Co-Concertmaster

Daniel Winnick (Co-Concertmaster) moved to Michigan from New Jersey in 2005, and since then he has built a varied and busy career as a freelance musician in Metro Detroit and beyond. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan, where he studied with Andrew Jennings. His relationship with the Michigan Philharmonic began with appearances as guest concertmaster in 2016. He also performs with the Flint Symphony Orchestra, Battle Creek Symphony Orchestra, Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, and ÆPEX Contemporary Ensemble. He has previously served as concertmaster for Arbor Opera Theatre and assistant/acting concertmaster for the Dearborn Symphony Orchestra.

In addition to his work with orchestras, Mr. Winnick performs regularly with the CutTime Simfonica of former Detroit Symphony Orchestra bassist Rick Robinson, and he is a member of the Troubadours, a musical storytelling group representing the Flint Institute of Music. Other chamber music appearances have included guest performances with the Burdick-Thorne String Quartet of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra. Formerly a member of the indie-folk band The Thornbills, Mr. Winnick has joined string sections for recordings by nationally-known artists, including the R&B singer Kem in sessions led by the legendary Motown musician Paul Riser. He has appeared with the Transsiberian Orchestra, Mannheim Steamroller, and the 2018 national tour of the musical ‘Chicago.’

Mr. Winnick teaches violin and viola lessons for Cultural Art Strings of Manchester, Michigan, and also maintains his own private studio. He has taught for the Sphinx Organization’s Overture Program in Flint, and for Friends Music Camp in Richmond, Indiana. For weddings and events, he performs with White Pines Entertainment. He has also worked in the field of string instrument preparation and repair, both at Shar Products Company of Ann Arbor and at Instrumental Distribution, LLC of Livonia. An avid runner and kayaker, Mr. Winnick can frequently be spotted paddling on Newburgh Lake in Livonia, or running around it on the Riverview Trail.

Co-Concertmaster

Yuri Popowycz is a Violinist living in Russell Woods, Detroit. He received his training through the Suzuki Strings of Madison, Interlochen Arts Academy, and the Oberlin Conservatory. Yuri was raised in a house of music and enjoys carrying on the tradition of performing and teaching. He serves as co-concertmaster of the Michigan Philharmonic, as well as performs regularly around south-eastern Michigan; playing with the Michigan Opera Theatre, Orchestra Sono, Dearborn, Toledo, and wherever else his strings take him.

Alongside averaging 90 performances a year since his move to Detroit in 2015, Yuri records for local groups around the city, as well as produces electronic music, and manages music labels of his own. On occasional weekends, you can find him behind the mixing desk in his home studio, running his “Studio Sunday” sessions, which see collaboration from artists across many genres.

Yuri teaches violin through the Sphinx organization at elementary schools within Detroit, as well as with Compás in the southwest area of the city, and operates a small private studio.
He plays on a 1941 violin by Piero Parravicini, and his bow is a David Samuels.  

Principal Second Violin

Hektor Qyteti served as the Assistant Concertmaster for the Michigan Philharmonic for the seven years before being promoted to his current position of Principal Second Violin. He is also the Assistant Concertmaster of the Grosse Pointe Symphony as well as playing in the violin section of numerous other Detroit Metro area orchestras, including symphonies in Dearborn, Warren, Rochester and Pontiac.

Prior to moving with his family to the U.S., he had a five-year tenure as Concertmaster of Korce Philharmonia Orchestra in Albania, during which time he performed as soloist on the Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven and other major concertos. A dedicated and highly sought-after teacher, Mr. Qyteti maintains a busy schedule teaching violin and chamber music privately at PARC and Evola Music Center. He has also served on the faculty of Steppingstone School for the Gifted in Farmington. He is the conductor of the Strings and Sinfonia ensembles of the Michigan Philharmonic Youth Orchestra.

For 10 years in Albania, he was the Music Director of the Board of Education at the prestigious Korce Tefta Tashko K-12 and High School, essentially the equivalent of magnet/pre-conservatory schools in the U.S. He received a Performance and Teaching degree from the Academy of Arts in Albania and later continued with advanced studies in teaching at Oakland University.

Principal Cello

Amy Kuras was born and raised in New York, where she studied cello at Manhattan School of Music, Chautauqua Institute and the Downeast Chamber Music Program. She studied music performance as an undergraduate at Northwestern University and has a Master’s Degree from the University of Michigan in Landscape Architecture.

