Opening Night

Conductor Yue Bao serves as conducting fellow of the Houston Symphony. In May 2019, she completed a two-year tenure as the Rita E. Hauser Conducting Fellow at the Curtis Institute of Music, closely working with Maestro Nézet-Séguin during her studies in Philadelphia. At Curtis, she was active as both a conductor and assistant, working with Michael Tilson Thomas, Osmo Vänskä, Gilbert Varga, Giancarlo Guerrero, and Miguel Harth-Bedoya.

Yue was the Bruno Walter Memorial Foundation Conducting Fellow at the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in 2019. In 2018, she served as the David Effron Conducting Fellow at the Chautauqua Music Festival, where her concerts with the Festival Orchestra received major accolades from audiences and musicians. Prior to her time at Curtis, in 2015, she served as a conducting fellow at the Eastern Music Festival under Gerard Schwarz.

She has worked extensively in the United States and abroad. She served as an assistant for the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra under JoAnn Falletta and David Lockington (2015-17), making her conducting debut with Buffalo in 2016. Yue has also assisted Vänskä at the Minnesota Orchestra and Varga at the St. Louis Symphony. Recent appearances include the Shanghai Opera Symphony Orchestra, the Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra, and the New Symphony Orchestra. Equally at home with both symphonic and operatic repertoire, her credits include Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, Bizet’s Carmen, Kurt Weill’s Mahagonny: Ein Songspiel, and Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Medium. She is also active as a pianist, recently playing for a production of Les contes d’Hoffmann by Jacques Offenbach at the National Centre for the Performing Arts.

Along with her Artist Diploma from The Curtis Institute of Music, she holds Bachelor of Music degrees in orchestral conducting and collaborative piano from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and a Master of Music degree in orchestral conducting from the Mannes School of Music.

Acclaimed as “a wonderfully talented violinist…whose sound and technique go well beyond her years,” violinist, Yoonshin Song was born in South Korea, where she began her musical studies at age 5. Making her solo debut with the Seoul Philharmonic at age 11, she has since built a successful performing career throughout Korea, the United States, and Europe. In April 2019, the Houston Symphony named Yoonshin as its new concertmaster beginning in August 2019. From 2012 to 2019, she was the concertmaster of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, where she has enjoyed close collaborations with inspiring guest artists such as Gil Shaham, Joshua Bell, and Jamie Laredo.

Yoonshin has earned many prestigious prizes throughout her career, including top prize awards in the Lipizer International Violin Competition in Italy; the Lipinski & Wieniawski International Violin Competition in Poland; the Henry Marteau International Violin Competition in Germany; and first prize at the Stradivarius International Competition in the United States. In her native South Korea, Yoonshin has won virtually all of the major violin competitions.

As a soloist, she has performed with many orchestras around the world, including the Houston Symphony, the Detroit Symphony, the Utah Symphony, the New Mexico Philharmonic Orchestra,the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra, the Paul Constantinescu Philharmonic Orchestra, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, and the KBS Philharmonic Orchestra. She has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician in numerous music festivals, including the Marlboro, Deer Valley, Great Lakes, and Aspen music festivals in the United States; the Miyazaki Chamber Music Festival in Japan; and the Verbier, Lucerne, and Bayreuth festivals in Europe. Her engagements as a soloist throughout next season include concertos by Beethoven, Mozart, Shostakovich, and Bruch.

A winner of international competitions, Tong Yan has claimed first prize at the International Music Competition of Union Francaise des Artistes Musiciens in Paris, International Violin Competition in Kazakhstan, International Chinese Violin Competition in New York, and string winner at the Gisborne International Orchestral Instruments Competition in New Zealand. She has also placed in the top three at the Andrea Postacchini International Violin Competition in Italy and the Brahms International Violin Competition in Austria. Yan has had many recitals and solo performances with orchestras in Austria, Italy, Germany, France, Australia, New Zealand, China, Canada, and the United States.

Yan is currently an active chamber musician and has participated in festivals such as the Summer Strings Academy in Australia, Canada’s Morningside Music Bridge, Colorado College Summer Music Festival, Bar Harbor Music Festival in Maine, Pacific Music Festival in Japan, Spoleto Music Festival in South Carolina, Britt Music Festival in Oregon, and the Meadowmount Summer School in New York.

Yan joined the Houston Symphony in 2012 while pursuing her Graduate Diploma at the New England Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Donald Weilerstein. She also holds a Master of Music degree from New England Conservatory, and a split bachelor’s degree from the Vienna University of Fine Arts, Joseph Haydn Conservatory, and the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Her teachers include Elisabeth Kropfitsch, Klaus Maetzl, and Marilyn McDonald.

Sophia Silivos, violin, has been a member of the Houston Symphony since 1992. Silivos began her career as first violinist of the Dakota quartet and then was named principal second violinist of the New Mexico Symphony. She has performed as soloist with the Houston Symphony and served as Associate Concertmaster for the 2005–06 season.

