Brass
Click on a musician to learn about them!
Sue Antolini
Horn
Hello, my name is Sue Antolini, and I’m thrilled to be a horn player in the NWCSO!
I am originally from New Jersey, where I graduated from Rowan University with a degree in Music Education. After college, I became a member of the United States Air Force Band and spent the next twenty years touring Europe and America as a musical ambassador. I had the privilege to perform ceremonies, community relations concerts, and for the thousands of American and European military personnel stationed in Europe.
After living in Germany for eight years, I moved to San Antonio, Texas, and toured the Southwestern United States with the Air Force Band of the West. It is also where I met my husband Brent, and where our son, Nick was born. After retiring from the Air Force Band, I taught private piano and brass lessons and directed summer musical theater performances for high school students. In 2014, I became an Air Force Junior ROTC instructor at Lowell High School for the next five years. I currently teach music at the Dr. Gertrude Bailey International School, and absolutely love the energy of the K-4 age group! I’m also a member of the Firebird Pops Orchestra and perform in pit orchestras for area high school shows.
Emma Chisholm
Horn
As a Boston native, Emma Chisholm got an early start in the Boston music community. She secured a principal horn position with the Quincy Symphony quickly after undergrad. She has also recently played with the New England Film Orchestra, Firebird Pops, and the Commonwealth Wind Symphony. Emma is currently playing with the Brockton Symphony, Fall River Symphony, the Lincoln Sudbury Civic Orchestra, and the Bridgewater Antiphonal Brass while getting her Master’s in Horn at The Longy School of Music in Cambridge. This past summer, Chisholm traveled through Italy with The Interharmony Music Festival. Most recently she was in Brockton as part of a chamber music concert series. She fills a unique niche, being a common improviser on French Horn in jazz big bands and small groups. Emma most recently played in Hardtop with the Birth of the Cool Big Band. She can be seen playing at jazz clubs in the Greater Boston area.
Devlin Danner
Bass Trombone
Devlin Danner is a New England free-lance trombonist, performing at local colleges in the Amherst region, the Pioneer Valley Symphony Orchestra, East Bay Summer Wind Ensemble, and the North Worcester County Symphony Orchestra. In addition to being a freelance musician, Mr. Danner is a craftsman at the S.E. Shires Company. At Shires, he is responsible for creating the small parts that can be seen across all of the company’s trumpets and trombones.
When he is not working or playing trombone Devlin likes to spend his time mountain biking with his friends or participating in German Folk dancing at his local German Club. Devlin earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Performance from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he studied with Greg Spiridopoulos. While attending the University, Devlin played across many of the bands found on campus including the Wind Ensemble, Symphony Band, Jazz ensembles, Brass Choir, Orchestra, and the Minuteman Marching band. He also can be heard on Greg Spiridopolous’ CD Synchronous, playing bass trombone in the UMass Wind Ensemble.
Nathan French
Trumpet
Nathan is a trumpeter and music educator based in central Massachusetts. He teaches K-4 general music in Townsend and Ashby, MA. In addition, Nathan also plays with a number of ensembles in the area. He can be seen playing with the Winchendon Winds, and town bands in Townsend, Ashby, Fitchburg, and Lunenburg. He has performed with the New Hampshire Philharmonic, the New England Film Orchestra, the Firebird Pops Orchestra, and the Merrimack Valley Philharmonic. Nathan is a founding member of the Central Massachusetts Brass Ensemble.
Noah Lauziere
Trombone
Noah Lauziere is a freelance euphoniumist, trombonist, and bass trombonist based in Central Massachusetts. Born in Lowell and raised in Pepperell, Noah went on to study at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh, PA: graduating in May 2022 with a BFA titled “Freelance Music: Performance, Production & Pedagogy”. This Student-defined major aimed to tackle not just music performance but audio engineering, entrepreneurship, and private teaching.
