The National Gallery Chamber Players Wind Quintet
Sara Nichols, flute
Ronald L. Sipes, oboe
James Bryla, clarinet
Theodore Peters, French horn
Danny K. Phipps, bassoon

The Musicians

Since the enthusiastic public reception of its first concert in 1995, the National Gallery Chamber Players Wind Quintet has become a regular feature of the Gallery’s popular Sunday evening concerts. Founded by former National Gallery music director George Manos, the ensemble explores and presents masterpieces of chamber music that are not often heard as well as the standard classics for wind quintet.

Sara Nichols

Sara Nichols is the principal flutist of the Baltimore Opera and was acting assistant principal flutist of the Baltimore Symphony for two years. She also appears with the Opera Theater of Saint Louis. In addition to frequent appearances with the National Gallery Orchestra, she performs at Wolf Trap. Nichols is a member of Quintigre, the award-winning resident wind quintet at Towson University in Towson, Maryland, and plays flauto traverse with Pro Musica Rara. She is a member of the music faculty at Townson University and the Baltimore School of the Arts.

Ronald Sipes

Oboist Ronald Sipes studied with Marc Lifschey and received the bachelor and master of music degrees from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He has played principal oboe in the Orquesta Sinfonica de Castille y León (Valladolid, Spain), the New World Symphony, and the Orquesta del Estado de Mexico. Since moving to the Northern Virginia area in 1994, Sipes has played with numerous orchestras and ensembles, including the National Gallery Orchestra, the Washington Opera, and the Theater Chamber Players.

James Bryla

Clarinetist James Bryla, a former pupil of Sidney Forrest, received the bachelor and master of music degrees from the Catholic University of America, where he also served on the faculty. He made his solo debut with the National Symphony Orchestra at age twenty-one as the winner of the 1987 Young Soloist Competition. In addition, he has won numerous other awards, including the Milton W. King Memorial Certificate, the Presser Scholar Award, and the International Clarinetist Competition (in 1986 and 1987). Bryla is currently the principal clarinetist of the National Gallery Orchestra, the Alexandria Symphony, and the East Wind Consort.

Theodore Peters

Hornist Theodore Peters lives outside Washington D.C.. A graduate of The Curtis Institute of Music, he studied horn there with Mason Jones and chamber music with John de Lancie. He continued his studies as a member of the New World Symphony, under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas. He has been principal horn of L’Orchestra Comunale di Firenze, the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia and the Baltimore Opera Company. Mr. Peters Currently performs with many ensembles in the Washington D.C. area, such as the National Gallery Orchestra, the National Theatre Orchestra and the Richmond Symphony Orchestra.

Danny K. Phipps

Retired Senior Master Sergeant Danny K. Phipps was the principal bassoonist with the United States Air Force Concert Band at Bolling Air Force Base for twenty years. A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Phipps received the master of music and doctor of musical arts degrees from the Catholic University of America. Currently an active performer and teacher in the Baltimore/Washington area, he is the principal bassoonist with the National Gallery Orchestra and the National Gallery Chamber Players as well as the Annapolis Chamber Orchestra. He is the associate dean of the music conservatory and professor of bassoon and bassoon literature at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia, where he has been a faculty member since 1987.

Chamber Music and Strings Program
Chamber Music and Strings Program, Faculty