Mark King

Mark is the vision behind Christine’s Christmas. He arranges, produces, directs, and performs Christine’s Christmas concert. He is the heart and soul of this important and meaningful evening!

Mark began his professional music career in Miami, FL at age 13 with Dante's Devils as the keyboard player. At 16, he joined Rapid Transit, a Miami band that achieved great local success. In addition to club dates, Rapid Transit performed in concert at the Miami Marine Stadium and played warm-up for such acts as Blood, Sweat and Tears, The Manhattans, and Billy Joel. Rapid Transit reunited in 2007, opening the Dublin July 4th celebration for KC and the Sunshine Band and The Village People. King also worked with Jon Secada in a local production of Godspell. He was active in the recording community and played keyboards on the song, No One Knows, a top-15 Billboard hit.

Mark received his MD degree from The Ohio State University in 1986 and put his music career on hold. He resides in Dublin with his wife, Heidi, where he enjoys great satisfaction as the Diagnostic Radiology Residency Program Director.

In 2013, Mark was awarded the prestigious Judges’ Award by the Association of Fundraising Executives for the realization of his vision for Christine’s Christmas. Mark has also been awarded the Columbus Rotary Service Above Self Award in recognition of his dedication and effort to create a positive and enduring change in the lives of the community through his work with the Christine Wilson Foundation and Christine’s Christmas. He is grateful for the opportunity each year to play for the supporters of Christine's Christmas.

Deborah Barrett Price

Deborah Barrett Price, founder and Artistic Director for the Chamber Music Connection is recognized throughout the country as an innovative pedagogue and versatile performer. Debbie has received numerous awards, including the 2018 CMS of Lincoln Center Award for Extraordinary Service to Chamber Music, the 2013 Alumni Achievement Award from Baldwin Wallace Conservatory, the Columbus 2004 Symphony Orchestra Community Educator of the Year Award, commendations from the Ohio State Senate and House of Representatives, and nominations for the Ohio Governor’s Award for Arts Education and Arts Administration (2013 and 2014). A respected performer, Debbie serves as principal violist of Opera Project Columbus, and the McConnell Arts Center Chamber Orchestra. In the summers, she is an artist-in-residence at the Corogo Lake Music Festival (NY) and serves on the faculty of several festivals. She is described as a graceful and inspiring conductor having directed numerous performances in Ohio, NY, CT, and abroad, including conducting the CMC Italia Chamber Orchestra in Bonefro, Italy, and at the esteemed Conservatorio Santa Cecilia in Rome. Debbie also serves on the faculty of Dennison University teaching viola and chamber music and is a Yamaha Certified String Educator Clinician.

Kyle Fox

Kyle Fox has been performing in Christine’s Christmas for 11 years, beginning when he was a sophomore in high school. When he’s not drumming he is busy working as the Marketing and Communications Manager at Broad Street Presbyterian Church on the east side of Columbus. Kyle currently lives in Hilliard with his wife and their two cats, and they are expecting their first child in May.

Kyle would like to thank Mark King for the opportunity to be a part of this magical night for over a decade. It has become one of his favorite holiday traditions and is something he is truly going to miss.

Rachael Fox

Rachael has been a musician her whole life and has been playing oboe for twelve years. Along with playing oboe, she also sings and plays piano at her church. Rachael is currently studying music education at Capital University and will graduate in the spring. Tonight, Rachael is honored to be participating in her seventh Christine's Christmas!

Larry Griffin

Larry Griffin, artistic director and founder of Capriccio Columbus, is widely respected among Central Ohio’s music educators and conductors. His distinguished career has included Director of Choral Music at Worthington Kilbourne High School, St. Charles Preparatory School’s Men’s Ensemble, and the Mansfield Symphony Chorus. He currently directs Capriccio Columbus, Capriccio Jubilee Singers, and the Clintonville Community Choir, and serves as bass section leader at St. Mary's Catholic Church in German Village. From 2001 to 2003 Griffin directed Vaud-Villities. Griffin is a past president of Ohio Music Education Association. In 2005 he was presented the Secondary School Music Educator Award by the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. Griffin holds a Master of Music degree from The Ohio State University and received his Bachelor of Music Education degree from Eastern Kentucky University.

Ben Huntoon

Ben Huntoon (trumpet) recently retired after 30 years as the Jazz Education Consultant at Stanton’s Sheet Music in Columbus. He also served on the music faculty at Otterbein University for 15 years. Ben received degrees in music from Capital University and The Ohio State University. He is a contributing author for Teaching Through Performance in Jazz from GIA Publications. As a professional musician, Ben has performed with numerous artists and on many stages throughout the country for over 40 years.

Carolyn King

Carolyn King graduated from the University of Central Florida with her bachelor's in Business Management. Still residing in Orlando she is working for Breakthru Beverage as an Account Development Specialist. Carolyn looks forward to participating in Christine's Christmas every year. It is such a fantastic event that brings so many people together.

