About the Orchestra:

The musicians of the New Millennium Orchestra of Chicago are as versatile as they are virtuosic, fluent in the masterworks of the orchestral repertoire and with the latest modern innovations.

The ensemble attracts a diverse audience by breaking down barriers between so-called classical and pop art forms, as illustrated in its inaugural "Concert for Recycling," a multifaceted performance celebrating Earth Day, 2005. The concert featured performances of Handel's Water Music and Beethoven's Symphony No 4 conducted by Francesco Milioto, which were then "recycled", remixed live by Chicago DJ jRick and accompanied by motion graphics and fire performance.

The NMOC has been a Performing Partner with the Chicago Cultural Center since 2005. In 2007, the NMOC became the opera orchestra for the Elgin Opera, and began their ongoing work with Columbia College's Film and Theater Composition department. In 2009 made their Ravinia Festival debut on the Kraft Kids concert series and in 2010, made their debut at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance.

The group has also become known for its innovative multi-genre electronic ensemble, performing at the 2006 Edgewater Edge of the Earth celebration, the 2007 and 2008 Green Festivals, the 2008 Museum of Modern Ice in Millennium Park, and the 2008 Looptopia Festival. Featured collaborators have included members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, International Contemporary Ensemble, and Grammy-award winning group eighth blackbird, DJ Spooky, Michael Kang of String Cheese Incident, and the Grammy-nominated rapper Lupe Fiasco.

 

Music Director, Francesco Milioto
Since arriving on the music scene in Chicago Francesco Milioto has garnered praise from critics, colleagues, and audiences alike. The Chicago Tribune names him "one of the best young conductors working in the Chicago area." He currently holds the positions of Music Director for the Skokie Valley Symphony Orchestra and Principal Conductor of the Highland Park Strings. Mr. Milioto is in his eighth year as Music Director of the Summer Opera at the Chicago Cultural Center, where his is also frequently engaged as a chamber musician and accompanist. Since 2003 he has been a regular rehearsal pianist and assistant conductor at the Ravinia Festival where he works closely with Maestro James Conlon and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Milioto consistently makes appearances with Opera Elgin and Opera on the James. He is particularly proud of his involvement with the young dynamic group the New Millennium Orchestra which he co-founded in 2005. Mr. Milioto also has a long history of serving the community by reaching out to thousands of students as a teacher and performer with the Skokie Valley Symphony, Urban Gateways, Chicago Opera Theater, Gallery 37 and the Kraft Kids Series at Ravinia.

Born in Toronto, Canada of Italian parentage, Francesco Milioto began playing the piano at age 7. He entered the Royal Conservatory of Music for studies in history and theory, and was accepted into the piano studio of Gordon Hallett. Mr. Milioto earned his Bachelor's of Music in piano performance (with Honors and Distinction) from the University of Western Ontario. He was awarded the top scholarship by the music faculty to study with Ronald Turini, pupil of the great Vladimir Horowitz. It was at UWO that Mr. Milioto began to conduct, becoming the assistant conductor to the Symphony Orchestra and leading various ensembles in orchestral, operatic and contemporary works.

Mr. Milioto was invited by the head of Opera McGill to earn his Masters Degree in opera repertiore and orchestral conducting at McGill University in Montreal. He flourished as an accompanist and conductor. As assistant to both the McGill Symphony Orchestra and the Contemporary Ensemble, Mr. Milioto led many concerts and world premieres. He also acted as accompanist, coach, chorus master and music director for productions by Opera McGill as well as the Early Music Ensemble.

Since completing his studies Mr. Milioto has performed operas in Germany and taken part in workshops and conducting competitions in both Hungary and Italy. Having found his niche in Chicago, he continues to make an impact as a conductor, pianist, and vocal coach. Mr. Milioto was recently given the honor of being invited to the final stages of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra search for an assistant conductor, as well as the Montreal Symphony Orchestra search for a resident conductor.

 

Artistic Advisor, Personnel Manager, and Violin, Blagomira Lipari
is a native of Bulgaria. She holds a Bachelor's degree in violin performance from the National Academy of Music in Sofia, Bulgaria and a Masters degree and a Doctoral degree from Louisiana State University in violin performance with a minor in orchestral conducting. Mrs. Lipari has studied orchestral conducting with Gindong Cai. Her violin teachers include: Vesselin Spirov, Evelina Arabadjieva, Evgenia-Maria Popova, and Kevork Mardirossian.

Mrs. Lipari has appeared as a soloist with the Shumen Philharmonic, Orfei Chamber Orchestra, National Academy of Music Orchestra in Bulgaria, and New Millennium Orchestra in Chicago. Mrs. Lipari was the exceptional prize winner of the International Chamber Music Competition in Neerpelt, Belgium in 1989.