An ardent proponent of chamber music, Silivos has appeared with ensembles throughout the United States and has performed live for public radio stations in Chicago, Houston, and Minneapolis. Here in Texas, she appears regularly with the Greenbriar Consortium and the Foundation for Modern Music; she is a featured violinist for the St. Cecilia concert series. She has served on the faculties of the University of Houston and Augustana college, teaches privately, and gives master classes.

In the summer of 2007, Silivos was an invited participant in a three-week tour of China, giving master classes and performing recitals and solos with orchestra.

MuChen (Jessica) Hsieh, from Taiwan, joined the Houston Symphony as principal second violin in 2017. Prior to her appointment in Houston, she worked with conductors including Thomas Adès, Charles Dutoit, Larry Rachleff, David Robertson, Joshua Weilerstein, and Hugh Wolff. She studied with Kathleen Winkler at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, and Malcolm Lowe and Masuko Ushioda at the New England Conservatory.

Hsieh regularly performs recitals, chamber music concerts, and in orchestras in the United States and Taiwan. Her festival performances include New York String Orchestra, Sarasota Festival Orchestra, and Music Academy of the West Festival Orchestra. Hsieh has served as concertmaster of the Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra on numerous occasions, including for the orchestra’s 2016 tour to Carnegie Hall. She has also performed with the New York Philharmonic as a Zarin Mehta Global Academy Fellow.

An avid chamber musician, she has collaborated with James Dunham, Jon Kimura Parker, Kathleen Winkler, and Larry Wheeler. When Hsieh is home in Taiwan, she enjoys organizing chamber music concerts with friends. She also has a passion for coaching and leading local orchestra concerts during the summer in Taiwan with the concertmaster of the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, Ray-Chou Chang.

Aside from playing violin, Hsieh enjoys cooking and baking with friends, jogging, or dreaming about getting a dog.

A native of Taiwan, Annie Chen began her musical studies at age 6 on piano and at age 8 on violin. At age 14, she moved to the United States to continue her music education at the Walnut Hill School for the Arts and the New England Conservatory Preparatory Program in Boston.

Chen has been a participant of numerous summer music festivals including the Heifetz International Music Institute, the Music Academy of the West, where she was a winner of the 2011 concerto competition, and the Tanglewood Music Center. She has toured with the Youth Orchestra of the Americas and was a regular member of Discovery Ensemble, a Boston-based chamber orchestra that provides outreach concerts to inner-city schools with no music programs. She has also been featured as a soloist with the Dorchester Symphony Orchestra.

Chen holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the New England Conservatory in Boston and a master’s degree from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, where she held the Shepherd School Distinguished Fellowship in Violin. Her principal teachers have included Lynn Chang, James Buswell, and Kathleen Winkler.

Jing Zheng, originally from Beijing, has played with the Houston Symphony since 2015. She earned her Master of Music degree on a full scholarship under Kathleen Winkler at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University as a recipient of Dr. Mischa Caplan Endowed Scholarship. Jing also holds a Bachelor of Music degree on a full scholarship from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she was a student of Ian Swensen as a recipient of the Walter & Elise Haas Scholarship. Her principal teachers include William van der Sloot, and Lin Yao Ji.

Jing has participated in Kneisel Hall, Meadowmount School of Music, Morningside Music Bridge, and the New York String Orchestra Seminar under Jaime Laredo.

Jing is a prizewinner of the Shean competition, Berkley Piano Club, and concerto competition at SFCM. She has performed as a soloist with several orchestras including Calgary Philharmonic.

Jing has had the privilege to work with Ron Leonard, Laurence Lesser, Cho Liang-Lin, Desmond Hoebig, James Ehnes, Pierre Amoyal, Pamela Frank, Donald Weilerstein, Pinchas Zukerman, and members of the Diaz Trio and Concord Quartet.

Tianjie Lu was born in Qingdao, China, and is currently a violinist at the Houston Symphony. He received his Master of Music degree from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, where he was offered a full scholarship to study with Kathleen Winkler. In 2014, Lu won second Prize in the Ruth Burr Music Competition.

Lu completed his Bachelor of Music at Mannes College, where he studied with Sally Thomas. He previously studied with Tong Weidong at the middle school attached to Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. In June 2005, he attended the Great Wall International Music Academy. The following year, Lu studied with Kathleen Winkler, took first prize in the concerto competition at the second Beijing International Music Festival and Academy, and was honored at China’s eighth National Violin Performance Competition. He attended the Music Academy and studied with Kathleen Winkler in 2008, 2009 and 2010. He was at Meadowmount Music School as a student with a full scholarship and teaching assistance of Sally Thomas in the summer of 2012.

Born in China, Wei Jiang began studying violin with his father at the age of 5 and began studying viola after being admitted to the prestigious Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. Having graduated with the highest honor, he was subsequently offered a teaching position at the conservatory as the youngest member of the music faculty. During his five-year tenure at the Central Conservatory, Jiang was actively involved in performing both solo and chamber music and toured extensively with his string quartet in Asia and Europe. He was also a founding member of the Eclipse Ensemble, a unique performing group that showcases music by contemporary Chinese composers throughout China.

