T h e B a n d
T h e B a n d
Players include those who contributed to The Bell Ringer album as well as those who have joined us on tour.
Peter Orullian
Peter Orullian studied for several years with famed vocal trainer, David Kyle, "The Maestro," known for teaching Geoff Tate (Queensryche), Ann Wilson (Heart), and Layne Staley (Alice in Chains), among others.
He's toured internationally fronting rock and metal bands, such as Heir Apparent and Fifth Angel, and headlined European metal festivals in Germany and Greece.
He is the recipient of the Private Eye Best Male Vocalist Award, and has charted in online music destinations with his former project Inner Resonance.
And his former bands have shared bills with Dream Theater, Symphony X, Sonata Arctica, and countless others.
Jody Ashworth
Jody Ashworth has performed in such large-scale and nationally touring shows as Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Damn Yankees. He has also been in such television shows and films as: "Sex and the City," "Serendipity," "The Devil and Daniel Webster" (with Sir Anthony Hopkins), "Frasier," "24," and "Spin City.”
Jody has gone on to perform on stages from Lincoln Center to the Hollywood Bowl, with such personalities as Bill Murray, Treat Williams, Reba McEntire, Deborah Gibson, John Lithgow, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Scott Bakula, Jessica Biel, and Roger Daltrey to name just a few.
Jody also lent his vocal talents to the platinum-selling Trans-Siberian Orchestra, as well as other progressive rock records.
Michael Lanning
Michael Lanning has been a featured performer in the San Bernardino Civic Light Opera and the legendary Summer Stock, Junior University. Michael has recorded and/or toured with such musical greats as Donovan, Fleetwood Mac, Rockpile, Larry Gatlin, Frank Wildhorn, Mike Post, and George Harrison.
Michael starred in both the Tony nominated Broadway and National Tour Productions of composer Frank Wildhorn's The Civil War. He played Dozer in the World Premiere Musical Mask at The Pasadena Playhouse.
He has recorded and toured with Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and is often introduced as "The most soulful white man on the planet."
Tim Hockenberry
Tim Hockenberry gained national fame when he performed and made it to the semi-finals (last singer standing) on America’s Got Talent in 2012. He was a favorite of judge Howard Stern.
Tim Hockenberry's voice is reminiscent of Ray Charles, Joe Cocker, and Tom Waits. He has shared the stage with performers such as Bonnie Raitt, Steve Miller, and Robert Cray and has established himself as one of the most compelling and important artists in the Bay Area.
In addition to touring with Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead, Tim wrote a hit Christmas song entitled, "Christmas by the Bay," which gets heavy rotation during the holidays. He's also recorded and toured with the platinum selling Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
Val Vigoda
Granddaughter of world-renowned cantor/RCA "gold record" tenor Samuel Vigoda, and daughter of masterful Washington, DC society pianist Bob Vigoda, Valerie grew up immersed in her musical heritage; she learned how to sing and sight-read at her father's side on the piano bench, and started classical violin at age eight. After attending Princeton at age 15, and joining Army ROTC to pay for college, she later switched from classical to electric violin. Valerie honed her skills touring the world with Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Cyndi Lauper, Joe Jackson and other platinum-selling Christmas artists, and founded the band GrooveLily, which toured for many years on the indie circuit.
Valerie has co-written and starred in award-winning musicals for the New York stage, and co-written many songs for Disney (the latest of which can be heard in the cantina at Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland and Disney World). Her work has won the Jonathan Larson Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre, the LA Ovation Award for Best Musical, the ASCAP Richard Rodgers Award and the Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best Musical. Visit her at valvigoda.com.
Moyer Smith
Moyer William Smith III is an American drummer, who's played with many bands and solo artists, including Jake E. Lee, Dave Navarro, Gilby Clarke, New Dead Radio, Dog Day King, Evol, Geoff Tate, and more.
He's been a long time session player, and toured extensively with national and international recording artists.
. He's also an experienced audio and lighting designer, where he's worked with such acts as Santana, Bill Idol, Blues Traveler, and countless others, at famed venues like The House of Blues and Hard Rock Cafe.
He's been endorsed by Paiste, Evans, and Vic Firth.
Dagna Silesia
Dagna Silesia is a bassist, back up vocalist and a luthier. Besides being involved in Symphony North, she also plays in the Seattle based band Locistellar and Them Bones, a tribute to Alice In Chains.
She is a former bassist of The People Now, Ghost Ship Octavius, has been a touring member of Warrel Dane's solo project and has been a touring bassist for the heavy metal band Nevermore during their last tours.
She has had the honor to make guest appearances with Uli Jon Roth, play on the amazing 70k Tons of Metal cruise and Prog Power USA festival.
