Recent MSM graduate Nathan McKinstry (MM ’24, PS ’25) from State College, Pennsylvania, studied classical trumpet at MSM with David Krauss in the Orchestral Performance program, and has been awarded the 2nd trumpet position with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.
In photo: Nathan McKinstry, on left, poses with MSM faculty member David Krauss. David Krauss joined the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra as Principal Trumpet in 2001 and occupies the Beth W. and Gary A. Glynn endowed chair.
Metropolitan Opera violinist and MSM alumna Julia Choi (PS ‘17), who is also a MSM Precollege faculty member, is featured in the Spring 2025 issue of the health and wellness publication Real Woman. In the interview, Julia speaks about her career and perseverance to pursue her dreams as a professional violinist.
Julia tells the publication: “I always felt the need to prove myself every day. I always strived to be better than I was yesterday. And a little bit better than the next day. I think all my friends from college would tell you I was the hardest working friend that they knew.”
The magazine is published by Capital Health and is distributed to 55,000 readers in the affluent New Jersey and Pennsylvania suburbs of Princeton, Hopewell, Lambertville, Skillman, New Hope, Newtown, and Yardley.
Read the article here.
MSM Orchestral Performance alumnus Peter Ecklund (PS ’24) has been appointed Second Bassoon of the Detroit Opera Orchestra, and will begin his position in fall 2025. He has performed this past year with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and worked as a substitute musician with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Palm Beach Symphony. Additionally this past year, Peter has been a Public Relations and Booking Associate at New York City’s Kirshbaum Associates.
Peter was a student of Kim Laskowski while at MSM.
Click here to learn more about Peter.
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation has appointed Blake-Anthony Johnson (’16) as its new CEO starting January of 2025. With extensive experience as CEO of the Chicago Sinfonietta, Johnson is known for his innovative approach in music and cultural advocacy.
His focus will include expanding local partnerships, securing sustainable funding, and advancing programs that celebrate the heritage of New Orleans. Johnson succeeds Don Marshall, who led the Foundation for over 20 years, enriching the community through various festivals and educational programs. Johnson’s leadership is expected to drive the Foundation’s mission forward with a focus on inclusivity and cultural preservation.
Click here to read the full press release.
Eugenia Cho (MM ‘25) has played the violin since she was 6 years old. She has been seated in leadership positions for numerous orchestras, including the Manhattan Symphony Orchestra, University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra and Campus Symphony Orchestra, as well as 4 consecutive seasons of the Michigan All State & Honors Orchestras.
She has worked with musicians, such as Wynton Marsalis & The Jazz Lincoln Center, Oriol Sans, and Dr. Larry Livingston.
Read our interview with Eugenia when she began her studies at MSM here.
Megan Torti, flute (MM OP ’23) has been named Principal Flute with the North Carolina Symphony in the Mr. And Mrs. George M. Stephens Chair. Prior to winning her position, she performed as a regular substitute with the New York Philharmonic.
Minjoo Moon, violin (PS ‘24) has been appointed to a one-year first violin position with the orchestra for the 2024-25 season in the Harvey At-Large Chair. Prior to joining the North Carolina Symphony, Minjoo was a violinist with The Syracuse Orchestra.
Read an interview with Megan Torti here. More about Minjoo Moon and her appointment here. More about the North Carolina Symphony here.
Violinist and conductor David Chan joins the artistic team of the Apollo Orchestra as principal conductor this month. The Orchestra was founded in 2010 and provides a platform for many of the Washington D.C. area’s finest professional freelance classical musicians. In addition his role as head of the Orchestral Performance Program at MSM, David Chan is also the concertmaster for the MET Orchestra.
Learn more here.
MSM Orchestral Performance alumna Kayla Burggraf (MM ’16) studied at MSM with Robert Langevin. She performed with the Kansas City Symphony in the 2019–20 season. She was previously a fellow with the New World Symphony, served as Principal Flute of the Des Moines and Ann Arbor Symphonies and a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.
During the 2022–23 season she is playing Guest Principal Flute with the San Francisco Symphony for selected weeks as well as for their European tour with Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen. She has performed as Guest Principal Flute with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and as solo piccolo and in the flute sections of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Lyric Opera of Chicago and Milwaukee Symphony among others. She has worked with such notable conductors as Herbert Blomstedt, Semyon Bychkov, Riccardo Muti, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Michael Stern, Michael Tilson Thomas, Osmo Vänskä, Edo de Waart and Jaap van Zweden among others.
Learn more about Kayla Burggraf here.
MSM Orchestral Performance alumna Xiaoxuan Shi (MM ’22) won a violin position with the San Diego Symphony in 2022 and recently received tenure in the orchestra.
Xiaoxuan has won numerous international and national competitions including the Vivo International Music Competition in New York, Singapore International Violin Competition and the China National Violin Competition.
She has appeared as a soloist with the Adelphi Orchestra, MSM Chamber ensemble, Singapore Metropolitan Festival Orchestra and the Kids’ Philharmonic in Singapore. An experienced orchestral player, she has served in leadership positions at the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, New Haven Chamber Symphony, Aspen Chamber Symphony, the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, the Apex Ensemble and Yale Philharmonia.
Learn more about Xiaoxuan Shi here.
MSM Orchestral Performance horn alumnus Andrew Angelos (BM ’20, MM ’22) was recently named Operations and Personnel Manager of the Spokane Symphony based in Spokane, Washington.
He won the position of third horn in the Symphony in August 2022, which he continues to hold in addition to his managerial work with the respected orchestra.
Information about the Spokane Symphony here.
Opera Italiana is in the Air is presenting “REBIRTH!” on June 28, 2021 to launch the reopening of the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park.
The showcase will feature musicians from Manhattan School of Music, The Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, The Juilliard School, and The New School.
Among the major performers involved are Jennifer Rowley, Gabriella Reyes, and Stephen Costello.
The organization will be partnering with the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to present the Rising Voices Choir, which will sing the national anthem. The performance will be streamed to the Music Therapy department patients and all patients and staff of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
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