Alumni News

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Alumni

Brian Allen (BM ’16, MM ’17, Laredo/Preucil) was appointed replacement section violin at the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

Michael Attaway (MM ’06, Sachs) was appointed director of fine arts at the Covenant School in Dallas.

Susan Bengtson Price (BM ’16, Irvine) won a viola position with the Chicago-based KAIA String Quartet.

Dror Biran (DMA ’06, Schenly/Shapiro) released a recording of Chopin’s ballades on Centaur Records.

Jeanelle Brierley (BM ’16, Preucil) won principal second violin with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.

Michael Brown (MM ’20, Rose) won a first violin position in the Kansas City Symphony.

Mélisse Brunet (PS ’12, Topilow) was appointed the first female music director of the Lexington Philharmonic.

Emily Carpenter (MM ’22, Kondonassis) was appointed adjunct professor of harp and academic specialist at Oklahoma City University.

Stephen Castiglione (BM ’21, Dixon) was appointed principal bass of the West Michigan Symphony and section bass of the Ann Arbor Symphony.

Adam Cathcart (BM ’99, Harris) presented a paper on North Korean film music at the University of Cambridge’s Faculty of Music Research Colloquium.

Clinton Giovanni Denoni (MM ’14, Friscioni) wrote, produced and performed in a film based on Chopin’s “Ocean” Etude, Op. 25, No. 12. Clara Rius Diaz (MM ’20, I. Kaler) was appointed concertmaster of the Montevideo Philharmonic Orchestra in Uruguay.

Nishana Dobbeck (née Gunaratne) (MM ’11, Dimoff) was appointed assistant librarian of The Metropolitan Opera.

Tyler Evatt-Young (DMA ’22, Southern) was appointed visiting assistant professor of voice at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC.

Evan Fein (BM ’07, Brouwer) served as composer-in-residence for the Seven Hills Chamber Music Festival in Lynchburg, VA, and toured Australia with cellist Luke Severn.

Karen Fisher (BM ’84, Johnson) was re-elected financial vice president and assistant director of American Federation of Musicians Local 802 (New York City).

Jeremy Frank (MM ’99, Pastor) was promoted to chorus director at LA Opera.

Fitz Gary (BM ’11, Irvine) was appointed violist of the Garth Newel Piano Quartet and co-artistic director of the Garth Newel Music Center.

Ryan Grieser (BM ’21, MM ’22, Irvine/Ramsey) was selected as a Fulbright finalist for Bulgaria.

Paul Halberstadt (MM ’22, Rose) was appointed associate concertmaster of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra.

Michael Harper (MM ’16, Sachs) was appointed assistant principal trumpet of the National Symphony Orchestra.

Jeiran Hasan (BM ’13, MM ’14, Fink/Smith) was named assistant professor of flute at Utah State University.

Zubin Hathi (MM ’21, Damoulakis/Yancich) was appointed principal timpani of the San Francisco Ballet.

James Hettinga (YAP ’18, BM ’21, Kraut) won a cello section position in the US Army Strings.

Deanna Hoying (BM ’86, Schmitter/Solis) was named executive director of Symphony New Hampshire. Nathan Hughes (BM ’98, Mack) was appointed principal oboe of the Minnesota Orchestra.

Jun Iwasaki (BM ’04, AD ’06, MM ’07, Preucil) was named concertmaster of the Kansas City Symphony.

Daniel Kaler (BM ’20, Kosower) won a cello position with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

Kevin Karabell (PS ’18, Miller/Sachs) was appointed principal trumpet of the Jacksonville Symphony.

Lauren Keating (MM ’18, Rathbun) won a section position in the Naples Philharmonic and a one-year associate principal/English horn position with the New Mexico Philharmonic.

Jiwon Kim (BM ’22, Irvine) won second prize in the Washington International Competition for Viola.

Alina Kobialka (BM ’20, MM ’21, I. Kaler) won a position in the New York Philharmonic.

