Hawai'i Symphony Orchestra musicians, from left, Louis DeMartino, Lisa Stoneham, and Nelly Kovalev with Music Director Dane Lam. Photo by James Bash.
In Friday’s (3/27) Oregon Arts Watch, James Bash writes, “Oregon musicians play everywhere—even in the furthest reaches of the Pacific … That’s what I found when I recently travelled to Honolulu to hear the Hawai’i Symphony Orchestra in a concert on March 8. On tap was a performance of Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream … in collaboration with the Manoa Valley Theatre. Usually, the Mendelssohn is done with a narrator, but this time around concertgoers got the full-meal-deal with actors and minimum props plus all of the orchestral music… Three Oregonians are members of the Hawai’i Symphony Orchestra: Louis DeMartino, Nelly Kovalev, and Lisa Stoneham…. Kovalev joined the Hawai’i Symphony Orchestra after winning the associate concertmaster position in 2023. Like DeMartino, she has been accustomed to playing for many ensembles. ‘I did Portland Opera, Oregon Ballet Theatre, and several one-year positions with the Oregon Symphony. Also played with the Eugene Symphony,’ she said…. ‘I am a member of the New West Symphony. I have to balance all that with being the concertmaster of the Oregon Ballet Theatre and also playing with Portland Opera…. I decided to move permanently to Honolulu. Now I’m commuting the other way.’ ” The article includes commentary from DeMartino and Stoneham.