Ms. Kuras continues to practice landscape architecture as well as cello, serving as the park planner for the City of Ann Arbor as well as the principal cellist for the Michigan Philharmonic. She has played with several symphonies around Southeast Michigan, including the Ann Arbor Symphony and the Adrian Symphony and regularly freelances in the area. She also enjoys playing chamber music in and around Ann Arbor.

Principal Bass

Andy Monefeldt originally began his music studies on violin, which he played throughout high school, adding electric bass his senior year, since the jazz band was in need of a bassist. He didn’t begin his college studies as a music major, but after two years switched to music education, eventually transferring to the University of Wisconsin and completing his Bachelor’s in music education there, studying with Richard Davis. He taught in the Madison area for several years and moved to Michigan to continue his bass studies at the University of Michigan where he earned a Master’s Degree in music performance, studying with Diana Gannett and DSO Assistant Principal Bass, Stephen Molina. Andy currently works full-time at Shar Music, a string instrument specialty store based in Ann Arbor, while contracted to play with three Michigan orchestras. He also maintains a bass studio of local middle and high school students, both jazz and classical players.

Principal Flute

Dennis Carter is a busy freelancer in the Detroit area, serving as Principal Flutist for the Michigan Philharmonic and the Dearborn Symphony, and as an additional musician with the Michigan Opera Theater, the Flint Symphony, and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. He is a well-known soloist in the area, performing concerti with the Michigan Philharmonic, the Dearborn Symphony, and the Rochester Symphony.  Active in theater orchestras, he serves as the Principal Flutist for the Fisher Theater Orchestra, the Bijou Orchestra, and the R4Revue, and has toured the United States with the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players, the New Sigmund Romberg Orchestra, and the Carl Rosa Opera Company (UK).  He also is a part of the Sphinx Organization, serving as an assistant in their Overture Strings Program and as Principal of the Sphinx Orchestra, which recently was on tour at the Napa Valley Music Festival in California. He taught for many years as an assistant music teacher in the Southfield Public School System, taught at Henry Ford Community College, and currently has a studio of private students.  He holds a B.M. in Music Performance from Wayne State University, and his teachers were Ervin Monroe and Clement Barone.

Principal Oboe

Chris Wheeler is an oboist based in the mid-Michigan area, performing regularly with ensembles including the Michigan Philharmonic and Adrian Symphony, and has subbed with many others, including the Lansing Symphony and Southwest Michigan Symphony. He is also active as a chamber musician, performing with the Pure Winds quintet and Shift Ensemble Detroit. In addition to performing, Chris also maintains a private studio of oboe students in both the metro Detroit and Lansing areas. He completed Master’s degrees in oboe performance and chamber music, studying with Nancy Ambrose King at the University of Michigan and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in oboe performance from the California Institute of Arts (CalArts), studying with Allan Vogel. While at CalArts, he was an exchange student at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, studying oboe with Stephen West and composition with Gareth Williams. His other major teachers include Gretchen Morse, Stuart Horn (oboe), and Marjan Helms (piano/composition). Though classically trained, Chris’s other musical interests lie in expanding the boundaries and genres of his musical influences via his own original compositions and songs. In this vein, he’s recorded and released an album of original music, “Day by Day.”

Principal Clarinet

Ryan King holds a Bachelor of Music in Clarinet Performance from the University of Michigan, where he studied with Daniel Gilbert. He has studied with many notable musicians, including Joaquin Valdepenas and Bill Jackson at the Aspen Summer Music Festival, Steve Cohen at the Brevard Music Festival, and the Imani Winds at their Chamber Music Festival in New York City. Ryan has performed and recorded with many notable ensembles, such as the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the River Raisin Ragtime Revue, the Dearborn Symphony, and the Cut-Time Players.

In addition to his classical performance, Ryan has a strong presence in the Michigan rock scene. As a founding member of Ypsilanti-based progressive jam band Stormy Chromer, Ryan has spent years touring the midwest’s rock clubs and bars. Though his role is primarily that of bassist and songwriter, every now and again the clarinet will make a guest appearance!