Hannah Koby (MM ’20, Wilson) was named contributing faculty in organ, harpsichord and collaborative piano at Dickinson College.

Theodore Kuchar (BM ’82, Vernon) was named principal conductor of the Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine.

Matthew Larson (percussion, MM ’01, Weiner) was appointed to the faculty at Kent State University.

Alex Liedtke (BM ’12, Camus) was appointed assistant principal oboe of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and second oboe of the Grant Park Orchestra.

Victoria Lewis (MM ’15, Kwuon) was appointed assistant concertmaster of the Israel Symphony Orchestra Rishon LeZion.

Isabella Luchi (PS ’22, Schiller) tied for first place in the JTVA Vocal Competition in San Francisco.

Bethany Mamola (MM ’13, Schiller) was appointed assistant professor of vocal studies at Emory University.

Gabriel Napoli (MM ’19, Jackobs/Vernon) won a viola position with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

Christopher Neiner (MM ’20, Fitch) received Honorable Mention in the ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards.

Ashley Odom (MM ’20, O. Kaler) won a section violin position with the Richmond Symphony.

Justin Pambianchi (MM ’16, Topilow) won several prizes at the 2022 Ionel Perlea International Conducting Competition.

Jiana Peng (BM ’16, MM ’18, Pompa-Baldi/ Paik) won second prize at the 2022 Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin Piano Competition.

Marta Ptaszyńska (1972-74, Duff/Weiner/ Erb) was awarded the Commander Cross of Merit of the Republic of Poland for outstanding achievements in composition.

Kevin Ritenauer (MM ’18, Damoulakis/ Yancich) was appointed principal timpani/ percussion of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

James Romeo (MM ’12, Smith) won the piccolo audition at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

Pablo Sánchez (MM ’21, Rose) was appointed to the first violin section of the North Carolina Symphony.

Duo Shen (PS ’22, Parameswaran/Topilow/ Kalmar) was named assistant conductor of the Grand Rapids Symphony.

Tyler Sieh (BM ’04, PS ’06, Jackobs/Ramsey) was appointed associate principal viola of the Omaha Symphony.

Genevieve Smelser (BM ’17, Rose) won a violin position in the Grant Park Orchestra.

Sami Seif (BM ’21, Fitch) earned prizes from the Promising Young Composers Competition and the Music International Grand Prix 2022.

Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate (MM ’00, Pastor/Erb) has been named composer-inresidence at the Oklahoma University School of Music.

Yun Song Tay (MM ’18, Topilow) was appointed music director of the Golden State Youth Orchestra. Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir (BM ’06, Aaron) was named assistant professor of cello at the University of Cincinnati and artist-in-residence of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra.

Anne Waltner (DMA ’10, AD ’11, Pontremoli/ Radosavljevich) was appointed principal keyboard of the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra and Sioux City Symphony.

Eric Wicks (BM ’01, MM ’03, Wilson) joined the faculty at Colorado College.

Nora Willauer (MM ’20, PS ’22, Kraut) joined the adjunct cello faculty at the University of Akron.

Sunny Xuecong Xia (BM ’19, MM ’20, Sloman/Topilow) was named assistant conductor of the Seattle Symphony.

Patrick Yim (BM ’12, MM ’14, Updegraff/ Preucil) has been appointed assistant professor of violin at the University of Notre Dame.

Cristian “Kit” Zimmerman (BM ’16, MM ’18, Updegraff/Sloman) joined the first violin section of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in Geneva, Switzerland.

Students

Emma Cardon (composition, Fitch) will have two works featured in the annual She Scores concert series.

Ralph Holtzhauser (organ, Wilson) was appointed Diocesan Director of Music and Cathedral Musician for the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown.

Kitsho Hosotani (violin, Lee) won second prize in the Ise-Shima International String Competition.

Rebekah Hou (harp, Kondonassis) won an Anne Adams Award at the 2022 American Harp Society Foundation Competitions.

