Recent Orchestral, Academic, and Professional Appointments
Everett Burns (MM ’14) – Third / Associate Principal Horn, Virginia Symphony
William Cedeño (MM, currently LOA) – Principal Flute, South Dakota Symphony
Gina Choi (MM ’12) – Principal Piccolo, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Dana Cullen (former Master’s student) – Fourth / Utility Horn, San Antonio Symphony
Steven Holloway (MM ’13) – Trombone, The United States Navy Band
Cecile-Laure Kouassi (current Master’s student) – Double Bass section, Oslo Philharmonic
Christian Macelaru (BM ’06, MM ’08) – Appointed Music Director and Conductor, Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music
Michelle Pan (MM ’14) – Oboe, Suzhou Symphony Orchestra
Madeline Slettedahl (MM ’16) – Pianist, Chicago Lyric Opera Young Artist Program
Daniel Taubenheim (MM ’16) – Associate Principal Trumpet, San Antonio Symphony
Mark Teplitsky (MM ’16) – Principal Flute, San Antonio Symphony
Dawson White (MM ’12) – Section Viola, Houston Grand Opera
Competitions, Awards, Performances and Premieres
The Cassatt String Quartet (Muneko Otani and Jennifer Leshnower, (BM ’89), violins; Ah Ling Neu, viola; Elizabeth Anderson, cello) began its inaugural residency in Midland. The residency gave Midland students the opportunity to study with artist teachers, enhance chamber music and orchestra skills and develop chamber music audiences.
Doctoral composition student, Erberk Eryilmaz has had his work chosen to be used in the Moon Arts Project at Carnegie Mellon University. The MoonArk is expected to travel to the Moon aboard a Lunar Lander and intended to remain on the Moon as an enduring time capsule depicting elements of Earth’s art, design, music and many other forms.
Ling-Ling Huang, William Shaub (current Artist Diploma students) and Amanda Galick (MM ’15) are the newest members of 2016-17 Da Camera Young Artist program
The Jasper String Quartet ’08 (John Freivogel and Sae Chonabayashi, violins; Samuel Quintal, viola; Rachel Henderson, cello) kicked off the Montgomery Chamber Music Organization with a performance at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts.
Composer Benjamin Krause (DMA ’14) was a winner of the Houston Symphony Young Composer Competition and had his work Pathways premiered by the Houston Symphony Orchestra in their season opening performance.
Hannah Hammel (current Master’s student) won first place in the National Flute Association’s Young Artist Competition in San Diego. She was also recognized as having the Best Performance of a Newly Commissioned Piece. Patrick Tsuji (MM ’13) was awarded third prize in the National Flute Association’s Young Artist Competition.
Pianist Christopher Janwong McKiggan (current Doctoral student) performed Zhou Long’s Postures for Piano and Orchestra with the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jose-Luis Novo, at the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts.
Shepherd’s current quartet-in-residence The Rolston String Quartet (Luri Lee and Jeff Dyrda, violins; Hezekiah Leung, viola; Jonathan Lo, cello) was among seven Astral Artist Competition winners to perform at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia.