Ellen Trainer, President

A native of Delaware County, Ellen Trainer grew up in a musical family. Her father was a band and orchestra teacher in the Haverford School District as well as a church organist and dance band trombonist.  Her mother studied guitar with a degree in special education and music therapy. Although Ellen started her musical studies on violin, she made a permanent transition to viola her senior year in high school. She received her undergraduate and master’s degrees in viola performance at Temple University in Philadelphia.

Ellen attended numerous festivals including the National Repertory Orchestra, the Grand Teton Music Festival, the New School Festival and Encore School for Strings. During her studies, she worked with several prominent teachers, including, Leonard Mogill, Robert Vernon, Jascha Brodsky, Orland Cole, Helen Kwalwasser and Joseph de Pasquale.

Among Ellen’s accomplishments, she is principal viola in The Academy of Vocal Arts Orchestra and has been acting principal and section violist for The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia. She is also a member of the viola section for Opera Philadelphia, The Philly Pops, Orchestra 2001, as well as other small ensembles in the surrounding area. Ellen has performed with Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras and a number of pop and rock artists. She has toured as principal violist with the Star Wars Orchestra on their west coast tour.

Ellen is an active real estate investor and business owner. In her spare time, she enjoys biking and kayaking in the Rehoboth Beach area with her wife, Sherri Eyer, a practicing attorney.

Marjorie Goldberg was raised in the Philadelphia area. She studied viola and music education at The Hartt School of Music in Connecticut.

For over 25 years, Marjorie has been a performer in prominent Pennsylvania orchestras, a music educator and an active freelancer. Marjorie is a member of the viola sections in the Harrisburg Symphony and the Philly Pops. She also performs with and arranges music for Ani Kinor, a chamber ensemble at Congregation Rodeph Shalom in Philadelphia. In addition, she performs with many other ensembles in Philadelphia and the surrounding areas.

A devoted educator, Marjorie is a teaching artist for the Philly POPS and the POPS in Schools program. She also teaches violin and viola ensembles at Waldron-Mercy Academy, and string methods and pedagogy at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. She gives private lessons as well.

Marjorie is married to Jonathan Fink, a cellist who also performs with the Philly POPS and the Harrisburg Symphony. Marjorie and Jonathan live in Philadelphia with their two children.

Jarred Antonacci, Secretary-Treasurer

A native of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and a Philadelphia resident since 2005, Jarred Antonacci has been an in-demand performer, recording artist and music educator in Philadelphia for more than a decade. Equally versatile in classical, jazz, and a broad range of other contemporary styles; Antonacci frequently performs with the Philly Pops Orchestra, Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia, Philly Pops Big Band, and Norman David and The Eleventet among many others.

Because of Antonacci’s versatility and ability to adapt to a multitude of styles, he is one of the first-call players in the region. Among the notable artists and productions with whom he has performed are Percy Sledge, Aretha Franklin, Wayne Newton, The Four Tops, The Temptations, Wynton Marsalis, Kenny Baron, Pat Martino, Jimmy Heath and The Midtown Men (national tours with the original cast of the Broadway show Jersey Boys). His album credits as a sideman include: Aretha Franklin- “Aretha Franklin Sings The Great Diva Classics” (R.C.A. Records); Elle Varner-“4 Letter Word” (R.C.A. Records); Daley- “Blame The World” (Universal Records); Norman David and The Eleventet- “At This Time,” “Please Call” (CoolCraft); “Lady- You & Me” (Ropeadope Records); Phil Roy- “In The Weird Small Hours”(R.E.D. Distribution); Paul Salerni and American Opera Classics- “Tony Caruso’s Final Broadcast” (Naxos). As a soloist and an advocate for new music, Antonacci has commissioned new works for trombone, including “Concert Piece for Trombone and Piano” (Lars Halle); “Bomb Bomb,” for trombone and piano (David Bennett Thomas); “Sliding Phases,” for unaccompanied trombone and “Recitation/Exploration,” for trombone and piano (Norman David). Antonacci is a frequent clinician, guest artist and festival adjudicator in the greater Philadelphia region.

Antonacci holds a Master of Music from Temple University and a Bachelor of Music from University of the Arts. He is currently on the faculty at Temple University, University of the Arts, Rutgers University and Camden County College. He has held previous positions at Immaculata University and the Community College of Philadelphia. Antonacci’s rapport with his students and his reputation in the teaching community are a direct result of his passion that extends beyond the classroom.

