South Valley Symphony
P.O. Box 1347
Gilroy, CA 95021-1347
Phone: 408.847.1441
Fax: 408.842.9776

Performer Profiles

Greg Chambers

B.A. Music Performance | UCLA. 
Greg has studied with Bill Trimble (saxophone professor at San Jose State University) and Doug Masek (Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and LA Philharmonic, as well as a studio musician for Sony, Warner Bros., Paramount, Universal, and 20th Century Fox). While at UCLA, Greg was given the opportunity to play in masterclasses with Greg Banaszak (orchestral soloist and contributor to the Saxophone Journal) and Gary Keller (director of jazz studies at University of Miami).

Additionally, he has performed Ravel’s Bolero with the South Valley Symphony, has performed the Glazounov Saxophone Concerto with the UCLA Philharmonia, has performed in chamber ensembles for the Chancellor, has had the opportunity to record at Capitol Records, and has taken an occasional lesson with Eric Marienthal.

Greg has attended the Idyllwild Arts Summer Music Program for 2 summers—performing both with the Chamber Orchestra and in the new Walt Disney Concert Hall.  As a teacher, he is involved with the Music Outreach Program at Bursch Elementary in Compton, has given masterclasses at John Adams Middle School in Santa Monica, and has taught privately throughout West LA.

Greg is proud to be the recipient of the Elaine Krown Kleine Arts Scholarship, an annual scholarship from the American Youth Symphony, and a winner of the Atwater-Kent Concerto Competition.  Additionally, Greg has recently released his debut smooth jazz album, City Lights.

Matt Thornton

Bassoonist Matt Thornton hails from The Colony, Texas, a small town just north of Dallas. Throughout his musical career, Matt has performed across the United States and in France and Switzerland. His performances include some side by side concerts with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and the Houston Symphony Orchestra as well as solo performances in Nashville, TN and Chicago, IL. In addition to his involvement with the South Valley Symphony, Matt currently performs as a member of the San Jose Wind Symphony and the San Jose Metropolitan Band.

Matt matriculated from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL with Bachelor’s Degrees in Music and Computer Science. While at Northwestern, Matt joined Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, a men's music fraternity. He also has a Masters of Computer Science degree from San Jose State University.
Over the years, Matt has studied with various bassoon teachers including Dr. Sue Schrier-Bancroft (University of North Texas, retired), Dr. Robert Barris (Northwestern University), Dr. Kristen Wolfe Jensen (University of Texas), and Dr. Tina Carpenter (West Texas A&M University). 

Through out his career, Matt has had the good fortune of performing with some very distinguished conductors: Richard Giangiulio, Dr. Gary Garner (Director of Bands, retired West Texas A&M University), Eugene Corporon (University of North Texas), the late John P. Paynter (Northwestern University), Dr. Edward Harris (San Jose Wind Symphony), and Victor Yampolsky (Northwestern University). Each musical colleague has provided a unique influence on him as a musician.