PYSO: Kudos

Highlighting the accomplishments of current and former members
last update: July 18, 2010

KUDOS

Congratulations to Alex Lee (violin) and Annik Odom (clarinet) who were winners of the Blackwood Music Scholarship competition. They will perform on a winners’ recital at Ingomar Methodist Church in Wexford on Sunday, April 25 at 2:00 PM. Bassoonist Joseph Merchant who was the winner of PYSO's Conducting Competition and who conducedt on February 20. Congratulations to the winners of PYSO's 2010 Concerto Competition: Alexander Lee (violin) won first prize and will be the featured soloist on the May 2 Heinz Hall concert; Leigh Poulton (flute) was runner-up and Matthew Kingsbury (trombone) received honorable mention. Andrew Percy (violin) was selected as concertmaster for PMEA District 2,3 and 5 orchestra. Congratulations to PYSO members who were winners in the Pittsburgh Concert Society 2010 Young Artists auditions: Hanna Kim (percussion), Chelsea Lane (harp), Eleanor Lee (cello), Alexander Lee (violin), Joseph Merchant (bassoon), and Andrew Percy (violin). They were featured in a PCS recital on January 24. Jason Yoder (percussion) performed at the White House on November 4 with cellist Alisa Wielerstein of Cleveland. This followed a performance with world renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma at the G-20 Summit held in Pittsburgh in September 2009, when they played a suite of three pieces: the Turkish composer Adnun Saygun's Partita, The Swan by Saint-Saens, and one Eric Sammut's Rotations. The first piece was for solo cello, the last for solo marimba, and they played The Swan together. Lauren Abel (flute) was awarded 1st piccolo for PMEA Honors Band. Two string quartets from PYSO helped to provide music for "Gravity + Grace" that benefited the Parkinson's Foundation of Western PA. Four performances took place at Shady Side Academy in Fox Chapel in September. Four members of the Hilal family participated - Jad and Leila (violins), Salem (cello), and Olivia (viola) - as well as Drew Percy, Pooja Tripathi (violins) and Daniel Orsen (viola). Anton DeFade (bass) performed in a jazz trio for the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Hall of Fame banquet on October 23 at LeMont restaurant. Grace Callahan (violin), Salem Hilal (cello) and Jad Hilal (violin) participated in a taping session with Tim Janis at WQED TV studios. The "Celebrate America" video will air in 2010. Alexander Lee (violin), Eleanor Lee (cello), and Geoff King (guest pianist) performed for the Friends of the PSO gathering in October 21. Other performers for Friends of the PSO this year have included Michael Tsang (piano), members of the Montgomery Fellowship String Quartet (Alex Lee, Kathryn Feczko, Daniel Orsen and Eleanor Lee), and percussionists Hanna Kim, Jason Yoder, Michael Caruso, and Josh Dick. Eleanor Lee (cello) attended the Brevard Music Institute on a partial merit-based scholarship where she was principal cello in the Transylvania Symphony Orchestra and a member of the I Solisti di Brevard ensemble. Alexander Lee (Violin) is a winner of the Pittsburgh Civic Orchestra’s Concerto Competition, playing the Shostakovich Violin Concerto No. 1 with the PCO in January 2010 at Upper St Clair High School. Alex also attended the Meadowmount School of Music this past summer and studied for the second year with Sally Thomas of the Juilliard School. Julia Brookes (Horn) performed at the Grey Box Theater in Lawrenceville, with The Eclectic Laboratory Chamber Orchestra, a contemporary/new music group in December 2009.

Kirk Muspratt is the Music Director and Conductor of the New Philharmonic Orchestra and DuPage Opera Theatre at Illinois’s College of DuPage. Andreas Delfs is the new Music Director of the Honolulu Symphony. Mischa Semanitzky is recently retired from Music in the Mountains (Durango, CO). Edward Cumming is the Music Director of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. Daniel Meyer is the Music Director of the Ashville (NC) and Erie (PA) orchestras.

Aaron Boyd (violin 1991-96) was the subject of a recent article and blog in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Aaron is currently the concertmaster of the Tuscon Symphony Orchestra and will be auditioning for a position with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. TJ Wible (flute) recently tied for 1st place in the concerto competition at The Boston Conservatory and gave a performance of Griffes Poem in February at the Berger Center for the Performing Arts in Boston. He graduated from New England Conservatory last May with a B.M. and was lucky enough to receive a full-scholarship from The Boston Conservatory to pursue his M.M. studies. He was also a prize winner in the Doriot Anthony Dwyer Flute Competition, held by The Boston Woodwind Society. Jamison Ignatius (horn 2008-09)is attending Eastman School of Music for horn performance. Heidi Van Hoesen Gorton (harp 1998-2004) ) won first prize in the American Harp Society young artists' competition held in Salt Lake City, UT in June 2009. Kevin Halenda (trumpet 2007-08) was named principal trumpet of the Princeton University Orchestra. Lindsay Goodman (flute 1997-99) recently won the principal flute audition for the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra. PYSO alum 1997 - 1999 Jessica Prus (flute) won the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic's 3rd flute/piccolo position in September of 2007 and continues to hold that position today. Brittany Lockman (oboe 2004-07) graduated in May, 2008, from Carnegie Mellon University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music Performance. Chuck Jacks (Bass Trombone 1991-99) is currently working on a cruise ship for Royal Caribbean International, assigned to "Liberty of the Seas" which is the largest cruise ship in the world. He plays trombone in the pit orchestra and also the jazz band. Chuck calls this is a dream job. "I spend a lot of my free time walking along beaches from all over the Caribbean. We are back in Miami every Saturday, too."...WVU music student Ruth Miltenberger (flute 2004-06) of Morgantown recently won first place and a $1,000 prize at the Chicago Flute Club's 2007 Solo Artist Competition. Robert Mellin played double-bass with the PYSO from 1966-68, studying at the time with Anthony Bianco. After leaving Pennsylvania, he was principal bassist with the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra from 1982 to 1984. He later became a registered architect in Canada and is currently professor at the School of Architecture, McGill University in Montreal. Dr. Albie Micklich (bassoon 1989-90) was named Associate Professor of Bassoon at Arizona State University in the fall of 2006. He is currently Co-Principal Bassoon with ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, and also performs with the Ocotillo Winds. Evan Hertrick (bassoon) has been named the Pittsburgh Jazz Society/Mellon Jazz Scholarship recipient for 2007. The Juilliard School has announced the appointment of several prominent artists to its faculty, effective with the 2007-08 academic year, including Pedro Diaz, oboe. On May 5, 2007, forty alumni spanning all 60 years of PYSO came back and joined the current members for an alumni side-by-side concert: Helen Andrascik, Joe Liu, Dalena Klavin, Martha Kukich-Steen, Zsolt Zavodszky, Jonathan Gribe, Esther Hwang, Virginia Mills, Michael Cresanta, Frances DeBroff, Samantha Duffy, Mary Persin, Lucia Soltis, Bill Tackett, Laura Evans, Lisa Kellerman, Bridget Meacham, Sarah Morris, Dennis R. Persin, Nadia Tuma, Melanie Samson Tuttle, Felix Cohen, Don Evans, S. Hartley Johnston, Lawrence Tamburri, Lucy Scandrett, Barbara O'Brien, Patty Zawadski, Rita Brockway, Matthew Litterini, Bonnie McDonald, Jack Scandrett, Bernard Baiden, Susan McKinney, Michael Zeglinski, Robert Fleischman, Georgina Gutierrez, James Wright, Gary Ryan, and Vincent Guentner. Following the concert, alumni and friends attended a reception at Six Penn restaurant.