Laura Benning is a member of Quaternity flute quartet, Prince George’s Philharmonic, and member/manager of DCflutes.  She has performed with numerous orchestras in the Washington DC area. She is coordinator of the Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention, 2016 winner of NFA Convention Performers Competition, and 13-time member of NFA Professional Flute Choir.

Elisabeth Berry recently relocated to the Washington DC area from New York City. By day she works for a New York-based investment management firm. She holds her MBA from Columbia Business School. Elisabeth studied flute at the University of Cincinnati (CCM, B. Mus.), the University of California, Santa Barbara (MM), where she was a graduate teaching assistant, and in the Juilliard Pre-College Program. In her free time she enjoys adventuring in the outdoors, skiing the trails worldwide, rafting down the Grand Canyon and visiting family in Canada.

Joan Cobbs – In Memorium,  had been a member of DCflutes since 2011. She was a former banker and resided in SW Washington DC. She performed regularly at the Washington Conservatory of Music, The Cathedral of St. Matthew and the Friday Morning Music Club. Joan’s last teacher was David Lonkevich.

A member of DCflutes since the group’s inception, Christine returned to flute playing after a 25 year break as a student of Aaron Goldman. When she isn’t playing flute, Christine works as Director of Technical Services at the American University Library and enjoys reading, bike riding, and skiing.

When not playing alto flute with DCflutes or concert flute and piccolo with other community musical ensembles, Ellen Ensel is busy supporting the mission of the U.S. Institute of Peace in the Information Services and Finance departments. She lives in Takoma Park, MD with her husband Fenwick, remembering their son Lowell.

Elsbeth Fager received a M.M. in flute from University of Georgia under Angela Jones-Reus and a B.A. and B.S. in management and music at Bucknell University. She has also studied in Milan, Italy and at the Galway Flute Festival in Switzerland. She is Director of Visual and Performing Arts at Connelly School of the Holy Child.

Lenore Gelb has enjoyed playing the C flute since elementary school.   When she attended Carnegie-Mellon University, she was a member of the Carnegie Kiltie Band. Playing alto flute in DCflutes has been a valuable learning experience for her.  Lenore is also a member of the Rockville Concert Band.  Her other interests include running and weightlifting.  

Kevin Gilbert has played flute since elementary school and has studied privately with Nan Raphael and Glennda Dove-Pellito. He works as a project manager on a contract at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He is also the flute section leader for DC’s Different Drummers’ Capitol Pride Symphonic Band.

Deborah Hazel Johnson, alto & bass flute, is a psychologist in private practice and a federal government leadership consultant. She lives in Silver Spring with her physicist husband named Einstein and their mini-Aussie. Growing up in the Appalachian foothills in a lousy school system, she learned flute as a survival technique.

Gwyn Jones, flute, performs regularly throughout Metro-DC with a variety of classical ensembles, pit orchestras, jazz ensembles, and as a soloist. Gwyn is a founding member of the flute quartet, Quaternity and is flutist with the Morpheus Wind Quintet. She holds a M.M. in Performance from Florida State University. Teachers include Claire Durand Racamato, Charles Delaney, Mary Karen Clardy, Keith Bryan and Ali Ryerson.

Julianne Martinelli is an elementary school music teacher in Hyattsville, MD.  In 2012, she completed a Master in Music Flute Performance from Catholic University of America.  Currently, she is assistant principal in the Trinity Chamber Orchestra, Praise Ensemble at the Franciscan Monastery and the Maryland Band Directors Wind Ensemble.

After graduating from Shenandoah College and Conservatory of Music, Marilyn Marshall began her career as a music therapist. She also maintains an active flute studio in the Northern Virginia area and serves as a child advocate for Compassion International and World Vision. As a member of the New American Chorus, she performs in various cities with True North Presents. In June 2017, Marilyn performed with Flutes USA in Alba, Italy as part of the Italy/USA Music Festival.

Kyle Maurer is a federal prosecutor in Washington, DC.  He graduated from Stanford Law School and clerked for the Honorable Sidney R. Thomas of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.  Kyle has been a member of DCflutes since 2016 and he studies with Aaron Goldman.

Rebecca Mason joined DCflutes in 2016 and enjoys presenting annual recitals for a cause. She holds a DMA from SUNY Stony Brook, under Carol Wincenc, and a MM from SFCM under Tim Day. She currently devotes her time to her three young children and lives in Alexandria, VA with her family.

This is Howard McCullers third season as the ContraBassist with DCflutes. When not playing, he works as a Sr. Event Lead and Training Mentor at West Corporation. A highly sought-after multi-woodwind instrumentalist in the VA/DC/MD area, Howard also performs regularly with the Lucky Cats Jazz Orchestra, Woodbridge Flute Choir,  Bobby Jansinski Hot Lanes Big Band, and various community theaters.

Sarah Eckman McIver (DMA) performs and teaches in the Baltimore/Washington region on flute, piccolo and baroque flute. She has played locally at the Kennedy Center, National Cathedral, Lisner Auditorium, Signature Theatre, Strathmore, and the Meyerhoff; and performed across the US with the Army Field Band until 2015.

