Welcoming New Musicians This Season
Not only are we thrilled to hear the full force of the Minnesota Orchestra again this fall, but we also welcome many new musicians to the Orchestra’s roster for the 2021-22 season.
As you return to Orchestra Hall or continue to watch concerts livestreamed online and televised on Twin Cities PBS from the comfort of your home, you’ll likely see new faces all across the stage—along with many of your favorite regular players, of course!
Seven musicians are joining the ensemble as replacement players for one year or multi-month contracts, filling seats left vacant by musicians who recently retired, or helping to complete a section to satisfy the full requirements of most orchestral repertoire.
The Orchestra is proud to welcome several musicians selected from the Sphinx Orchestral Partner Auditions, whose ultimate goal is job placement for musicians of color in American orchestras. Through this audition process, the Minnesota Orchestra has offered one-year positions to Sabrina Bradford, Allison Lovera and Davis Perez.
Sabrina Bradford is a violinist from Washington, D.C., who has most recently performed with the Nashville Symphony and the National Philharmonic.
Violinist Allison Lovera is from Maracay, Venezuela. Her recent ensemble experiences include performances as a fellow with the Grant Park Music Festival Orchestra and concerts with the Memphis Symphony, Chicago Sinfonietta and Civic Orchestra of Chicago.
Originally from Columbus, Ohio, violist Davis Perez joins the Orchestra as a recent member of the Madison Symphony Orchestra, Quad City Symphony Orchestra and Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra.
Three musicians you might recognize if you are a regular to the Minnesota Orchestra or other Twin Cities classical music venues are horn player Matt Wilson and violists Jennifer Strom and David Auerbach. Matt is second horn in the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra; he lives in White Bear Lake and is stepping into the role of acting associate principal horn following Herbert Winslow’s recent retirement.
Jennifer (not pictured) and David are both prominent violists in the Twin Cities, and they have both performed many times as additional players at Orchestra Hall and on tour with the Minnesota Orchestra.
A regular member of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in New York, oboist Nathan Hughes takes the acting principal oboe seat on our stage at the beginning of the season, joining the ensemble for several months following the retirements of oboists John Snow and Kathryn Greenbank.
Two musicians have been selected as Rosemary and David Good Fellows, having just begun their two-year appointments in September: Bass trombone player Lovrick Gary and cellist Esther Seitz will perform at select concerts throughout the season, while also participating in educational projects and studying with Orchestra musicians throughout their tenure.
Though the pandemic required us to put a hold on many auditions and we said farewell to retiring musicians Kathryn Greenbank, Kathy Kienzle, John Snow, Thomas Turner and Herbert Winslow over the past two years—with Marcia Peck also retiring at the beginning of October—we are thrilled to create music this season with all of these new musicians, and we hope you’ll join us in welcoming them to the Minnesota Orchestra!