Jiang came to the United States in 1996 to further his musical training at the Oberlin Conservatory and later at the University of Maryland. In 1999, he became a member of the Houston Symphony. Jiang is also a member of the Fidelis String Quartet which performed in recital at Carnegie Hall in 2005 and toured Puerto Rico in 2006. In his spare time, he likes playing tennis and enjoys traveling with his wife Sherry and two young children, Luke and Alice.

Sheldon Person has been a member of the Houston Symphony since 2011. He has toured with them in seven countries on three continents, and performed with them on their live recording of Alban Berg’s Wozzeck that received the 2017 Grammy Award. Sheldon was previously a member of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and has also performed with the London Symphony Orchestra, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra, and as soloist and guest principal with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.

In addition to his orchestral career, Sheldon also enjoys an active career as a chamber musician. Since 2016 and 2017 respectively, he has been a faculty artist at the Sewanee Summer Music Festival and an artist at the Zenith Chamber Music Festival at Drake University. Sheldon has appeared on the Houston Symphony Chamber Music Series Inaugural 2019-20 season, as well as at the Texas Music Festival, and Musiqa Houston. Radio broadcasts include appearances on Houston Public Radio and NPR. Sheldon collaborations on new trios by Per Mårtensson and Karim Al-Zand were released on the Centaur Records label in 2017 and 2018. He has also given world and European premiere performances of Variations on a theme of Bartók, a work for viola and piano that was written for him by Mr. Al-Zand. Sheldon has performed as a guest artist at Rice University, University of Houston, Indiana State University, and Michigan State University.

As first prize winner of the Royal Overseas League’s Bernard Shore Viola Competition, Sheldon performed recitals in London, including an appearance at St. Martin-in-the-Fields. While a member of the Artea String Quartet, Leverhulme Fellows at the Royal Academy of Music, Sheldon performed chamber music throughout the U.K., including appearances at Wigmore Hall, the South Bank Centre, the Brighton Festival, Buckingham Palace, and live on BBC Radio 3. He was also the winner of the Wayne Crouse Viola Prize at the Corpus Christi International Competition for Piano and Strings.

In addition to his faculty position at the Sewanee Festival, Sheldon enjoys a range of activity as an educator. He has served as an instructor for the Texas Music Festival, Indiana All-State Orchestra, and Filarmónica Joven de Colombia, and at high schools throughout greater Houston. Members of his private studio have been accepted to study at Indiana University, Rice University, Oberlin Conservatory, the Manhattan School of Music, the Cleveland Institute of Music, University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Houston.

Sheldon holds degrees and certificates from The Guildhall School of Music and Drama (London), Indiana University, Rice University, and the University of Alberta. His principal teachers have included Atar Arad, David Takeno and Karen Ritscher. As a fellow of the Aspen Music Festival and School, he served as the Assistant Principal Viola of both the Aspen Festival and Chamber Orchestras.

Sheldon performs on a modern viola by Theodore Skreko that was awarded a medal for tone at the 2010 Violin Society of America Competition. He is a native of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Cellist Charles Seo was appointed cellist of the Houston Symphony in the summer of 2018 at age 22. Previously, he served as principal cellist in the Colburn Orchestra. Charles, who made his solo orchestral debut at age 10, has performed as guest soloist with the Houston Symphony, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and San José Chamber Orchestra.

He is silver medalist of the 2014 Irving M. Klein International String Competition and bronze medalist of the 2014 Stulberg International String Competition. In 2013, he was the gold medalist of the Houston Symphony League Concerto Competition, the Lynn Harrell Concerto Competition, the Schmidbauer International Competition, and the 30^th Pasadena Showcase House Instrumental Competition. Charles performed Sarasate’s Zigeunerweisen with Christopher O’Riley on NPR’s From the Top.

Charles has collaborated with cellists Lynn Harrell, Robert deMaine, Clive Greensmith, Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt, David Geringas, Steven Isserlis, Jian Wang, Myung-wha Chung, Lluís Claret, Li-Wei Qin, Bion Tsang, and Laurence Lesser. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Colburn School, where he studied with Ronald Leonard and Greensmith.

Aralee Dorough began her tenure with the Houston Symphony as second flute in 1985, becoming the orchestra’s principal flutist in 1991. Dorough teaches orchestral repertoire at the Texas Music Festival and the Festival-Institute at Round Top and is an affiliate artist on the faculty of the Moores School of Music at the University of Houston.

She first appeared as a soloist with the Houston Symphony performing Mozart’s Concerto in C Major for Flute, Harp, and Orchestra with internationally-renowned harpist, Marisa Robles, and led by then-Music Director Christoph Eschenbach, for the 1992–93 season Opening Night gala concert. Dorough also performed Mozart’s Concerto in G Major with Eschenbach and the Houston Symphony in 1993 for a triple CD set released by IMP Records in 1994, and again in concert in 2004 under former Music Director Hans Graf. Her latest performance of the popular D major flute concerto completed her personal “Mozart cycle.”

