Staff

Charlotte Truitt, Executive Director

Charlotte has called Juneau home since 1991. She and her husband have raised four daughters here and have been an active part of the Juneau arts community since 1993. She earned her BA in Music from Oral Roberts University in 1989 and has worked in church music, musical theater, private voice instruction, and sung with our own Juneau Symphony Chorus. Her background includes serving as Board President of Juneau Dance Theatre, working in non-profit arts administration and tourism marketing, and holding a staff position in the Alaska State Legislature.

Growing up in a musical home and pursuing a music degree, it was no surprise that her first date with her husband was at the Tulsa Philharmonic. Music has always been a part of her life and she is thrilled to combine her love of music and her experience in marketing and arts administration in her role at the Juneau Symphony.

Franz Felkl was born and raised in Juneau. He started his violin studies with Guo Hua Xia at age four and continued his studies in high school with Linda Rosenthal. Franz received a BS in Violin Performance and a Bachelor of Music Education K-12 from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. In 2012 he won the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra’s Concerto Competition. As an educator he has worked as a coach in a chamber music setting for young artists, taught at music camps for young musicians, and worked with the Fairbanks Youth Symphony Orchestras. From 2016 to 2019, Franz was the second violinist in the Amernet String Quartet, Ensemble-in-Residence at Florida International University. Franz has moved back to Juneau to teach violin privately and also has been appointed concertmaster of the Juneau Symphony.

Spencer Edgers, Operations Manager

After visiting regularly since 2019, Spencer moved to Juneau in January of 2023. He was born and raised in Bellevue, Washington and began playing piano and composing at a young age. At age 11, Spencer picked up the saxophone and by high school began performing at several live music venues around the Seattle area. Spencer went on to receive a Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Studies from Temple University in Philadelphia, where he continued performing, and studied with mentors such as Dick Oatts, Tim Warfield, Terell Stafford, Cynthia Folio, and Adam Vidiksis. 

 In 2018, Spencer returned to Seattle and received a Master of Music degree in Film Composition from the Seattle Film Institute, learning from accomplished composer and orchestrator Hummie Mann. Spencer has composed original scores for films such as Poison Crue (2022 El Paso Film Festival), in addition to music and sound design for several indie video game and augmented reality projects. 

Spencer spent two years working in Seattle Opera’s Creation Lab as a composer, culminating in the world premiere of two new 20-minute operas in 2022 and 2023.

Hetty Barthel, Library Assistant

Hetty Barthel has lived in Juneau since 1980 — with thirteen years in Washington, D.C. in the mix. She received her Masters in Library Science from the University of Maryland. She worked in Juneau as a public librarian at Juneau Public Libraries, continuing presently at Egan Library (Adjunct). Today she considers herself an “audacious” violist in the Juneau Symphony, and considers it an honor to be playing.