Mary’s primary teacher was Robert Swenson of the notable Walden Quartet, and professor of cello at the University of Illinois, Urbana campus, where she received a Bachelor of Music degree in cello performance. For one year she trained under Eleanor Slatkin of the famed Hollywood Quartet and mother of renowned conductor Leonard Slatkin.
For approximately 12 years she played with the New Mexico Symphony which regularly hosted international solo names such as James Galway, Andre Watts, Leontyne Price, Lynn Harell, Pepe Romero, Vladimir Ashkenazy, and a multitude of others.
Yoshimi Takeda, a protégé of George Szell, was the very fine conductor there for most of her tenure. Additional conductors in her experience include Robert Shaw, Raymond Leppard, Jaime Laredo, Hugh Wolf, and Margaret Hillis as well as others.
She has performed with a variety of commercial venues, including Ray Charles, Dolly Parton, the Dallas Ballet, and the like. For 3 years she performed with the Santa Fe Opera for the Richard Strauss enlarged orchestra. She also managed a string quartet which performed for various functions. |