Dorough gave the world premiere of Bright Sheng’s concerto, Flute Moon in 1999, which was commissioned by the Houston Symphony and broadcasted live on PBS. In 2003, she gave the U.S. premiere of a Salvador Brotons’s concerto, which Brotons himself conducted for the National Flute Association Convention. In 2006, Dorough and Houston Symphony colleagues presented the premiere of a chamber work by composer Gabriela Frank on a collaborative program between the Houston Symphony and the Da Camara Society. Other solo appearances with the Symphony have included Quantz’s Concerto in G major with conductor Nicholas McGegan and Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 with conductor Joshua Rifkin and violinist Eric Halen.

An avid chamber player and contemporary music performer, Dorough has played with the Houston Symphony Chamber Players, whose recording of Schoenberg’s Quintet for Winds on the Koch label has been met with critical acclaim. She has also performed with the Da Camera Society of Houston, The Foundation for Modern Music, Musiqa, the Festival-Institute at Round Top, and Chicago’s Ravinia Festival in collaboration with Christoph Eschenbach at the piano. Dorough can be heard on over 20 Houston Symphony recordings and performances aired on PBS and American Public Media’s Performance Today, and she has worked with a distinguished roster of conductors and guest artists including Eric Leinsdorf, Michael Tilson Thomas, Leonard Slatkin, and Yo-Yo Ma.

She also collaborated with her father, jazz artist and Schoolhouse Rock composer Bob Dorough, on The Houston Branch CD project in 2005, available at cdbaby.com. The album features Dorough along with her husband, father, and three of Houston’s top jazz musicians performing standard tunes and her father’s originals, including one of her own compositions. Because of her father, Dorough has been peripherally involved with jazz and studio work throughout her career, including a speaking part on “My Hero Zero” for ABC TV’s Schoolhouse Rock at age nine.

Dorough received her undergraduate degree from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in 1983, where she studied with master teacher Robert Willoughby and met her future husband, Houston Symphony oboist Colin Gatwood. She continued her studies as a graduate student at the Yale School of Music where she worked with renowned teacher, the late Thomas Nyfenger.

Along with their son, Corin, Dorough and her husband enjoy traveling, most recently on the Houston Symphony’s The Planets–An HD Odyssey tour to the UK. They also participated in the Walled City Music Festival in Derry, Ireland.

Originally from Valencia, California, Matthew Roitstein joined the Houston Symphony in 2014 as associate principal flute, the first appointment made by Music Director Andrés Orozco-Estrada. He was previously a member of the Honolulu Symphony and Sarasota Opera Orchestras, as well as a fellow of the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, Florida, where he inaugurated the Solo Spotlight recital series in 2011 in the newly-built New World Center.

Roitstein has performed as guest principal flute with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, and River Oaks Chamber Orchestra. He has also performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and Louisiana Philharmonic. During the summer, he has participated in the Tanglewood Music Center, Music Academy of the West, and Aspen and Sarasota Music Festivals. Roitstein has twice appeared on the PBS series Great Performances from Tanglewood and the New World Center, and he can be heard on recordings with the Houston Symphony and New World Symphony, as well as on Gloria Estefan’s album, The Standards.

An enthusiastic educator, Roitstein has taught extensively in the United States as well as throughout South and Central America. He received his bachelor’s degree in both architecture and music from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was the 2007 winner of the MIT Symphony Concerto Competition. While at MIT, he studied flute with Seta Der Hohannesian. He received his Master of Music in Flute Performance with Leone Buyse at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. Other influential teachers include Mark Sparks, Stephen Kujala, Gary Woodward, Pedro Eustache, and his mother, Rosy Sackstein.

Adam Dinitz joined the Houston Symphony as solo English horn in September 2007. Prior to joining the Houston Symphony, Dinitz held positions with the San Francisco Symphony, The Florida Orchestra, and the Sarasota Orchestra. He has participated in many summer festivals, including the Tanglewood Music Center, Sun Valley Summer Symphony, Spoleto USA, and the St. Bart’s Music Festival, among others. Dinitz is an active soloist and chamber musician and was recently featured with Da Camera of Houston, as well as with The Greenbriar Consortium.

In July 2005, Dinitz was selected to perform the world premiere of John Harbison’s Crossing in memory of Phil West at the Aspen Music Festival in Aspen, Colorado. Dinitz is the co-founder of Noncert, a concert series which seeks to perform classical music outside of traditional venues. A native of suburban Washington, D.C., Dinitz received his Bachelor of Music from Northwestern University and Master of Music from Rice University.

