Guest Artist Biographies
ADRIAN DUNN
Adrian Dunn is a critically acclaimed singer, composer, and conductor. His most recent composition, Emancipation, a PBS special, was nominated for two Emmy Awards in 2023, featuring The Adrian Dunn Singers and Dunn’s Rize Orchestra. He made his European debut at the Klangwolke Festival in Linz, Austria with the Adrian Dunn Singers. In 2022, he made his Ravinia Festival debut as a composer with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performing his choral arrangement of “Goin’ Home” from Dvořák’s New World Symphony conducted by Marin Alsop.
In 2022, Dunn won The American Prize in Composition for his Requiem from The Mass for the Unarmed Child and was named in “Chicago’s Top 10 moments in classical music, opera and jazz that defined 2021” by the Chicago Tribune. He made his debut as composer and conductor with the Chicago Philharmonic in June 2021. His interview on his original composition The Black Messiah was published in Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy. Dunn has sung with the Chicago Symphony Chorus, Grant Park Symphony Chorus, and Blossom Festival Chorus. He was the chorus conductor for Joel Thompson’s Seven Last Words of the Unarmed with The Adrian Dunn Singers at Chicago’s Symphony Center and Wentz Hall in 2019. He was the chorus master for Chicago Opera Theater’s production of Freedom Ride in 2019 and sang in their 2018 production of Moby Dick. He was tenor soloist for Handel’s Messiah at Rockefeller Chapel in 2018 and for Puccini’s Messa di Gloria with the Northwestern University Orchestra. He was the tenor soloist for Michael Tippett’s A Child of Our Time with the University of Chicago Orchestra in 2019 and was guest artist in residence with the University of Chicago Chorus. In 2019, he was the composer for the Lyric Unlimited Opera education program at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
As an active professional singer, producer, and songwriter, Dunn has had the privilege of working with gospel greats such as Tremaine Hawkins, Myron Butler, Melonie Daniels, Troy Bright, Lamar Campbell, Damien Sneed, Walt Whitman and the Soul Children of Chicago, Smokie Norful, Jonathan Nelson, and many more. He was awarded the 2015 Album Producer of the Year for AME Live featuring the AME International Mass Choir from the Rhythm of Gospel Awards. He is currently the director of choral programs and a voice faculty member at The Colburn School.
MALIK JOHNSON
Malik Johnson, aka 99TheProducer, is a classically-trained cellist, composer, and music producer based in Chicago. Johnson has worked with the Matt Jones Orchestra, which has opened doors for him to appear on National Public Radio’s Tiny Desk series in 2017, record on John Legend’s Christmas album released in 2018, and be featured on Kirk Franklin’s Grammy Award-winning album, Long Live Love, and work with countless other professional recording artists.
In 2021, Johnson produced for the recording artist Masego on his Grammy Award-nominated album Studying Abroad. In addition to his skill as an outstanding cellist, Johnson is a self-taught guitarist and a formally trained pianist. Malik’s current projects include writing and arranging strings for upcoming projects, teaching, and producing his debut album as 99TheProducer.
Guest Artist Biographies
THE ADRIAN DUNN SINGERS
The Adrian Dunn Singers are a group of 12 professional singers of diverse musical backgrounds based in Chicago. Members of group have trained at some of the top conservatories and universities in America. They were recently featured on the PBS WTTW special Emancipation featuring The Adrian Dunn Singers and Rize Orchestra. Emancipation marks the group’s fourth commercial album release.
They made their Ravinia Festival Chicago Symphony Orchestra debut in 2022 with the original arrangement of “Goin’ Home” from Dvořák’s New World Symphony conducted by Marin Alsop. They performed the score of the 2022 major motion picture Honk for Jesus and made their Zipper Concert Hall debut at The Colburn School in 2022. In 2021, they made their Chicago Philharmonic debut in Dunn’s original composition Redemption at The Harris Theater for Music & Dance at Millennium Park.
They premiered The Seven Last Words of the Unarmed by Joel Thompson with the Chicago Sinfonietta in 2019 at Chicago’s Orchestra Hall at Symphony Center and Wentz Concert Hall. The group made their National Cathedral debut in 2018. They were the featured vocal ensemble in the 2018 Jónsi & Alex world tour of Riceboy Sleeps. They were included in the Art Institute of Chicago’s Prayer exhibit in 2017 by prolific South African artist James Webb.
The group’s commercial albums include Revelations, Redemption Live, The Black Messiah, and Emancipation: Act I & II. In addition to recording the Revelations album, they have performed for the Payne Theological Seminary presidential inauguration in 2017 and provided music for their 2018 commencement exercises. The group recently made their National Cathedral Debut and have toured Orlando, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Indianapolis.