Principal Bassoon

Recently appointed Principal Bassoon of the Michigan Philharmonic, Alexander Carlucci is an active orchestral player, chamber musician and soloist in Michigan and the Midwest.  In concert, he has appeared with the Adrian and Jackson Symphonies (MI) as well as in Washington DC as a member of the Washington Chamber Orchestra.  An advocate for new music, he has performed in events for New Music Detroit with the AEPEX Contemporary Performance ensemble and in concerts with the SONAR New Music ensemble in Baltimore, MD and the Occasional Symphony of Baltimore.  Mr. Carlucci’s interests in music of the twenty-first century have also led to frequent premiers of new works with the Peabody Camerata New Music Ensemble.   As a member of the Washington Chamber Orchestra, Mr. Carlucci has recorded with Centaur Records and has recorded on the Naxos Label under the direction of Baltimore Symphony Conductor, Marin Alsop.

Mr. Carlucci earned a Masters of Music degree from The University of Michigan where he was a graduate fellow studying with Jeffrey Lyman. Prior to that, he studied with Phillip Kolker of the Baltimore Symphony, earning a Bachelor of Music Degree at the Peabody Institute of Music while simultaneously completing a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Natural Sciences with concentrations in Biophysics at the Johns Hopkins University.  His scientific pursuits have led him to publish research studying heart arrhythmias as well as an iPhone application to detect atrial fibrillation.

Principal Trumpet

John Hartwick plays trumpet throughout the Detroit metropolitan area, both as a freelance musician and long-time member of several orchestras. In addition to the Michigan Philharmonic, he holds positions with the Dearborn and Warren symphony orchestras. John has performed with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Michigan Opera Theatre, Fisher Theatre Orchestra, Oakland Symphony Orchestra, among many others.  When not playing the trumpet, John is an active music educator, teaching private lessons, working with school music programs, and as an adjunct Professor of Music at Henry Ford College in Dearborn. He also enjoys arranging and performing chamber music, having appeared with the Motor City Brass Quintet, Detroit Symphony Brass Quintet, and as a founding member of the Michigan Philharmonic Brass Quintet.

Principal Trombone

Brooks Barnes was born and raised in Ann Arbor. In high school he studied with Joseph Skrzynski, second trombone of the Detroit Symphony. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Northwestern University, where he studied with Frank Crisafulli, and earned a Master’s in trombone performance from the University of Michigan. Brooks is currently second trombone in the Adrian Symphony Orchestra as well as principal trombone of the Michigan Philharmonic. He has performed with the Flint, Saginaw, and Traverse symphony orchestras and also enjoys playing chamber music and jazz. He has been trombonist in the Liberty Brass Quintet, the Burton Brass Quintet and currently in the Michigan Philharmonic Brass

Principal Tuba

Neal Campbell is Tuba Artist-in-Residence for Custom Music International and is a B&S Perantucci Artist. Neal has been on the faculty at universities in Michigan and Ohio, The Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, and The University of Michigan All-State Program. He has performed with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Chamber Winds, The River City Brass Band, Toledo Symphony Orchestra, Toledo Symphony Concert Band and Michigan Opera Theatre Orchestra.  Neal has been a guest artist at regional, national and international music conferences and festivals. In addition to music, Mr. Campbell is also a certified flight instructor and commercial pilot.

Principal Timpani

Ray Riggs grew up in Detroit, graduating from Cass Tech High School. He studied percussion with Norman Fickett and Salvatore Rabbio, both of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. He attended the Eastman School of Music in Rochester New York where he studied with John Beck, and at Wayne State University in Detroit, resuming his studies with Salvatore Rabbio. Ray received a Bachelor’s of Music from Wayne State in percussion performance.

While at Eastman, Ray became interested in emergency work, became certified as a New York State Emergency Medical Technician and began working for the EMS system in Rochester, NY. Upon returning to Detroit, Ray was the Timpanist with Michigan Opera Theater, 1978-80 as well as playing many other free-lance jobs, including extra and substitute with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Ray was hired by the West Bloomfield Fire Department in 1979 as a firefighter/paramedic. He rose through the ranks, retiring from the fire department in 2009 as the Assistant Fire Chief in charge of emergency operations; he continued to carry on an active musical performing schedule throughout his career with the fire department.

Currently, in addition to his position as timpanist with the Michigan Philharmonic, Ray is principal percussionist with the Birmingham/Bloomfield Symphony, percussionist with the Dearborn Symphony, timpanist with the Rochester Symphony, and a member of the Golden Rain Percussion Ensemble. Ray is also working as a consultant with SEMCOG, the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments as their public safety expert.