Mark Nuccio began his position as principal clarinet with the Houston Symphony in the 2016–17 season after 17 years with the New York Philharmonic. He also serves as clarinet faculties at both Northwestern University in Chicago and the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music. Nuccio joined the New York Philharmonic in 1999 as Associate Principal and Solo E-flat Clarinetist and served as Acting principal Clarinet with the New York Philharmonic from 2009 to 2013. Prior to his tenure in New York, he held positions with orchestras in Pittsburgh, Denver, Savannah, and Florida, working with distinguished conductors such as Lorin Maazel, Kurt Masur, Mariss Jansons, Riccardo Muti, Zubin Mehta, Erich Leinsdorf, Bernard Haitink, Claudio Abbado, Riccardo Chailly, André Previn, Christoph von Dohnányi, and Gustavo Dudamel. A Colorado native, Nuccio was recently awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award from his alma mater, the University of Northern Colorado. He also holds a master’s degree from Northwestern University where he studied with renowned pedagogue Robert Marcellus.

Alexander Potiomkin joined the Houston Symphony as Bass Clarinet/Utility in October 2012. A native of Ukraine, he moved with his family to Israel in 1991, where he attended the Rubin Jerusalem Academy of Music, while appearing as a regular substitute clarinetist with Israel Philharmonic. He came to Houston in 1995 to study at Rice University, where he earned his Master of Music Degree in 1997.

He has appeared as substitute Principal Clarinet of the Alabama Symphony on their Carnegie Hall tour in spring 2012. He has also performed as guest principal clarinet with the Kansas City Symphony and as a soloist with the Tel Aviv Symphony and the Brooklyn Philharmonic. He has participated in the Mozart, Bellingham, Blossom, and Tanglewood music festivals.

Equally committed to teaching, he maintains a large, private studio. His main teachers include David Peck and David Weber, with additional studies with Michael Wayne and Mark Nuccio on clarinet and Chester Rowell and Ben Freimuth on Bass Clarinet.

Hailed as “one of today’s superstars of the international brass scene,” William VerMeulen leads a varied musical life of soloist, orchestral principal, chamber musician, master teacher, and music publisher. VerMeulen has been principal horn of the Houston Symphony since 1990 and has performed as a guest principal horn with the Chicago Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Cincinnati Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. Prior to joining the Houston Symphony, he was employed with the orchestras of Columbus, Honolulu, and Kansas City.

VerMeulen has been an artist of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and participates as a performer and on faculty with the finest music festivals and chamber music presenters, among which include the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Aspen Music Festival, Music@Menlo, Banff Centre, Da Camera of Houston, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Joshua Bell and Friends, Tanglewood, Sarasota Music Festival, Strings Music Festival, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival, New World Symphony, Domaine Forget, Chamber Music Northwest, and the Sun Valley Summer Symphony where he also serves as principal horn.

VerMeulen has performed to critical acclaim on four continents as a soloist and chamber musician and is a popular artist at International Horn Society Symposiums where he was a member of the advisory council. He serves as a board member of the International Horn Competition of America. Along with the dozens of orchestral recordings in his discography are numerous solo and chamber recordings, including the complete Mozart Horn Concerti with Christoph Eschenbach and the Houston Symphony, Texas Horns featuring the Dallas and Houston horn sections, and “The Christmas Horn” which features VerMeulen combined with his students from Rice University, conducted by Dale Clevenger. He has recorded live the Brahms Trio op. 40, Mozart Quintet K. 407, Beethoven Septet, Ravel Tombeau de Couperin for wind quintet, Schubert Octet, Spohr Nonet, Ligeti Bagatelles, and the Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 1. A champion of new music, VerMeulen has had numerous pieces written for him including concerti by esteemed American composers Samuel Adler, Pierre Jalbert, Tony DiLorenzo, and the horn cantata “Canticum Sacrum” by Robert Bradshaw. He recorded the Canto XI by Samuel Adler for a CD called First Chairs. Among his awards and honors, VerMeulen received first prize at the 1980 International Horn Society Soloist Competition and the Shapiro Award for Most Outstanding Brass Player at the Tanglewood Festival.

Regarded as one of the most influential horn teachers of all time, VerMeulen is a professor of horn at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University and brass artist-in-residence at the Royal Conservatory of Music’s Glenn Gould School. His students perform in numerous major orchestras throughout the world including the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic, Canadian Brass, Cleveland Orchestra, and the San Francisco, Cincinnati, Montreal, St. Louis, Toronto, Detroit, Dallas, and Houston Symphonies. Over 250 positions of employment have been offered to his students. In 1985, he was invited to the White House to receive a Distinguished Teacher of America Certificate of Excellence from President Reagan and the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars.

VerMeulen received his training from Dale Clevenger at Northwestern University and the Interlochen Arts Academy and is founder and president of VerMeulen Music, L.L.C., which offers music and products for horn players worldwide at www.vermeulenmusic.com

VerMeulen is married to Houston Opera and Ballet violinist Sylvia VerMeulen, and they have two lovely children, Michael and Nicole. In his rare free time, he enjoys having good friends over to share in his passion for fine cooking and wine.

Second horn of the Houston Symphony since 1995, Brian Thomas is a native of Minneapolis and was influenced by his musical family and the rich artistic environment of his hometown. Both of his parents were cellists, and his father played with the Minnesota Orchestra for 50 seasons before his recent retirement.

