Teddy Bears and Toys

Born in Minnesota and raised in Duluth, Jon Poupore first picked up the viola at age 17. Jon found an enriching environment to pursue his love of the instrument at St. John’s University, in Collegeville, Minnesota. While continuing his studies, Jon launched a lifelong freelance career in Baltimore, Maryland, a path that took him to Maine, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and then back home to Duluth in 2018. After serving as the Golden Valley Orchestra’s principal violist for three years, Jon now makes his debut as a soloist with the ensemble. He last performed the Bruch Romance 30 years ago. Always an active performer, Jon recently began a weekly recital series at the Jones-Harrison Senior Center, held every Tuesday at 2 PM. When Jon is not playing the viola, he is spending time with his loving and supportive husband of 23 years or pursuing his other passions; running, reading, movies/tv, chamber music and mechanical pianos.

A native of Des Moines, Iowa Will Samorey began playing piano at the age of four and began studying violin in elementary school. While still in high school, he was asked to be the Assistant Concertmaster of the Buena Vista University Orchestra Festival in California. While attending the University of Iowa and studying with Annette-Barbara Vogel, Will chose to follow her to the University of Western Ontario (UWO) to continue his studies. Will held various principal violin and concertmaster positions with UWO's symphony orchestra, opera, and musical programs and graduated with a B.A. in Music with honors in Violin Performance. Other teachers included Won-Bin Yim, Yehonatan Berick, Vasile Beluska, Stacey Woolley and Jonathan Sturm. Professionally, Will has performed with numerous professional and community orchestras, including concertmaster positions with Jersey Productions, Seven Hills Symphonietta and engagements with the Clermont Philharmonic, International Symphony Orchestra, Middletown Symphony Orchestra and Pittsburgh Civic Orchestra. Currently, Will is the concertmaster for the Golden Valley Orchestra and is a frequent substitute with the Quad Cities Symphony Orchestra, Sioux City Symphony Orchestra and the Des Moines Symphony.