Meet Our MUSICIANS

Nick Davies

Founder and Creative Director | Clarinet

Nick Davies is the Bass/Utility Clarinet of the Colorado Symphony. Previously, Nick was Principal Clarinet of the Great Falls Symphony and the Chinook Winds, in addition to holding positions as Bass/Utility Clarinet with the Santa Fe Opera, Sarasota Opera and Des Moines Metro Opera. He has performed with orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Louisville Orchestra and frequently performs as guest principal with the Bozeman Symphony.

As a soloist, Nick has performed Frank Ticheli’s Clarinet Concerto alongside the composer, and has performed as a soloist with ensembles such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Antelope Valley Symphony, the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, and the USC Wind Ensemble. Other honors include taking First Place in the Pasadena Showcase Competition, and Third Place in Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. Mr. Davies has a strong interest in contemporary music and has held past fellowships with Ensemble Modern’s Klangspuren Schwaz, Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, and Spoleto Festival USA. As a composer, his commissions include those from the Houston Grand Opera, Midic Winds, Webster Trio, and the Chicago Harp Quartet. Nick is the artistic director and founder of the Rossini Club, a chamber music organization based in Nantucket, Massachusetts, which is hosting its twelfth season this year. He holds degrees from Rice University and the University of Southern California.

Valerie Sly

Horn

Valerie Sly currently serves as principal horn of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra. She previously held positions as principal horn of the West Virginia and Adrian (Michigan) Symphony Orchestras, and in summer 2021, joined the Des Moines Opera Orchestra as third horn. Ms. Sly has also frequently performed with the Virginia, Richmond, Colorado, and Memphis Symphonies, as well as the Pittsburgh Opera Orchestra and ProMusica Chamber Orchestra.

Ms. Sly has appeared twice as a featured soloist for the Vermont Mozart Festival, performing concerti with the festival’s chamber orchestra in 2017 and 2018. In 2019, her chamber ensemble, Izula Horns, appeared as featured artists in the Boulanger Initiative’s inaugural Women Composers festival.

Summer orchestra fellowships include Spoleto Festival USA, Lucerne Festival Academy, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, and Colorado College Summer Music Festival. In September 2021 she returned to Lucerne as a member of the festival’s alumni ensemble.

Ms. Sly is currently completing a DMA degree at the University of Colorado Boulder under the tutelage of Michael Thornton. She also holds a master’s degree from the Yale School of Music where she studied with William Purvis, and a bachelor’s degree from Oberlin Conservatory where she studied with Roland Pandolfi.

Norman Menzales

Flute

Norman Menzales is returning for his second season with the Rossini Club. He serves as Principal Flute of the Fort Collins Symphony and Wyoming Symphony Orchestra, and Acting Principal Flute for the Chattanooga Symphony in the 2024-2025 season. Menzales previously held the position of Principal Flute with the Great Falls Symphony for 12 years and has performed with numerous prestigious ensembles, including the Buffalo Philharmonic and Boulder Philharmonic. As a passionate advocate for Filipino culture, Menzales founded the Sampaguita Flute Project, a community of musicians dedicated to performing Filipino-inspired works. The project recently toured Montana and will release an album featuring classical Filipino composers.

An enthusiastic educator, Menzales teaches at Western Nebraska Community College and the Interlochen Arts Flute Intensive, and he maintains a private studio. He holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and a Master of Music from the Eastman School of Music, where he also served as a teaching assistant to renowned flutist Bonita Boyd. In his spare time, Menzales enjoys hiking, eating, binge-watching TV shows, reading, attending drag performances, and spending time with his husband.

Ben Boskoff

Tenor

Georgia native Benjamin Boskoff is an accomplished tenor, celebrated for his versatility and dynamic performances. Specializing in Bel Canto repertoire, the music of Benjamin Britten, and chamber music, Mr. Boskoff has captivated audiences with his performances in productions, recitals, and chamber concerts. His recent engagements include performances in the Czech Republic, demonstrating his international appeal and commitment to excellence in vocal performance.

Notable roles in Mr. Boskoff’s career include Peter Quint in Turn of the Screw with Red River Lyric Opera, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte with Lawrence Opera Theatre, Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville with Light Opera of New Jersey, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni and Prince Ramiro in La Cenerentola with Opera MODO, and Count Ory in Le Comte Ory as a guest artist at Lawrence University. In 2019, Mr. Boskoff was a resident artist with Opera North, where he covered the roles of Macduff and Malcolm in Verdi’s Macbeth and later joined the cast of All is Calm. Mr. Boskoff has been most recently seen this past summer with Rossini Club of Nantucket in their first venture into vocal repertoire with their presentation of chamber music version of Schubert’s Winterreise. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Boskoff continued to work with several U.S. opera companies. He recently made his professional debut in Ohio with Opera Project Columbus as Ernesto in Don Pasquale and in Pennsylvania with Penn Square Music Festival as Count Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia.

