Recent Orchestral, Academic and Professional Appointments
- Carl Anderson (MM ’19) – Double Bass section, Boston Symphony Orchestra
- Wesley Ducote (MM ’18) – Piano Fellowship, New World Symphony
- Silvio Guitian (MM, currently LOA) Associate Principal, Second Clarinet & E-flat Clarinet, Kansas City Symphony
- Rachel Halvorson (MM ’19) – Principal Viola, Sarasota Orchestra
- Andrew Keller (MM’19) – Assistant Principal Double Bass, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra
- Meredith Kufchak (BM ’14) – Principal Viola, Dallas Symphony Orchestra
- Tetsuya Lawson (current graduate student) – Principal Trumpet, the Houston Grand Opera and Ballet
- Kai Rocke (MM ‘19) – Rosemary and David Good Fellowship, Minnesota Orchestra
- Andrew Sandwick (former graduate student) – Bass Clarinet, Dallas Symphony Orchestra
- Alex Schwarz (MM, currently LOA) – Principal Trumpet, The Louisville Orchestra
- Courtney Silver (BM ’16) – Second Violin Section, Illinois Symphony Orchestra
- Fanny Spangaro (MM ’18) – Cello section, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, France
- Max Stein (MM, currently LOA) – Third Horn, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra
- Jessica Stinson (MM ’09) – Violin section, Atlanta Opera Orchestra
- Michael Stubbart (MM ‘15) – Assistant Timpani/ Section Percussion, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Competitions, Awards, Performances and Premieres
Alumna Aubrey Ferguson Bergauer (BM, BA ’05) Executive Director of the California Symphony, was featured in an article by Southwest Magazine about how she transformed and redefined the classical concert experience.
Current doctoral composition student Erberk Eryilmaz’s song cycle “Songs Are Against War” for voice and piano was performed at the Sydney Opera House.
Ross S. Griffey’s (BM ’12) work “Night Music” was premiered by The New Juilliard Ensemble.
Alumni Michael Hawk (MM ’18) will join the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program for the 2019-20 season.
Shepherd School alumni Chelsea Helm (MM ’17) and Joseph Leppek (MM ’18) performed in Houston Grand Opera’s web opera production of Now. The series was directed by Shepherd School graduate student in Orchestral Conducting Ben Manis.
The Key Pianists Series presented Jason Hardink (MM ’01, DMA ’07) in a rich and challenging program of 20th-century works, complemented by selections from Liszt’s Étude d’execution transcendant at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.
Shepherd School graduate students in Orchestral Conducting Joshua Hong and Benjamin Manis received a 2019 Career Assistance Award from the Solti Foundation U.S.
Tommy Glass (MM ’16) was one of five winners of the 2019 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and Meghan Kasanders (MM ’16) was a finalist.
Soprano Meghan Kasanders (MM ’16) took the “Bessylee Penland First Prize” ($10,000) and the “Jonathan Pell People’s Choice Award” ($1,000) at the 31st Annual Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition. Alumni Calvin Griffin and Lindsay Brown were semi-finalists.
Meghan Kasanders won second place and the audience choice award in the 41st Annual Opera Birmingham Vocal Competition.
Alumnus Alan Hicks (MM ’96) was awarded the Craig Noel Award for Outstanding Special Event by the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle for his production All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914. He will also join the faculty of the Music Academy International (Primiero, Italy) this summer as the stage director for La Clemenza Di Tito.
Current Artist Diploma candidate Artem Kuznetsov is the 2019 Grand Prize winner and Gold Medalist in the Piano Division in the Young Texas Artists Music Competition. The String Division Gold Medal went to cellist Lukas Goodman. John Belk won the silver medal in the Strings division and Vincent Ip (MM ’18) won silver in the piano division.
Alumni Joanna Latini (MM ’18), Tommy Glass (MM ’16) and Mark Diamond (MM ’15) will solo with the Ars Lyrica during their 2019-20 season.
Alumnus Adam Lau (MM ’10) sang the role of Kobun Chino Otogawa in Seattle Opera’s production of The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs.
Current graduate piano student Mi Ou Lee won first place in the 25th Grand Junction Young Artist Competition. Mi Ou will perform with the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra in their upcoming season.
Current graduate voice student Nicholas Newton will join the 2019-2020 Houston Grand Opera studio, one of the most respected and highly competitive young artist programs in the world.
Current graduate voice students Page Michels and Emily Kern are among the Des Moines Metro Opera roster for the 2019 summer.
Alumna Ann Miller (BM ‘03) performed the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with the Mariposa Symphony Orchestra.
Composer Angelique Poteat (BM ’08) will have two works commissioned by the Seattle Symphony Orchestra during their 2019-20 season.
Alumnus Sean Reed (MM ’98) released a new CD entitled Trombone Songs with Dr. John Marcellus, Professor Emeritus of the Eastman School of Music.
Current undergraduate flute student Arin Sarkissian was the 1st Prize Winner ($5,000) of the Mika Hasler Competition.
Alumna Anne Marie Stanley (MM ’18) was accepted into the American Vocal Arts Academy in Philadelphia. She will make her Carnegie Hall debut in May singing in Mozart’s Missa Brevis in C Major (Sparrow Mass).
Violinist Alana Youssefian (MM ’16) returns to her home to the New Jersey church of her childhood to record her album titled Brillance Indéniable: The Virtuoso Violin in the Court of Louis XV .