Minchae Kim (violin, Laredo/Lowe), Yun Lee (violin, Laredo/Lowe), Arielle Fentress (viola, Irvine) and Nathaniel Hoyt (MM ’22, Weiss) of the Kyklos Quartet took second place at the 2022 WDAV Young Chamber Musicians Competition (senior division) and the senior division at the Glass City Chamber Music Competition. Megan Lin (violin, Laredo/Lowe), Emera Gurath (BM ’21, MM ’22, Kwuon/Rose), Marcus Stevenson (BM ’22, Irvine) and Cecelia Swanson (MM ’21, Robinson) of the Elless Quartet were finalists in the Chesapeake Music International Chamber Music Competition.

Hechengzi Li (piano, Babayan) was chosen as a Young Steinway Artist.

Gabriel Stossel (composition, Fitch) won first prize at the Ohio Federation of Music Clubs Collegiate Composition Contest. Daniel DiMarino (composition, Fitch/O. Kaler) won second prize.

Preparatory

Danelis Cedeño Calderón (guitar, Lara Alonso) was selected as Student of the Year in the Cleveland Classical Guitar Society Education Program.

Moonhee Kim, Eleanor Pompa (cello, Weiss) and Daniel Colaner (piano, Schulze) of the Meraki Trio won first prize in the junior division at the Glass City Chamber Music Competition.

Sherry Li (piano, Moran) and Laura Mo (piano, Moran) both took second place in the 2022 Ohio MTA Buckeye Auditions.

Jamie Park (double bass, Rowell) won the 2022 International Society of Bassists Jane Little scholarship.

Faculty

Margaret Brouwer (composition) released Reactions: Songs and Chamber Music, featuring Eliesha Nelson (BM ’95, L. Cerone / Russell, MM ’99 Vernon), Mari Sato (BM ’94, D. Cerone /Updegraff), Brian Skoog (voice, MM ’13, PS ’15, Cole) and Shuai Wang (piano, BM ’03, MM ’05, AD ’07, DMA ’11, Schenly/Shapiro/ Pontremoli/Jones).

Olga Dubossarskaya Kaler (violin) and Kathryn Brown (piano) released a new recording, Seven Ways To Say Farewell, on Centaur Records.

Keith Fitch (composition) has received a commission from the Chicago Center for Contemporary Composition at the University of Chicago.

Melissa Kraut (cello, BM ’90, Harris) taught and performed at the Madeline Island Chamber Music Festival and the Ascent International Chamber Music Festival.

Mary Le Rouge (writing) contributed a chapter to The Changing Face of VR: Pushing the Boundaries of Experience Across Multiple Industries (Vernon Press, 2022). She also participated in the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards Seminar.

Antonio Pompa-Baldi (piano) performed Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 in Cape Town, South Africa; played for and served on the jury at the New Orleans International Piano Competition; and performed and taught at Todi International Music Masters.

Brian Skoog (voice, MM ’13, PS ’15, Cole) sang the role of Jake in Matthew Aucoin’s Second Nature with Opera Fayetteville and the role of Lurcanio in Handel’s Ariodante with Opera NEO in San Diego.

Gerardo Teissonnière (piano, BM ’85, MM ’89, Vronsky) completed a solo tour of Europe featuring music by Schubert and his album Beethoven: The Last Sonatas.

Jason Vieaux (guitar, BM ’95, Holmquist) recorded Avner Dorman’s How to Love and released recordings of Michael Fine’s Concierto di Luna and a collaboration with violinist Anne Akiko Meyers.

Carolyn Gadiel Warner (chamber music), violinist and pianist in The Cleveland Orchestra, has served as interim principal keyboard since fall 2021.

In Memoriam

Marguerite H. Gilbert (BM ’49) passed away in April 2022, at age 100. She was a devoted piano teacher active with the Musical Art Society and The Cecilian Music Club.

Theodore Johnson passed away August 30, 2022, at age 92. He taught clarinet at CIM from 1961-2004 and was a member of The Cleveland Orchestra from 1959-95.

