Our Mission
The Renovo String Orchestra is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote the arts by:
We strive for excellence in artistic performance, and to make this wonderful music accessible to all people. If you would like to get involved, email us at info_renovostrings.org or call us at (847) 859-9351
Matthew Cataldi
Matthew has been actively performing for over 23 years and whose playing has been described as having "clarity and strength" (Chicago Classical Music) while at other times as being "especially sensitive" and "well-judged" (Cross Palms).
With degrees from Indiana and Northwestern Universities, he has made solo, chamber, and orchestra performing appearances in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Denmark and Holland. A recipient of numerous solo awards, Mr. Cataldi performs regularly with the Elmhurst, Rockford and Green Bay Symphony Orchestras and has also performed with the Lancaster Festival, Columbus, Springfield, Westerville, Richmond, and Mansfield Symphony Orchestras.
As a chamber musician, he is the current first violinist for the Raven String Quartet and has and continues to participate locally with such chamber ensembles as the Palomar Ensemble, Accessible Contemporary Musicians, Advent Chamber Players, International Chamber Artists, and Baroque Band. He has also guest lectured in modern and period performances at Columbia & Lake Forest Colleges.
Matthew as Artistic Director for Renovo String Orchestra is hoping to revitalize this great repertoire for local Chicagoans and beyond. He can be reached for any Renovo purposes at matt_renovostrings.org.
Denise Connolly
Denise holds a Bachelors degree in Violin Performance from DePaul University. She began violin lessons at age 9 in school in Crete, Illinois. She twice won the Chicago Heights Symphony scholarships to attend National Music Camp in Interlochen, Michigan. In high school, she was a member of the Chicago Heights Symphony viola section and a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Her teachers include: Thomas Wermuth, Almita Vamos, Roland Vamos, Hilel Kagan, Charles Pickler, and Eugene Gradovich.
Denise has been Concertmaster of the Wheaton Summer Symphony and Principal Second Violin of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. She is currently a member of the Rockford Symphony, the Mendelssohn Chamber Orchestra, and the Brass String Chamber Ensemble in addition to Renovo. She frequently substitutes with area orchestras and performs regularly at St. Matthew Church in Schaumburg.
In addition to performing, Denise maintains a studio of over twenty violin and viola students. She has done extensive teacher training and is registered with the Suzuki Association of the Americas in violin books 1-10. She also coaches viola sectionals for the Schaumburg Youth Symphony Orchestras. Denise coaches chamber groups for the Chamber Music Institute of the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra too.
Ricardo Ferreira
Born in Sao Paulo, Brazil Ricardo Ferreira started studying music at age four at Liberdade Baptist Church. He attended several music festivals in Brazil including Itu, Brasilia and Pocos de Caldas where he played in masterclasses for Erick Friedman, Boris Belkin and Lyndon Taylor.
Ricardo is the former concertmaster of Sao Paulo State School Strings Orchestra, Sao Paulo University Chamber Orchestra and Callis Camerata he was prize winner of the First National Competition for Young Interpreters of Brazilian Music. Solo appearances with Antunes Chamber Orchestra.
After earning a Bachelor of Music degree from Sao Paulo State University where he studied with Dr. Luiz Amato, he is now pursuing a Master's degree in violin performance at DePaul University under Prof. Olga Kaler.
Ayako Kikuchi
Born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Ayako Kikuchi holds both bachelors and masters degrees in violin performance from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University where she studied with Yuko Mori and Cyrus Forough
Ayako began her musical training on piano at age four, having studied with Renee Robbins, Dickran Atamian and Carl Alexius on jazz improvisation. Ayako is a winner of the Ann Arbor Bach Festival and first prize winner of the Ann Arbor Piano Teachers Guild Foundation Award.
Ayako was accepted to the Chicago College of Performing Arts as both a pianist and a violinist, but made a decision to focus on violin. Ayako played second violin in the Iridis String Quartet was awarded the first runner-up prize at the MASTA Chamber Music Competition. She has been a substitute player with the Lansing Symphony Orchestra, and an associate member of the Chicago Civic Orchestra.
Currently, Ayako is a freelance violinist in the Chicago area performing in various ensembles and maintains a busy teaching schedule. As a teacher, Ayako has trained and mentored young violinists participating in the Blue Lake International Exchange Program, the Michigan Youth Symphony Orchestra, and the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra.