Brian took up the horn at an early age and was guided by mentor Dave Kamminga to Northwestern University, where he studied with Chicago Symphony hornists Norman Schweikert and Dale Clevenger. He proceeded on to positions in the orchestras of Louisville, Columbus, and Syracuse before assuming his current position in Houston.

Thomas has performed with the orchestras of Minnesota, Cincinnati, and San Diego and played for many years in both the Colorado Music Festival in Boulder and the Skaneateles Festival in upstate New York. He has been second horn in the prestigious Sun Valley Summer Symphony since 1999 and is a frequent guest artist at Rice’s Shepherd School of Music. Thomas was recently an artist-in-residence at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. He has also performed with the Scottish band The Rogues and recorded a CD and a live DVD with the group.

Brian is an avid road cyclist, enjoys the artistic and technical aspects of high-end audiophile equipment, and nourishes his soul with Celtic music. He shares his home in the suburbs of Houston with his lovely wife, Victoria, and six grateful rescue cats.

Nancy Goodearl, a member of the Houston Symphony since 1981, received a Bachelor of Music in Performance from the Eastman School of Music, and a Master of Music in Performance from Northwestern University. Since 1987, she has been a member of the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. She has performed with many orchestras, including the Houston Ballet Orchestra, the Houston Grand Opera Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony, and the Sun Valley Summer Symphony in Idaho.

Goodearl has performed extensively in recitals and chamber music ensembles throughout the Houston area, including brass and woodwind quintets from the Houston Symphony and faculty brass and woodwind quintets from the University of Houston. She also performs with the Monarch Brass Ensemble, a large brass ensemble of women from around the country affiliated with the International Women’s Brass Conference.

In addition to performing, she enjoys coaching high school horn sections and teaching privately. She is a former faculty member of the University of Houston Moores School of Music, the Texas Music Festival, and the American Festival of the Arts.

Mark Hughes “knows how to spin out a long line with the eloquence of a gifted singer,” says Derrick Henry of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Hughes developed his abilities at Northwestern University where he studied with the late Vincent Cichowicz of the Chicago Symphony. After graduation, he joined the Civic Orchestra of Chicago as a scholarship student of Adolph Herseth, the legendary Principal Trumpet of the Chicago Symphony.

Hughes then began touring with Richard Morris as the popular organ and trumpet duo, “Toccatas and Flourishes,” performing throughout the United States and Canada. His appointment as Associate Principal Trumpet with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra followed, which he held for 12 years. During his time with the ASO, he appeared as soloist with the orchestra on numerous occasions, performed on dozens of recordings, and was an active studio musician.

Hughes is currently Principal Trumpet of the Houston Symphony, a position he has held since 2006. He has appeared as soloist with the orchestra on several occasions, including the performance of the Shostakovich Concerto no. 1 for Piano and Trumpet with Jon Kimura Parker, a performance heard nationally on American Public Radio’s SymphonyCast. Since his arrival in Houston, Hughes has performed and recorded with the Boston and Chicago Symphony Orchestras and continues to be in demand as a soloist with orchestras and in recital. In addition, he serves on the faculties of the Brevard Music Center and the Texas Music Festival each summer. Hughes lives in Bellaire with his wife, Marilyn, and their two children, Thomas and Caroline.

John Parker, a native of High Point, North Carolina, joined the Houston Symphony in May of 2016 as Associate Principal Trumpet. Previously, he was Principal Trumpet with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, a position he attained after his undergraduate studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). While at UNC, Parker was a recipient of the Kenan Music Scholarship and also the Frank Comfort Education Scholarship. Parker has also performed as Principal Trumpet of the Charleston Symphony, the Roanoke Symphony, and the Greensboro Symphony. He attended the Aspen Music Festival and School on a full fellowship in both 2012 and 2013 and has also performed twice as a soloist at the National Trumpet Competition.

Robert Walp joined the Houston Symphony as Assistant Principal Trumpet in 1983. Originally from Pasadena, California, Walp studied with Walter Laursen (Principal Trumpet, Pasadena Symphony) and Thomas Stevens (Principal Trumpet, Los Angeles Philharmonic) before moving to Chicago to study with Vincent Cichowicz at Northwestern University.

As a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Walp studied with Adolph Herseth and Arnold Jacobs of the Chicago Symphony. After graduating from Northwestern University in 1982, Walp worked with Albert Calvayrac in France, and Timofei Dokschitzer (Solo Trumpet, Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra) in Moscow.

Well known for his success in teaching young people, Walp substituted for Vincent Cichowicz at Northwestern University, leading master classes, teaching, and giving a recital at his alma mater. Walp also served on the faculty of Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music for five years. His students are some of the most sought-after musicians by major conservatories and schools of music.

An active chamber musician and recitalist, Walp has performed with the Carmel Bach Festival in California, Rheingau Musikfestival in Germany, Albi Festival in France, and Gidon Kremer’s Laurie Festival in Köln and St. Petersburg, Russia. His solo appearances include numerous recitals throughout the United States and Europe, and concerti performances with the Houston Symphony.