Joseph B. Milgram passed away in August 2022. He served as a CIM Trustee from 19862004, including terms as chair and vice chair.

Nancy Floyd Miller (BM ’58, MM ’60) passed away in March 2022. She had been on the music theory faculty at CIM. A brilliant light to CIM and the musical world at large went out this fall when violinist Jorja Fleezanis passed away at the age of 70. One of CIM’s most esteemed former students, Fleezanis was a trailblazer who fully earned her Distinguished Alumni Award in 2016 and recognition from former CIM President David Cerone for career achievement.

She made history at the Minnesota Orchestra not once but twice, first as only the second female concertmaster of a major America orchestra and second, after 20 years, as Minnesota’s longestserving concertmaster, from 1989-2009. Her years with Minnesota were uncommonly fruitful. Among the many works Fleezanis premiered there were two commissioned specially for her: the Violin Concerto by John Adams and Ikon of Eros by John Tavener. Also while there, Fleezanis taught at the University of Minnesota’s School of Music.

Prior to Minnesota, Fleezanis served for eight years as associate concertmaster of the San Francisco Symphony and as a member of the Chicago Symphony. Her career after Minnesota was no less remarkable. A deep commitment to education led Fleezanis to Indiana University, where she taught orchestral studies at the Jacobs School of Music from 2009-21. After the death of her husband, she also launched The Michael Steinberg and Jorja Fleezanis Fund, which supports the commissioning of new music.

Many regarded Fleezanis as more than a musical pioneer, more than one of the most influential teachers of her time, but as a friend. CIM remains proud to have been associated with her.

The juggernaut that is the CIM violin department lost one of its most beloved members this fall: Jan

Sloman.

Sloman was an enormous presence at CIM, where he taught in both the Conservatory and Preparatory divisions since 2015, but he was a beacon to colleagues and formers students all over the country. Violinist Jaime Laredo, Sloman’s closest colleague at CIM, called his friend a “foundation” for legions of musicians. “There are so many amazing violinists today who started with him at 8 or 9,” he said. “It’s such a tremendous loss, I can’t even tell you.” Sloman enjoyed a distinguished career as a performer, serving for many years as the principal associate concertmaster of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and a guest concertmaster of the All that notwithstanding, Sloman had a tender place in his heart for CIM, where his considerable talents were recognized and lauded. A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Laredo, Sloman nurtured a serious commitment to helping younger generations follow in his footsteps. It was no accident that his students routinely won awards and succeeded at major national and international competitions. Former CIM president Joel Smirnoff called him a “treasured teacher.”

Sloman was a credit to CIM and an invaluable asset to the world of music. He was a remarkable man, and his loss is deeply felt by the CIM community.

It would be impossible for CIM to pay full tribute to Gay Cull Addicott, a longtime Trustee and passionate supporter, who passed away in early August. CIM Board Chair Susan Rothmann hit the nail on the head when she described Gay’s life with CIM as a treasure.

A Trustee and active committee member since 2000, Addicott used her background in business, finance and philanthropy to benefit CIM in some fashion almost every day. The school could not have asked for a more devoted colleague or a supporter more generous, wise or committed to music.

One of Addicott’s most profound gestures to CIM came in November 2018, when she used a planned estate gift to endow the Edward and Gay Cull Addicott Presidential Scholarship, CIM’s second Presidential Scholarship, in honor of her husband, Edward Addicott, and late husband, Robert Cull, both of whom shared her deep love of classical music. Addicott also was a life trustee of The Cleveland Orchestra, and supported numerous other organizations. CIM was pleased to welcome and acknowledge Addicott’s family at Severance Music Center Sep. 24, when the CIM Orchestra and conductor Carlos Kalmar presented a concert celebrating a new collaboration between CIM and The Cleveland Orchestra. CIM leaders also were honored to attend an afternoon of music and memories in Addicott’s honor Oct. 17, in Reinberger Chamber Hall. Addicott cared deeply about music, creating opportunity and shaping the future of this art form. The impact of her life will be felt for generations to come.