SEATTLE SYMPHONY WELCOMES SEVEN NEW MUSICIANS THIS FALL

 
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Seattle, WA – Music Director Ludovic Morlot and the Seattle Symphony welcome seven new musicians this season who will take up their new posts at the beginning of the 2017–2018 season, including two newly created positions: Associate Principal Clarinet and Fourth/Utility Trumpet. Newly appointed principals include John DiCesare from the Louisville Orchestra as Principal Tuba, and the return of former Seattle Symphony Principal Flute Demarre McGill following posts as Principal Flute for the Dallas Symphony and Acting Principal Flute for the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Additional appointments include Emil Khudyev, Associate Principal Clarinet; Andy Liang, Section Second Violin; Seattle native Danielle Kuhlmann, Fourth Horn; Christopher Stingle, Second Trumpet; and Michael Myers, Fourth/Utility Trumpet.

Demarre McGill, Principal Flute

Support by David J. and Shelley Hovind

A native of Chicago, former Seattle Symphony Principal Flute Demarre McGill returns following posts as Principal Flute at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Acting Principal Flute at the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Winner of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, flutist McGill is acclaimed for his “richly saturated tone, spirited technique and expressive warmth” and has quickly become one of the most sought-after flutists of his generation. He enjoys an active career as a leading soloist, recitalist, artistic director and chamber musician throughout the United States and abroad. He is a founding member of The Myriad Trio and has participated in many national and international chamber music festivals. McGill began playing the flute at age 7 and his family is steeped in the performing arts. McGill received his bachelor’s degree in Flute Performance from The Curtis Institute of Music where he studied with Julius Baker and Jeffrey Khaner. He continued his studies with Julius Baker at The Juilliard School, where he received a Master of Music degree.

John DiCesare, Principal Tuba

John DiCesare was the Principal Tuba of the Louisville Orchestra before coming to the Seattle Symphony. DiCesare has performed with orchestras nationwide, notably The Cleveland Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra  Pittsburgh Symphony and St. Louis Symphony.  During the summer months DiCesare plays with the Colorado Music Festival in Boulder. An active educator, he previously held positions at Campbellsville University, Indiana University Southeast and Kent State University. DiCesare’s teachers include Craig Knox, Tom Lukowicz, John Bottomley and he holds degrees from Duquesne University, Kent State University and is pursuing his Doctorate of Musical Arts at West Virginia University as a prestigious Swiger Fellow. DiCesare resides in Seattle with his wife, Amanda, and dog, Bentley. 

Emil Khudyev, Associate Principal Clarinet

Prior to joining the Seattle Symphony, clarinetist Emil Khudyev has performed with orchestras such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and The Cleveland Orchestra. Khudyev was appointed as instructor of clarinet at the Interlochen Arts Academy in 2014. Prior to this position, he served as the acting Associate Principal, Second and E-flat Clarinet of the Kansas City Symphony. Born in Turkmenistan, Khudyev began his musical training under the auspices of the Moscow Conservatory, and, at age 7, was admitted to the Special Music School of Turkmenistan. Khudyev received his bachelor’s degree in Clarinet Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music where he studied with Franklin Cohen and his master’s degree at the Yale School of Music with clarinetist David Shifrin. Khudyev also studied at the Colburn Conservatory for his Artist Diploma under Yehuda Gilad. He has attended Tanglewood Music Festival, the Colorado College Music Festival and the Sarasota Music Festival.

Andy Liang, Section Second Violin

A featured artist on NPR’s From the Top, violinist Andy Liang joins the Seattle Symphony as a member of the second violin section. After making his solo debut with the Oregon Symphony at the age of 11, Andy performed in Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center and Boston’s Jordan Hall by the age of 15. An accomplished violinist in solo, orchestral and chamber music playing, Liang is also a member of ALKALI, a fiery combination of string players/composers specializing in dynamic original compositions and covers infused with styles ranging from jazz to classical to pop. Liang recently received his Artist Diploma from the University of Texas at Austin as a member of the Cordova Quartet, the Young Professional String Quartet in Residence, where he studied with the Miró Quartet. Liang received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University where he studied with Cho-Liang Lin. In addition to playing the violin, Liang loves to play tennis, frisbee and video games. 

Danielle Kuhlmann, Fourth Horn

Praised by The New York Times for her “fearless” and “seductive” playing, Seattle native Danielle Kuhlmann returns home to join the Seattle Symphony after three seasons with the San Diego Symphony. She completed her undergraduate degree with Jerome Ashby at The Juilliard School and pursued graduate studies at Rice University under William VerMeulen. An avid interpreter of new music, she was Principal Horn of the American Composers Orchestra, and performs with the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE). In addition to classical performances, Kuhlmann is a founding member of the all-female pop Horn quartet Genghis Barbie. Devoted to philanthropic work, Kuhlmann has spent four summers in the Philippines volunteering for the group Cultures in Harmony, a New York-based NGO that promotes cultural diplomacy through music. The group works with both professional and student-level musicians as well as indigenous tribal youth. In January of 2011, she volunteered in Kabul, Afghanistan, teaching and performing at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music.

Christopher Stingle, Second Trumpet

A native of Philadelphia, Christopher Stingle joins the Seattle Symphony as Second Trumpet after performing eight seasons with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra as the Assistant Principal Trumpet and four seasons with the Santa Fe Opera as Principal trumpet. Stingle has enjoyed a varied musical career, including symphony, chamber music and solo appearances up and down the East Coast. He has also made frequent appearances with the Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Rochester Philharmonic, and Fort Worth Symphony. Stingle graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music in 2009, studying with David Bilger. Other influential teachers include Jeffrey Curnow at Temple University, James Thompson at the Eastman School of Music and Joe Burgstaller. A Yamaha Artist, Stingle enjoys hiking with his dog, Abby, a German shepherd, and making the perfect cup of coffee.

Michael Myers, Fourth/Utility Trumpet

Michael Myers joins the Seattle Symphony after posts with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Los Angeles Philharmonic. Myers graduated with a Bachelor of Music from James Madison University, where he studied with James Kluesner, and with a master's in trumpet performance from Rice University's Shepherd School of Music with Armando Ghitalla. Additional teachers include Vincent Cichowicz, John Hagstrom, Charles Geyer, Barbara Butler, Channing Philbrick and James Pandolfi. In addition to his private teaching studio, Myers was the Adjunct Professor of Trumpet at Samford University from 2013–14, the Associate Professor of Trumpet at Lake Forest College from 2008–10 and has been a guest lecturer at DePaul University. In his spare time, Myers enjoys downhill skiing and spending time with his wife, Shelly, and their son, Seth.

About the Seattle Symphony

The Seattle Symphony is one of America's leading symphony orchestras and is internationally acclaimed for its innovative programming and extensive recording history. Under the leadership of Music Director Ludovic Morlot since September 2011, the Symphony is heard from September through July by more than 500,000 people through live performances and radio broadcasts. It performs in one of the finest modern concert halls in the world — the acoustically superb Benaroya Hall — in downtown Seattle. Its extensive education and community engagement programs reach over 65,000 children and adults each year. The Seattle Symphony has a deep commitment to new music, commissioning many works by living composers each season. The orchestra has made nearly 150 recordings and has received three Grammy Awards, 23 Grammy nominations, two Emmy Awards and numerous other accolades. In 2014 the Symphony launched its in-house recording label, Seattle Symphony Media.

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