Casper Symphony Orchestra

Virginia Himes began playing violin in the Casper Civic Symphony in 1974 and retired from what had become the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra in 2019, totaling 45 years.

Amy Cowell played cello in the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra in the 1990s when in high school. She now plays regularly as an import musician, commuting from Laramie, Wyoming.

Susan Stanton joined the orchestra in 1994, and still played violin in the symphony as of the end of the 2023-2024 season.

Richard Turner was principal bassoon with the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra starting in 1996, and is still in the orchestra. The symphony featured him as a local soloist in spring 1999, when he performed the Mozart Bassoon Concerto.

Carolyn Deuel played every percussion instrument except tympani, in the Casper and Wyoming Symphony Orchestras, from 1976 through the present. Her specialty is mallet percussion.

Rick Rognstad, cello and bass, played cello in the Casper Civic Symphony while in high school and also as an import during the years he attended college in Colorado. He won the Young Artist Competition on bass as a high school junior.

Deborah Bovie played cello in the symphony starting in about 1974 and was still in the orchestra as of the end of the 2023 season. This totals 49 years, making her the person who has served in the symphony the longest. She was usually assistant principal cello, but did pinch-hit occasionally as principal.

Andrea (Reynolds) DiGregorio, cello, joined the Casper Youth Symphony sometime during her junior high school years, younger than most students. She won the Civic Symphony Young Artist Competition when in high school.

Delores Thornton played second flute in the Casper Civic Symphony starting in 1976 for about four years, and then became principal flute. She continued as principal through the Casper Symphony years, and also well into the Wyoming Symphony years, retiring in 2021.

Dale Bohren played in the Civic Symphony bass section while in high school and later, during the Casper Symphony years, played in the orchestra including sometimes as principal bass. During the Wyoming Symphony’s first years he was executive director, pulling the orchestra out of a major financial slump.