First year with SO: 1993

Hometown: Mentor, OH

Instrument: Betsy plays on a Brannen Brothers Solid Silver flute with a 10K gold Brannen Brothers headjoint, made in 2000.

Education:
Bachelor of Music – Baldwin Wallace University; Master of Music – Manhattan School of Music

Biography:
From 1987-1990 Betsy served as the Principal Flute of the Hofer Symphoniker in Hof, Germany where she was a frequent concerto soloist. Arriving in Sarasota in 1993, she has served as the Principal Flute of the Orchestra under three Music Directors. In addition to her performing duties, Betsy maintains an active teaching studio working with flute students from age 9-90 and has served multiple terms as a leader of the Sarasota Orchestra Players' Association. In 2008 she created the "Symphonic Life" series of courses on orchestral music and musicians for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Ringling College, and in 2019 she began writing program notes for select Sarasota Orchestra performances.

Passions/Interests:
Betsy and her husband, Sarasota Orchestra Principal Bassoonist Fernando Traba, have two daughters who are both serious competitive swimmers. Her hobbies include languages, gardening, and fine wine.

Career Highlights:
Some of Betsy's fondest musical memories include:

• Playing alongside countless extraordinary musicians and being a part of the Sarasota Orchestra's spectacular artistic rise over the past 25 years, to where it is now recognized as one of the finest regional orchestras in the country
• Playing a role in the negotiation of multiple successful collective bargaining agreements which have substantially improved the lives of her colleagues
• Teaching countless students, young and old, some of whom have gone on to be professional musicians, and many of whom have become close friends