Recent Orchestral, Academic and Professional Appointments
- Rudy Albach (MM '15) - Principal Double Bass, Columbus Symphony Orchestra
- Renaud Boucher-Browning (BM '14) and Izumi Miyahara (MM '10) - members of Da Camera's 2016-17 Young Artist Program.
- Mary Box (MM '16) - appointed Head Coach / Rehearsal Pianist, Wichita Grand Opera
- Allegra De Vita (MM '14) - (mezzo-soprano) - joins Washington National Opera Domingo-Cafritz 2016-17 Young Artist Program
- Ben Edquist (MM '15) - Baritone, one of eight 2016-17 Studio Artists at Houston Grand Opera
- Sophia Grabandt (MM '16) - Violin section, Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin (Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra)
- Jonathan Gunn (BM '94) - Assistant Professor of Clarinet, University of Texas at Austin's Butler School of Music
- Monica Griffin Hunter (MM '02) - promoted to Senior Lecturer of Music, Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington
- June Kim (MM '16) - Principal Oboe, Nova Scotia Symphony
- Eric Kutz (MM '94) - Assistant Professor of Cello, University of Maryland
- Ian Koziara (MM '16) - Tenor, new member of Metropolitan Opera's Lindermann Young Artist Development Program
- Kathryn Ladner (MM '12) - Flute/Piccolo, Houston Symphony Orchestra
- Steven Logan (Master's student) - Principal Timpani, Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra in New Zealand.
- Philip Marten (BM '15) - First Violin section, Kansas City Symphony Orchestra
- Markus Osterlund (Undergraduate student) - Assistant Principal / Utility Horn, National Symphony Orchestra
- Dr. C. Michael Palmer (MM '99) - Assistant Professor of Music Education, Ball State University, Indiana
- Kevin Pearl (MM '12) - Assistant Principal Oboe, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
- Jack Peña (Master's student) - Principal Bassoon, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra
- John Romero (MM '16) - Principal Trombone, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
- Jack Swanson (MM '16) - Tenor, signed by Columbia Artists Management
- Rebecca Tobin (MM '16) - Second Clarinet, one-year position with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C.
- Jennifer Zhou (MM '16) - Flute, The United States Army Field Band, Washington, D.C.
- Heather Zinninger Yarmel (MM '10) - Acting one-year Associate Principal Flute, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
- Lachezar Kostov (Doctoral student) - Assistant Principal Cello, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Competitions, Awards, Performances and Premieres
Undergraduate cello student Katherine Audas, wins the grand prize of 2016 Enkor International Music Competition in the strings division. Enkor is the first global online competition for classical music performers.
Bass-baritone Nicholas Brownlee (former Master's student) won The Don Placido Domingo Ferrer Prize of Zarzuela and tenor Brenton Ryan won the Birgit Nilsson Prize at the 2016 Operalia Competition, in New York.
Nicholas Brownlee (former Master's student) was the first place winner of the 35th International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition.
Chiara String Quartet, (Rebecca Fischer and Hyeyung Yoon, violins; Jonah Sirota, (BM '98) viola; Gregory Beaver, (BM '98) cello) has announced the release of their new CD called "Bartok By Heart". The quartet has recorded all six Bartok string quartets by memory.
Doctoral piano student Scott Cuellar won the Gold Medal at the San Antonio International Piano Competition. The competition is held quadrennially and attracts international competitions at a very high standard. Scott also won prizes for best performance of a Romantic work (performing Schumann "Humoreske") and best performance of a Russian work (Prokofiev 4th Sonata.) The prize includes $15,000 and several concert opportunities in San Antonio next year as well as a guest appearance at the Cactus Pear Music Festival.
Master's double bass student Michael Marks, was awarded first place in the Double-stop Foundation Competition in New York City. Alum, Michael Fuller (MM '15) was also awarded second place. Each winner was loaned a fine instrument for the next three years. The Doublestop Foundation provides fine string instruments for deserving musicians who can not afford the investment of an instrument.
The 2016 Jensen Foundation awarded bass Adam Lau (MM '10) first place in the 17th annual Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition. Mr. Lau received a prize of $15,000. Mezzo-soprano, Allegra De Vita (MM '14) was awarded second place and received a price of $10,000.
Shepherd composition alum Hilary Purrington (BM '13) had a work premiered at the 2016 NY Philharmonic Biennial at The Greene Space. Hilary's piece is called "For your judicious and pious consideration", arranged for mezzo-soprano, piano, and viola.
Current undergraduate harp student Cindy Qin won first place in the 2016 San Antonio Tuesday Musical Club's Young Artists Competition.
Shepherd's graduate quartet-in-residence The Rolston Quartet (Luri Lee and Jeff Dryda, violins; Hezekiah Leung, viola; Jonathan Lo, cello) has won first place of the 12th Banff International String Quartet Competition. The quartet will begin a three-year development career program worth of $150,000, which includes a concert tour throughout Europe and North America, a two-week Banff Centre residency involving recording an album, and a cash prize of $25,000.
The Rolston Quartet (Luri Lee and Jeff Dryda, violins; Hezekiah Leung, viola; Jonathan Lo, cello) received third place in the M-Prize Chamber Arts Competition which was held at the University of Michigan. Their reward includes a $3,000 prize.
Pianist Madeline Slettedahl (MM '16) was selected as a winner of The Music Academy of the West's 2016 Marilyn Horne Song Competition in Santa Barbara. Madeline received the Regina Roney Prize $4,000 and will be presented in a recital tour that includes a partnership with WQXR, New York's classical music station.