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Thursday August 12, 2021

Minnesota Orchestra Selects Cellist Esther Seitz And Bass Trombone Player Lovrick Gary As "Rosemary And David Good Fellows"

Two-year fellowship is intended to support greater diversity in the orchestral field by providing mentorship, coaching and experience at a professional level  

Cellist Esther Seitz and bass trombone player Lovrick Gary will begin working with the Minnesota Orchestra in September 2021 

The Minnesota Orchestra announced today that cellist Esther Seitz and bass trombone player Lovrick Gary have won positions as the Minnesota Orchestra’s next Rosemary and David Good Fellows and will begin their two-year appointments with the Orchestra in September 2021. The fellowship, founded in 2017, is designed to encourage greater diversity in the orchestral field by supporting the career development of outstanding young musicians of African American, Latin American and Native American descent as they embark on professional orchestral careers. 

Orchestra cellist Pitnarry Shin and bass trombone player Andrew Chappell, both members of the audition committee, spoke with excitement about the appointment of the new fellows: 

“I was inspired by Esther’s musicianship and infectious enthusiasm,” said Shin. “I look forward to playing alongside her in the cello section.”  

Chappell commented, “It will be fun for all of us, particularly in the low brass, to work with Lovrick. He is a talented musician who will bring his warm and beautiful sound to the orchestra.” 

Over the course of the fellowship, Seitz and Gary will observe and participate in Minnesota Orchestra rehearsals; perform within the Orchestra at selected concerts; study with Orchestra musicians; and train and prepare for auditions. Rosemary and David Good Fellows receive mentoring from Minnesota Orchestra musicians and work with Minnesota students on a variety of initiatives through the Orchestra’s Education and Community Engagement department. 

The Rosemary and David Good Fellowship initiative grew from the Orchestra’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, which comprises board, musicians and staff. The first fellowship positions were awarded in 2017 to tuba player Jason Tanksley and trombone player Myles Blakemore. Flute player Emilio Rutllant was selected in 2018 and bassoonist Kai Rocke won the position in 2019. Rocke completes his two-year fellowship this month and has been awarded a one-year position with the Oregon Symphony.  

Esther Seitz, cello 

Cellist Esther Seitz has performed all over the United States and in Mexico as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician. She has performed at venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Manhattan School of Music, the Riverwalk Center as a fellow with the National Repertory Orchestra, the Meadowmount School of Music, the Kauffman Center for Performing Arts with the Kansas City Symphony, and the Teatro de la Reforma in Matamoros, Mexico.  

Seitz is a founding member of the Bowery Trio, which is based in New York City. Their mission is to promote lesser-known works by composers of all races, ethnicities and gender identities, as well as to make music accessible to all. Recently, the Bowery Trio has been awarded multiple grants to support their current projects. Among these awards are a Chamber Music America Ensemble Forward Grant, made possible with generous support from the New York Community Trust, as well as a grant from Finlandia Foundation National to support the Bowery Trio’s ongoing “Cosmopolite Project.”  

Seitz is on the artistic committee for the Puerto Rico Summer Music Festival as their Director of Strings Programs. The Puerto Rico Summer Music Festival is a program of the Díaz Del Moral Foundation, which creates opportunities for Latin American musicians to engage as performers, teachers and students. Seitz is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music and the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance. Her teachers include Julia Lichten, Michael Mermagen, Mark Gibbs and Carter Enyeart. 

Lovrick Gary, bass trombone 

As a native of Atlanta, trombone player Lovrick Gary began his musical studies through the Atlanta Symphony Talent Development Program. As a fellow, he studied with Atlanta Symphony members Nathan Zgonc and Brian Hecht. He obtained a bachelor’s degree from the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University, where he studied with Dr. Bradley Palmer. While a student at the Schwob School, Gary was named a finalist in the American Trombone Workshop National Solo Competition in 2017 Division I and 2019 in Division II. He has also performed several concerts with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. He has had opportunities to be a part of multiple recording projects, including one in which he is featured in a quartet on Ash, the latest project of the New York Philharmonic’s associate principal trombone Colin Williams. Additionally, he can be heard on Columbus State University Trombone Ensemble’s recent album Full Tilt. He also enjoys teaching and is currently the Trombone and Bass Trombone Teaching Artist with the Atlanta Music Project. 
 
The Good Fellowship program is supported by a generous gift from Rosemary and David Good. 

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