Strings

Violins

Sheila Santa

Sheila Santa is a classically trained violinist with a Masters Degree in violin performance and works as a board certified family medicine physician.  Music and medicine has been a beautiful balance.  Sheila also adores hiking, shoes and brooches. While Christmas remains this Santa’s favorite holiday, she loves celebrating all holidays and events!

Maureen Case

Coordinator, arranger, violinist, violist AND pianist Maureen Case has been a cornerstone of our ensembles. She was a double performance major in violin and piano at Ohio University.  She is also the current personnel manager of Lima Symphony Orchestra and past personnel manager of Central Ohio Symphony Orchestra in Delaware.  She has been a member of the Springfield Symphony since 1970 and is also a member of the Lima Symphony Orchestra.  She maintains her private music studio out of London.  She can also be found frequently on her 4600 John Deere tractor pulling a 6 foot bush hog for City Farmer Bush Hog Mowing.  She has also served as a midwife and childbirth educator.  She feels passionately about whole foods and health and shares this with her 10 children and 23 grandchildren.  

Harp

James Predovich

Harpist James Predovich is currently the Principal Harpist with the Central Ohio Symphony Orchestra and serves as Acting Principal Harp with the Mansfield Symphony. James also fills in regularly with the Lima and Springfield Symphonies respectively and is on faculty at North Central State College where he teaches music and first year experience courses. James has served as a clinician at the 14th World Harp Congress in Sydney Australia and has presented the past 2 years at the National Organization for Student Success Ohio Chapter where he is currently a member-at-large. James received his Bachelors of Music from The Ohio State University, and his Masters in Music from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music where he is currently a Doctoral candidate. James has studied with such artists as: Jeanne Norton, Gillian Benet Sella (formerly of the Israel Philharmonic), and Patricia Masri-Fletcher of the Detroit Symphony. 

Violas

Nik Repka

Nik Repka began his musical studies at the age of nine on piano. Shortly thereafter, he switched to classical guitar under the tutelage of Dr. Richard Smoot. After some time, Nik had taken a liking to harmony and composition, which led him to study music theory for a brief period. On a whim, at age 14, he decided to learn the viola, and a year later also picked up violin. He continued viola lessons with Susan Walsh throughout high school, and later went on to study music with Dr. Cathy Carroll and Steve Wedell at The Ohio State University. Nik graduated summa cum laude with his Bachelor’s of Music from OSU in 2014, but remained at OSU a few years after to pursue coursework in mathematics. Today, Nik maintains a private studio of piano and strings students and continues to perform in groups of all sizes on both violin and viola throughout Ohio. He also enjoys arranging, transcribing, and engraving music. In his spare time, Nik enjoys cycling and restoring his 110 year old house in Columbus. Nik also dabbles in mechanics and loves learning how things work.

Celli

Darlene Barrett

Cellist Darlene Barrett comes from a family of musicians in Springfield, Ohio. She received her
Bachelor of Music Degree in cello performance from Northern Illinois University and a Master
of Music Degree from The Ohio State University. She taught cello and conducted a chamber
orchestra at Wittenberg University in Springfield. She has played in the Columbus Symphony
Orchestra, Springfield Symphony, Rockford (IL) Symphony, Ft. Wayne (IN) Philharmonic,
Opera Project Columbus, numerous other orchestras throughout Ohio and West Virginia and
currently plays in the Lima Symphony and is principal cellist of the Southeastern Ohio
Symphony Orchestra. She is the former co-director and president of the board for the Hocking County Children’s Chorus. A Hocking County resident, Darlene is a certified chimney sweep and co-owner of Dave Barrett Chimney Sweep, LLC and operates Barrett’s Home Fire Design, a stove and fireplace store in Logan. She and her husband Dave also own Rapunzel’s, The Long Hair Salon in Columbus. For fun, Darlene rides her Harley Davidson!

Karen Ball Koger

Karen Koger is an energetic musician, composer, publisher, and educator. She maintains scheduling for 2 schools as lead teacher for ProMusica Chamber Orchestra’s Play Us Forward educational outreach
program, personal cello performances, and rigorous promotion, publishing, and composition for her StringRiffs.com music throughout the year.

 
As an educator Karen enjoys the challenges of inspiring young people to make music and to grow as well rounded people.  Her favorite performance ensemble is a chamber ensemble, but she loves broadway and other groups as well.  Composition, Publishing, and Distribution are the newest part of Karen’s professional life.  Every day is a collection of new learning experiences.