Thomas Rodgers

Thomas Rodgers, a native of Anderson, Indiana, joined the RPO in March 2012 as a member of the first violin section. During the 2014-2015 season, he served as principal 2nd violin. He holds a Master of Music degree in violin performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he studied with William Preucil, concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra. He also holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music (graduated summa cum laude), where he studied with Alexander Kerr, former concertmaster of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and current concertmaster of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

Rodgers began studying the piano at age five with his father and started violin lessons at the age of six. During high school as a member of the Indiana University Violin Virtuosi directed by Mimi Zweig, Rodgers performed with the group in the U.S., Europe, and Japan. He is the winner of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music Concerto Competition and Kuttner Chamber Music Competition, the Indianapolis Symphony Side-By-Side Concerto Competition, the MTNA Jr. High String Competition, the Chamber Music Fellowship sponsored by the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, and is the winner of various young artist competitions in Indiana.

Rodgers has attended a number of summer festivals including the Pacific Music Festival, the Sarasota Music Festival, Music Academy of the West, the National Arts Centre Young Artists Programme directed by Pinchas Zukerman, Encore School for Strings, and Meadowmount. He has participated in masterclasses by Joshua Bell, Pamela Frank, Mauricio Fuks, Ruggiero Ricci, Peter Salaff, and Donald Weilerstein. In the fall of 2012, Rodgers joined the faculty of the Kanack School of Musical Artistry in Rochester.

Molly McDonald

Molly Werts McDonald joined the RPO in October of 2013 as Acting Assistant Principal Second Violin. She has been playing in the first violin section since September 2014. With a Bachelor of Music degree and a Certificate in World Music, McDonald was one of RPO Concertmaster Juliana Athayde’s first students at Eastman. McDonald then continued on to complete a Master of Music degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music with William Preucil, concertmaster of The Cleveland Orchestra.

McDonald grew up in Kansas City playing music with both of her parents, and gained exposure to chamber music and orchestral playing through local festivals in her hometown. In the coming years she attended many other summer festivals including the Interlochen Arts Camp, the Castleman String Quartet Program, the Round Top Festival Institute, the National Repertory Orchestra, Music Academy of the West, the Tanglewood Institute, and the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute. Prior to the RPO, she was Assistant Principal Second Violin of the Canton Symphony Orchestra, and she has made appearances with the Kansas City Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the New World Symphony.

During her education, McDonald explored Early Music, Balinese Gamelan, folk, and many other styles of music. She is passionate about teaching and playing chamber music, and continues to do both in addition to her position with the RPO.

AIka Ito

Aika Ito, a native of Tokyo Japan joined the first violin section of the RPO in 2014 and then the Buffalo Philharmonic in 2023. Previously she was a member of the Canton Symphony Orchestra and the Akron Symphony Orchestra. She has participated in several summer festivals including the Pacific Music Festival, Schleswig Holstein Music Festival, and the Tanglewood Music Festival. She also plays the viola and attended a chamber music festival at the Nebraska Institute of Music as a violist.

Ito began studying the violin at the age of four. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Toho School of Music in Tokyo, where she studied with Tsugio Tokunaga, former concertmaster of the NHK Symphony Orchestra. She earned an artist diploma at the Cleveland Institute of Music with Stephen Rose, principal 2nd violinist of the Cleveland Orchestra. During her education, she also studied with Mayumi Ohira, Kumi Iguchi, Akihiro Miura and Asako Urushihara.

Benjamin Krug

Benjamin Krug hails from Royal Oak, Michigan. Krug graduated from St. Olaf College with a B.M. in Cello Performance in 2004. He went on to the Cleveland Institute of Music to do graduate work with Stephen Geber, earning his Masters in Cello Performance in 2006 and a Professional Studies Diploma in 2008. He has participated in a variety of summer music programs including the Kent Blossom Music Festival, the Aspen Music Festival, and the Tanglewood Music Festival. During his graduate studies in Cleveland, he was a member of the Akron and Canton Symphonies. He has been a member of the RPO cello section since 2008.