis, Music Director

Featured Guest Artists for 41st season

Aaron Goldman, flute
October 23, 2011

Aaron Goldman, flute

Aaron Goldman joined the National Symphony Orchestra as Assistant Principal Flutist in September 2006. Prior to the NSO, he was Principal Flutist of the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra and the Greater Lansing Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed with several other orchestras, including the Baltimore Symphony, the Florida Orchestra, and the Chautauqua Symphony. As soloist, Mr. Goldman has appeared on numerous occasions with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra and has been twice featured with the Chamber Orchestra of Florida. He has also performed with various chamber music ensembles, both classical and jazz, and is a member of the Halil Duo with pianist Rose Grace. Aaron Goldman performed Griffes's Poem for Flute and Orchestra as a guest artist with the Virginia Chamber Orchestra in May 2010.

A native of Needham, Massachusetts, Mr. Goldman received his Bachelor of Music degree at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, where he studied flute with Bonita Boyd and piccolo with Anne Harrow.



Susan Robinson, harp
October 23, 2011

photo of Susan Robinson

Susan Robinson is the principal harpist of the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, a position she has held since 1995. She also serves as the principal harpist of the Boston “POPS” Esplanade Orchestra, with whom she has toured the Far East and the US, and performs with the Boston Symphony as often as her schedule permits. Previously, Susan served as the acting principal harpist of Tampa’s Florida Orchestra and the Sarasota Opera Festival.

Avid performers of chamber music, Susan and her husband, violinist Joseph Scheer, are the founders of the IBIS Chamber Music Society (www.ibischambermusic.org). Based in Arlington VA, IBIS presents between 6-10 concerts every season and has been praised as “splendid” and “compelling” by the Washington Post. Susan is featured on the IBIS cd Souvenir: Music for Violin and Harp, and performs the Handel Concerto for Harp and the Debussy Danses Sacree et Profane on IBIS’ most recent release.

Among Susan’s solo engagements are a performance of Mozart’s Concerto for Flute and Harp in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall with the Opera House Orchestra under Heinz Fricke, and appearances with the Newton (MA) Symphony, the Indian Hill Symphony, the New Hampshire Philharmonic, the Rhode Island Chamber Orchestra, and the Dedham (MA) Choral Society.



Cherry Baumbusch, painter
October 23, 2011

Cherry Baumbusch

I was raised on a farm in the Clifton area of my native Virginia and I have lived in the Washington DC metropolitan area most of my life. My husband Peter and I recently returned from Dubai, where we lived for three years while establishing the Dubai office of Peters law firm, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. We moved to Georgetown in 2010 and are renovating our new home to include an art studio for me.

My formal art instruction has been at the McLean Project for the Arts in conjunction with the Corcoran School for Art and Design. I have taken various art workshops, most recently in Scottsdale Arizona at the Scottsdale Artists School. My goal is to make art a part of each day, in some form. I have always loved nature, and try to capture its beauty in pastel, watercolor, acrylic, and oil. My initial foray into the art world was through music, and I feel a rhythm that runs through all of my work.

My art work has been sold in the US, Europe, and the Middle East and is available through my website. I have provided a collection of greeting cards and scarves made from copies of my paintings to the Rotary Club District 7610. The net proceeds from their sale helped fund an AIDS/HIV project in Southern Africa and other humanitarian/educational projects through the Rotary Foundation.

I am excited to be part of the Georgetown art community.

Cherry Baumbusch's Web site (will open another browser window)


Linda Jones, painter
February 19, 2012

Linda Jones

“My paintings reflect an intimate relationship with nature, whether it is a landscape or an individual element such as a flower, leaf, bird, fruit, or tree. Although my style tends towards realism, it portrays impressions of my perception, sometimes leading to more abstract paintings derived from nature.

“I work in a variety of media: watercolor, acrylics, pastels, and also mixed media. I like layering sequential washes and glazes on paper or canvas to create the subtle colors, textures, and modeling of the subject. I particularly like to work with the subtleties and vibrancy of colors, demonstrating the beauty of natural light.

