Success Stories

Manhattan School of Music Orchestral Performance alumnus Taylor Smith (MM ’14) was recently appointed to the Alabama Symphony Orchestra (ASO) as Assistant Principal Bassoon.

Smith is currently Principal Bassoon of the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra (Alabama) while freelancing in New York City; he will relocate to Birmingham for his upcoming full-time position with ASO.

Click here to watch an HSO interview with Taylor from this past summer.

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.

Of the current 87 Fellows in the New World Symphony (NWS) this year, six of them are MSM college alumni, and one a former Precollege student. The New World Symphony is is an American orchestral academy based in Miami, Florida. Established in 1987, the organization is a training ensemble for young musicians in preparation for professional careers in classical music.

The MSM alumni and Precollege former student who are NWS Fellows are:

Deurim Jung, Violin (MSM Precollege from 2013-2014)
Wing Yan Alison Kwok, Violin (BM ’20)
Yuna Jo, Violin (BM ’20)
Toby Winarto, Viola (BM ’19, MM ’21)
Marcie Kolacki, Orchestral Cello (MM ’21, PS ’22)
Logan May, Double Bass (BM ’20)
Leo Simon, Orchestral Percussion (MM ’23)

Meet all the NWS fellows here. (viewable on Safari but not Chrome).

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.

MSM Orchestral Performance alumna Lynette Wardle (MM ‘98) will continue her role as Lead Harp for The Notebook until the show closes on December 15.

Lynette Wardle is also the Principal Harpist for the Albany Symphony and the Richmond Symphony Orchestra. Lynette was the harpist for the revival of Camelot at Lincoln Center Theatre and her Broadway show credits include Wicked, Sweeney Todd, My Fair Lady, Hello Dolly, and many more.

Learn more about The Notebook here.
Learn more about Lynette Wardle 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.

Orchestral Performance alumnus Blair Francis Paponiu, (PC ’15), who has been a member of the Naples Philharmonic (Florida), has been named Associate Principal Flute of the San Francisco Symphony.

The recipient of numerous awards, Mrs. Francis Paponiu won second prize in the 2020 National Flute Association’s Young Artist Competition. She has been an instrumental fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center, Music Academy of the West, Sarasota Music Festival, and Brevard Music Center.

She studied at MSM with Robert Langevin.

Learn more about Mrs. Francis Paponiu and her appointment 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.

Seven MSM alumni took part in the Re-Collective Orchestra at the June 19 concert JUNETEENTH: A Global Celebration for Freedom in Los Angeles. The event marked the first-ever performance of an all-Black symphony orchestra in the Hollywood Bowl’s 100-year history.

The MSM alumni are: Alex Laing (MM ’98) Clarinet, Monica Ellis (PS ’98) Bassoon, Jannina Norpoth (BM ’03) Violin, Burt Mason (MM ’08) Trombone, Tia Allen (PS ’10, PD ’12) Viola, Chris Johnson (MM ’08) Bass, Kyra Sims (MM ’12) French horn.

The concert featured performances by Khalid, Earth, Wind & Fire, The Roots, Chaka Khan, Lucky Daye, Robert Glasper, Billy Porter, and more.

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.

Learn more here.

I-Jung Huang comes to the SLSO with an impressive resumé of competition appearances and wins, as well as a long list of orchestras with whom she’s soloed, including the Houston Symphony, Hudson Valley Philharmonic, Taiwan Philharmonic, and Taipei Symphony. She served as the concertmaster of prestigious music school orchestras, including the Manhattan School of Music, where she received a Professional Certificate in 2020.

Read more here.

Violinist Marina Aikawa (MM ’19, Violin), former student of Glenn Dicterow, won a section violin audition for the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, DC. She will begin trials with the orchestra beginning next month.

The violinists, Julia Choi (PS ’17) and Jeremias Sergiani Velazquez (PS ‘18), are recent graduates of Manhattan School of Music’s Orchestral Performance (OP) program. Ms. Choi has won a position with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Mr. Velazquez has won a position with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Both graduates are former students of Glenn Dicterow, former concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic and current Chair of the OP program.

Photo: (From L to R) Julia Choi, Glenn Dicterow, Jeremias Sergiani Velazquez

Theodor Lyngstad studied with MSM faculty member David Geber during the 2015-16 academic year, on exchange with Royal Danish Academy of Music, where in February 2017, Theodor Lyngstad won the RDAM soloist competition. In 2011, as a member of the string trio Trio Patetico, he was named musician of the year at the Youth Music Championship in Oslo.

Learn more about the Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra here

The Los Angeles Orchestra Fellowship is a comprehensive post-graduate program designed to increase diversity in American orchestras.

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MSM Precollege and College alumna Karen Geer and the InterSchool Orchestras of New York program she leads are profiled in the Epoch Times. The non-profit is at the forefront of grooming the next generation of musicians. Geer “has watched kids go from not knowing how to play anything, to performing an outstanding piece at shows at Carnegie Hall and beyond.”

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Scales-Neubauer studied with MSM faculty member and former NY Philharmonic Concertmaster Glen Dicterow. She is an active performer, teacher and music education advocate in Tulsa, OK.

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Performer, teacher and clinician Jeffrey Kaye is both principal trumpet and Artistic Director of The Symphonia in Boca Raton, FL.

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“Vijay Gupta is a social justice advocate and violinist who is forging effective pathways to bring music to the marginalized and establishing new possibilities for social connection and support.”

MacArthur Fellows receive a $625,000 award encouraging them to continue to innovate, take risks, and pursue their creative vision.

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Congratulations to Joseph Kelly (BM ’13, MM ’15) now Assistant Timpani/Section Percussion of the TSO.

Violinist Dasol Jeong (PS ’17) joins the symphony in January 2019.

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Principal cellist of the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra since 2016, Parrales is an active educator and performer in Jackson, MS.

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The 2018-19 season will mark Alan Stewart’s first full season with the ensemble. At Manhattan School of Music he studied with MSM Percussion Department Chair Christopher Lamb, faculty member Duncan Patton, and consultant She-e Wu.

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Recent MSM graduate Tian Zhao (BM’16 & OPMM ’18) is excited about this opportunity with the respected Singapore Symphony.