Traci Newhouse
Violist Traci Newhouse, a native of Traverse City, Michigan, holds a degree in viola performance from Roosevelt University where she studied with Roger Chase. In 2003, she was an invited member of the Michigan Ambassadors of Music, where she performed in nine European countries as a soloist performing the Telemann Viola Concerto.
Traci has studied privately with soloist and former guest-principal of the Berlin Philharmonic, Roger Chase, as well as with David Holland, Yukiko Ogura, and Penderecki String Quartet violist Christine Vlajk. She studied with the Penderecki String Quartet in 2006 and 2007 at their annual chamber festival in Waterloo, Ontario. There, she also had the opportunity to study with the Shanghai String Quartet, the Lafayette String Quartet, and Canadian violist, Martin Beaver.
She is currently a member of the Renovo String Orchestra, the Northwest Festival Orchestra, the Classical Revolution Chamber group, and also teaches privately at the Trillium Arts Academy in New Lennox, Illinois.
Maria Ritzenthaler
Maria is an accomplished chamber and orchestral musician with extensive experience in musical outreach programs. She received her bachelors degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison studying with Sally Chisholm of the Pro Arte String Quartet. During her time in Madison, Maria also participated in the Up Close and Musical outreach programs as violist with the Hunt Quartet.
She recently completed her masters degree at Roosevelt University where she studied with renowned violist Roger Chase. Throughout her career, Maria has received many honors including the Richard Blum Viola Award in 2002. Some highlights of her professional experiences include performing as a tenured violist of the Madison Symphony, participating in the Aspen Summer Music Festival, and international solo and chamber music performances as part of the Casal Maggiore Summer Music Festival in Italy.
She is currently a regular member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago having worked with conductors Bernard Haitink and Pierre Boulez. Maria also enjoys teaching privately, performing outreach concerts through the Civic Orchestras MusiCorps program, and guest lecturing at Columbia College.
Byron Huey
Byron Huey began his studies at the Colburn School of Performing Arts. He received his bachelors degree from the University of Southern California studying with Ronald Leonard.
At Northwestern University, he earned his masters degree studying with Hans Jorgen Jensen. Currently, Byron is an active freelance cellist. In addition, he is Principal and Co-Principal Cello with the South Bend Symphony Orchestra and Principal Cello with the Elmhurst Symphony. He also plays with the Rockford Symphony and Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestras.
In the past, Byron has participated in such festivals as the Green Lake Music Festival, National Repertory Orchestra, Texas Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, and the Encore School for Strings. His previous instructors have included Alan Harris, Richard Weiss, Richard Naill, and Nancy Yamagata.
John Tuck
John is a member of the Lake Forest Symphony Orchestra and holds the position of Assistant Principal Bass with Northwest Indiana Symphony and Des Moines Opera Orchestras. He also has performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Chamber Orchestra, and the Ravinia Festival Orchestra, Ars Viva, Elgin Symphony Orchestra, Chicagoland Pops Orchestra, Northlight Theatre, Mannheim Steamroller, and the Three Tenors.
He has participated in the Aspen Music Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, Festival dei due Mondi (in Spoleto, Italy), and the Woodstock Mozart Festival.
John received his Bachelors of Music and Master of Music degrees from the Northwestern University School of Music and is currently on the faculty of the Music Institute of Chicago.
Donald A. Cataldi
Donald A. Cataldi (President of the Board) has enjoyed careers in both academia and the law. After receiving bachelors and masters degrees in sociology from De Paul University, he pursued a doctoral degree at The Ohio State University and taught sociology on the undergraduate and graduate levels in universities in Ohio, Virginia and Tennessee.
After receiving a law degree from Capital University Law School, he worked for the Office of the Ohio Attorney General in several of its divisions and was given the opportunity to argue before the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. After leaving the Attorney Generals office, he worked for the Ohio Parole Board before retiring from state service.
Since retirement, he takes classes at The Ohio State University through Program 60, works with the standardized patient program at Ohio State's School of Medicine, enjoys playing classical guitar with the Columbus Classical Guitar Society, and volunteers at public media stations WOSU AM, FM and TV during their pledge drives.
Donald can be reached at donald_renovostrings.org .
