Julia Tranner (Concertmaster) has been playing in orchestras for over 50 years. In the San Francisco Bay area she played with the California Youth Symphony and the Peninsula Symphony. In Los Angeles she played with the Santa Monica Symphony and Orchestra Santa Monica. In 2021 she retired from managing the board of the Getty Trust, moved to Spruce Head Island, and in 2022 joined the PBO.  She is currently studying piano at Bay Chamber Music School in Camden. When not playing music, she enjoys gardening and exploring Maine's countryside on her bike.

Edwin Hantz plays viola, organ, and piano and adapts works for our concerts.  When he and his wife Joan are not welcoming guests to the Old Granite Inn in Rockland, Ed is likely playing with music scores on his computer.  He holds a BA (mathematics) from Reed College and BMus (organ), MMus and PhD (music theory) from the University of Michigan.  Ed was a professor of music theory at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY from 1978 to 1996, before moving to Rockland.  He studies viola with Kirsten Monke of the DaPonte Quartet and enjoys playing chamber music and playing with his grandchildren.

Ellie Hess started band lessons back in the 5th grade in Annapolis, Maryland. She was the kid in the Annapolis Junior High Band who had the “honor” of the conductor’s wrath as the recipient of a thrown baton questioning her in stern words on just who had the melody. When off to Colby College, Waterville, Maine, the flute came along and she continued to play in the Colby Band.  Children and middle school science teaching took over her life. The flute took a hiatus for about 20 years and finally came out again. Ellie cherishes that the PBO is so very welcoming and encouraging to all ages and stages of musicianship. It is a joy to make music together!