The Classical Tahoe Orchestra is composed of 70 of the most prominent musicians from major orchestras around the world, including the MET Opera, SF Opera, Zurich Opera, Philadelphia Orchestra, LA Philharmonic, and symphonies of San Francisco, Seattle, Dallas, Toronto, Houston, and more. 

Jonathan Darlington will be Classical Tahoe’s guest conductor for Week 1. He is currently Music Director Emeritus at Vancouver Opera since 2018, and has recently completed a highly successful term of almost 20 years as a Music Director. He has led the innovative company in a repertoire ranging from Mozart through Verdi, Puccini and Strauss to Tan Dun and Jake Heggie. Fluent in several languages, he was born and educated in England and now resides in Paris.

Sarah Vonsattel is a violinist with the Classical Tahoe Festival Orchestra. Violinist Sarah Crocker Vonsattel has been a member of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra since 2008. She previously held positions in the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Colorado Symphony. Sarah has appeared as soloist with the musicians of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Syracuse Symphony, and the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra, among others. Recent performances include appearances at Lake Tahoe Summerfest, the Dame Myra Hess Concert Series, the Bronxville Chamber Music Series, Downtown Music at Grace Church, the New Marlborough House Concerts, and the Syracuse Society for New Music. As a founding member of the Verklärte Quartet, Sarah was a Grand Prize Winner of the 2003 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, leading to concert tours in the U.S. and Italy with this ensemble. A proponent of new music, Sarah has appeared with the iO string quartet and the Talea Ensemble and can be heard on the Bridge Records label performing the music of Poul Ruders and Tod Machover.

Winona Zelenka is principal cellist of the Classical Tahoe Festival Orchestra. Winona Zelenka, known for her gorgeous, singing tone, is one of Canada’s finest cellists on the scene today. As a soloist, she has performed concerti with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (Strauss’ Don Quixote Suite, 2006), and many other Canadian ensembles; Lalo’s Cello Concerto in D Minor with the Mississauga Symphony (2008), Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto No. 1, with both the Scarborough Philharmonic (2007) and the Huronia Sinfonietta (2006); Haydn’s Concerto No. 2 in D Major with the Canadian Sinfonietta (2007), Dvorak Concerto with the Toronto Philharmonic (2012) Elgar Concerto with the Etobicoke Philharmonic and the Toronto Philharmonic (2013), and Shostakovich Concerto No. 1 with the Red Deer Symphony (2014). The season of 2016/17 will see Winona performing SaintSaëns Concerto with the Symphony on The Bay. Ms.Zelenka is also an enthusiastic proponent of new music, and has had several pieces written for her by Canadian composers, including Michael Pepa, Michael Oesterle and Chris Paul Harman.

Nathan Hughes principal oboe of the Classical Tahoe Festival Orchestra. He is Principal Oboe of the Metropolitan Opera and is a member of the faculty at The Juilliard School. He is currently principal oboe of the Classical Tahoe orchestra. He previously served as Principal Oboe of the Seattle Symphony and has made guest appearances as Principal Oboe with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, and San Francisco Symphony. A prolific chamber musician, Hughes has performed with the Met Chamber Ensemble at Carnegie Hall as well as with the Philadelphia and Seattle Chamber Music Societies.

Whitney Crockett is Principal bassoon of the Classical Tahoe Festival Orchestra. Whitney joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic as Principal Bassoon in one of Maestro Gustavo Dudamel’s first appointments. He came to Los Angeles after 12 years as Principal Bassoon of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra under Maestro James Levine. Prior to his work in New York, Crockett held the same position with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, and earlier in his career he held Principal Bassoon positions with the Florida Orchestra, the South Florida Symphony, and the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacionál of the Dominican Republic.  As a soloist, Crockett has appeared with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Florida Orchestra, the Yamagata Symphony Orchestra, the Bellingham Festival Orchestra, and Les Violons du Roy. He has performed regularly on the MET Chamber Players series at Carnegie Hall, and he has recorded, performed, and toured extensively with the New York Kammermusiker double reed ensemble.