Jane Cataldi
Jane Cataldi, Vice President for Development, currently teaches in the Arts Policy and Administration Program at The Ohio State University. Her teaching focus is on interdisciplinary arts (serving students in dance, theatre, music, visual arts and new media) and on strengthening arts and community partnerships.
Specific courses include arts and cultural policy, nonprofit organizational theory, arts programming and audience development, and arts resource and revenue management. In addition, her research interests in these areas have led to national and international conference presentations. Locally, she serves as board member for arts organizations and as a consultant for art integrated curriculum in area schools.
When previously involved in dance performance and theatre direction, she earned a Masters of Arts in theatre production, history and criticism from The Ohio State University. With a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature and communications from the University of Kentucky, Dr. Cataldi worked in arts journalism. She holds a doctoral degree in Art Education with a specialization in Arts Policy and Administration from Ohio State.
Jane can be reached for Development and Fundraising purposes at jane_renovostrings.org .
Jenna Kaferly
Jenna Kaferly (VP of Marketing) is a musician and administrator. With work in Clarinet performance from Illinois Weslyan (Bachelor's) and Indiana Unveristy Bloomington (Master's), she decided to turn her attention to Arts Administration where in 2009 she also received her Master's in Arts Management from Columbia College in Chicago.
She has served as the Box Office Manager for Chicago Chamber Musicians, was on the Development Team for The Children's Clinic in Oak Park, and currently serves in the Development Department for the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
Jenna has been heard in concert across the midwest and has been featured on clarinet on WBEZ Chicago public radio. Currently, she sings with the Apollo Chorus, performs chamber music across the city with Classical Revolution, and is a primary clarinetist in the Northshore Concert Band.
Jenna can be reached for marketing related purposes at jenna_renovostrings.org .
John (VP of Productions & Librarian) is an arts entrepreneur and has orchestral administrative experiences in addition to his performance career. While managing his own concert series in the south side of Chicago, John continues to run Amadeus Consort, an organization which provides both private and public concerts and musicians to the Chicagoland area.
He has worked and helped staffed many of the orchestras around the Chicago area including the Northwest Indiana Symphony (NISO), Elmhurst Symphony, and Lake Forest Symphony Orchestras. In addition to this, he has served as the Board Liason for the musicians at the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra.
John received his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Northwestern University School of Music and currently is on the faculty of the Music Institute of Chicago.
John can be reached for production and librarian purposes at john_renovostrings.org .
Robert McConnell
Robert McConnell began his musical training at the preparatory division of the Mannes College of Music where he studied piano, composition, and conducting. He later received his Bachelors degree from Northwestern where studied composition with Jay Alan Yim, Augusta Read Thomas and Aaron Cassidy and received the 2006 Cacavas Award for his merits in composition.
Robert studied piano with Irina Edelman at the Mannes College of Music, harpsichord with Stephen Alltop and organ with Margaret Kemper. He has appeared as soloist in J. S. Bachs Fifth Brandenburg Concerto with the Northwestern Baroque Music Ensemble, Bachs Harpsichord Concerto D-minor with the North Shore Chamber Orchestra, and has performed with both the Bach Week Festival and the Dunbar Early Music Festival.
As a collaborator with the Beethoven Trio Project, Robert was involved in editing the scores of previously unheard piano trios by Beethoven. For the piano trio in D-major (Kinsky/Halm Anhang 3) dating from 1799, a work previous attributed to Mozart, he composed 33 measures of music missing from the original manuscripts, a completion critically acclaimed by both John von Rhein and Viven Schweitzer.
Robert is the official Program Annotator and Keyboardist for the Renovo String Orchestra.
Ingrid Nevinger
A full time orchestra teacher and versatile freelance musician, Ingrid holds a B.M. in Music Education from Roosevelt University and a M.M. in Music Education from VanderCook College. She studied violin under Melvin Ritter, Marc Zinger, Cyrus Forough and David Taylor and piano under Jane Allen, Dmitry Paperno, Eloise Niwa and Pawel Checinski.
She has performed on both violin and viola with several ensembles, including the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Oak Park River Forest Symphony and Skokie Valley Symphony. Ingrid has also performed in numerous theatre productions, on live radio and television (with Billy Corgan, Dennis DeYoung and Emilie Autumn) and has recorded with local bands.
