Musicians

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Violinist Yuki Tanaka has been a member of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra since January 2000. She has served an Associate Concertmaster as well as an Assistant Concertmaster with the orchestra. Before joining the LPO, she performed with the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, the San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra, and the Asia America Symphony. She has freelanced throughout Los Angeles.  Born in Japan, Yuki began her violin studies at the age of three. At age eight, she made her recital debut. She holds degrees from the Toho school of Music and the University of Southern California. Her principal teachers include Angela Eto, Toshiya Eto, and Eudice Shapiro.  Ms. Tanaka gives solo recitals regularly, and has performed in Los Angeles, New Orleans, Tokyo, Nagano, and Kawasaki. As a chamber musician, she plays with numerous groups, including New Orleans based ensemble “Musaica” of which she is one of the founding members. In December 2005, while displaced by Katrina, Yuki organized “the Hurricane Benefit Concert” in Tokyo to raise money for the LPO.  Yuki maintains her private studio in the Mid-City area, and also teaches violin at the University of New Orleans and the New Orleans Baptist Seminary.  During the summer, she appears in concerts with the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra in Japan.

Sarah Schettler plays second flute in the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and teaches flute at Tulane University and the University of New Orleans.  She holds degrees from Millikin University, the University of North Texas, and Florida State University.  Before moving to New Orleans, she taught flute and music theory at Texas A&M University-Kingsville.  She has performed with the Corpus Christi and Victoria Symphonies in south Texas and with the Orquestra Sinfonica deU.A.N.L. in Monterrey, Mexico.  She was a semifinalist in the 2004 National Flute Association Young Artist Competition and first prize winner in the 2005 Flute Society of Kentucky Young Artist Competition.  Her teachers include Trevor Wye, Stephanie Jutt, Charles DeLaney, and Terri Sundberg. Her husband, Bill, plays bass in the LPO. During the summers, Sarah teaches at the New England Music Camp in Sidney, Maine

Josiah Bullach serves as Associate and Assistant Principal Horn of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. Since his appointment to the LPO in 2016, Josiah has played an active role as a performer, recording artist, and educator. He is on faculty at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, on the board of the New Orleans Chamber Players, and is passionate about music education in the greater New Orleans area.

Beyond Louisiana, Josiah has been a guest performer with the Mobile Symphony Orchestra, Pensacola Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Pops Orchestra,  Cleveland City Chamber Orchestra, Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra, Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, Firelands Symphony Orchestra, and WindSync. In 2022, he won Second Prize in the International Horn Competition of America.

A native of Ohio, Josiah began taking horn lessons from his uncle Ron Kurzen at the age of eight. He then went on to receive his Bachelor of Music degree from the Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Music where he studied with Jesse McCormick. He was a prize winner of the Tuesday Musical Association Scholarship Competition, a featured soloist with the Cleveland Youth Wind Symphony for their 2012 European concert tour, and a soloist at both Baldwin Wallace University and the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory or Music, where he continued graduate studies as a student of Randy Gardner.

When not playing horn, Josiah enjoys an active lifestyle of running, CrossFit, and neighborhood walks with his wife, Alli, and their dog. 

Raised in Coppell, Texas, clarinetist Roy Park began his musical studies at the age of seven and has since earned degrees in clarinet performance from Indiana University, the University of Texas at Austin, and Rice University. As an orchestral musician, he has performed with The Nashville Symphony, Florida Orchestra, and Houston Grand Opera Orchestra, among others. Since 2023, he has served as the Assistant Principal & E-flat Clarinetist of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.

In past summers, Roy has been heard around the world at festivals such as the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, the Taipei Music Academy and Festival, the Music Academy of the West, where he was a prize winner in their inaugural Duo Competition, the Orchestra of the Americas, and the Brevard Music Center. In 2014, he was a prize winner in the Vandoren Emerging Artists Competition. In chamber music settings, he has been heard with Houston-based groups WindSync and the Monarch Chamber Players, and also performs in New Orleans with the Musaica Chamber Ensemble. Aside from playing, his other interests include film & photography, building computers, and following sports.

Jane Gabka is Professor of oboe at Loyola University and a member of the Louisiana Philharmonic.   She received her Bachelor's degree from the  Eastman School of Music, her Master's degree from Baylor University and has supplemented her education by attending numerous music festivals such as Aspen Music Festival, Sarasota Chamber Music Festival, Colorado College Music Festival, Santa Fe Opera and the John Mack Oboe Camp.  She teaches private oboe and reed making lessons in her home and only beats her students occasionally.

“A native of Kazakhstan, Diana Thacher is a versatile soloist, educator, and collaborator, currently serving as an Assistant Professor of Piano at the University of Louisiana Monroe. Diana has won numerous international competitions and performed as a soloist with diverse range of orchestras including the Kazakh National Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Central Asia, the Shenzhen Chamber Orchestra, and the Moscow Rendezvous Music Festival Orchestra.

In addition to her solo work, she collaborates as the principal keyboardist with the Baton Rouge Symphony. Through her performances across various venues and ensembles—such as the New Orleans-based chamber ensemble "Musaica"—she actively promotes new and chamber music.
Her festival appearances span North America and include the New Music on the Bayou Festival, McCall Music Festival, Banff Summer Festival, and the Utah Summer Music Festival. Diana has also co-directed the Piano Technique Intensive Workshop at the Collaborative Piano Institute Summer Festival, where she shares her expertise and passion for music education with aspiring musicians.
Currently, she is engaged in innovative projects such as "Reimagined Classics," which blends classical music with contemporary influences. Through her diverse work across multiple platforms, Diana aims to connect with audiences and foster a deeper appreciation for the transformative power of music.
Diana holds a Doctorate in Piano Performance from Louisiana State University and a Master’s degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.”