Robert Suttmann – Delegate to the International Convention of the AFM

Robert Suttmann was born in Philadelphia. He first joined Local 77 in 1982 while still a student of Rich Genovese at Philadelphia College of Performing Arts (bachelor’s degree ’83) now University of the Arts. Early professional playing experience included steady work in the North Philadelphia Latin scene (La Paz, Charanga la Unica) as well as with area wedding and dance bands (Heimat Klänge, Al Raymond, Dave Chaiken, among others).  In 1986, he accepted a job on Carnival Cruise Lines with the in-house show band, after which he attended Manhattan School of Music in New York City (MA ’87) where he studied with Jack Gale. While still playing in New York’s salsa and wedding band scene, he started freelancing as a Broadway musical substitute musician in 1989. Since then, he has played for over 90 Broadway musicals as a sub and chair holder. Additionally, he has played Broadway National tours as a local musician in Philadelphia since 2006, as well as a headliner in the Atlantic City casinos. He currently holds the trombone chair at Big Apple Circus and was on the negotiating committee for their first Collective Bargaining Agreement with Local 802 in 2004. Within 802, he served on the Trial Board for 6 years starting in 2009, and on the Executive Board for 3 years in 2015.  He also served on the Finance, Political, Website, and Green Alliance Subcommittees during that time.

Rebecca Ansel

Rebecca Ansel,DMA, violinist, has studied, taught and performed throughout the United States and in Europe. Dr. Ansel earned her bachelor of music in violin performance from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music where she studied with Kathleen Winkler, and masters’ and doctorate degrees in violin performance from the University of Michigan. There she studied with Paul Kantor and was a teaching assistant for five years. Dr. Ansel has studied with some of the most widely recognized and acclaimed string quartets, including the Takács Quartet, American String Quartet, Brentano String Quartet and the Lydian String Quartet. Throughout her career, she has performed a variety of musical styles including baroque music with the Denton Bach Society in Denton, Texas; the New York Early Music Ensemble in Ithaca, NY; contemporary music with Ensemble X, Kulmusik and the Light in Winter Festival in Ithaca, New York; and chamber music with the Roycroft Chamber Music Festival in East Aurora, NY; the Georgetown Festival of the Arts in Georgetown, TX and the Ariadne String Quartet in Ithaca, NY. Her orchestra and chamber orchestra credits include the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra in Ithaca, NY; Skaneateles Festival Orchestra in Skaneateles, NY; Pro-Musica Chamber Orchestra in Columbus, Ohio and the Iris Chamber Orchestra in Germantown, Tennessee. She has been featured as a soloist with the Accademia Filarmonica at the University of Oklahoma, Columbus Bach Ensemble, Cornell Chamber Orchestra, Ithaca College Contemporary Music Ensemble, West Chester University String Orchestra, and in countless recitals. She has taught violin at the university level since the fall of 2001, serving as Lecturer of Violin at The Ohio State University, and as Assistant Professor of Violin at Ithaca College. In the 2009 – 2010 academic year, Dr. Ansel was a Visiting Assistant Professor of Violin at the University of Oklahoma. In addition to her teaching duties, she was also a member of the Holberg String Quartet, the Oklahoma Chamber Players and the Oklahoma City Philharmonic. She is currently living and freelancing in the Philadelphia area, where she is a member of the Philadelphia Ballet, a violinist at the Walnut Street Theater, an adjunct Artist in Residence at Temple University Preparatory division and a private instructor.

Nicole Jordan

Since her appointment as Principal Librarian of The Philadelphia Orchestra in 2020, Nicole Jordan has worked extensively with Local 77, most notably serving as a member of the Local 77 IDEAS Council. She has also volunteered her time to advocate for and assist rank-and-file members with varying challenges within both the Local and the music community at large.

Ms. Jordan is an active member of both the Major Orchestra Librarians’ Association (MOLA) and the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians (ICSOM). Within MOLA, Nicole frequently serves as a moderator/presenter on varying topics in the performance library field. A passionate advocate for education, she served on MOLA’s Education Committee for several years and served as co-chair from 2017-2019. Nicole is also active in planning MOLA’s annual conferences. Within ICSOM, Nicole currently serves as the elected delegate for The Philadelphia Orchestra, and also sits on the ICSOM Governing Board, serving as a one of four Members-At-Large.