Nashua Symphony - Orchestra & Chorus

Meet the musicians

Jonathan McPhee is equally at home as a conductor for the symphony, ballet, and opera. As Music Director for Boston Ballet, he has received critical acclaim for his work with the Company and Orchestra, which is the second largest musical organization in Boston. Mr. McPhee is also Music Director for the Lexington Symphony, Symphony by the Sea, in Marblehead, MA, and the Longwood Symphony Orchestra (The Orchestra of Boston's Medical Community).

Peter Powell Photography

Recent guest engagements include the Portland Symphony Orchestra, Plymouth Philharmonic, Youngstown Symphony, the Orquesta Sinfonica de Tenerife in Spain, and the Lithuanian National Orchestra. Other orchestras Mr. McPhee has conducted are the BBC Scottish Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, the Louisiana Philharmonic, The Hague Philharmonic, Rochester Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Orchestre Colonne (Paris), the National Philharmonic Orchestra in London, the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Bergen Philharmonic in Norway.

Mr. McPhee has conducted for many of the world's most distinguished dance companies including the New York City Ballet, The Royal Ballet (England), Martha Graham Dance Company, National Ballet of Canada, and The Australian Ballet. In addition to a broad repertoire in the field of dance, Mr. McPhee has conducted pops concerts, musical theatre and operetta. He has also conducted grand opera with Opera Boston, the American Opera Center in New York, and Boston University Opera.

Peter Powell Photography

Mr. McPhee's works as arranger and composer are in the repertoires orchestras and ballet companies around the world. His edition of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring is the only authorized reduced orchestration of this work. Mr. McPhee's compositions and arrangements are published by Boosey & Hawkes, Inc. his edition of Stravinsky's complete Firebird for Boosey & Hawkes was recently performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra and Baltimore Symphony.

Born in Philadelphia, Mr. McPhee received his L.R.A.M. from the Royal Academy of Music, and a B.M. and M.M. from The Juilliard School. While at Juilliard, Mr. McPhee was the recipient of a Naumburg Scholarship in Conducting and English Horn. He has studied with Leonard Brain, David Diamond, Thomas Stacy, Rudolf Kempe, Sixten Ehrling, and master classes with Sir Georg Solti and James Levine at Juilliard.

There is never a dull moment for Diane Cushing who plays the role of singer, conductor, and teacher of voice. This fall will be her third year as Director of Choral Activities for The Nashua Symphony Chorus. Ms. Cushing is the Conductor of The Keene State College Concert Choir and teaches Voice at Keene State and Assumption College ( Worcester, MA.) She is also the Founder and Director of The Mount Wachusett Community Chorale in Gardner, MA. Ms. Cushing participates in the music ministry at The Bethany Baptist Church in Gardner, MA., where she is a worship leader and conductor for special choral concerts.

Ms. Cushing recently adjudicated choral festivals in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. She is also a frequent performer in the Keene State College Faculty Recital Series. She is a member of The American Choral Conductor's Association, The National Association of Teachers of Singing, and The Music Educator's National Conference.

Ms. Cushing received her Bachelor of Music Education degree at Anna Maria College, where she was Assistant to the Choral Director in her Junior and Senior years. She went on to a Graduate Assistantship in Choral Conducting at Syracuse University where she worked under Dr. Rhonda Fleming as Conductor of the concert Chorale and Assistant Conductor of the Oratorio Society. She continued her education at Boston Conservatory, where she earned a Masters in Vocal Performance. Her vocal studies have been with Dr. David Rives, Dr. Robert White, Ruth Golden, Bruce Kolb, Oren Brown, and vocal coaches Michael Strauss and William Merrill.

Photograph by Charter Weeks

Ms. Cushing was a member of The Boston Baroque, and has been heard as soloist with the Masterworks Chorale of Boston, The Hamilton Baroque Ensemble, The Cape Cod Chorale, The Bach Society, The Neponsett Chorus, The Thayer Symphony Orchestra, The Assabet Valley Mastersingers and The Monadnock Chorus and Orchestra. She has performed music of American Composers at Queen's College, New York, and at Newberry College, South Carolina in their Recital Series. She has also performed music of Finnish composers at Fitchburg State College..

The Nashua Symphony Association's beloved Music Director from 1985-2007, Maestro Royston Nash retired this past season and was awarded the title "Conductor Emeritus" by an appreciative Board of Trustees. A British-born conductor who studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London, he served the Monarchy for eight years as Director of London's D'Oyly Carte Opera Company--enjoying considerable success in opera, symphony orchestra and chamber music. His engagements with the BBC have included conducting chamber music with the London Studio Strings and symphony with the Concert Orchestra.