“Living in Northern Virginia gives me a wonderful environment in which to paint. My works reflect the area in which I live; my travels locally in Virginia and Maryland, and throughout America and the UK. They portray some of my favorite places on the Potomac at Riverbend and Great Falls, and sailing on the Chesapeake. Others depict trees, flowers, and birds from my own backyard. I paint in all seasons but the spring and fall colors are favorites.”

Paintings by Linda Jones have been accepted into juried shows in Virginia, Washington DC, and Maryland. They have been shown at the Ramp Gallery at the McLean Project for the Arts, Galerie Europa in Reston, The Spectrum Gallery in Washington DC, Art Space Herndon, and the Gallery in Oakland, Maryland. She also shows her art in private shows in Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware. Her pictures are in private and corporate collections in America, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

Linda Jones currently has forty paintings displayed in three Hardwood Artisan stores in Shirlington Village (Arlington), Fairfax, and Rockville. She is a board member of Great Falls Studios and teaches watercolor classes in her home studio.

Linda Jones's Web site (will open another browser window)


Emma McDermott, soprano
May 13, 2012

Emma McDermott

Emma McDermott most recently performed with the Georgetown Chorale as the soprano soloist in J. S. Bach's Cantata BWV 140. Some of the roles and scenes that she has performed are Countess from Le Nozze di Figaro, Elisetta from Il Matrimonio Segreto, Josephine from H.M.S. Pinafore, Mother from Amahl and the Night Visitors, Belle from A Christmas Carol, and the soprano soloist in The Messiah. She was a young artist with La Musica Lirica in the summer of 2010, and in the summer of 2011 she won the vocal prize at the Orfeo International Music Festival Competition. She has won prizes at the Virginia National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) competition, US Regional NATS competition, and the Friday Morning Music Club competition.

Emma is a graduate student at George Mason University where she is pursuing a double concentration in vocal performance and piano performance. She studies voice with John Aler and piano with Dr. Anna Balakerskaia. In addition to performing, Emma is an active vocal coach, choral accompanist, and music teacher.


Mauricio Miranda, tenor
May 13, 2012

Mauricio Miranda

Mauricio Miranda has a Bachelor of Arts in Music Theory from the University of Chile. He began his solo career in his native country, and continued his training in Europe and North America with Bruno Pola in Germany; Isabel Penagos in Spain; and Ken Weiss, Dolora Zajick, and Marlena Malas in the U.S. He is currently a member of the Washington National Opera’s Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program, which was founded and directed by Placido Domingo.

He has performed at Teatro Municipal de Santiago in Chile, Teatro La Laboral in Gijon, Gran Teatro de Cordoba, Teatro La Moncloa in Madrid, Palacio Euskalduna in Bilbao, Teatro Segura in Lima, and at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., among others. His repertoire include Count Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia by Rossini; Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni and Ferrando in Cosi fan tutte by Mozart; Ernesto in Don Pasquale and Tonio in La Fille du regiment by Donizetti; Nadir in Les pecheurs de perles by Bizet; Il Messaggero in Aida by Verdi; Arlecchino in I pagliacci by Leoncavallo; Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, Spoletta in Tosca, and Pong in Turandot by Puccini; and Monsieur Triquet in Evgeni Onegin by Tchaikovsky. He also played the role of Recruit 3 in the world premiere of Viento Blanco by Sebastian Errazuriz. His oratorio repertoire includes works by Haendel, Vivaldi, Mozart, Rossini, Beethoven, and Schubert.

He has performed concerts in Chile, Argentina, Italy, France, Austria, Spain, and the United States. He has recently been presented at the Auditorio Nacional of Spain, Teatro Arenal of Madrid, McNeir Concert Hall at Georgetown University, and at John F. Kennedy Center of Performing Arts' Terrace Theater, in D.C. In 2012, he sang Mozart’s Requiem at the Washington National Cathedral and made his New York debut in a recital at the American Society. He makes his debut as Eros in the U.S. premiere of the brief opera Diane au bois by Debussy, with the Virginia Chamber Orchestra. Next season he will sing in Don Giovanni and Norma with the Washington National Opera.

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Last updated: 31 October, 2013......v.4.0