1st Violin
Concertmaster
Mickey Badalamenti
Mickey began playing violin at the age of 10 when his mother suggested he try the instrument in the school music program. He instantly took to the violin, continuing on as concertmaster of his high school orchestra and studying music composition – one of his compositions being performed by his high school orchestra at an orchestral music competition in Toronto. Mickey studied at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp and Interlochen before attending the University of Michigan where he earned a BA in Music, continuing onward in venues and in worship at his church for over 40 years.
Mickey has played in numerous Orchestras in the Metro Detroit area in the past, among them the University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra; the Rochester Symphony where he shared the concertmaster seat for several years; the Warren Symphony; the Flint Symphony; and the Michigan Pops Orchestra where he served as concertmaster for the 1997 season. In addition, he has performed in several musical venues over the years such as The Nutcracker performed at the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts, and as concertmaster for the brilliant Christmas musical programs that were held at Bethesda Christian Church in Sterling Heights.
Mickey serves as an associate pastor at Rockpointe Community Church in Sterling Heights. He is happily married and resides in Shelby Township with his wife Kate and four wonderful children.
2nd Violin
Principal
Jenna Zito
Jenna's musical journey commenced at the age of 10, sparked by the encouragement of her elementary school teacher. What initially began as a fascinating hobby swiftly evolved into a lifelong passion. Throughout high school, Jenna honed her skills through private studies at Oakland University and participation in groups such as the Detroit Symphony Youth Ensembles and Oakland Youth Orchestra.
Post high school, Jenna pursued her musical education at Central Michigan University under the guidance of the DSO musician, Hai Xin Wu. She contributed her talents to the Central Michigan Symphony before returning to Oakland University to conclude her studies under the tutelage of Elizabeth Rowan. In 2016, Jenna proudly graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Music.
Equipped with her extensive musical training, Jenna obtained Suzuki-method certification and ventured into the realm of teaching. Currently, she imparts her knowledge as an elementary violin instructor at Chiquitos Bilingual Montessori School in Shelby Township, aspiring to cultivate and inspire the next generation of budding violinists.
In 2016, Jenna joined the ranks of the Troy Metro Symphony Orchestra. A short hiatus in 2022 allowed Jenna to embrace motherhood, welcoming her daughter Lucy into the world. Presently, Jenna balances her roles, dedicating her nap times to orchestral practice and engaging in chamber music performances for the Church of the Advent in Lake Orion. Beyond the realm of music, Jenna finds solace in her garden or kitchen.
Viola
Principal
Katy Dobis
Music has been a love of Katy’s since she was young. At the early age of three, she could be seen standing by the CD player conducting and playing the “air violin” to Handel’s Water Music. A few years later, she would receive her first violin as a Christmas present.
Shortly after it was founded, Katy joined OCMS as both a violinist and music librarian. Her career as a violist began in the summer of 2008 when there was a need in the OCMS Strings Camp. As Mr. Holliday was famous for doing, he “stuck a viola under her chin” and it never left. For the next several years she would alternate between violin and viola with OCMS, but has predominantly played in the viola section since 2014. Since joining, she has only missed two concert series.
In addition to OCMS/TMSO, she has performed in numerous string quartets for weddings and fundraisers, the Oakland Youth Orchestra, Christmas Cantatas at First Baptist Church of Lapeer, as an instructor at OCMS Strings Camp, accompanied the Choral Artists of Michigan, provided intermission music for the Classic Chorale, as a rehearsal stand-in for collegiate senior recitals, and has performed as a solo violinist for nursing homes, shut-ins, and dinner parties. She has also been a member of First Baptist Church of Lake Orion’s orchestra for over 20 years and enjoys arranging hymns for solo violin/viola.
She began lessons with Julie McGee, and then transitioned to Leonard Holliday who founded the Orion Chamber Music Society, (rebranded as the Troy Metro Symphony Orchestra). She briefly studied with Bethany Moses as well.
