Barbara Dechario, Harp
With RPO since: 1985
Hometown: Detroit, MI
First orchestra job: Oklahoma City Symphony
Favorite composer or musical period: Debussy
Earliest musical memory: Seeing the opera Carmen with the touring MET opera company
Favorite thing about Rochester: Wonderful cultural events
John W. McNeill, Percussion
With RPO since: 1971
Hometown: Rochester, NY
First orchestra job: RPO
Favorite composer: Bernstein
Earliest musical memory: Playing my mother’s pots and pans in the kitchen
Favorite thing about Rochester: The weather (yeah, sure!)
Rob Patterson, Percussion
With RPO since: 2000
Hometown: Weathersfield, VT
First orchestra job: Windsor, Ontario
Favorite musical period: 20th century
Earliest musical memory: Listening to Toscanini’s Beethoven Ninth recording on LP at age five or six
Favorite thing about Rochester: Working with this orchestra
Charles Ross, Principal Timpani
With RPO since: 2003
Hometown: Chappaqua, NY
First orchestra job: Radio Orchestra of Torino (Italy)
Favorite composers: Bach, Mozart, Sibelius and Mahler
Earliest musical memory: a violin lesson with my Dad, I was about three years old
Favorite thing about Rochester: the wonderful quality of the people that live here
Brian Stotz, Percussion
With RPO since: 1977
Hometown: Rochester, NY
First orchestra job: RPO (at age 20)
Favorite composer: Mahler, Prokofiev, Stravinsky, R. Strauss
Earliest musical memory: dropping the triangle at my first elementary school concert
Favorite thing about Rochester: great restaurants
Jim Tiller, Principal Percussion & Assistant Principal Timpani
With RPO since: 1995
Hometown: Anderson, SC
First orchestra job: South Carolina Philharmonic
Favorite composer: Prokofiev
Earliest musical memory: My father playing the guitar
Favorite thing about Rochester: the fall season
Joseph Werner, Principal Keyboard and Personnel Manager
With RPO since: 1975 (Personnel Manager since 1993)
Hometown: Hawthorne, NJ
First orchestra job: North Jersey Philharmonic in high school, Eastman Philharmonia in college
Favorite musical period: Opera from Mozart through the 20th Century
Earliest musical memory: Seeing my first opera at the “old Met”
Favorite thing about Rochester: Culture, and its proximity to the great outdoors (Adirondacks, Finger Lakes, etc.)
Grace Wong, Principal Harp
With RPO since: 1979
Hometown: New York City
First orchestra job: first "real" job was the RPO; freelance work includes New York City Ballet and Hudson Valley Philharmonic
Favorite composer or musical period: Debussy, Impressionist.
Earliest musical memory: Dancing during Dad’s choir rehearsals
Favorite thing about Rochester: RPO