The Houston Brass Band appointed Walp as its first Music Director in 2006. He has led the band through an unprecedented period of improvement, tackling increasingly more challenging works and engaging the band with the community. In January 2015, Walp joined the faculty of the Moores School of Music at the University of Houston.

Walp is a Yamaha Performing Artist.

Richard Harris joined the Houston Symphony as second trumpet in 2018.  Previously, he was a member of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra where he performed for 8 years. In March of 2018, Harris gained the distinction of being the only musician in an American orchestra to have won auditions for each position in one orchestral trumpet section.  He achieved this notable accomplishment during his tenure at the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra where he won nationally held blind auditions for the positions of Second Trumpet (2009), Associate Principal / 3rd Trumpet (2014) and Principal Trumpet (2018). As a soloist, Harris has performed J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto no. 2, Copland’s Quiet City, and Concerti by Vivalidi, Hummel, Haydn, and Neruda. A Yamaha Performing Artist, he has enjoyed performing in orchestras all over the world including the Seoul Philharmonic in South Korea and the Jalisco Philharmonic in Guadalajara, Mexico. He has also performed with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Kansas City Symphony, as well as many others.

An avid educator, Harris has given masterclasses at universities and high schools across the country. He served on the faculty at Winthrop University from 2013–2018 and at UNC Charlotte from 2007–2009.  He also had the privilege of serving as the brass coach for the Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestra for 7 years. He strives to create a fun and relaxed atmosphere where children are encouraged and motivated to improve their playing. His primary goal is to ensure that their love of music remains an important and positive part of their lives, even beyond the stage. Harris’ students have enjoyed successful auditions for orchestras, wind ensembles, and prestigious programs of study.

In addition to his passion for playing trumpet, Harris is a chess enthusiast.  His volunteer work with inner-city schools in Charlotte allowed him to teach and run chess camps for underprivileged kids. As a master level chess player, he uses this game as a teaching tool to foster a sense of patience, sportsmanship, strategic thinking, and calm under pressure.

Harris has studied with Thomas Booth, Barbara Butler, and many others. His degrees from Texas Tech University and Southern Methodist University (SMU) gave him a strong foundation. While a student at SMU he had the honor of playing two seasons with the National Repertory Orchestra. During his time at SMU he was hailed by the Dallas Observer as “a dream of a principal trumpet player.” Also, while a student at Texas Tech he won the concerto competition. He performed the Haydn Concerto at the Las Vegas Music Festival in 2003 as an invited soloist.

Harris was born in Lander, Wyoming as the youngest of five siblings. Originally, he began his musical studies at age 5 on the cello. At age 8, he discovered his lifelong passion as he also began studying the trumpet. When he was given his first trumpet he felt instantly that it was the instrument he couldn’t put down.

In 2013, he met his wife, Angela, and they have two children between them, Edward and Eva.

Principal Trombonist Allen Barnhill joined the Houston Symphony in 1977 and has appeared with the orchestra as a soloist on numerous occasions. Winner of the Swiss Prize at the 1979 Geneva International Solo Competition, he was also featured in the 2008 world premiere of Cindy McTee’s Solstice for Trombone and Orchestra.

As an ensemble collaborator, Barnhill has appeared in concert and on recordings with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Houston and San Antonio Symphonies, Chicago’s Music of the Baroque, and the Houston Symphony Chamber Players.

Currently Associate Professor of Trombone at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, he has also held faculty positions at The University of Texas, University of Houston, Sam Houston State University, and the University of St. Thomas.

A native of Elizabethtown, North Carolina, Barnhill graduated from the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with Donald Knaub. He enjoys water skiing, snow skiing, and golf.

Bradley White, trombone, joined the Houston Symphony in the fall of 2001 as Associate Principal and Second Trombone. He is a native Houstonian and earned his Bachelor of Music in Trombone Performance from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music in 1993. He went on to study at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City where he received a Master of Music in 1997. White has performed with Ambient Brass, the Houston Ballet and Grand Opera Orchestras, and the San Antonio and Hawaii Symphonies.

Phillip Freeman joined the Houston Symphony in 2007 after six seasons with the Sarasota Opera. He has performed with the orchestras of Minnesota, Dallas, Montréal, Sarasota, and San Antonio.

A graduate of the University of Houston, he received his bachelor’s degree in composition.

Formerly on faculty at the Shepherd School of Music and the Moores School of Music, Freeman now sees a limited number of students privately and teaches at the Texas Music Festival each summer.

David Kirk is Principal Tubist of the Houston Symphony and an Associate Professor at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, holding these positions since 1982.

Kirk enjoys an international reputation for effective teaching of musicianship and the physical aspects of wind playing. He has presented master classes throughout North America and in Japan. Kirk was selected for his teaching and playing positions during his final year of undergraduate studies at the Juilliard School in New York City. While at Juilliard, he studied with Don Harry. Kirk’s other teachers include David Waters, Chester Schmitz, Warren Deck, and Neal Tidwell.

