BIOGRAPHIES
WILLIAM WRIGHT
CONDUCTOR
William Wright attributes his early interest in music to his parents; his mother being a piano teacher herself. His advanced musical training was gained at Curtis Institute of Music where he received a Diploma in Clarinet, and at Catholic University from which he holds Masters and Doctorate degrees. Additionally, he studied conducting under Dr. Richard Lert at the Eastern Institute of Orchestral Studies.
Mr. Wright performed as a clarinetist with the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) for 40 years and with the New Orleans Symphony for three years. He is a former faculty member of both George Washington and Catholic Universities for both conducting and instrument performance and has instructed privately throughout the Washington DC area for 50 years. He was Music Director of the Potomac Valley Youth Orchestra from 2006-2010. He formerly served as Conductor of The Gennusa Clarinet Camerata.
ERIC RITTER
MASTER OF CEREMONIES
Eric Ritter began his voice-over career in 1995 by lending his voice to a regular stream of people who eagerly wanted fries with their cheeseburgers. He was discovered by a local radio personality who hired him for a radio show in Lancaster, PA where he voiced dozens of commercial spots. After that, Eric was employed at a local NBC television station as the voice for commercial programming.
Shortly thereafter, Eric began a broadcast journalist career with the United States Navy. He went on to be a regular contributor for the Armed Forces Network, writing and broadcasting stories of America’s men and women in uniform while traveling the world and being involved in over 300 combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. After his active duty time, Eric continued to lend his voice for events such as air shows, public service announcements, and provided character voices for various organizations. He currently works with the United States Navy’s Naval History and Heritage Command where he is the official voice for all command events to include the Navy’s official Veterans Day message across the fleet.
WENDY MARIE
VOCALIST
Wendy Marie is the lead vocalist for the Silver Tones Swing Band, an 18-piece swing ensemble that performs all over the DC Metro area. The Silver Tones proudly bring to the stage the Silver Belles vocal trio, featuring Wendy and two other female vocalists, singing the rich three-part harmonies of the Andrews Sisters and other musical greats. When not singing, Wendy plays French horn in several orchestras and concert bands and enjoys making music with her husband, Dave Shuma, co-leader and trumpeter in the Silver Tones Swing Band. Wendy thanks Julie for the invitation to be a part of this special holiday performance and allowing her to make music with this one-of-a-kind ensemble!