Cello
Principal
Melody Mieczkowski
Melody Mieczkowski started music studies at a young age, and has been singing and playing instruments for as long as she can remember! She attributes much of her heart for music to her parents' influence, who faithfully took her to concerts, consistently scheduled lessons and practice, and played classical music so frequently that as a young child she thought the Beethoven violin sonatas were the only thing the radio would air! Making music with family, friends, and students is a priceless gift she is now thrilled to pass on to the next generation as a music teacher. She has been blessed to work under and be inspired by a number of skilled and dedicated conductors, teachers, and musicians, starting piano lessons with her mom and continuing with private instructors which included Anthony Elliott (cello), professor at the University of Michigan, and Rebecca Harding Mayer (piano), graduate from the Cleveland Institute of Music, along with solid foundations in cello from Jui-Chao Wang and Mimi Morris-Kim and vocal training from Laurie Beachell and Candace de Lattre (formerly adjunct faculty at Oakland University).
She has also taken Suzuki registered teacher training at the Chicago Suzuki Institute, Ypsilanti PhoenixPhest, and Memphis Suzuki Institute with seasoned trainers Jean Dexter/Carey Cheney (cello) and Caroline Fraser/Rita Hauck (piano). Melody has been teaching private piano and cello lessons since 2008, teaching primarily at the First Baptist Music Academy in Troy, MI, as well as in her home studio in Grand Blanc, MI. Currently, her studio consists of over 30 cello, piano and voice students of various levels, ranging in ages from preK to adults. She loves to see students develop in their character, musicianship, and walk with the Lord throughout their time of study. As a young musician, Melody benefited from the teaching environment of TMSO in its beginning days as the Orion Chamber Music Society orchestra and now enjoys the community atmosphere at TMSO, serving on the board and managing concert and personnel logistics as principal cellist. She loves how the orchestra brings together a wide variety of ages and allows those in non-musical careers to continue growing and enjoying the musical abilities they built in the past.
Melody has also been a part of music gigs in Southeast Michigan since 2006, and accompanied for school choirs and numerous festivals. In 2016 she took over the director position of the OCMS summer String Camp (www.ocmsstringcamp.org), a sister organization of TMSO, which hosts around 75 students each year and has trained many of the string players for TMSO over the years, including herself! In addition to teaching, Melody is also very involved in her church, First Baptist Church of Troy, as a musician, and with her family has recorded, produced, or assisted with four albums of sacred instrumental and vocal music. Melody's desire is to use music as a tool to honor God and minister to others.
Oboe
Principal
Donna Hobson
Donna Hobson started on the clarinet in her school’s beginning band program in the fourth grade. At the start of her seventh-grade school year, her band teacher asked for a volunteer to play the oboe, and for some inexplicable reason, Donna raised her hand. Aer her parents described an oboe to her, they had her begin private lessons with Michelle Rollinger-Brown, with whom she studied until she finished high school.
At Alma College, Donna played in the Alma Symphony Orchestra, the Alma Wind Ensemble, and the Haggis Five Wind Quintet. She studied oboe with several excellent teachers including Shelley Heron (Detroit Symphony Orchestra) and Peter Kjome (Grand Rapids Symphony). She had the privilege of performing Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante for Four Winds and Alessandro Marcello’s Oboe Concerto in D minor. The highlight of her college career was spending a semester in Vienna, Austria, where she enjoyed visiting famous sites important to music history and attending numerous live performances.
Since college, Donna has been an active participant in her church music ministry and enjoys playing in community groups. She and her husband have two children.
Flute
Principal
Amy Harmon
Amy began her musical training at the age of five with piano lessons that she continued (and actually enjoyed!) until high school. When she was in middle school, Amy began private flute lessons, but she didn’t have an opportunity to play in any musical group until she entered high school. Amy’s growth as a musician was exponential in high school as she excelled in private flute lessons, played in multiple honor bands and school ensembles (Amy was a soloist when Centerville High School (OH) won the Bands of America Grand National Marching Band Competition in 1992!), and began playing both flute & piano at her church.
