The Frederick Symphony Orchestra, where it all started...

The Frederick Symphony Orchestra (FSO) is a community orchestra composed of professional and amateur musicians from Central Maryland. Founded in 1997, the orchestra performs a series of concerts each year which include classical masterworks, music by contemporary composers, pops concerts, and educational programs. Through its affiliation with Frederick Community College, FSO performs at FCC's Jack B. Kussmaul Theater, and qualified musicians receive college credit for playing in the orchestra.

The Frederick Symphony Orchestra is committed to enriching the cultural climate of Frederick, Maryland and its surrounding communities by providing opportunities for local musicians to perform and further develop their musicianship. In 1999, the orchestra instituted its Young Artist Competition to showcase and encourage talented local music students and expanded its fund-raising goals.

FSO's combination of educational outreach, community involvement, and affordable entertainment has attracted increasing support from the community. Now in its eleventh season, FSO is responding to audience demand by adding a fifth concert to its performance schedule and by starting the new Frederick Orchestra Guild (affectionately known as the FROGs) for volunteer community service. Throughout its brief history, FSO has enjoyed support from the Maryland State Arts Council, the Frederick Arts Council, local corporations, and generous private donors.

Elisa Koehler, Music Director and Conductor

Elisa Koehler is currently the Music Director and Conductor of the Frederick Symphony Orchestra and an Assistant Professor of Music at Goucher College in Towson, Maryland, where she conducts the Goucher Chamber Symphony and teaches courses in music history and theory as well as private lessons in trumpet and conducting.

Known for her versatility and probing musicianship, Dr. Koehler was awarded a Faculty Merit Prize by Goucher College in 2005 and was appointed to the Advisory Committee of the National Trumpet Competition in 2007. An active guest conductor and adjudicator, she has conducted All-County orchestras in six Maryland counties and has served on the judging panel for the National Trumpet Competition (USA). Her articles have appeared in numerous publications including the Conductors Guild Journal, the Heritage Band Encyclopedia, the International Trumpet Guild Journal, Maryland Music Educator and Alta Musica. Also an active professional trumpeter, Dr. Koehler has performed with the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, the Lyric Brass Quintet, and as the solo trumpeter for Baltimore’s Bach Concert Series. She has performed on period instruments with the Bach Sinfonia, Opera Lafayette, the Washington Cornett & Sackbut Ensemble, the Handel Choir of Baltimore, and as the leader of Newberry’s Victorian Cornet Band.

Elisa Koehler earned a doctorate in orchestral conducting from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University as a student of Frederik Prausnitz. She also studied conducting with Harold Farberman, Kirk Trevor, and Harlan Parker, and participated in workshops with Daniel Lewis, Paul Vermel, and Frederick Fennell. She earned a Master’s degree in trumpet performance from the University of Tennessee as a teaching assistant for Catherine Leach as well as Bachelor’s degrees in both performance and music education from Peabody as a student of Wayne Cameron.

Bill Spencer, Assistant Conductor

Bill Spencer is a native of Erie, Pennsylvania, where he studied bassoon beginning at age twelve. He became increasingly interested in conducting during this period, studying privately with two successive Erie Junior Philharmonic Music Directors, and also assisted his high school band and orchestra directors as needed. While at Northwestern University and later at Boston University, he continued his bassoon studies while also pursuing conducting opportunities as they presented themselves. As part of his master’s degree (in music history) he conducted various ensembles within the Boston University Collegium Musicum, and eventually moved to Baltimore to pursue a doctoral degree in orchestral conducting at the Peabody Conservatory with Frederik Prausnitz. While at Peabody he conducted the Baltimore premiere of the Symphony No. 14 by Dmitri Shostakovich. He also attended the Aspen Music Festival, studying conducting with Paul Vermel for two seasons. Bill served as Music Director of the Continuum Chamber Singers in Washington, D.C. for three seasons. He also pursued his interest in broadcasting with seven years on the staff of WJHU-FM in Baltimore (prior to its re-format as WYPR), where he served in a wide variety of roles. His wife Mary is a highly-skilled organist, and their teenage son is a very promising singer.

James Tung, Concertmaster

James Tung was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York where he began his violin training at the age of four. In New York City, James attended one of the foremost Suzuki schools in America, the School for Strings, studying with its founder, Louise Behrend. He later studied with Ann Setzer, worked closely with Sally Thomas, and attended the Meadowmount School of Music, founded by Ivan Galamian. James attended the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY working towards a Bachelor's Degree in Violin Performance. During this time, he studied with Catherine Tait, Oleh Krysa, Mitchell Stern and Ilya Kaler. He later returned to the School for Strings in New York where he received his teacher training in the Suzuki Method.

James won his first concerto competition at the age of 14, performing the Bach Double Violin Concerto with the School for Strings Orchestra. At 16, James performed with his piano quartet at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall in a concert later broadcasted on NYC's only classical radio station, WQXR. At 18, James was invited to perform with the Lima Philharmonic for a season in Lima, Peru. He has also performed with the Concert Artists of Baltimore, the Maryland Symphony, the Mid-Atlantic Symphony, the Gettysburg Chamber Orchestra, and the Gotham Chamber Orchestra. James is currently on faculty at the Frederick Community College and the Carroll Community College. He is also concertmaster for both the Frederick Symphony Orchestra and the Westminster Symphony Orchestra. James currently performs with the Azimuth String Quartet which resides at Carroll Community College. When not performing, James is an aspiring amateur race car driver.

Alice Tung, Principal 2nd Violin

Frederick County native Alice Tung began her violin training at the age of 10 with Doris Gazda, past president of the American Strings Teachers Association (ASTA). Her studies continued with Eric DeWaardt and Nancy Hollan-Beck, both members of the National Symphony Orchestra. Having only studied the viola for three years, Alice was accepted into the Eastman School of Music where she studied with George Taylor and John Graham and earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Viola Performance. She went on to earn a Master’s degree from the Peabody Institute of the John Hopkins University where she studied with Victoria Chiang. Alice has also studied with Heidi Castlemen, Dan Foster, and Richard Field. She has attended many international music festivals including Aspen Music Festival, Meadowmount School of Music, Bowdoin International Music Festival, and the National Orchestra Institute.

Alice Tung has performed extensively with groups throughout Maryland and Virginia including the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra, the Mercersburg Chorus, and the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra and the Gettysburg Chamber Orchestra. Currently a member of the music faculty at McDaniel College in Westminster, MD and Frederick Community College in Frederick MD, she performs with the Maryland Symphony Orchestra and serves as Principal Second Violinist of the Frederick Symphony Orchestra. Alice is also a member of the Azimuth String Quartet which currently resides at Carroll Community College. Strongly committed to education, she regularly performs outreach concerts at nursing homes and hospitals throughout the Maryland area. Alice also enjoys playing the accordion and occasionally performs with the Haus of Accordion in Germantown, MD.