Ray is married to Tracey, an active freelance violist and middle school orchestra teacher. They have three grown children and two grandsons.

Principal Percussion

Kristen Tait earned her Bachelor’s degree from Kent State University and Master’s and Doctoral degrees from the Eastman School of Music. She has performed throughout the United States, Canada, and Japan, as well as in Germany and Indonesia.

She often tours the Midwest with the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players. As the duo Musica Batteria, Kristen and fellow Michigan Philharmonic percussionist Lynn Koch present educational programs and perform concerts throughout Michigan. Having taught at both Adrian and Olivet Colleges, Kristen now teaches at Oakland University and Macomb Community College, and is also the head of the Circulation Department for the Baldwin Public Library in Birmingham

Principal Harp

Detroit native Maurice Draughn received a Bachelor’s of Music degree with a concentration in Harp Performance from Wayne State University. He completed two summers of study with world-renowned harpist Lucile Lawrence at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute in Lenox, MA, and earned a Master’s of Church Music with a concentration in Harp and Organ Performance from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. He has appeared as soloist with the Michigan Philharmonic, Birmingham-Bloomfield Symphony, Rochester Symphony, Detroit Symphony Civic, and Southern Seminary Orchestras. He has appeared with noted performers such as Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Robert Sims, the Three Irish Tenors, and Glen Campbell. He is also an arranger and composer of music for the harp, voice and choir. As a freelance harpist, Maurice performs with several orchestras, including the Rochester, Windsor, and International symphony orchestras and with the Brass Band of Battle Creek. In addition to orchestral performances, he performs regularly in solo and chamber recitals. He can also be heard on several educational and commercial recordings as a studio harpist.

Principal Keyboard

Patrick Johnson appears regularly throughout the Midwest as a solo, chamber, and orchestral pianist. In the summer of 2014, he performed with the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble. Other 2013-14 performances included chamber recitals on the seasons of both the Lansing Symphony Orchestra and the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, as well as solo recitals in metro Detroit and at Michigan State University. An avid orchestral musician, he is Principal Piano for the Michigan Philharmonic and the Lansing Symphony Orchestra. He is featured on over forty recordings. Now in his eleventh year as a sacred musician for the Archdiocese of Detroit, he is organist and music director at St. Mary Magdalen Church in Hazel Park. Patrick received degrees in piano performance from the University of Michigan and Michigan State University, as well as a Master’s degree in music theory at Michigan State University, where he is currently a doctoral candidate in piano performance and an instructor of music theory.

Principal Horn

Dominic Hayes is an active orchestral and freelance hornist based in Michigan. Along with the Michigan Philharmonic, Dominic is Principal Horn of the Adrian Symphony Orchestra and 2nd Horn of the Dearborn Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed with the Toledo, Ann Arbor, Flint, Kalamazoo, Billings (MT), Saginaw Bay, and Battle Creek symphonies.

Dominic is a member of the Pure Winds Woodwind Quintet; an award-winning ensemble based in Lansing, Michigan. With Pure Winds Dominic has performed and lectured across the United States. Pure Winds also recently released its debut album Pure Winds under the label Orpheus Classical.

Dominic is the Horn Instructor at the Flint School of Performing Arts, and is also the Horn Instructor at Belleville High School.

Dominic earned his M.M. Degree in Horn Performance in 2020 from the University of Michigan, and his Bachelor’s Degree in 2018 from Western Michigan University. His primary teachers were Adam Unsworth, Bryan Kennedy, and Lin Baird.

Principal Viola

Violist Jessica Lipon is an active performer and teacher based in Detroit, Michigan. After time spent in Boston and Chicago, she returned to her hometown in 2020, and serves as Principal Violist with the Michigan Philharmonic and Co-Principal with Dearborn Symphony Orchestra, while continuing her work as a member of the Chicago based Fermi String Quartet. Jessica holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wayne State University and a Master of Music and Performance Diploma from Boston University. Her primary teachers were Patricia Reiter, Caroline Coade and Michelle LaCourse. While living in Boston, Jessica performed with New Bedford Symphony, Plymouth Philharmonic, Cape Cod Symphony, Boston String Players, and Serenata Chamber Musicians. During her time in Chicago, Jessica taught at The People’s Music School while performing with Northbrook Symphony, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Rockford Symphony, and Peoria Symphony.