Amy’s experience in her church’s music ministry was a huge encouragement and catalyst in her decision to major in music education in college. In music college (Ohio), Amy won numerous scholarships & a concerto competition and played extensively in Flute Choir, Orchestra, Woodwind Quintet, and Wind Symphony (where she met her husband, Ross - TMSO, French horn). During this time, she also began building a private flute & piano studio and taking a larger leadership role in her church as the pianist, children’s choir director, and assistant music minister.
After graduation, Amy moved to Michigan and became a pianist for Victoria’s Wedding Chapel, while building a new studio of piano & flute students. Over the next 15 years, she raised & homeschooled seven children and stayed musically active by singing in her church choir, playing piano & flute at weddings and church services, teaching performing arts classes in a local homeschool co-op, and judging scholastic music competitions. She joined TMSO in 2015.
In her free time, Amy enjoys spending time at the lake with her 7 children & 2 grandsons, serving in the vocal & instrumental music ministries in her church, and playing in TMSO with her husband, Ross (French horn).
Clarinet
Principal
Cassandra O'Brien
Cassandra O'Brien has a deep passion for making beautiful music, and that passion is evident in her career as a clarinetist and teacher. She began her musical journey in fifth grade and continued all through high school and college, eventually earning her Doctorate in Musical Arts from Michigan State University.
Most of Cassandra's musical work is focused in the Metro-Detroit area. In addition to performing as principal clarinetist with the TMSO, she performs regularly with the Rochester and Macomb Symphony Orchestras. In addition to performing, Cassandra loves to help other musicians discover the joy of skillfully expressing themselves through music. She teaches aspiring musicians through Expressions Music Academy and Oakland Homeschool Music. She also is the adjunct clarinet professor at Saginaw Valley State University, where she helps prepare musicians for their careers.
Cassandra plays in her church frequently and teaches music appreciation and theory to the children in her church. She enjoys every opportunity to play in ensembles, and it is always so special when she is able to share her love for God with others through music. Troy Metro Symphony Orchestra allows her a wonderful opportunity to give praise to God while making beautiful music, and she is very grateful to be involved with such a wonderful group!
Bassoon
Principal
Maria Lord-Kniveton
After studying piano, violin, and flute during early childhood, Maria turned her focus to bassoon at the age of 10. Her teachers have included Colin Lord (her father), Robert Williams (former principal of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra), and Dr. Jonathan Saylor (professor at Wheaton College). Although the orchestras she has played in have shifted with time from the Dearborn Youth Symphony to the Wheaton College Symphony Orchestra to her current positions in the Troy Metro Symphony Orchestra and the Livonia Symphony Orchestra, her goal has always remained the same: to always keep challenging herself and continually improving as a musician.
Beyond orchestral playing, Maria enjoys performing as a soloist and with the Trans-Pacific Trio (including Colin Lord, clarinet, and Dianne Lord, piano). The first album of her compositions, The Trans-Pacific Trio Performs Music of Maria Lord-Kniveton, came out in 2021. Since then, she has been composing solo and chamber works for upcoming albums Icons for the Edges and Ho(l)mes. She is also recording her first album of contemporary bassoon solo music, and has been enjoying the ways all of these projects have given her opportunities for musical growth.
The desire for musical growth and enjoyment is something that Maria aspires to pass on to others, whether they are in the choir under her directorship at Church of the Advent, in classes at Kennedy Center School, or taking private lessons from her. Two of the most important sayings that embody her philosophy of music are, "Excellence is becoming better than I once was" and, "The one who succeeds is the last one to quit."
Horn
Principal
Ross Harmon
Music has always been important in Ross’s life. As a young boy, he listened to his father play trumpet in the community band. Once he turned five, Ross began piano lessons, establishing a musical foundation for the rest of his life. He became an excellent pianist over the years, even winning a piano scholarship as a teenager. Encouraged by his parents, Ross started playing trumpet in the 5th grade. Throughout middle school and high school, he taught himself how to play the trumpet, baritone, french horn, mellophone, and saxophone.
During college, Ross marched in Star of Indiana drum corps playing mellophone and soprano trumpet. While attending Purdue University, Ross played french horn in Wind Symphony and mellophone in marching band. He then moved to Ohio and played Eb Alto horn in the Ohio Valley British Brass Band for three years. While getting a master’s degree in engineering, Ross played french horn in six college ensembles each quarter, including faculty winds and faculty strings groups.
