About the Musicians

Monica Buffington, Principal Flutist

Monica Buffington hails from Wilmington, Delaware where she began flute studies in 9th grade with Joan Sparks. Monica earned a Bachelor of Music Education from West Chester University, and won a full scholarship to Yale University where she studied with Ransom Wilson and graduated summa cum laude with a Masters of Flute Performance. She first performed with the Kennett Symphony in 1985.

Monica’s interest in the “business of music” was sparked at Yale, and she merged her passion for performance with her desire to learn about business by working for the American Symphony Orchestra League, Washington, DC.  Monica then became Director of Development of the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra and subsequently joined National Bank of Commerce in Atlanta where she worked in business development.

Monica has made it a priority to continue her flute playing and to perform, teach, and “gig” in every city she has worked, while maintaining her association with the Kennett Symphony, which began in 1986. She has performed with the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Seneca Chamber Orchestra, Prince George Symphony Orchestra, and New Haven Symphony. She has taught at the University of Charleston, and has maintained private flute studios throughout her career.

Monica is currently Sponsorships and Promotions Manager for Supervalu and serves on the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Resources Council.

When not at work or playing the flute, Monica can be found with family and friends celebrating just about anything, trying out new recipes, reading, and working with her husband, Jonathan, on the major restoration of their 1920s bungalow.

Marlena Gal, Principal Cellist

Marlena Gal comes from a musical family. Both her mother and her maternal grandfather were classically trained musicians who remained actively performing throughout their lives in their respective positions of soprano and cantor in various congregations in their native Romania.

Ms. Gal received her Bachelor of Music in cello performance from Musik Hochschule in Freiburg, Germany, where she studied with the distinguished soloist and pedagogue Marçal Cervera. In Philadelphia, she continued her studies with Lorne Munroe, former principal cellist of the New York Philharmonic.

Over the years, Ms. Gal has played with local musical ensembles including the Philly Pops, Philadelphia Classical Symphony, Delaware and Reading Symphonies, the Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia and numerous Atlantic City show rooms. Ms. Gal regularly performs as a soloist in Philadelphia’s Fringe Festival, with the Ocean City Pops, and with the Meetinghouse Chamber Players in Maine

Ms. Gal, who joined the Kennett Symphony in 1990, presently divides her time between teaching strings, directing the orchestra at Radnor High School, performing and spending time with her husband and sixteen year-old son, Julian.

Eliezer Gutman, Concertmaster

Israeli-born Eliezer Gutman has a performance record that spans the continents.  He was concertmaster of the Israel Technion-Institute Symphony Orchestra, Kibbutzim Symphony Orchestra, Haifa Israel Symphony Orchestra, and the Ensemble-Carmel-Israel Chamber Orchestra.

Now living in the United States, Mr. Gutman also performs with various other Philadelphia area orchestras including the Opera Delaware Orchestra, Delaware Symphony Orchestra, Reading Symphony Orchestra, and the Allentown Symphony Orchestra. He has performed solo recitals in France, England, Spain, Israel and the United States.

His degrees include a Bachelor of Industry and Management from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and a Master of Music from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.  Mr. Gutman also studied under David Arben, assistant concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and Avigdor Zamir, Associate Concertmaster of the Dutch orchestra: “The Concertgebow.”

Mr. Gutman is the founder and the First Violinist of the Copeland String Quartet, which has performed in many functions for the Delaware Symphony Orchestra, the Allentown Symphony, and was invited to the Marcella Sembrich Museum in New York as part of the Schumann festival.

Mr. Gutman joined the Kennett Symphony in 2000.

Robert Hoch, Principal Clarinetist

Robert Hoch has spent nearly all of his adult life teaching and performing music.  He has been employed by the Kennett Consolidated School District for 35 years as an instrumental music teacher and band director and also teaches privately on his two main instruments, the clarinet and saxophone.

Mr. Hoch has held the principal clarinet chair with the Kennett Symphony for 30 years and also serves as the Music Librarian for the organization. He also plays with the Kennett Trio.  Mr. Hoch has a passion for good band music and is a long time member of the New Holland Band.  A native of Allentown, Pennsylvania, he grew up playing with the renowned Allentown Band under the direction of Albertus L. Meyers, a former cornet soloist with John Phillip Sousa.  He has also played with the Allentown Symphony.

Mr. Hoch holds music degrees from West Chester University and Temple University and spent several years studying clarinet with Anthony Gigliotti, former principal clarinetist with the Philadelphia Orchestra.

He currently resides in West Chester with his wife Kate and his 12-year-old son David (who plays a pretty mean trombone). He also has two stepdaughters, Meghan and Sheila and two grandchildren. It is Mr. Hoch’s belief that music is a precious gift from God and reflects the beauty and excitement of His creation.