Toni Reineke, conductor and artistic director, has had two careers in music. After graduating from Central Washington University with her bachelor’s in music education, she taught instrumental music (mostly orchestra) for about 10 years. During that time she returned to Central for a master’s degree in music performance. Later she earned a Ph.D. in Systematic Musicology from the University of Washington, then worked as a freelance editor for 18 years. Toni recently retired from her second music teaching career, having taught instrumental music to fourth- and fifth-grade beginners for Seattle Public Schools for ten years. In the fall of 2002, Toni co-founded the Symphonette with the late Kathleen Hunt. She knows that Kathleen would be proud that the organization has now grown to three orchestras with nearly 100 members!.

Rob Duisberg, conductor, has been a composer and music director in Seattle for 30 years. His Doctor of Musical Arts degree is in composition, and he’s composed symphonies, chamber music, choral pieces, an opera, and several musicals. He’s been performed by the likes of the Seattle Symphony, the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Civic Light Opera, ACT Theater, Issaquah Village Theatre, and several chamber ensembles. He taught at the UW School of Music for six years, has conducted for numerous orchestras and theatres in town, and is proud to now be affiliated with the West Seattle Community Orchestras.

Daniel Hershman-Rossi, conductor, is new with WSCO this year conducting and teaching our Debut Orchestra. Daniel is an established and respected music instructor in the Seattle Schools and an award winning trobonist.

Mariane Hermanson, manager and music librarian, jumped at the chance to become the WSCO (then Westside Symphonette) manager in 2006 and is pleased to be working with this great group of musicians. She started playing the French horn in fifth grade and continued through a couple of years in college until getting too busy with required engineering classes. After a long break, she started playing again when her children started playing musical instruments. Mariane currently plays the French horn with WSCO, Boeing Employees’ Orchestra of Flight, Rainy Day Brass Quintet, and various theater groups including Twelfth Night Productions. In her spare time… what spare time??!

Maggie Lee, violin instructor for the Debut Orchestra and for the SYSO-in-the-Schools program, grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska, and has been studying violin since age nine. She attended the University of Nebraska Lincoln for a bachelor’s in Music Education. She has been teaching privately since 2002 and has worked with the UNL String Project and various school string programs from elementary to high school. She moved to Seattle in 2006 and has been teaching both privately and in a classroom setting since. She has led her students in several solo and ensemble performances. Maggie currently performs with the Northwest Symphony Orchestra as well as various other ensembles.

Maria Scherer-Wilson, cello instructor extraordinaire who will be getting us bio information any time now.