Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

With a contagious smile and captivating charm, the conductor, trumpet virtuoso, singer and actor Byron Stripling has ignited audiences across the globe. Recently named Principal Pops conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, his baton has led orchestras throughout the United States and Canada. As soloist  with the Boston Pops Orchestra, Stripling has performed frequently under the baton of Keith Lockhart, as well as being featured soloist on the PBS television special, "Evening at Pops," with conductors John Williams and Mr. Lockhart. Currently, Stripling serves as artistic director and conductor of the highly acclaimed Columbus Jazz Orchestra.

Since his Carnegie Hall debut with Skitch Henderson and the New York Pops, Byron Stripling has become a pops orchestra favorite throughout the country, soloing with over 100 orchestras around the world including the Boston Pops, National Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Cincinnati Pops, Seattle Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Toronto Symphony, and orchestras throughout Europe and Asia. He has been a featured soloist at the Hollywood Bowl and performs at festivals around the world.

An accomplished actor and singer, Byron Stripling was chosen, following a worldwide search, to star in the lead role of the Broadway bound musical, "Satchmo."  Many will remember his featured cameo performance in the television movie, "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles," and his critically acclaimed virtuoso trumpet and riotous comedic performance in the 42nd Street production of "From Second Avenue to Broadway."

Television viewers have enjoyed his work as soloist on the worldwide telecast of The Grammy Awards.  Millions have heard his trumpet and voice on television commercials, TV theme songs including "20/20," CNN, and soundtracks of favorite movies. In addition to multiple recordings with his quintet, work with artists from Tony Bennett to Whitney Houston, his prolific recording career includes hundreds of albums with the greatest pop, Broadway, soul and jazz artists of all time.

Byron Stripling earned his stripes as lead trumpeter and soloist with the Count Basie Orchestra under the direction of Thad Jones and Frank Foster.  He has also played and recorded extensively with the bands of Dizzy Gillespie, Woody Herman, Dave Brubeck, Lionel Hampton, Clark Terry, Louis Bellson, and Buck Clayton in addition to The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, The Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, and The GRP All Star Big Band.

Byron Stripling is devoted to giving back and supports several philanthropic organizations including The United Way and Homelessness advocate and The Community Shelter Board. He also enjoys sharing the power of music through Seminars and Master Classes at colleges, universities, conservatories, and high schools.  His informative talks, combined with his incomparable wit and charm, make him a favorite guest speaker to groups of all ages. 

Byron Stripling was educated at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York and the Interlochen Arts Academy in Interlochen, Michigan.  One of his greatest joys is to return, periodically, to Eastman and Interlochen as a special guest lecturer.

A resident of Ohio, Stripling lives in the country with his wife Alexis, a former dancer, writer and poet and their beautiful daughters.

Los Angeles-based theatrical circus company, Troupe Vertigo, was founded in 2009 by Aloysia Gavre (Cirque du Soleil) and her husband Rex Camphuis (Pickle Family Circus/ Film & Theater Producer). They create an eclectic and refreshing mix of circus-dance-theater works that ignite the imagination with mentally and physically spellbinding performances. 

Troupe Vertigo encompasses the wide spectrum of the performing arts including performances at Theaters, Concert Halls, Festivals and Special Events.  

Troupe Vertigo has been creatively involved with  world class symphonies contributing widely with their theatrical sensibilities to help create new audiences for Symphonic Concerts. Including most notably with renowned Maestros Jack Everly and Jeff Tyzik. 

Their unique perspective on the circus arts have led to a variety of speaking engagements including with The Center Theater Group Los Angeles, Directors Lab West, TEDx Talk and The Chicago Contemporary Circus Festival. As well in publications for the cover story of Dance Teacher Magazine {August 2016} and in the book Ordinary Acrobat. 

Troupe Vertigo premiered it's first show in Los Angeles Big Top for a New Generation in 2010 at the Ford Amphitheater  with a young rock n' roll group - Nightmare & The Cat, featuring Django and Sam Stewart. 

The company returned to the Ford Amphitheater in 2012 with Nighthawks: A Film Noir Circus, inspired by American Jazz, Edward Hopper paintings and the gritty streets of crime novels from Hammett to Chandler.  

2016 brought the creation of  TABLEAUX originally presented by the Dance Resource Center at the Bootleg Theater in Los Angeles. Tableaux features five women inquiring about confinement and freedom, while finding themselves constrained on an island of boxes, trapped by the constrictions of society and themselves. 

Troupe Vertigo’s facility is also home to Cirque School, LA’s premier circus training space, which inspires an appreciation for the circus arts for "Anybody with Any Body". 

Due to their Los Angeles home and having Cirque School as their sister company Aloysia & Rex's expertise are used often for the film & television industry. Most notably for  Rebel Wilson's aerial performance in Pitch Perfect 2 and with Reese Witherspoon and Christoph Waltz who utilized Cirque School resources not only for circus instruction but for character background research for the film Water for Elephants. 

Scottish-born Lorna McGhee was appointed principal flute of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in 2012.



Known for her “exceptionally rich and vibrant tone” (Washington Post) Lorna has performed as guest principal with Chicago Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, London Symphony, London Philharmonic, Academy of St-Martin-in-the-Fields, Chamber Orchestra of Europe and has worked with conductors such as Haitink, Gergiev, Rattle, Solti, Harnoncourt, Muti and Honeck.  



Before immigrating to North America in 1998, Lorna was co-principal flute of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, England. As a soloist, she has given concerto performances with the London Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in the UK and Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, Toronto Philharmonia, and Victoria Symphony in Canada, Kyushu Symphony in Japan, Evergreen Symphony in Taipei, and the Nashville Chamber Orchestra, Oregon Bach Festival Orchestra, San Luis Obispo Symphony and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in the USA.



Career highlights include a performance of Penderecki's flute concerto with the Oregon Bach Festival Orchestra under the baton of the composer in 2004 and more recently, performances of the Mozart G major, Nielsen and Ibert flute concertos with the Pittsburgh Symphony.



As a chamber musician and recitalist, she has performed in Europe, North America, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore and Australia, in venues such as the Wigmore Hall, Edinburgh International Festival, the Louvre, Paris, the Schubertsaal of Vienna's Konzerthaus, Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival and the Australian Festival of Chamber Music.



Lorna is a member of Trio Verlaine (with Heidi Krutzen, harp and David Harding, viola) with whom she has recorded two CDs, “Fin de Siècle” and “Six Departures” and commissioned two new works by R Murray Schafer and Jeffery Cotton. She has also recorded a recital disc “ The Hour of Dreaming” with pianist Piers Lane. Her forthcoming solo CD, “Pieces I Love!” will be released in 2020.  McGhee has taught at the University of Michigan and the University of British Columbia, and has given master classes in the UK, United States, Canada, Europe and Japan, including the Julliard School, Banff International Centre for the Arts, Galway Flute Festival, William Bennett International Summer School and the Japanese Flute Convention.



Lorna is an honorary “Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music,” and is an Altus artist. She joined the flute faculty of Carnegie Mellon University in 2015.

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