Blagomira has toured extensively throughout Europe since the age of sixteen as a member of various groups including the European Union Youth Orchestra, Philharmonia Pioneer, and the Sofia Chamber Orchestra. Mrs. Lipari has also been a member of the New Symphony Orchestra (Bulgaria), the Baton Rouge Symphony, and the New World Symphony (Miami).

Mrs. Lipari maintains a very active schedule as a chamber musician, regularly performing with a variety of chamber groups. She is a member of the New Millennium Orchestra String Quartet, Palomar Ensemble, and Accessible Contemporary Music String Quartet. She has collaborated with Amy Briggs, the Fifth House Ensemble, CUBE, Matt Albert of "eighth blackbird", and was recently featured in a CUBE-ICE concert. Mrs. Lipari has appeared on Bulgarian, Spanish, and US National television, WFMT of Baton Rouge and Chicago. Mrs. Lipari is a co-founder, artistic adviser, personnel manager, and violinist of the New Millennium Orchestra of Chicago. She is on the faculties of the First Conservatory at La Grange and Bella Musica Festival. Her most recent performances include two world premier chamber concerts in Paris, France.

Development and Violin, Andrew McCann
Andrew McCann is a violinist in the New Millennium Orchestra and serves on the Executive Committee as Development Director and sits on the Board of Directors as Secretary. An active chamber musician, Andrew has performed across the country in his duo with eighth blackbird violinist, Matt Albert, appearing recently at the 2009 Ojai Festival, and has performed internationally in his duo with pianist Amy Briggs. He has been a guest artist with the International Contemporary Ensemble, Present Music Milwaukee and Contempo. During the summer, he is a member of the Woodstock Festival Orchestra. Andrew received his undergraduate degrees in History and Violin Performance from Oberlin College and Conservatory and his Masters of Music from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His principal teachers include Lee Snyder, Greg Fulkerson, Jorja Fleezanis and Sherban Lupu.

Andrew is an AmSAT-certified teacher of the Alexander Technique, training with master teachers Joan and Alexander Murray. He maintains teaching studios in Hyde Park and Andersonville, Chicago, and his given workshops on the Alexander Technique at many universities, including Roosevelt University, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the University of Richmond, VA, Florida State University, and the Tainan National University of the Arts in Taiwan.

Executive Director and Viola, Dominic Johnson
After studying with Csaba Erdelyi at Rice University, Violist Dominic Johnson toured domestically and in 10 European countries playing rhythm viola for an indie rock band, rachel's. Mr. Johnson is currently the executive director and principal violist of the New Millennium Orchestra of Chicago, an ensemble he co-founded in 2005. He also has been active as a conductor, displaying his talent on the podium for the Turtle Bluff Chamber Orchestra and the New Millennium Orchestra electronic ensemble. Recent collaborative highlights include shows in November of '08 with Beach Boy Brian Wilson and performing on stage in Chicago Shakespeare Theater's '09 production of Twelfth Night. Dominic has performed with artists as diverse as Josh Groban, Transiberian Orchestra, International Contemporary Ensemble, and Ray Lamontagne. Mr. Johnson has also led NMOC ensembles in performances with members of Chicago Symphony, Dj Spooky, Michael Kang from String Cheese Incident, eighth blackbird, and rapper Lupe Fiasco.

Violin and Librarian, J. Austin Wulliman
J. Austin Wulliman has played a wide variety of concerts all over the Chicago area. He has been featured on concert series at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, the Chicago Cultural Center, the Green Mill, and live on WFMT. Austin has also been featured in concert and master class at many academic institutions, including Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, the Music Institute of Chicago, Roosevelt University, and Columbia College. Austin has quickly established himself as a fine new music player through his work with Ensemble Dal Niente and the Millennium Chamber Players. He has worked with many leading composers including William Bolcom, John Harbison, Lee Hyla, Betsy Jolas, Shulamit Ran, Bernard Rands, Augusta Read Thomas, Kaija Saariaho, and Bright Sheng. Beyond Chicago, Austin's activities have taken him to the Aspen Music Festival and New York's Tenri Institute for solo performances and the Lucerne Festival Academy. He has also been a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Austin received a Master's degree from Northwestern University and his Bachelor's summa cum laude at the University of Michigan.

