Barry Toombs is a native of Galveston, Texas. He is a member with the San Diego Chamber Orchestra, and performs with the Starlight Musical Theatre, San Diego Symphony, and Orquesta de Baja California. Mr. Toombs performed with the Navy Bands of Great Lakes, Illinois and San Diego. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the State University of New York at Albany. Barry is associated as a horn instructor with San Diego State University.
Elizabeth Howard is a native of San Diego, California. She holds a Bachelor of Music from Boston University and a Master of Music from Yale University. She has performed with the San Diego Symphony, Orchestra Nova, and at the Old Globe. Outside the classical music scene, she is a member of the Cuban band Combo Libertad, and has performed with Shara Worden, Mighty Purple, Aqua Ife, and can be heard on Jonny Rodgers Album “The Aviary.” She is a brass instructor at Southwestern Community College, and Bonita Vista High School.
Karl Soukup was born in Pennsylvania and raised in Southern California. He has performed Broadway shows at the Civic Theatre and The Old Globe and is an entertainment provider for local theme parks such as Sea World and Legoland. He is an adjunct music faculty member at San Diego State University where he obtained his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Music. Mr. Soukup also studied Jazz & Commercial composition at the Manhattan School of Music in New York and has composed many original works for various commercial projects.
Eric Starr leads a diverse career as a performer, educator, and administrator based in San Diego, CA. He is currently on the faculty of San Diego State University and the University of San Diego and is the executive director for the non-profit, San Diego New Music. Eric is the principle trombonist of City Music Cleveland and has performed locally with the San Diego Symphony, San Diego Opera, Broadway San Diego and many others. He holds a D.M.A from Stony Brook University, a Master of Music and Artist Diploma from the Cleveland Institute of Music and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Southern California.
Mike McCoy, a proud San Diego native, serves as 4th Horn with the Las Vegas Philharmonic and is a key member of the Millennia Consort, a San Diego-based brass, organ, and percussion ensemble. He previously held the Co-Principal position with Orchestra Nova San Diego and currently contributes to the horn sections of the San Diego Symphony, San Diego Opera, and Pacific Symphony. Mike’s versatile horn playing has provided accompaniment for an impressive array of artists, including Frank Sinatra Jr., Pink Martini, Liza Minnelli, Luciano Pavarotti, Aretha Franklin, Dave Brubeck, and Burt Bacharach. His Broadway credits include lead horn for national tours like “The Lion King,” “Tommy,” and “Wicked,” plus subbing for the Las Vegas “Lion King” production. An active recording artist for film and commercials, his orchestral engagements also extend to the Billings MT Symphony, Riverside Philharmonic, Mexico City Philharmonic, Orchestra de Baja California, and the Strauss Symphony of America. He has also toured as a soloist with the New England Youth Ensemble and adjudicated for California’s All-Southern Honor Band and Orchestras. Beyond performing, Mike is dedicated to teaching. He honed his skills at the San Diego School for the Creative and Performing Arts, San Diego State University, and the Boston Conservatory of Music.
5A life-long resident of Southern California, Scott Sutherland has been hailed as “the second craziest tuba player I know” by famed American composer, Joan Tower. He is a member of the Redlands Symphony, Riverside Philharmonic and has been spotted in the back row of the Chicago Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Colorado Springs Philharmonic, and San Diego Symphony. Likely due to clerical errors, Scott has performed at the front of the stage as a soloist with the San Diego and Idyllwild Arts Symphony Orchestras, as well as the Riverside and Burbank Philharmonics. He has also recorded for film, television and video game soundtracks, including the major motion pictures Pearl Harbor and Batman vs. Superman (which are the only accomplishments notable to his younger private students).
John Wilds is a native of Seattle, Washington. He is principal trumpet with the San Diego Opera Orchestra, San Diego Chamber Orchestra, and second trumpet with the San Diego Symphony. He has performed with the San Francisco Symphony, Santa Fe Opera Orchestra, Orquestra Metropolitana de Lisboa, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and was principal trumpet in the New Mexico Symphony and the Mississippi Symphony. Mr. Wilds received his earliest musical training from his father on the highland bagpipes. He received further training at the Indiana University School of Music. John is associated as a trumpet instructor with San Diego State University, Point Loma Nazarene University, the University of San Diego, and Rancho Bernardo High School.
All the children in my class absolutely adored this assembly. Numerous children were concerned that somehow they would miss out participating next year because they were going to be in a different grade.