Brad Peters, trumpet
Brad Peters began piano lessons at age 5 and switched to the trumpet at 10. His orchestral career began as Principal trumpet and soloist with the Wisconsin Youth Orchestra, then he joined the Madison Symphony Orchestra and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. After moving to California for further studies, Brad became a member of the Sacramento Symphony and has since performed with the San Diego Symphony, the Oaklana Symphony, the San Jose Symphony, as well as concerts and recordings with The San Francisco Symphony and San Francisco Opera. Other appearances include the Lake Tahoe Music Festival, Music from Bear Valley, the Carmel Bach Festival, the Grand Tetons Music Festival and the Sun Valley Summer Symphony. His touring includes performances at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center as well as appearances in Taiwan, Russia, Slovekia, and Prague. Brad also has a love of jazz and has worked with Dave Brubeck, Cab Callaway. Mel Torme and Arturo Sandoval. He also performed in Australia and New Zealand in spring of 2010.
Justin Stamps, trumpet
After an instrument demonstration at his school for potential band students, Justin chose the trumpet solely because “it only had 3 buttons” and “couldn't be that hard.” After learning how wrong he was, it was thanks to a few great teachers that Stamps eventually decided to pursue a career in music. A major inspiration for a 17 year old Stamps was meeting Chicago Symphony trumpet legend Adolph “Bud” Herseth following a 1999 CSO performance of Mahler’s 3rd Symphony. He later went on to study with members of the Chicago Symphony, performing (nervously) for Mr. Herseth on multiple occasions.
Justin has performed with many regional orchestras throughout the U.S. as well as multiple European festival orchestras. He holds degrees from Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts and the University of North Carolina- Greensboro. Prior to relocating to Boise, Mr. Stamps was completing doctoral coursework at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He is currently an adjunct professor at both Boise State and Northwest Nazarene Universities.
In his free time, Justin enjoys cooking, homebrewing and tasting fine beers. He is also competing in and teaching sport fencing.
Philip Kassel, horn
Originally from Culpeper, Virginia, Philip joined the Boise Philharmonic in 2010 as 2nd horn. During his first season with the Philharmonic, he was the featured horn soloist in their performance of Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante for winds.
He has performed regularly as a freelance artist throughout the United States and has played with many chamber and orchestral groups. Philip has performed with the Sun Valley Opera Orchestra, Wicked the Musical, Opera Idaho, Chicago Classical Philharmonic, Oistrach Symphony Orchestra, Skokie Valley Symphony Orchestra, Eastern Philharmonic Orchestra, and Western Piedmont Symphony Orchestra. He also has been heard on public radio broadcasts with the Boise Philharmonic and the Eastern Music Festival Orchestra.
He studied horn at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois, and at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. His primary teachers were Jonathan Boen, Oto Carrillo, Jeff Fair, Jack Masarie, and Floyd Cooley.
When not playing horn, Philip enjoys cooking, eating, traveling, hiking, and spending time with his wife, Holly, who is a clarinet player.
George Turner, trombone
George Turner has been Principal Trombone with the Boise Philharmonic since 1988, been a substitute in the Phoenix Symphony and free lanced with groups and artists from the American Ballet to Doc Severinson. His primary trombone instructors were Ed Kleinhammer of the Chicago Symphony, Gail Wilson of Arizona State University and Tasso Harris of the University of Denver. George has been a faculty member at Northwest Nazarene University for 36 Years teaching music theory and low brass. He and his wife Karla have four children and reside in Nampa where she is a 3rd grade teacher. Hobbies include mountain biking, fly fishing, and hiking.
Michael Fischer, tuba
Michael Fischer has performed with the Boise Philharmonic for 10 years and teaches band at Hillside Junior High School and Taft Elementary School in Boise. Dr. Fischer has taught at the Interlochen Arts Academy, Boise State University, Baylor University, University of North Texas, University of Nebraska at Omaha and the Nebraska City (Nebraska) Public Schools.
Dr. Fischer earned degrees from University of North Texas, University of Nebraska at Omaha, University of Illinois and Pittsburg State University. He serves as Editor of Pedagogy for the International Tuba-Euphonium Association Journal. Dr. Fischer is published in the Tuba Source Book and has published 27 arrangements.
Besides arranging and performing, Dr. Fischer’s hobbies include reading, walking and pampering his dogs Barney and Suzie.