Violin, Aurelien Pederzoli
Born in 1982 in Nancy, France, Aurelien Pederzoli began to study violin at the age of three. At the age of seven, he gave his first concert as soloist with the Philharmonic Orchestra in Nancy. One year later, he played his first recitals in Paris and Lyon. Mr. Pederzoli has performed extensively in Europe and the U.S. Aurelien Pederzoli has played at music festivals all around Europe: Oleg Kagan Festival in Kreuth, Verbier Festival, Al Bustan Festival, Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, La Folle Journée, Gulbenkian Music Festival and Foundation, Lanaudière Music Festival, Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele, Saint Riquier Festival, Sully sur Loire Music Festival. In 1993, Mr. Pederzoli was accepted at the Paris Conservatory. At age 17, Mr. Pederzoli entered the Bern Hochschule, Switzerland in the master class of Prof. Igor Ozim. In the year 2001, Mr. Pederzoli was invited to study at the Julliard School of Music in New York as well as the Curtis Institute of Philadelphia, an offer he turned down to study with Shmuel Ashkenasi in Chicago. Mr Pederzoli has played under such conductors as Pierre Boulez, Kent Nagano, Daniel Barenboim, Valery Gergiev, Cliff Colnot, Alan Gilbert, Alan Heatherington, Emmanuel Krivine and Lorin Maazel. Mr. Pederzoli is a founding member of the ANAPHORA Ensemble. Mr Pederzoli holds a soloist diploma from the Bern Hochschule, a Master's Degree in Violin Performance from DePaul university and a Master's degree in American Music from the University of Metz. Mr. Pederzoli plays on a Della Fonte violin made in Napoli in 1873 in gracious loan by Liz Stein.

Basson, Jason Kramer
Over the past decade, bassoonist Jason Kramer has been an active artist in orchestras, chamber ensembles, and new music collaborations. He is Associate Principal Bassoon of the South Bend Symphony, and is former Principal Bassoon of the Northbrook Symphony Orchestra. As a chamber musician, Jason made his Carnegie Hall debut as a guest artist with the Western Wind Quintet. He was a founding member of The Ineffable Trio, and currently performs with International Chamber Artists. He has worked with other diverse musicians including DJ Cyborg_K, vocalist Carol Genetti, and Paul Hartsaw's Socio-Cybernetic Music Machine. His recital of compositions for bassoon and tape was featured on "In Fear of Abstractions", a weekly radio broadcast by WIDR Kalamazoo. Jason holds degrees in bassoon performance from Western Michigan University and DePaul University, with additional studies done at the Bay View Conservatory and the Henry Mancini Institute.

Violin and electric violin, Chuck Bontrager
Chuck Bontrager uses his electric violin to play lower than most cellos and louder than most guitars. He obviously chose the wrong instrument. He'll keep it up until his students, friends, bandmates (from his metal group Vicarious -- www.myspace.com/vicarioustribute), and old teachers (like Myron Kartman from Northwestern) tell him to stop. You can also find him playing "regular" with the Lake Forest Symphony, the Chicago Sinfonietta, the occasional Broadway in Chicago production, and of course NMO.

French Horn, DeAunn Davis
In sixth grade, DeAunn chose to play the French horn. When asked why she will say, "because it made me dizzy!" Since then, DeAunn has earned degrees from Interlochen Arts Academy, Northwestern University and DePaul University. She has studied with Dorrie Nutt, Julie Schleif, Randall Faust, Gail Williams, Bill Barnewitz, Oto Carillo, and Jon Boen. While attending Northwestern, DeAunn was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and participated in their MusiCorps Program, geared toward community engagement through chamber music. For two years, DeAunn managed the Circulation Desk of the Northwestern University Music Library while performing regularly with the Illinois Symphony Orchestra. She is a founding member of Fifth House Ensemble and serves as Secretary of their Board of Directors. DeAunn has also performed regularly with the Peoria Symphony and the Honolulu Symphony, during a year as the Office Manager of the Musicians' Association of Hawai'i. DeAunn is currently principal horn with the Skokie Valley Symphony Orchestra. She teaches regularly in the Chicago-land area and is a founding member of the Omega Brass Quintet. Between playing horn and sleeping, DeAunn makes origami, jewelry, and longs for a dog.

Violin, Elizabeth Choi
Violinist Elizabeth Choi graduated from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music as a chamber music performance major in the studio of Ian Swensen. She received her undergraduate studies at DePaul University as a violin performance major in the studio of Mark Zinger. Currently, Elizabeth is a member of the Advent Chamber Orchestra, Camerata Chicago, New Millennium Orchestra, International Chamber Artists, Accessible Contemporary Music’s Palomar Ensemble and string quartet, and the Navitas ensemble. She has performed live at WFMT studios, Pianoforte Salon Series, Dame Myra Hess series, and in many venues throughout the U.S. and Europe.