Teresa Meeks volunteers as a master gardener for Montgomery County. Teresa plays bass flute in DCFlutes and plays bassoon or flute in the Montgomery Philharmonic, TrioNine, and the Victorian Lyric Opera Company.

Sarah lives in Annapolis and is a 3^rd grade teacher in Howard County. She went to Carnegie Mellon University where she studied with Ethan Stang, Bernard Goldberg, and Julius Baker. She played with the Youngstown Symphony and wind ensembles while she was in Pittsburgh.  Living in Annapolis, she has played with local flute ensembles and wind ensembles. When she is not playing the flute or teaching, Sarah spends time at the gym and outside training for triathlons and weight lifting. She also spends as much time as she can boating on the Chesapeake Bay.

Maria Luisa de la Cerda Rohde, a Texas native and UT Austin music school graduate, is a retired member of The US Army Band, “Pershing’s Own”, after over 24 years of service to this premier unit. When not freelancing in the D.C. area, she performs with Quaternity Flute Quartet. Maria is also the Flute Instructor at Bullis School, Potomac MD.

Jayne Traynor Rose lives in College Park, MD. An Organist/Director of Choirs for the past 30 years, she is also the assistant director of the Chesapeake Flute Consort, Annapolis, MD, and has performed with that ensemble at several NFA Conventions, as well as in Europe and the White House.

Cynthia Rugolo, piccolo and flute, retired from “The President’s Own” US Marine Band in 2013 after twenty years in the solo piccolo chair. An active freelance musician in the Baltimore-Washington region, she has performed with the National Symphony, the US Air Force Band, the Annapolis Symphony, and the Annapolis Chorale.

Avery Sandborn is a geospatial analyst and remote sensing specialist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, DC. In addition to holding degrees in Geography from The George Washington University and the University of Maryland, she earned a B.A. in Music from the University of Maryland in 2013.

Angela Thompson is an attorney with the American Federation of Teachers. In addition to DCflutes, she also performs periodically with the Columbia Orchestra and the DC Concert Orchestra.  She lives in Silver Spring, MD with her significant other Tyshon, their daughter, and their cat Sammy.

Barbara Vigil served 26 years with The United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own” where she was the solo piccolo of the Concert Band and flutist with The United States Army Woodwind Quintet. She currently performs with DCFlutes, the Virginia Grand Military Band, and together with her husband, guitarist Kevin Vigil, as Duo Con Brio. She holds an MM in flute performance and pedagogy from the University of New Mexico and received her BM, magna cum laude, from Southern Methodist University. She maintains a private flute studio in Springfield, VA. When not playing flute, she is dragged around her neighborhood by her 90lb Great Pyrenees/Labrador mix, Doszie.

A native of Cambridge, Maryland, Ashley Watkins began flute at age 10 . She received a Bachelor of Musician Performance from James Madison University and a Master of Music from The University of Akron.  Presently, Ashley offers performances throughout the Maryland, Delaware and Washington DC areas as a freelance artist.

Deborah Weinberger played flute through high school, then took it up again after retiring. She studies  at Levine Music, currently with Karen Johnson.  She plays C flute and alto, and enjoys participating in chamber music groups of various instrumentation, but most frequently with Trio 9.  She joined DCFlutes in 2019.

Alyssa Williamson studied flute performance (B.M. 2009) and law (J.D. 2012) at the University of Kansas. She works in HR with Arlington County’s Department of Environmental Services. Outside of work, Alyssa is an active volunteer and sponsor of local music, animal welfare, and educational service organizations. Alyssa lives in Annandale with her spouse Josh and rescue pitts Anne and Dale. 

Sandra Ragusa is a charismatic personality on the classical conducting scene. Coming from an extensive background as both a conductor and a flutist, she brings the spirit of a true performer to the stage. She is highly regarded by both musicians and audience members for her thoughtful and energetic presence on the podium. Known for her creative programming and strong interpretation, Ms. Ragusa has been invited to conduct orchestras on three continents, including recent guest conducting engagements in England, Lithuania, Finland, Poland, Austria, Germany, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, China, and Japan.

Before Ms. Ragusa completed her undergraduate degree, she was asked by her flute professor to join him in the flute section of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra as an extra flutist. This experience led to her playing with both the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, under such noted conductors as Zubin Mehta, Andre Previn, and Esa–Pekka Salonen. In the Los Angeles studios she has worked with composer-conductors John Williams, Danny Elfman, Michael Kamen, and Hans Zimmer.

A native of Los Angeles, Ms. Ragusa studied flute at the University of Southern California and holds a Master of Music degree from Carnegie Mellon University. She has been mentored as a conductor by Colin Metters and Jorma Panula; her flute teachers were Julius Baker and Jeanne Baxtresser. Ms. Ragusa served on the faculties of California State Polytechnic University, University of Southern California, Carnegie Mellon University, and Pasadena City College.