KEN-DAVID MASUR
Music Director
Polly and Bill Van Dyke
Music Director Chair
EDO DE WAART
Music Director Laureate
BYRON STRIPLING
Principal Pops Conductor
Stein Family Foundation Principal Pops Conductor Chair
RYAN TANI
Assistant Conductor
CHERYL FRAZES HILL
Chorus Director
Margaret Hawkins Chorus Director Chair
TIMOTHY J. BENSON
Assistant Chorus Director
FIRST VIOLINS
Jinwoo Lee, Concertmaster, Charles and Marie Caestecker Concertmaster Chair
Ilana Setapen, First Associate Concertmaster, Thora M. Vervoren First Associate Concertmaster Chair
Jeanyi Kim, Associate Concertmaster
Alexander Ayers
Autumn Chodorowski
Yuka Kadota
Shin Lan**
Elliot Lee**
Dylana Leung
Kyung Ah Oh
Lijia Phang
Yuanhui Fiona Zheng
SECOND VIOLINS
Jennifer Startt, Principal, Andrea and Woodrow Leung Second Violin Chair
Ji-Yeon Lee, Assistant Principal (2nd chair)
John Bian, Assistant Principal (3rd chair)*
Hyewon Kim, Acting Assistant Principal (3rd chair)
Glenn Asch
Lisa Johnson Fuller
Clay Hancock
Paul Hauer
Gabriela Lara
Janis Sakai**
Mary Terranova
VIOLAS
Robert Levine, Principal, Richard O. and Judith A. Wagner Family Principal Viola Chair
Georgi Dimitrov, Assistant Principal (2nd chair), Friends of Janet F. Ruggeri Viola Chair
Samantha Rodriguez, Assistant Principal (3rd chair)
Elizabeth Breslin
Alejandro Duque
Nathan Hackett
Erin H. Pipal
CELLOS
Susan Babini, Principal, Dorothea C. Mayer Cello Chair
Shinae Ra, Acting Assistant Principal (2nd chair)
Scott Tisdel, Associate Principal Emeritus
Madeleine Kabat
Peter Szczepanek
Peter J. Thomas
Adrien Zitoun
BASSES
Jon McCullough-Benner, Principal, Donald B. Abert Bass Chair*
Andrew Raciti, Acting Principal
Nash Tomey, Acting Assistant Principal (2nd chair)
Brittany Conrad Omar Haffar**
Paris Myers
HARP
Julia Coronelli, Principal, Walter Schroeder Harp Chair
FLUTES
Sonora Slocum, Principal, Margaret and Roy Butter Flute Chair
Heather Zinninger, Assistant Principal
Jennifer Bouton Schaub
PICCOLO
Jennifer Bouton Schaub
OBOES
Katherine Young Steele, Principal, Milwaukee Symphony League Oboe Chair
Kevin Pearl, Assistant Principal
Margaret Butler
ENGLISH HORN
Margaret Butler, Philip and Beatrice Blank English Horn Chair in memoriam to John Martin
CLARINETS
Todd Levy, Principal, Franklyn Esenberg Clarinet Chair
Jay Shankar, Assistant Principal, Donald and Ruth P. Taylor Assistant Principal Clarinet Chair
Besnik Abrashi
E-FLAT CLARINET
Jay Shankar
BASS CLARINET
Besnik Abrashi
BASSOONS
Catherine Van Handel, Principal, Muriel C. and John D. Silbar Family Bassoon Chair
Rudi Heinrich, Assistant Principal
Beth W. Giacobassi
CONTRABASSOON
Beth W. Giacobassi
HORNS
Matthew Annin, Principal, Krause Family French Horn Chair
Krystof Pipal, Associate Principal
Dietrich Hemann, Andy Nunemaker French Horn Chair
Darcy Hamlin
Scott Sanders
TRUMPETS
Matthew Ernst, Principal, Walter L. Robb Family Trumpet Chair
David Cohen, Associate Principal, Martin J. Krebs Associate Principal Trumpet Chair
Tim McCarthy, Fred Fuller Trumpet Chair
TROMBONES
Megumi Kanda, Principal, Marjorie Tiefenthaler Trombone Chair
Kirk Ferguson, Assistant Principal
BASS TROMBONE
John Thevenet, Richard M. Kimball Bass Trombone Chair
TUBA
Robyn Black, Principal, John and Judith Simonitsch Tuba Chair
TIMPANI
Dean Borghesani, Principal
Chris Riggs, Assistant Principal
PERCUSSION
Robert Klieger, Principal
Chris Riggs
PIANO
Melitta S. Pick Endowed Piano Chair
PERSONNEL
Antonio Padilla Denis, Director of Orchestra Personnel
Paris Myers, Hiring Coordinator
LIBRARIANS
Paul Beck, Principal Librarian, James E. Van Ess Principal Librarian Chair
Matthew Geise, Assistant Librarian & Media Archivist
PRODUCTION
Tristan Wallace, Production Manager/ Live Audio
Lisa Sottile, Production Stage Manager
* Leave of Absence 2024.25 Season
** Acting member of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra 2024.25 Season