Laura King

Laura King currently resides in Orlando, FL, and works for Walt Disney World in Guest Relations. She graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 2016, where she was involved in the UC Women’s Chorus, UC Cabaret Singers, and trained in voice at the College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). Her theatre credits include Belle in Beauty and the Beast, and Cosette in Les Misérables. Although not pursuing it professionally, she still has a passion for music and sings in the Candlelight Processional Cast Choir at Epcot. Her favorite part of Christine’s Christmas is having the opportunity to share the stage with her dad, Mark, and her cousin, Carolyn.

Nathan Kufchak

Nathan Kufchak, cellist, is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University. He now resides just South of Atlanta with his wife Laurie, and their two cats, Eva and Zazzles. Nathan teaches orchestra at Rising Starr Middle School and Starr’s Mill High School as well as maintaining a private lesson studio. When not teaching, he runs light and sound productions for a variety of local theater groups. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, photography, and Legos.

Jerry Loos

Jerry Loos (Hurricane Jerry) is a very seasoned guitarist and entertainer who has been performing on Central Ohio stages for many years. A Columbus native, Jerry has been crowned “The King of the Blues” three times for the State of Ohio in the national competition sponsored by Gibson guitars and Guitar Center. Jerry is well-known in national Blues circles and has played in Chicago, Los Angeles, Nashville, Memphis, New Orleans, and New York. Jerry had the honor of opening for Blues legend, B.B. King on his final tour and has performed several times with Tony Coleman (B.B. King’s long-time drummer) in California and at B.B. King’s Blues Club in Nashville. In addition to Tony and B. B. King, Jerry has also played alongside other Blues legends like Hubert Sumlin, John Cephas, and Keb Mo to name a few. Having gained the respect of these Blues legends has truly established Jerry Loos as one of the top Bluesmen around. Even though he still loves the Blues, Jerry has played many genres of music all of his life. Jerry attended OSU for music education and has been giving private lessons since 1975. He’s had many students that have been recognized both nationally and globally for their accomplishments as professional musicians.

Anna Linder

Anna Linder, 18, began playing violin at age five and discovered a love for chamber music four years later through Chamber Music Connection under the direction of Deborah Barrett Price. During 2015–2022, she was a violinist with the Dajj String Quartet, which competed and medaled at numerous national and international competitions, including the Fischoff, M-Prize, St. Paul String Quartet Competition, Coltman Competition, MYA Discover, WDAV/Davidson, and Bellagrande International Music Competition. As a soloist, Anna was recently a first-prize winner of the Charleston International Music Competition and the Bellagrande International Music Competition. She has performed as the featured soloist with the River Cities Symphony Orchestra and the New Albany Symphony Orchestra. Anna has also participated in summer festivals including Music at Menlo, Encore Chamber Music Intensive, Center Stage Strings, Encore Summer Academy Solo Intensive, Cincinnati Emerging Young Artists Chamber Music, and Green Lake Chamber Music Festival. Anna currently studies with Danielle Belen and Ryan Meehan at the University of Michigan.

Matt Luebbers

Matt Luebbers plays and records with a variety of groups around town including the ‘Mark King Collective,’ spanning genres from funk to bluegrass and beyond.

Bradley Sowash

Bradley Sowash is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and educator known for his innovative online group jazz piano classes and widely-acclaimed keyboard improvisation books. As a solo jazz piano concert artist, Sowash has performed selections from his nine recordings throughout the United States and Europe for over thirty years. As a sideman, he has played with such luminaries as The Cab Calloway Orchestra, Meredith Monk, and The Mills Brothers. His broadcast credits include seven seasons of appearances on the PBS-TV series, The Piano Guy, and interviews on several national music industry podcasts. Sowash is a sought-after clinician and frequent presenter for State and National music conferences across the country. In addition to creating many resources for music teachers, he self-publishes works for ballet, big band, choir, film, orchestra, solo piano, and string quartet.

David Wong

David Wong has been called a “rock star” in the violin world. With over 5,000 Facebook fans and 5.5 million YouTube views, he’s attracted the attention of people around the world with mentions in Time Magazine, Huffington Post, MSN, Good Morning America, and features on YouTube’s Home Page. Using just a violin and a loop pedal, he arranges rock, pop, and other top 40 hits into improvisation-filled orchestrations. He is an associate faculty member of the Chamber Music Connection (CMC) where he coaches chamber music and has co-directed CMC’s Jazz and Improvisation Workshop and the David Wong Cover Tune Workshop. He has presented violin workshops at The Ohio State University String Teachers Workshop, Suzuki Music Columbus, and over 30 public school systems throughout Long Island, NY, Columbus, OH, and around the United States. David was the Orchestra Director at Columbus Academy from 2018-2022. David has performed in venues ranging from Carnegie Hall to Natalie’s Coal Fired Pizza, right here in Columbus. David graduated from Amherst College with a double major in Music and Asian Studies.