THE SEATTLE SYMPHONY ANNOUNCES FIVE NEW MUSICIANS WHO JOINED THE ORCHESTRA AT THE START OF THE 2023/2024 SEASON
Seattle, WA – The Seattle Symphony announces five new musicians, all who joined the orchestra at the start of the 2023/2024 season. New appointments include Katherine Audas and Sunnat Ibragimov as section cellists, Sam Casseday as a temporary section bass, Bridget Pei as second flute and Jonathan Wisner as second percussionist. The Seattle Symphony is thrilled to welcome these new musicians during the 2023/2024 banner anniversary season as the organization celebrates two milestones, Benaroya Hall’s 25th anniversary and the Symphony’s 120th birthday.
KATHERINE AUDAS | CELLO
Praised for the “inviting, vocal quality” of her tone by the Chicago Classical Review, Katherine Audas is a passionate cellist who enjoys performing in orchestras, chamber music ensembles and as a soloist. She holds a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree and an artist diploma in cello performance from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, where she studied with Norman Fischer from 2014–2018 and Brinton Smith from 2018–2023. While at Rice, she was the recipient of the Annette and Hugh Gragg Principal Chair in Cello. She was awarded first prize at the Ann and Charles Eisemann International Young Artists Competition in Dallas in 2020 and she won the silver medal at the IX Concurso Internacional Violonchelo Carlos Prieto in Michoacán, Mexico, in 2019. In recent years, Audas has appeared as a soloist with numerous symphonies, including the Houston Symphony at the Ima Hogg Competition, the Northbrook Symphony, the Michoacán Symphony, the Shepherd School of Music Symphony Orchestra and the Boise Philharmonic. She is the founding member of the Houston Cello Quartet and an active performer in the nonprofit Classical C.A.R.M.A. (Concerts Aiming to Raise Money & Awareness). In her free time, she enjoys running half marathons, cooking new recipes, and spending time with her family and friends.
SUNNAT IBRAGIMOV | CELLO
Sunnat Ibragimov showed exceptional musical gifts from the age of 7, when he began to study the cello at the Glière State Music School and the Uzbek State Conservatory in his native country of Uzbekistan. He studied with Jahongir Ibragimov in Tashkent and subsequently earned his bachelor’s degree from Park University’s International Center for Music as a student of Martin Storey and Daniel Veis. After further study with Andrew Shulman and Ben Hong at the University of Southern California, he earned a master’s degree from the University of Kansas. He is currently completing a doctorate from the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University, where he is a student of Alan Stepansky. He has performed with numerous orchestras including the Uzbek National Symphony, the Kansas City Symphony and the Baltimore Symphony, and with chamber musicians such as Shmuel Ashkenasi, Roberto Diaz and Borromeo String Quartet. He has also taught extensively at Pittsburg State University, Manhattan Arts Center at Kansas State University and Peabody Preparatory, among others. He has taken part in the festivals at Aspen, Tanglewood and Orford in Canada and in 2022, he led the cello section of the Tanglewood Festival Orchestra under the baton of Andris Nelsons. He has worked with conductors such as Carl St. Clair, Gerard Schwarz, John Williams and Marin Alsop. Ibragimov has also taken part in master classes with Truls Mørk, Daniel Müller-Schott, Lawrence Lesser, Colin Carr, Alicia Weilerstein, Alban Gerhardt and David Geringas.
SAM CASSEDAY | DOUBLE BASS
Beginning on a half-sized cello tuned in fourths rather than fifths, Sam Casseday started playing double bass at age 5, studying with his father Kevin. After graduating high school, he was accepted into the Curtis Institute of Music, studying with Harold Robinson and Edgar Meyer. In 2016, he made his Carnegie Hall debut with the Curtis Orchestra, performing the bass solo in Mahler's First Symphony under the direction of Seattle Symphony Conductor Emeritus Ludovic Morlot. As a soloist, he has performed with the Jacksonville Symphony and most recently, with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra performing his own transcription of Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5.
BRIDGET PEI | FLUTE
From Los Angeles, California, Bridget Pei is the Seattle Symphony flute section’s newest member. Bridget most recently finished her graduate studies at the Rice University Shepherd School of Music with Leone Buyse in 2023, after receiving her BM at Northwestern University with John Thorne. During her undergraduate studies, Pei was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and performed as Principal Flute with the Dubuque Symphony. Since then, she has performed with the Houston Symphony Orchestra, Pacific Symphony Orchestra, and was a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center in Lenox, Massachusetts. An avid chamber musician, Bridget has collaborated and performed with members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and North Carolina Symphony as part of the Hidden Valley Festival of Winds II in 2022. When not playing flute, Bridget spends her time cooking or planning her next multi-day backpacking trip.
JONATHAN WISNER | SECOND PERSUSSION
Jonathan Wisner, originally from Houston, Texas, joins the Seattle Symphony as second percussionist. Prior to this, he has had the privilege of performing with orchestras around the world, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, London Symphony, Houston Symphony, Santa Barbara Symphony and has held Principal Timpani positions with the Amarillo Symphony and the Orchestra Now. Wisner has worked with conductors such as Gustavo Dudamel and Simon Rattle, as well as played under the baton of John Williams at the Hollywood Bowl. As a chamber musician and avid performer of new music, he has appeared in many of the LA Phil's Green Umbrella Series concerts, working closely with composers such as Steve Reich and John Adams. During his summers, he has spent time as a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center, Music Academy of the West, Round Top Festival and Aspen Music Festival. Wisner holds his Bachelor of Music from the University of Miami Frost School of Music, a Master of Music from the University of Southern California, and a Professional Studies Certificate from the Colburn Conservatory. His primary teachers include Joseph Pereira, James Babor and Matt Howard of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Matthew Strauss of the Houston Symphony, Svet Stoyanov and Ted Atkatz.
SEATTLE SYMPHONY
The Seattle Symphony unleashes the power of music, brings people together and lifts the human spirit. Recognized as one of the “most vital American orchestras” (NPR), the Seattle Symphony is internationally acclaimed for its inventive programming, community-minded initiatives and superb recordings on the Seattle Symphony Media label. With a strong commitment to new music and a legacy of over 150 recordings, the orchestra has garnered five Grammy Awards, 27 Grammy nominations, two Emmy Awards and was named Gramophone’s 2018 Orchestra of the Year. The Symphony performs in Benaroya Hall in the heart of downtown Seattle from September through July, reaching over 750,000 people annually through live performances and radio broadcasts, and through the Seattle Symphony+ streaming service, the orchestra’s concerts reach audiences at home and around the world.
BENAROYA HALL
Benaroya Hall, the home of the Seattle Symphony, is located in downtown Seattle and surrounded by numerous restaurants, retail stores and parking facilities. Opened in 1998, Benaroya Hall is the most-visited performing arts venue in Seattle. It has received numerous awards, including a 2001 American Institute of Architects (AIA) National Honor Award for outstanding architecture. Benaroya Hall has three versatile performance venues, the S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium, Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall and Octave 9: Raisbeck Music Center, all renowned for their pristine acoustics, luxurious design and prime location. For additional information, including rental information, event listings and public tour schedules, please visit www.benaroyahall.org.
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