Officers

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Christine Melson has been teaching and performing in CT for over twenty years. She holds a B.S. degree from Lebanon Valley College and M.M. degree from the Hartt School. Her performance credentials include many years playing at the Bushnell, Oakdale, and Schubert Theaters for touring Broadway musicals. Since 1999 she has been active in the music department at Trinity College; accompanying and teaching. She has served as music director for several area theaters, including the Ivoryton Playhouse. Christine also has functioned as choir director/organist for several area churches. Christine Melson has served as the Vice President of Local 400 since 1993.

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Arthur Masi has been an integral part of the Greater Hartford, Connecticut
professional music scene for over four decades. His career commenced in
1980 as a section violist with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. As a
freelance orchestral and chamber music musician, he continues to perform
with the HSO and other regional musical ensembles.
His extensive 29-year banking career, which concluded in 2018, provided
him with the requisite skills and acumen to effectively navigate the finance-
related aspects of the music business. His understanding of the non-profit
financial landscape has earned him the status of a sought-after resource
for the boards of directors of local musical non-profits.
From 2012 to 2017, Arthur served in a progressive capacity as a board
member, treasurer, and president of CONCORA (Connecticut Choral
Artists), a local professional chorus. Subsequently, from 2019 to 2022, he
held the positions of board member and treasurer with the Hartford Gay
Men’s Chorus, while concurrently serving as the organization’s bookkeeper.
Arthur has consistently served as a musician representative on the Board
of Directors and Finance Committee of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra.
His numerous elected terms of service on the HSO’s Orchestra Committee
exemplify his unwavering commitment to addressing the concerns of
working musicians. This experience afforded him a comprehensive
understanding of the intricacies of orchestral operations and of collective
bargaining agreements. Notably, he has been actively involved in collective
bargaining negotiations with the HSO since 2009.
Arthur Masi is honored to serve as the Treasurer of AFM Local 400,
embodying an unwavering commitment to financial integrity, transparency,
and accuracy.

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For over 30 years, oboist Kirsten Lipkens has performed, taught and created educational programs to inspire audiences of all ages to appreciate and explore the art of music. She studied oboe performance at Eastman School of Music and Yale School of Music. Her teachers include Alicia Chapman, Neil Boyer, Richard Killmer, Ronald Roseman, and Peggy Pearson. Kirsten performed in Japan, Europe, and the United States, with several appearances in Carnegie Hall and The Kennedy Center. She has played with symphony orchestras in Charlottesville(VA), Richmond(VA), Virginia, West Virginia, Vermont, New Hampshire, Springfield(MA), Glens Falls(NY), Albany(NY),Hartford(CT) and Rhode Island. An avid chamber music artist, she founded a chamber music festival in the 1990’s. As a member of The Battell Woodwind Quintet, she participated in a residency in Dodge City, KS sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and was a finalist in the Fischoff Competition. Most recently, as a member of the Deerfield Quintet, she enjoyed performing throughout Western Massachusetts. Kirsten taught at the University of Virginia, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, UMass Amherst, Western New England University and Springfield College. She currently teaches oboe at Amherst College.  

Members of the Executive Board

• Jarrod Briley
• Jordan Jacobson
• Roy Wiseman
• Tom Hudson
• Walter Mamlok