Noah had the privilege to study euphonium and music business with the late Lance LaDuke, trombone with Peter Sullivan (principal of the Pittsburgh Symphony), jazz improvisation with Eric DeFade, and audio production with Riccardo Schulz. During the 2018-2020 summers, Noah studied euphonium at Boston University’s Tanglewood Institute, then interned for CMU’s Dalcroze Institute and finally edited audio/video for the International Euphonium Tuba (IET) Festival’s first remote endeavor.
Noah is best known for last-minute calls to sub including the town bands around Fitchburg (Townsend, Leominster, etc.). He loves playing musicals with ensembles like Theatre at the Mount, marches around New England with the Tony Barrie Band, and sits with rehearsal big bands closer to Boston. Noah has also played with the New England Brass Band, Bay Colony Brass, and Metropolitan Wind Symphony, however, the group he’s most proud of is Central MA Brass with other members of North Worcester.
Outside of music, Noah is also an Eagle Scout with interests in motorcycles, free and open-source software, and of course tabletop or PC gaming. You can find his socials and booking info at https://linktr.ee/noahklauziere/.
Rick Ong
Trombone
Rick is a native of California, where graduated from UCLA as a business economics major. An admitted marching band geek, Rick was a participant in the 1980 Tournament of Roses and Parade and also performed with the UCLA Marching Band at the Rose Bowl.
Rick currently plays trombone with the Lexington Bicentennial Band, the Soft Touch Big Band, and the Cool Kids Brass Quintet. Rick has also performed in local and community theatre productions including Barnum, Mary Poppins, Cabaret, West Side Story, Suessical the Musical, The King and I, Cinderella, 42nd Street, and Chicago. Rick’s “real job” is as the Head of Quality Assurance at Synlogic Inc., developers of synthetic biology therapies. He is currently a resident of Acton, MA.
Ryan Ramey
Horn
Ryan is currently the principal horn of the Boston Civic Symphony, Concord Orchestra, New England Film Orchestra, and the North Worcester County Orchestra. He also performs often with the Firebird Pops Orchestra, Brockton Symphony Orchestra, Apollo Orchestra, Quincy Symphony, Winchendon Winds, and many more. He has also been featured on various portfolio recordings for up-and-coming film composers and performed many recitals with his wife Maria (flute) and daughter on harp. Ryan is also the French horn in the Central Mass Brass Quintet. More information can be found at https://www.rameymusic.com
Ryan’s principal horn teachers have included Bill Lane, John Mason, David Krehbiel, James Winter, and David Hoover. He has also had private lessons with Andrew Bain, Philip Myers, Denise Tryon, and Bruce Hudson.
Geoffrey Sheldon
Trumpet
Geoffrey Sheldon has played trumpet with the NWCSO since its inception in 2021. He grew up in Upstate New York and has played trumpet since the age of 10, and frequently performs as a local soloist as well as within multiple honors ensembles.
Post-grade school, Geoffrey graduated from Syracuse University with both a Bachelor's and Master of Music Education with trumpet performance honors, studying under trumpet professor Gabriel DiMartino. After graduating, Geoffrey has continued to perform frequently when not teaching band and choir at Lunenburg Public Schools. Currently, apart from the NWCSO Geoff is involved in freelancing around New England performing with pit orchestras for musicals, appearing as a guest soloist for various events, as well as being a member of the Central Massachusetts Brass Ensemble. When not playing trumpet, Geoff enjoys relaxing with his wife and family, riding bicycles, snowshoeing, fishing, and woodworking.
Joe Wright
Tuba
Joe is a middle school band director in the Belmont, MA school district. He has taught in Andover, Chelsea, Boston University, and Waterville, ME. He holds degrees in music education from the University of New Hampshire and Boston University, and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in education from Fitchburg State University.
As a tubist, he has performed with many groups including Colby College Community Symphony, The Mayflower Hill Brass Quintet, The Blue Hill Brass Quintet, The Arlington Philharmonic Orchestra, the New England Philharmonic, The Salem Winds, The Acadia Wind Ensemble, the Hillyer Festival Orchestra, and the Central Mass Brass.
He has studied with David Winer, Donald Rankin, Nicolas Orovich, Julian Dixon, and J. Samuel Pilafian.