Eren Basbug
Eren Basbug is a classically trained pianist, arranger, and conductor, who has been awarded “Special Talent” & “Distinguished Musician” in IBLA Grand Prize, Italy and “Jury Special Prize” in Vienna Young Pianists, Austria.
He has arranged and conducted performances of progressive metal’s Dream Theater albums, and found himself with a full scholarship to the Berklee College of Music, where he earned a dual major in electronic production and design and film scoring. Last year, he received the Arif Mardin Scholarship, awarded to Berklee students with outstanding composition and arranging skills.
He then was asked by Dream Theater’s Jordan Rudess to work on some new compositions for keyboard and Orchestra, writing parts for more than 70 musicians and conducting the Chacao Youth Symphony Orchestra at that album’s premier in Caracas, Venezuela.
Nicki Gonzalez
In an era of the singer, as many emerge from singing contests and evolve into processed performers, one has to ask: Where are all the truly gifted voices? Nicki Gonzalez is one. Her universal sound has made her a first call, cross-genre studio singer and bandleader performing in English, Spanish and Portugese.
Nicki has performed with Stevie Wonder, John Mayer, Naz; recorded with Arturo Sandoval, Vinnie Colaiuta (Paul Simon, Sting), Mitch Easter (REM, Suzanne Vega); performances include Lincoln Center, The John F. Kennedy Center Millenium Stage, The Legg Mason Tennis Classic and The Baltimore Ravens Half-Time Show.
Morgan Wick
Morgan Wick is a Guitarist, Composer, Bandleader, and Arranger. Besides Symphony North, he has played, toured and recorded as a hired gun across the Pacific Northwest.
Morgan Wick received a Bachelor’s degree in Classical Guitar Performance in 2010 from the Lionel Hampton School of Music. Morgan is also the guitarist and co composer for acclaimed Seattle Progressive Metal band A Sense of Gravity.
Morgan released his first solo album ‘The Ascent’ in 2017, fusing the Classical, Jazz and World music he learned at University with his love of Rock and Metal to create his unique spin on an Instrumental Guitar album.
Ilya Ignatov
Ilya is a guitarist born in Abakan, Russia. At age 8, he moved to the US with his family. Having grown up around working musicians resulted in exposure to all kinds of styles ranging from rock music to classical, which helped lay the groundwork for a career in recording, performing, instructing and producing music.
Ilya performs in his family band, Acoustic Fantasy. He also plays for Megs McLean, with whom he opened for acts like Clint Black, Pam Tillis, and Sara Evans.
Cristina Taddonio
Cristina Taddonio is a singer, songwriter, a capella arranger with a degree in voice and composition from Belmont University. An Italian native, Cristina sings in Italian, Spanish, French and English. A powerhouse vocalist with dynamic musicality.
Cristina has been busy with her touring a capella group Forte Femme, and writing an female empowering musical called SKIRTS.
Cristina has done extensive session work in Nashville and Los Angeles.
James Labrie
James LaBrie is one of the most recognizable and highly acclaimed vocalists in the progressive rock and metal world, best known as the powerful and dynamic voice of prog gods, Dream Theater.
In a career that has spanned over 30 years, James has recorded a multitude of albums, both with Dream Theater and various side projects (Frameshift, Tim Donahue, Explorer's Club, True Symphonic Rockestra and more), and appeared in several DVD's featuring Dream Theater's live performances.
James has toured the world, and shared the stage with some of the biggest names in rock and metal music--KISS, Tool, Def Leppard, Queensryche, Joe Satriana, Deep Purple, and the list goes on.
He's a recent Grammy winner, as well, from his band's most recent release, A View from the Top of the World.
Jordan Rudess
Jordan Rudess was voted “Best Keyboardist of All Time” by Music Radar Magazine, and is best known as the keyboardist for platinum-selling Grammy- winning prog rock band, Dream Theater.
At nine, he entered the Juilliard School of Music Pre-College Division for classical piano training, but by his late teens he turned from that and tried his hand as a solo progressive rock keyboardist.
He has played in the Dixie Dregs, done work with Rod Morgenstein, and helped form the Liquid Tension Experiment. Jordan has also released a number of solo works.
In addition to touring internationally, and hitting #1 on the Billboard charts with “Breaking the Fourth Wall,” he is the creator of several music technology applications through his company Wizdom Music.
Primo Pulanco
Primo is a Seattle-area guitarist who has played with a variety of bands and performed a multitude of styles. But he may be best known for his work in progressive bands like Lyranthe, where he defined a unique 7-string style of play.
He has also been a highlight of cover bands, capable of recreating the intense solos of some of the greatest guitarists of the 80's.