Kirk also appears as a guest performer with ensembles throughout the United States. Locally, he is an active recitalist, chamber music collaborator, and spokesperson for the musical arts. He serves on the faculty of the Texas Music Festival, a summer conservatory held at the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music.

Kirk’s orchestral playing is heard on Houston Symphony recordings under conductors Sergiu Comissiona, Newton Wayland, Christoph Eschenbach, Michael Krajewski, Hans Graf, and Andrés Orozco-Estrada. His solo playing is featured on Mark Custom Recordings’ The Music of Leroy Osmon, Volume 1.

Brian Del Signore joined the Houston Symphony as Principal Percussionist in 1986. Prior to his Houston Symphony appointment, he held a one-year position as Principal Percussionist of the Grand Rapids Symphony in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and performed with the Kalamazoo and Lansing Symphony Orchestras while there. Before moving to Michigan, Brian performed in many orchestras in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, including the Pittsburgh Symphony and the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Born in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, Brian Del Signore earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Carnegie Mellon University in 1981, where he studied with the Pittsburgh Symphony percussionists. In 1984, Del Signore earned a Master of Music from Temple University, where he studied with Alan Abel of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Del Signore began piano lessons at age six and drums at age eleven. His first drum teacher in the late 1960’s was Lou Carto, pop star Bobby Vinton’s drummer and bandleader at that time.

Besides keeping a very busy schedule with Houston Symphony performances, Brian maintains an active education and outreach schedule, where he presents educational percussion programs in elementary schools and percussion clinics in high schools across the Houston area. “Digital Recording Tools for the Performing Musician” is a clinic and master class for college-aged percussionists and musicians which explores the use of recording technology to critique and improve performance ability. Del Signore has presented the clinic and master class at various music schools around the United States including Baylor University, Texas A&M- Commerce, Sam Houston State University, New England Conservatory, Boston Conservatory, Yale University, The Julliard School, Manhattan School of Music, New York University, Curtis Institute of Music, Temple University, Peabody Conservatory, Carnegie Mellon University, Cleveland Institute of Music, The Colburn School in Los Angeles, and San Francisco Conservatory.

Brian Del Signore endorses manufacturers of high-quality percussion instruments and accessories. These companies—Remo Corporation, Sabian Cymbals, Pearl/Adams Percussion, ProMark Sticks, and Black Swamp Percussion—as well as The Houston Symphony League Bay Area support Del Signore’s educational and outreach programs. For more information on these educational programs please visit www.briandelsignore.com.

Brian and his wife Leah have three college aged children, Damian, Dominique and Dione.

Mark Griffith joined the Houston Symphony in 2004. Before coming to Houston, he was a member of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and the New World Symphony, performing regularly under the baton of conductor Michael Tilson Thomas. He has also performed with the Honolulu Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Charleston Symphony, Naples Philharmonic, and the National Repertory Orchestra.

Having grown up in Dallas, Griffith is a native Texan but received his education in various parts of the country. He did undergraduate music studies at Wheaton College outside of Chicago and earned a Master of Music from the University of Michigan. While at Wheaton, Griffith twice won the university’s concerto competition, performing marimba concertos by Paul Creston and Jorge Sarmientos. He was the recipient of the University of Michigan’s prestigious Charlie Owen Memorial Scholarship. His teachers include Alan Abel of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Salvatore Rabbio of the Detroit Symphony, Michael Udow of the Santa Fe Opera, and renowned marimba soloist Leigh Howard Stevens.

Griffith’s playing can be heard on a growing number of Houston Symphony recordings, as well as those of the New World Symphony. One particularly unique recording features a concerto for electric guitar and orchestra, performed by composer and guitar soloist Steve Mackey with the New World Symphony. In addition to percussion, Griffith is a trained pianist and organist. He and his wife Katherine are the proud parents of their son, Benjamin, and daughter, Katie.

Megan Conley (née Levin) had a musical upbringing in Austin, Texas. She began harp lessons at the age of five. The daughter of musician Danny Levin, she grew up playing music with her father and siblings in the family band. By the time she was 15, she had played on several albums of Austin musicians, including the Grammy Award-winning album ‘Los Super Seven.’

Megan received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Rice University, where she studied with Paula Page. In 2005, she was awarded a Fulbright Grant to study with Isabelle Perrin at the Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris, France. In 2012, Megan won first place in the Ima Hogg Competition and subsequently performed the Ginastera Harp Concerto with the Houston Symphony.

Megan joined the Sarasota Opera Orchestra as Principal Harpist for their 2011 and 2012 seasons. She also served as Principal Harpist of the chamber orchestra CityMusic Cleveland from 2007–2012. As a freelance harpist, Megan has performed with the New York City Ballet, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, The Knights, American Symphony Orchestra, Irish Chamber Orchestra, and the Bang On a Can All-Stars, among others. She also performed for ‘The Fantasticks’ on Broadway.

Megan joined the Houston Symphony as Principal Harpist in January 2015.