The Directors
Rosemary Lather, GT Director
This is my 21st year of teaching orchestra in Howard County, and my 14th year of directing this orchestra so i have been directing it longer than most of the kids have been alive. I currently teach at River Hill HS and Marriotts Ridge HS. In 2001 I was Howard County's music teacher of the year. I played in the 1st violin section of the Maryland Symphony for 21 years, 1st Violin section of the Harrisburg Symphony for 3 years, assistant concertmistress of the Millbrook Chamber Orchestra for two years and concertmistress of the Columbia Orchestra for four years. I also taught violin and chamber music at Western MD, now McDaniel College for three years. I am a frequent adjudicator and guest conductor throughout the state of MD. Together with my husband, an award winning banjo player, we play music of the American Civil war era, performing at the Smithsonian, civil war battlefields, reenactments and many other historical events. We have two recordings and have recorded sound tracks for several battlefield visitor centers. I studied the violin with Robert Gerle, Berle Senofsky and Herbert Greenberg. I also have a Juris Doctor degree. I have two children and 4 poodles.
Allen Leung, Assistant GT Director
Allen Leung has been the Hammond High School and Patuxent Valley Middle School Orchestra Director since 2003. He studied at Kansas University and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education in 2002. Mr. Leung plays the violin and the piano. He studied violin with Ben Sayevich at the University of Kansas. His piano teachers and professors include Berta Eisberg, Richard Angelleti, and Alice Downs.
Mr. Leung is currently in his final year of obtaining his Master’s Degree at University of Maryland College Park. In addition to directing his school orchestras, Mr. Leung is the assistant director for the Howard County Gifted and Talented Middle School Orchestra. He has held this position since 2004. Mr. Leung has also taught the past three years at the University of Maryland summer music camp. As a pianist, Mr. Leung is the full time accompanist at St. Francis of Assisi in Fulton, Maryland.
A Midwesterner at heart, Mr. Leung is proud to call Maryland his home. Mr. Leung currently lives in the neighborhood of Locust Point in Baltimore. In his spare time Mr. Leung enjoys riding his motorcycle, snowboarding in the winter, and hanging out with his wife Marie.
Jay Kim, GT SInfonia Co-Director
A native of South Korea, Mr. Kim earned his Bachelors majoring in Violin from Han Yang University in Korea, where he served as concertmaster in his senior year. He came to the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore and studied with two world-renowned violinists, Mr. Berl Senofsky and Ms. Shirley Givens. He had orchestra repertoire training with Mr. Herbert Greenberg, who was concertmaster at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Kim received his Masters Degree and Graduate Performance Diploma majoring in Violin from the Peabody Conservatory of Music.
He has had the opportunity to work with several performing groups in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area including the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, Goucher Chamber Orchestra, Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, Concert Artist of Baltimore, Maryland Symphony Orchestra, and Washington Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. His string quartet group appeared at the Maryland Governor’s Gala Concert and his trio group was invited to play in the Eastern Chamber Music Society. Mr. Kim was the founder of the Columbia Camerata Musika, a professional string orchestra group, and the executive director of the Washington Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra.
In addition to his performing career, he has taught as a chamber music coach for two years at Chesapeake Youth Symphony Orchestra in Annapolis, Mr. Kim is currently teaching at two middle schools in Howard County Public School System and performing actively in Baltimore-Washington area. He has two sons, Joshua and Justin. His wife also graduated from the Peabody Conservatory majoring in Oboe
Chris Fyhr, GT Sinfonia Co-Director
Chris Fyhr is currently the Orchestra Director at Long Reach High School in Howard County. Mr. Fyhr graduated from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University and has studied violin under Brennan Sweet, Matthew Reichert, Richard Clark, and Joey Corpus. He is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Music Education at the Peabody Conservatory.
Mr. Fyhr is an active freelance violinist in the Baltimore/Washington area, where he has performed with several area orchestras including Alexandria Symphony, Maryland Philharmonic, Washington Sinfonietta, and the Wolf Trap Orchestra. He has performed at the Kennedy Center, the Filene Center at Wolf Trap, Avery Fischer Hall at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. He has performed with many world class artists including Ray Charles, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, and Elmar Oliveira. He has adjudicated for the Maryland All-State Orchestra as well as various All-County auditions throughout the Baltimore area, and also maintains an active private studio.
Mr. Fyhr also enjoys writing and recording music and has been involved with several progressive rock acts as both a guitarist and a violinist. In his spare time, Mr. Fyhr enjoys relaxing with his wife Allie and their miniature poodle Loki.