Bass, Jeremy Attanaseo
Jeremy Attanaseo has been performing with New Millennium Orchestra for the last four years. He is an active chamber and orchestral musician, an enthusiastic promoter of contemporary music, and a devoted music teacher. Jeremy has performed with many ensembles around Chicago including the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Dal Niente, Elgin Symphony Orchestra, Camerata Chicago, and International Chamber Artists. He has also performed with the South Bend Symphony, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, and the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra of which he was appointed Principal Bass in 2008. Jeremy currently teaches at Maine South High School in Park Ridge and maintains a private studio in his home town of Buffalo Gove. During the summer he teaches at the Birch Creek Music Festival in Door County, WI. Jeremy received a Bachelors Degree in Music Performance from Depaul University in 2003 as well as a Masters Degree in Music Performance in 2005.

Flute, Jessica Moore
Jessica Moore performs in orchestras and chamber groups throughout Chicago. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in flute performance from DePaul University, where she studied with Mary Stolper. Jessica previously studied with Hideko Amano. She was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago from 2006- 2008. In addition, Jessica has performed with the New Hampshire Music Festival Orchestra, New World Symphony, and Concertante di Chicago. She performed live on WFMT 98..7 with the Millennium Chamber Players and has also played numerous concerts as a member of the Anaphora Ensemble. As a soloist, Jessica won first place in competitions sponsored by the Union League Civic & Arts Foundation, the Chicago Flute Club, and the Society of American Musicians. A 2008 Musicians Club of Women Farwell Award winner, Jessica is currently a core member of the New Millennium Orchestra.

Cello, Jocelyn Butler
Jocelyn received her Bachelor and Masters’ degree in music performance at Indiana University, and wrapped up her post-graduate studies at the Chicago College of Performing Arts where she studied with John Sharp. She was a member of the Chicago Civic Orchestra for two years, ending her final year as co-principal. She has performed with several great orchestras such as the Aspen Chamber and Festival Orchestras, Music Now, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and Miami Symphony. Jocelyn is also an avid chamber musician. This season her piano trio will be giving numerous concerts, some of which include a performance on WFMT, Mostly Music Concert series, performance of the Beethoven Triple Concerto in Schaumburg, and a performance/masterclass at UNCP in North Carolina. She is currently a member of the New Millennium Orchestra, International Chamber Artists, Advent Chamber Orchestra, Illinois Symphony, and the Illinois Philharmonic.

Clarinet, Elizandro Garcia-Montoya
Born in Costa Rica, clarinetist Elizandro Garcia-Montoya is an active performer and educator. He has performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, the Charleston Symphony, Houston Grand Opera, Jacksonville Symphony and the State of Mexico Orchestra in Toluca, Mexico. An active freelancer in Chicago, Mr Garcia-Montoya performs with some of the most important music organizations in the Chicago area. A prizewinner in the 1999 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, Mr Garcia-Montoya continues to pursue his chamber music career. He has performed with groups such as the Chicago Chamber Musicians, Fulcrum Point new music project, Pilgrim Chamber Players and The Chicago Ensemble, among others. Mr Garcia-Montoya completed his master's degree at Rice University. He also holds a bachelor's degree from Baylor University, a professional studies diploma from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and pursued additional post-graduate studies at DePaul University. Mr Garcia-Montoya has performed at numerous music festivals including Tanglewood, National Repertory Orchestra, Kent/Blossom Music, International Festival at Round Top, Spoleto/USA and Yale University's Norfolk Chamber Music Festival. His primary teachers include Franklin Cohen, Larry Combs, Richard Shanley and Michael Webster. Mr. Garcia Montoya is currently principal clarinetist of the New Hampshire Music Festival and the New Millennium Orchestra in Chicago.

Viola, Doyle Armbrust
is the eldest of three siblings, all of whom play viola. Having graduated with honors from Northwestern University, Mr. Armbrust went on to study with Donald McInnes at the University of Southern California where he earned a Masters Degree in Viola Performance. Mr. Armbrust is currently the principal violist of Camerata Chicago and the Firebird Chamber Orchestra in Miami, FL.

An avid proponent of music by contemporary composers, Mr. Armbrust performs regularly on the Chicago Symphony’s MusicNow Series, and is a core member of the Anaphora and Accessible Contemporary Music ensembles. Mr. Armbrust is also violist for Corky Siegel’s Chamber Blues, an internationally-touring Blues and Classical fusion group based in Chicago, led by harmonica virtuoso Corky Siegel.

In 2009, Mr. Armbrust was hired by TimeOut Chicago to write for its Opera & Classical and Music sections, and is often found scribbling notes at the back of the Empty Bottle, the Lyric Opera House, and everywhere in between. He considers playing with the New Millennium Orchestra to be one of the singular highlights of his musical endeavors.