Three CSO musicians — Dash, Gingrich and Satkiewicz — to retire

Three longtime Chicago Symphony Orchestra members whose tenures total nearly 140 years of service — Daniel Gingrich, horn; Ronald Satkiewicz, violin, and Patricia Dash, percussion — will retire in September.

Gingrich and Satkiewicz, both currently on sabbatical, last performed with the CSO in 2025. Dash marked her last CSO performance on Aug. 16, in the final concert of the CSO’s 2026 residency at the Ravinia Festival.

After their retirements, Gingrich and Satkiewicz will receive the CSO’s Theodore Thomas Medallion for Distinguished Service on Sept. 26. Gingrich, who joined the CSO in 1975, is retiring after 51 years. Satkiewicz, who joined in 1979, is retiring after 47 years. Dash, who joined the CSO in 1986, is retiring after 40 years.

Daniel Gingrich, horn

A native of southwest suburban Stickney, Gingrich served as a member of the Rochester Philharmonic of New York state and the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington, D.C., before joining the CSO in 1975. He was a member of the Chicago Youth Orchestra and from 1969 to 1972, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. In 2002, Music Director Daniel Barenboim appointed Gingrich as associate principal horn; at Muti’s request, Gingrich served as acting principal horn from 2013 to 2019.

Over his six decades with the CSO, Gingrich appeared many times as a soloist, including performances of Schumann’s Konzertstück for Four Horns under conductors Riccardo Chailly, James Levine, Christoph Eschenbach and Sir Georg Solti; Mozart’s horn concertos under Esa-Pekka Salonen and Edo de Waart, and Schubert’s Auf dem Strom alongside tenor Steven Tharp and pianist Daniel Barenboim. An active chamber musician and member of the Grammy Award-winning Chicago Pro Musica, Gingrich also spent 20 years coaching the Civic’s horn section and touring Chicago-area schools with a CSO brass quintet.

“Being chosen to join my esteemed mentors in the CSO and then play in the orchestra as it evolved over half a century has been an experience that has exceeded my wildest dreams,” Gingrich said.

In retirement, Gingrich and his wife, Mary, look forward to traveling and visiting family and friends. He also plans to continue his volunteer work as a tutor of adult basic education.

Ronald Satkiewicz, violin

Ronald Satkiewicz joined the CSO in 1979 under Music Director Sir Georg Solti. Before his appointment, Satkiewicz served as associate concertmaster of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra of Ohio, first violin of the Columbus String Quartet and faculty member at Capital University, also in Columbus. He also performed with the Rochester Philharmonic while studying at the Eastman School of Music under Carroll Glenn. He also studied with Ivan Galamian at Meadowmount in Westport, New York, and Albert Bernard at the Preparatory Division of the New England Conservatory in Boston.

During his 47-year CSO tenure, Satkiewicz performed in hundreds of concerts at Symphony Center/Orchestra Hall and on international tours, as well as in numerous chamber music performances in Orchestra Hall, the Art Institute of Chicago and on WFMT-FM broadcasts. As a member of a longstanding CSO string quintet, he frequently brought live music to students in Chicago Public Schools.

“Playing with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is a unique and incredible experience,” Satkiewicz said. “It’s as if you are playing in a giant chamber music ensemble with everyone listening intently to each other and producing a precise and expressive result.”

In retirement, Satkiewicz looks forward to spending more time with his wife, Amy Stocker, and their family, traveling and pursuing non-musical interests, which include entomology, fiction and fishing.

Patricia Dash, percussion

Appointed at age 24 to the CSO by Sir Georg Solti in 1986, Patricia Dash retires after 40 years with the ensemble. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, she previously served as principal percussion of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Florida.

Early in her CSO career, Dash performed with a CSO percussion trio in elementary schools throughout Chicago. Seeing the excitement of children encountering percussion instruments and professional musicians helped to inspire what would become the most meaningful endeavor of her career.

In 1995, Dash founded the CSO’s Percussion Scholarship Program, which provides gifted Chicago-area students with full scholarships to study percussion. For more than three decades, she and her husband, percussionist Doug Waddell, have co-directed the program and mentored generations of young musicians. PSP students have performed at Symphony Center, appeared on NPR’s “From the Top” and on Chicago television and radio, and performed as soloists with the CSO. Among its many alumni are three musicians who now serve as principal percussionists of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Grant Park Orchestra and Sarasota Orchestra.

For Dash, the program reflects a belief that has become central to her music life: that being fortunate enough to make a career as a musician also brings an opportunity to give  back to the community. She believes that the achievements of helping young musicians discover their abilities, develop confidence and find their own career paths have been among the most rewarding parts of her CSO tenure.

Dash will continue teaching and co-directing the Percussion Scholarship Program and plans to remain active as a performer, such as substituting with the Lyric Opera Orchestra and Grant Park Orchestra. She looks forward to enjoying this next chapter — and spending more time with family.