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Alumni Matthew Ablan (MM ’98, Holmquist/Vieaux) released his first recording of original music, an EP entitled You & Me. William Bender (MM ’17, Vernon) won a section viola position in The Cleveland Orchestra.
Robert Dubbs (BM ’78, MM ’80, Podis/ Johannesen) was awarded a grant from the Ohio Arts Council and continues to maintain a private piano studio in Cleveland. Hollie Dzierzanowski (BM ’13, MM ’17, Konopka/Jackobs) won a section viola position with the Abilene Philharmonic. Joshua Elmore (YAP ’16, Stees) won principal bassoon with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra.
Arseny Gusev (BM ’22, Babayan/Fitch) performed on The Gilmore’s Rising Stars series in December 2021. Jennifer Ann Heemstra (MM ’02, Brown) launched Jen’s Deconstructed Concerts, a new online and in-person, socially distanced concert series in Brazil. She and violinist Patrick Yim (MM ’02, Updegraff/Preucil), who comprise the Hessler Street Duo, kicked off the new series performing seven concerts in two weeks.
Jennifer R. Ellis (MM ’12, Kondonassis) performed harp in the premiere of Indra’s Net by Meredith Monk and, as a 2022 LABA Fellow, will create and record a new set of pieces for harp.
Devin Hinzo (MM ’18, Rosenwein) was selected to participate in Sphinx LEAD (Leaders in Excellence, Arts & Diversity), a two-year leadership program designed to evolve the industry landscape by empowering the next generation of executive leaders.
Mackenzie Brauns (AD ’20, Stees) was accepted to the Civic Orchestra and appointed principal bassoon of the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra.
Marisa Esposito (MM ’17, AD ’19, Stees) won a fellowship position in the Stuttgart Philharmonic as well as second prize and the award for Best Artistic Creation in the Michal Spisak International Competition in Poland.
Maia Hoffman (BM ’20, Konopka/Vernon) won a one-year position with the Oregon Symphony.
Michelle Cann (BM ’09, MM ’10, Schenly/D. Shapiro) made her Cleveland Orchestra debut in July 2021 and won a 2021 Price Award in performance, awarded by the International Florence Price Festival.
Laura Frazelle (MM ’14, Updegraff) joined the Richmond Symphony’s violin section for the 2021-22 season and won the 2021 Virginia String Teachers Association Outstanding String Teacher of the Year Award.
Mary Costanza (BM ’85, Geber) released her latest CD on MSR Classics featuring cello sonatas by Brahms and Rachmaninoff.
Julián Fueyo (BM ’19, Fitch) won two prizes in the 2021 American Prize competition: the Ernst Bacon Memorial Award and the American Prize in Orchestral Composition for his work The Eleventh Heaven.
Sabrina Bradford (MM ’20, Rose) won a oneyear position in the Minnesota Orchestra.
Jennifer Porto Curry (MM ’02, PS ’03, Rinaldi/Vassos) received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Iowa State University’s Department of Music and Theatre. Alan DeMattia (MM ’80, Solis) retired from The Cleveland Orchestra in March, where he has been utility horn since 1984.
Elizabeth Furuta (BM ’13, MM ’15, Preucil/ Updegraff) won a section violin position with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
Nickitas Demos (DMA ’94, Erb) was awarded an American Prize in Composition for his piece Frontlash.
Ashlyn Gelman (MM ’20, Kuznetsova) was contracted with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra Chorus and Virginia Opera Chorus for their 2021-22 season and appeared in Virginia Opera’s production of The Sound of Music and in Beethoven 9 with the orchestra.
Natalie Lin Douglas (BM ’11, MM ’12, Kantor) was appointed assistant professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Music and Theater Arts.
Michal George (MM ’99, Holmquist) was appointed a full-time classical guitar faculty member at Hugo Lambrechts Music Centre in Cape Town, South Africa.
Chris Graham (MM ’10, AD ’13, Stout) won principal trombone in the Jacksonville Symphony. 20
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Monica Houghton’s (MM ’03, Brouwer) piece Respectfully yours premiered with the Reno Philharmonic and her String Quartet No. 3 was performed in Reno and Carson City, Nevada, by reNew String Quartet with co-sponsorship from the Tahoe Chamber Music Society. Rixiang Huang (BM ’17, Pompa-Baldi/Schenly) won first prize in the World Piano Teachers Association International Piano Competition. Jessica Hung (BM ’07, Kantor/Preucil/Rose) was appointed associate concertmaster of The Venice Symphony in Florida. Spencer Ingersoll (BM ’15, MM ’17, Irvine/ Ramsey/Vernon) won a section viola position in the Columbus Symphony. The Dalí Quartet, with alumni members Ari Isaacman-Beck (BM ’07, Updegraff) and Jesús Morales (BM ’95, Harris), was awarded Chamber Music America’s Guarneri Quartet Award. They also won second prize in the 2021 Piazzolla International Competition. Sara Jakubiak (MM ’04, Rinaldi) sang the role of Elisabeth in the LA Opera production of Wagner’s Tannhäuser under James Conlon.