Upcoming engagements include Dove’s Pinocchio and Puccini’s Il Tritticowith Boulder Opera, Donizetti’s Don Pasquale with Opera Fort Collins, the Evangelist in Bach’s St. John’s Passion in San Antonio,TX and several recitals across the United States.

A graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder (DMA), the University of Michigan School of Music (MM), and the University of Georgia Hugh Hodgson School of Music (BM), Mr. Boskoff has established himself as a prominent vocal artist and pedagogue both in the United States and abroad.

Mr. Boskoff has studied under esteemed mentors such as Dr. Gregory Broughton, Dr. Scott Piper, and Barbara Clark (Paver), Dr. John Seesholtz and has worked closely with renowned artists and educators including Martin Katz, Dr. Timothy Cheek, Kathleen Kelly, Kathryn Wright, Copeland Woodruff, Dr. Stephen Austin, Martha Sheil, Kenneth Bozeman, and Steven McGee.

Emelyn Bashour

Violin

Detroit-based violinist Dr. Emelyn Bashour currently holds positions as Principal 2nd Violin of the Detroit Opera Orchestra and Assistant Concertmaster of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, and is also a member of the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra and the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music Orchestra. As a soloist and chamber player, Emelyn is a passionate advocate for contemporary music and has participated in the New Music Workshop at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival (2022); the Cortona Sessions for New Music in Ede, Netherlands (2024), where she was a finalist in their Contemporary Performance Competition; and the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra Academy (2024), where she served as concertmaster. Her recording credits include the world premiere recording of “The Story of Patient No. 23” by Remi Inari on if you believe in the shadow… (2024), Evan Ware’s The Quietest of Whispers (2023, Neuma Records), and the GRAMMY-nominated John Luther Adams’ Sila: The Breath of the World (2022, Cantaloupe Music).  

Emelyn holds degrees from Michigan State University (D.M.A., 2024), University of Michigan (M.M., 2020), the Eastman School of Music (B.M., 2018), and University of Rochester (B.A., 2018). She has participated in many selective fellowship programs including Orpheus@Mannes (2019), Vermont Mozart Festival (2018), National Orchestral Institute (2016), and the Aspen Music Festival (2014). She was a fellow of the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra in 2018, 2019, and 2022, where she served as concertmaster for flagship productions of Salome (2019) and La Bohème (2022) and was engaged as a featured soloist for the 2020 season. 

Currently a member of the Detroit-based Kalkaska String Quartet, she regularly performs as a featured artist on FeverUp’s Candlelight Classical series. She also manages The Philomel Project (www.philomelproject.com), an online database of solo and chamber works by women composers aimed at increasing accessibility for student musicians.

Ryan Yamashiro

Bassoon

Ryan Yamashiro is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music, in Cleveland, Ohio, where he received a Master of Music Degree in 2019 studying with Barrick Stees. He received his Bachelor’s Degree of Art in Music Performance in the spring of 2017 from UCLA where he studied with John Steinmetz. Ryan has played with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, Toledo Symphony, Billings Symphony Orchestra, and Battle Creek Symphony. He was a chamber music fellow at the Kent Blossom Music Festival in 2018 and in 2017 performed as a concerto soloist with the UCLA Philharmonia Orchestra. Ryan has been engaged as a guest artist at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville College of Music and keeps his own private bassoon studio. When not playing the bassoon, Ryan enjoys artisan coffee, playing chess, and computer programming.

Virginia McDowell

Oboe

Virginia McDowell currently resides in New Orleans where she’s Principal Oboe with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. She has previously served as guest Principal Oboe of the Cleveland Orchestra, the Houston Symphony, the Houston Grand Opera Orchestra, the Florida Orchestra, and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. Additionally, she has performed with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and the San Antonio Symphony. Her summer festival appearances include the Pacific Music Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, National Repertory Orchestra, Aspen Music Festival, Round Top Festival Institute, Sarasota Music Festival, and the Colorado College Music Festival.

Virginia is the featured soloist on the premiere recording of Theo Chandler’s Oboe Concerto written for her in 2019 which is available on all streaming platforms. She was a winner of the Colorado College Music Festival Concerto Competition and of the Oberlin Danenberg Honors Recital competition in addition to being named as a finalist in both the Matthew Ruggiero International Woodwind Competition and the Oberlin Conservatory Concerto Competition. In 2017, Virginia was featured in a performance and interview on an episode of “On Stage at Curtis” on WHYY.

She received a bachelor’s degree from Oberlin Conservatory, a post-baccalaureate diploma from the Curtis Institute of Music, and a Master’s Degree from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. Virginia is very grateful for the never-ending support of her wonderful teachers: Robert Atherholt, Richard Woodhams, Robert Walters, Colin Gatwood, and Erik Behr. When she is not practicing or whittling away at her reed desk, Virginia enjoys experimenting in the kitchen, biking to City Park, playing games with her friends, and spending quality time with her chatty cat, Lilly.