After moving to Michigan, Ross has played principal horn at TMSO and Lapeer Symphony Orchestra. He has also played locally with Pontiac, Oakland, Macomb, Grosse Pointe, and Southern Great Lakes Symphony Orchestras as well as with The Michigan Chorale and The Michigan Chamber Orchestra. Ross enjoys playing with TMSO Brass Quintet, TMSO Woodwind Quintet, and a horn group made up of former TMSO musicians.
Ross enjoys serving at his church in the music ministry. He keeps busy with his seven children (and two grandsons!).
Trumpet
Principal
Austin Flowers
Austin started playing the trumpet in the 4th grade while first taking lessons with his dad. Of course, his true music education started with his mother's teaching while only in kindergarten on the piano. That quickly snowballed into a passion that surpassed even his Dad's own as he started to teach himself, until the 9th grade when he was able to be taught by Pastor Steve Allen. This marked the beginning of a new era of performance and musicality that he cherishes. Learning music of this quality and caliber at Bethany Christian School allowed him to excel far more than anticipated.
It is this great beginning and foundation that ultimately set him up for success as he continued to grow his skills throughout college at Eastern Michigan University, playing with their University Orchestra as Assistant Principal trumpet under Dr. Kevin Miller. He was also privileged to have teachers such as Vincent Penzarella of the Julliard School.
After college, he continued to perform as the Principal Trumpet of the Lapeer Symphony Orchestra till 2016, the Principal Trumpet of the Orion Chamber Music Society Symphony till it was rebranded the TMSO in 2016, the Principal Trumpet of the Michigan Chamber Orchestra till 2020, Lead trumpet for the Woodward Avenue Jazz Orchestra till 2016, section solo cornet in the Motor City Brass Band till 2018, trumpet soloist with White Pines Entertainment performing both classical and sacred venues across the state.
Austin enjoys performing with the TMSO quintet throughout MI and also performing for the local churches in the area, using his talents for God's glory and the edification of each congregation we perform for.
Trombone
Principal
Paul Yee
Music has been a major part of Paul Yee’s life, ever since he started playing the trombone in 5th grade. “I studied music at the University of Michigan, and while I was a “pretty good” trombone player, I realized it would be difficult to make a living as a professional musician.”
Reluctantly, Paul stopped playing, but wanting to stay in the field of music, he started working for the Harmony House Records & Tapes chain, and before he knew it, music retail became a career. “After 25 wonderfully musical years at Harmony House, I spent the next 9+ years doing similar work, managing the music shops for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.”
It was during Paul’s time with the DSO that he started playing trombone again, after a 33-year hiatus. “I’m making up for lost time by playing with the talented MCBB, six other local ensembles, and anybody else who needs a trombone player!” Paul plans to keep playing as long as he can fill his lungs with air. Besides music, Paul’s hobbies are Michigan/Detroit sports teams and his 2 grandchildren!
Tuba
Principal
Melanie Hutchings
Through hearing about how her parents played instruments during their school years and seeing her brother actually start learning a musical instrument, Melanie decided that was something that she would like to pick up as well. Although Melanie’s musical path started with playing the trumpet in the 5th grade, she eventually was asked to switch to tuba and after some convincing, self-taught herself prior to beginning the 7th grade. She was honored to have been asked to join the high school’s marching band as an 8th grader, where she learned the importance of individual accountability along with teamwork, and continued to be involved in numerous ensembles during her high school years.
After high school she continued to be involved in music through her involvement as a contra player with the Glassmen Drum and Bugle Corps for 5 years, as well as spending 10 years as a visual and low brass music instructor for the Redford Thurston Marching Band.
Currently she enjoys playing in the Birmingham Concert Band/BCB Entertainers as well as the TMSO and TMSO Brass Quintet while pursuing a PhD in Nutrition and Food Science from Wayne State University. Music has always been a passion of hers, and she hopes to continue playing in musical ensembles no matter what direction (or location) her career path may take her!