She loves arranging and composing, and is thrilled that one of her original tangos was recently performed at Inönü University in Turkey. Ingrid is also an avid pet photographer, donating her services to local pet charities.
Ingrid is the official photographer for the Renovo String Orchestra.
Music in the Schools
As part of our mission to engage and educate new audiences, the Renovo String Orchestra has teamed up with the Chicago Federation of Musicians to offer Music in the Schools, a program designed to illustrate the riches of music through live performances.
To read about how you can bring professional live music to children in your area, click on the Music in the Schools information sheet below.
Music in the Schools Brochure.pdf
Poster.pdf
For complete information, email director Matthew Cataldi at matt_renovostrings.org or call our office at (847) 859-9351.
Composer Showcase
Calling all Composers!
If you have a composition that you want to have performed, we'd like to hear it! Submit your work for a chance to be featured in one of our concerts and also receive a live recording for your portfolio.
Up to four compositions may be chosen to be featured in a concert in the 2011-2012 season, with one work to be performed in each concert. Each performance will be recorded live and an audio copy of the work will be given to each composer for their portfolio. In addition, one of these works may be chosen to be professionally recorded, edited and mastered by the RSO.
All submissions must be received by June 1, 2011. Annoucement of the selected works will be made by August 1, 2011. For complete details, please download the Composer Showcase Packet below.
Good luck!
Showcase Application Packet.pdf
Run-Out Concerts
If you would like the Renovo String Orchestra for a special event in your community, contact us at info_renovostrings.org or call us at (847) 859-9351for complete information.
Choose repertoire from one of our concert cycles or customize your own repertoire. Our plans are affordable, starting at only $1,800 * for an in-town Piggy-Back option.
Click on our documents below for complete information.
Repertoire List for Concerts.pdf
*This figure represents the cost of a Piggy-Back concert with out consideration of travel time or extra fees. Please call or email for complete details.
Opportunities
If you're a person that is dedicated to supporting the arts or are looking to help our ensemble, we want you!
We currently need help in the following areas. Please feel free to email us at info_renovostrings.org for complete information about our volunteer positions!
General Volunteer
If you live in Evanston and/or the surrounding area, help us promote our ensemble while getting free tickets, discounts and other great goodies!
Contact Matthew Cataldi at matt_renovostrings.org to see how you can help our ensemble spread the word about our fantastic performances!
RUA Techie?
Do you have really great technical skills or are a professional computer designer? We need your help! We are currently looking for someone to help us with our:
If you feel up to the task, please email Matt Cataldi at matt_renovostrings.org for complete information.
Calling all Stringed Musicians!
Are you interested in becoming a member of our ensemble? If so, you have come to the right place. We are currently looking for Violins, Violas, Cellos and Basses to join our group.
General audition guidelines are listed below. For more information, please email us at info_renovovstrings.org or call us at (847) 859-9351.
Auditions General Guidelines.pdf
Merchandise
Purchase Renovo Stuff! All proceeds go to helping Renovo stay in your community!
CD only $10 !
Purchase our compilation CD from live concerts "An English Evening" and "Back to Baroque." Includes:
Bach Brandenburg Concerto No.5
Vivaldi Concerto for Four Violins
Bridge Suite for String Orchestra
Holst St. Paul Suite
Buy Yours Today!
Donations
For most performing arts organizations, only 40% of their fiscal budget comes from ticket sales. The Renovo String Orchestra is no different.
If you feel that our music deserves to be heard by all, please donate to us today. As a non-profit arts organization, your contributions to the RSO will go directly into our concert, educational, and community programming.
If you wish to support or sponsor a specific program within our organization, please email us at info_renovostrings.org or call us at (847) 859-9351.
Your contributions are greatly appreciated!
Donate Today!
Renovo String Orchestra is a IRS Tax-Exempt organization under the Illinois Non-for-Profit Code.
Specials
Group Sales
Any group of 10 persons or more may receive $5 off per person. Simply fill out the Group Sales Order Form below and present it at the door for the discount.
Group Sales Order Form.pdf
Season Tickets
Order your season tickets to all four (4) of our main concerts at Music Institute of Chicago by August 15, 2011 and receive 20% off your total purchase.*
*Offer only valid for General Admission & Seniors (65+)
Renovo String Orchestra
804 Washington St, Suite 2C
Evanston, IL 60202
(847) 859-9351
info_renovostrings.org
