Jerry Weiss, General Director
Jerry Weiss was invited to lead the Orlando Symphony Orchestra in 2003, following the retirement of the Orchestra’s founder, Hamilton Bartlett.
Born in Israel, Mr. Weiss was raised in Canada, where he attended the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto and the University of Toronto. He has performed with the National Ballet of Canada Orchestra and as concertmaster of the Niagara Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Weiss moved to the United States to accept a position with the Buffalo Philharmonic, of which he was a member for eight concert seasons. During his tenure with the Buffalo Philharmonic, Mr. Weiss also performed as a member of the ArtPark Symphony. He has toured internationally with numerous orchestras and as concertmaster of many Broadway musicals. His work with the John Arpin Trio led to engagements in the commercial recording industry.
Since moving to Florida, he has performed with most of the state’s professional orchestral ensembles, including the Florida Symphony Orchestra, the Florida Philharmonic, the Flagler Symphony, the Palm Beach Pops Orchestra, the Atlantic Classical Orchestra, the Fort Myers and Naples symphonies, to mention only a few.
David Handel, Music Director
Handel’s passionate artistic leadership and engaging personality have made him a favorite with orchestras and audiences on four continents.
A disciple of Kurt Masur and Gustav Meier, he was named Music Director of the National Symphony Orchestra of Bolivia at an early age. Building that institution into a model of artistic and organizational growth has led him on to further appointments in Argentina, Chile, the Russian Federation and now as Music Director of the Orlando Symphony Orchestra in the United States.
The legendary Pepe Romero described him as“…one of the best conductors with whom I have had the pleasure to collaborate … His great musicality, human touch, technical mastery and intelligence makes it possible for him to elevate the level of any orchestra ..”
His close ties with orchestras around the world reflect his deep commitment to colleagues and communities, reaching across cultural barriers, and electrifying orchestras and audiences alike.
Michael Swanson, Board of Directors, Board Chair
Since the turn of the century, Michael has been a successful executive with several companies in the PEO, Staffing, and Third-Party Administration industries, mostly in the Orlando, Florida business community.
As a very young man, Michael was also a very successful professional musician, composer, lyricist, and producer in the field of popular music in the heavy metal genre. His advanced vocal training early on was in Baroque Opera, a style which allowed him to develop his three-and-a-half-octave vocal range, and applying this skill in his own music.
Ever since his days as a performer, Mike still enjoys mentoring young musicians, collaborating in the recording studios and generously volunteering his boundless energy and know how to the Orlando Symphony team.
Andrea Rowlison, Operations Manager
Andrea received her musical training at the Interlochen Arts Academy, Bowling Green State University and the University of North Texas where she completed Bachelor and Master of Music degrees and course work toward a doctorate. She was the first female trombonist to perform with the Guy Lombardo Orchestra, the Harry James Orchestra, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and the Universal Studios Brass Band. Andrea has performed performed as trombonist in numerous Broadway shows as well as with many renowned popular artists, including Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Charles, Tito Puente, Barry Manilow. Andrea’s symphonic experience has included concerts and recordings with the Orlando Symphony Orchestra, the Toledo Symphony Orchestra, the Brevard Symphony Orchestra, the Florida West Coast Symphony, the Flagler Symphony, among others. She has also performed on NPR’s “Live at Lincoln Center”, The Today Show and Nickelodeon. For five years, Andrea served as Director of Jazz Studies at Seminole State College and taught as faculty at Rollins College and Valencia College. Over the course of her career, Andrea has developed and lead many educational programs and concert series.
Christopher Nolin, Coordination
Christopher Nolin has been a professional
percussionist for more than four decades. He began playing drums in the 5th
grade, and ended up studying percussion at Stetson University, and performing
in the Florida Symphony Orchestra percussion section at 19 years old. After
several years performing with the FSO and freelancing around Florida, he
became the solo percussionist with the Mantovani Orchestra, touring and traveling throughout the USA, Canada, Japan, Taiwan, and China. He also
played several decades with Seaside Music Theater, a premier regional
theater company, during summer seasons, performing musicals including the
first regional production of Miss Saigon. He was the first drummer to play and
develop The Million Dollar Quartet, which went on to become a Broadway hit.
Mr. Nolin specializes in timpani, as a student of Laura Stotesbury-Fisher,
former Timpanist of the Florida Symphony Orchestra, and percussionist with
the Minnesota Orchestra, and has studied with Kurt-Hans Goedicke of the
London Symphony Orchestra. He also studied drum set with Bobby Wilkinson
and Ray Bordinaro.
Along with his freelance engagements, he is currently
producer and contractor for The Hollywood Concert Orchestra, which tours
Japan and China regularly. He is also principal Timpanist for the Orlando Symphony,
and the Villages Philharmonic.
He trains regularly in the Japanese martial art
of Aikido, and currently holds the rank of third degree black belt.
Dann ODonnell, Website Developer
A big factor in Dann’s life was the musical influence of his family. Dann’s parents and four siblings played musical instruments, and his mother taught him to play the piano and organ. Dann took up the Horn in grade 6, and has been playing since then. Some of Dann’s musical markers include a performance degree from Michigan State University; freelance performing with myriad professional orchestras in Michigan, Florida, Texas, and California; and touring with the Hollywood Concert Orchestra, Mantovani Orchestra, and the Broadway rock opera, The Who’s Tommy.
Gardening is Dann’s hobby, growing an ever-expanding inventory of edible plants, trees, and flowers. Dann’s joy of growing his own fruits and vegetables was sparked by the instruction from his grandmother who grew up on a farm in rural Ontario Canada, then continued growing food for her family in Michigan before, during, and after the Great Depression.
Dann has been intrigued by computer programming since the Basic language on the TRS-80 was first taught in school. He learned how to make websites soon after the internet become popular. Dann puts his knowledge to use by maintaining the website for the Orlando Symphony Orchestra.
Shelley Mathews, Orchestra Librarian
Shelley Mathews has lived in Florida since the early 80’s. She has freelanced all over the state and has concentrated in Orchestral and Broadway. She has a private teaching studio and enjoys teaching violin, viola and piano. Always having a music librarian’s mind, she is putting that to the test for Orlando Symphony.
Chris Chen, Youth Orchestra Director
The Orlando Symphony Youth Orchestra’s Director, Chris Chen has performed as Principal Second Violin in the Central Jersey Symphony Orchestra and as Principal Viola with the Plainfield (New Jersey) Symphony. Chris holds a Bachelor of Music degree in violin and viola performance from the GuangZhou XingHai Conservatory of Music in China.
Ms Chen has performed throughout Asia and North America as a soloist, chamber and symphony orchestra musician. As soloist, she has given concerts in the Royal Palace of Malaysia, at the Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City and at numerous venues in Florida. An active performer, Ms Chen concertizes regularly as both a violinist and violist with ensembles throughout greater Orlando. Chris is a mother and enjoys teaching a large class of budding string players.