Rock Hits and Power Ballads 
JANUARY 9 & 10, 2026 | 8:00PM

Stuart Chafetz, conductor
Dee Donasco, vocalist
Micah Wilshire, guitar & vocals
Brian Kushmaul, drums

Tonight's program selections will be announced from the stage.

Meet the Conductor

Stuart Chafetz is the Principal Pops Conductor of the Columbus Symphony and Principal Pops Conductor of the Chautauqua and Marin Symphonies. Chafetz, a conductor celebrated for his dynamic and engaging podium presence, is increasingly in demand with orchestras across the continent and this season Chafetz will be on the podium in Detroit, Ft Worth, Naples, Buffalo, North Carolina and Seattle. He enjoys a special relationship with The Phoenix Symphony where he leads multiple programs annually

He’s had the privilege to work with renowned artists including Ne-Yo, Ben Folds, Natalie Merchant, Leslie Odom Jr., En Vogue, Kenny G, David Foster w/Catherine McPhee, The O’Jays, Chris Botti, 2 Cellos, Hanson, Rick Springfield, Michael Bolton, Kool & The Gang, Jefferson Starship, America, Little River Band, Brian McKnight, Roberta Flack, George Benson, Richard Chamberlain, The Chieftains, Jennifer Holliday, John Denver, Marvin Hamlisch, Thomas Hampson, Wynonna Judd, Jim Nabors, Randy Newman, Jon Kimura Parker and Bernadette Peters.

He previously held posts as resident conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and associate conductor of the Louisville Orchestra. As principal timpanist of the Honolulu Symphony for twenty years, Chafetz would also conduct the annual Nutcracker performances with Ballet Hawaii and principals from the American Ballet Theatre. It was during that time that Chafetz led numerous concerts with the Maui Symphony and Pops. He’s led numerous Spring Ballet productions at the world-renowned Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University.

When not on the podium, Chafetz makes his home near San Francisco, CA, with his wife Ann Krinitsky. Chafetz holds a bachelor’s degree in music performance from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati and a master’s from the Eastman School of Music.

Dee Donasco, vocalist

Praised as an artist who embraces vocal versatility, Philippine-born soprano Dee Donasco has attracted attention with a voice that crosses a variety of musical genres. Equally at home with opera, oratorio or recital repertoire, jazz and pop, musical theater, and accomplished in classical works ranging from Baroque to modern contemporary, she brings rewarding vocal and dramatic range to her work.

Recent performances include her role as Frasquita in Bizet’s Carmen with Nashville Opera, in addition to the debut of “Rock Hits and Power Ballads” with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. She also made performance debuts with the Winston-Salem Symphony and the Baltimore Symphony for a series of holiday concerts. In July 2024, she was invited to sing at Lucas Oil Stadium for the 10th National Eucharistic Congress, and made her singing debut with the Indianapolis Symphony with over 60,000 in attendance. Other notable performances include appearances as a featured guest artist with the symphony orchestras of Edmonton, Seattle, Nashville, Detroit, Dallas, North Carolina and Jacksonville.

Dee earned her master’s degree in music and her Performance Diploma at Southern Methodist University with a full artistic scholarship. She graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in chemistry from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. She served as Adjunct Professor of Voice and Lyric Theatre at the University of Dallas for four years prior to moving to Tennessee. Her most cherished and greatest achievement to date is being the mother of two beautiful human beings.

Micah Wilshire, vocalist

Micah Wilshire’s voice, guitar playing, writing and production can be heard on hundreds of recordings on the radio and tv-film placements around the world.

As a vocalist, you can hear Micah’s voice on #1 radio hits by Dierks Bentley, Brett Eldridge, Darius Rucker, and David Nail. Micah’s voice and guitar playing can also be heard on national commercials for Nissan, Ford, The Oscars and many more.

Raised under the mentorship of his professional-musician father, Micah fell in love with all styles of music at an early age. He began singing at the age of 3 and playing drums in his father’s band by the time he was 8. Micah moved to Nashville at 19 and then began his studio musician experience as a guitar player and vocalist.

A few years later, he moved to Los Angeles where his band signed with Columbia Records and swiftly had a top 20 single that they supported by touring around the country with singing legend Seal and the band Train.

Micah has worked with hugely successful artists like: Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, Seal, Michael Bolton, multi-platinum albums for artists such as Dierks Bentley, Jason Aldean, Jake Owen, Brett Eldridge, Tim Montana, Darius Rucker, Amy Grant, Faith Hill, Michael W. Smith, Steve Winwood and many more. 

Most recently, Micah wrote the hit song “Let Your Boys be Country” for Jason Aldean and received a BMI Radio play award in 2025. He also wrote and sang the theme song for the Amazon Prime hit show The Terminal List. Some of the shows that have featured his voice and songs are: Grey’s Anatomy, Fire Country, the CW’s Riverdale, Legacies, The Black List, Yellowstone (under his band Mississippi Twilight), Million Little Things, Vampire Diaries, Sons of Anarchy, Dexter, American Idol, the Olympics and many more.

Movies and trailers that have featured Micah’s songs include: Google Stadia, MAX, Keeping up with the Joneses, Bad Moms, Ubisoft games, Xbox Video, For Honor, The Crew 2 and Apple.

Brian Kushmaul, drums

Brian grew up on the East side of Columbus, Ohio, playing rock and roll and pop music in several local bands. After graduating from Walnut Ridge High School, he was a jazz major at Capital University and earned a Master of Music degree in classical percussion from Temple University. He has drummed with many top orchestras, including Pittsburgh, Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo, Columbus, Vancouver, Kansas City, San Diego, The Philly Pops, North Carolina, Nashville, Calgary, and Phoenix. Brian is the principal percussionist with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, and has played percussion and timpani off and on with the Columbus Symphony for 35 years. When not on stage there is a good chance he is on a golf course trying to break 80.

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