Karmen Peng, Treasurer

Karmen Peng joined the Palo Alto Philharmonic in 2016. Prior to her relocation, she was the principal cellist with Columbus Symphony Orchestra in Indiana, member of Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, and assistant principal cellist with National Taiwan University Symphony Orchestra. Originally from Taipei, Taiwan, Karmen was admitted to the prestigious pre-college division of National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU), majoring in piano and minoring in cello under rigorous music training for many years. Her trio ensemble won the 2nd prize of the National College Chamber Music Competition in Taiwan.

A certified accountant, Karmen received her business degree from National Taiwan University and an MBA from University of Maryland , and is now the Finance Director in a tech company. Classical music is still her passion and habit, and she feels extremely grateful that she can continue performing music with various ensembles outside of work. Karmen is committed to support and give back to the arts community and has been serving on multiple Boards in the past. 

Kyle Adler, Secretary

Kyle Adler began playing the trombone in the fifth grade. While an undergraduate at Harvard College, he performed with numerous ensembles including as principal trombone with the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra and the Harvard Bach Society Orchestra, with which he appeared as soloist in the Wagenseil Trombone Concerto. He studied trombone with Lawrence Isaacson of the Empire Brass Quintet and Per Brevig of the Juilliard School and the New York Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. After college, Kyle continued to play and perform actively as a trombonist in the Boston area and later in Philadelphia while a graduate student at the Wharton School. Relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area after finishing graduate school, he held a variety of management positions over a 26-year career with Hewlett-Packard. In 2016, Kyle switched careers to pursue his lifelong passion for travel photography. A recent winner of the prestigious international competition Travel Photographer of the Year and a finalist in National Geographic’s Travel Photography Awards, Kyle has had his work published in a variety of major outlets internationally and exhibited in the US and the UK. He leads photography tours and workshops in locations around the world. Married with two daughters, Kyle continues to play the trombone in Bay Area community orchestras and chamber ensembles. He is principal trombonist with the Palo Alto Philharmonic and the Foothill Symphonic Winds, having performed the Rimsky-Korsakov Trombone Concerto as soloist with the latter group. In addition to professional and musical pursuits, Kyle also enjoys hiking and worldwide travel with his family.

Annette Grot, Concert Coordinator; Marketing-Communications Committee Chair

Annette Grot joined the Palo Alto Philharmonic in 1994 after moving to the area to work at HP Labs. Having played the violin since elementary school, she enjoys the unique atmosphere of the orchestra's focus on classical music in a community setting. Annette is originally from Philadelphia, PA where she studied electrical engineering at the University of Delaware and the University of Pennsylvania. She then earned her PhD in electrical engineering from the California Institute of Technology. Music has always been an important part of her life, which she now shares with her husband, Geoff, and two school-age daughters, Emily and Allison. Annette joined the Philharmonic's Board of Directors to help with the operations and direction of the group.

Natalie Haworth-Liu, Fundraising Committee Chair

Natalie has been involved with the Palo Alto Philharmonic for over 12 years, holding both piccolo and principal flute positions, and appearing frequently as a soloist for chamber and Baroque music concerts. She is the Music Director at Monticello Academy in Santa Clara, CA, and her flute studio attracts some of the most talented and dedicated students in Silicon Valley.

Natalie received her Bachelor of Music Degree in Flute Performance from the University of Oregon's School of Music as a Ruth Close and Phi-Beta scholarship recipient, and has performed with numerous orchestras throughout Oregon and the Bay Area.

A passionate advocate for arts education, Natalie has worked extensively in Arts Administration and Educational Outreach with several Bay Area arts organizations, including, Ballet San Jose, Ballet San Jose School, sjDanceco, and the Ives String Quartet.

Natalie resides in San Jose with her husband, two sons, and two rescued Shih-Tzus.
 

David Allen, Board Member

David Allen’s bio and photo will appear here soon.

Naomi Dushay, Board Member

Naomi Dushay joined the Palo Alto Philharmonic in the fall of 2009, a year after she moved to the bay area for a job at Stanford University.  She has played in orchestras more often than not since she was in seventh grade.  Naomi also enjoys playing chamber music and is a frequent player on the Palo Alto Philharmonic chamber programs.

Naomi worked for more than 30 years as a software engineer for research libraries at Cornell and Stanford universities.  While she could probably convincingly act as one on TV, she is not a librarian -- which is a common misremembering of her former day job, no matter how she explains it.  In fact, her only masters degree is in horn performance from Northwestern University.  She completed bachelors degrees for both computer science and music at Cornell.

Since retirement, Naomi has been taking art classes in watercolor and drawing as well as enjoying time with her current pets:  dog Rosie and cat (Stra)Vinsky.  (They are both rescues.)  Naomi also enjoys assembling difficult wooden jigsaw puzzles with interlocking pieces in irregular patterns.

Lori Jensen, Board Member

Lori Jensen graduated from Santa Clara University with a Bachelor of Arts in Music, a double major in Communications and a minor in Religious Studies. She has played violin since she was five, studying first with Lesa Zuehlke until age 12, then with Zaven Melikian at the San Francisco Conservatory through college. She has performed in Santa Cruz Symphony’s first violin section since 2003 and is also concertmaster of the Palo Alto Philharmonic. She is a substitute violinist for Symphony San Jose and has subbed with San Jose Chamber Orchestra, West Bay Opera and California Pops. Lori is an amateur pianist, passing the Advanced level of the Certificate of Merit program with honors. Lori has over 25 years of teaching experience, instructing beginning through advanced students on violin, viola and piano. She is also the Marketing Director for Steinway Society – The Bay Area. She studied Tae Kwon Do for over seven years and is a second-degree Black Belt.

Lily Tian, Board Member

Lily Tian has a lifelong love of music, from listening to her children’s piano playing at home to attending concerts and music festivals. She was first introduced to the Palo Alto Philharmonic through its Concerto Competition, an experience that inspired her to become a dedicated volunteer and join the Board.

With a professional background as a software engineer, Lily has spent the past 22 years as a full-time parent while actively contributing to school, communities and church activities. Her wide range of interests includes hiking, gardening, traveling, investing, and exploring new creative outlets such as learning piano, singing, and playing pickleball.

She is delighted to support the Philharmonic’s mission and to help bring the joy of live music to the community.