Conducting Fellow 2022
Tatiana Pérez-Hernández
Colombia
Conducts the UK premiere of Florence Price’s 4th Symphony with the Chineke! Orchestra in October 2024. One of 14 Finalists for the La Maestra International Conducting Competition 3rd edition in Paris. Joins the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra as Conducting Fellow in 2025.
Conducting Fellow, 2024
Kelly Kawai Lam
Hong Kong & USA
Appointed Assistant Conductor for the US Premiere of Nadia Boulanger’s one and only opera, “La Ville Morte”, in New York City.
Conducting Fellow, 2023
Sebastián Almanzar
Colombia
Debuts at the Royal Danish Opera conducting Tchaikovsky’s Ballet “The Nutcracker” in November 2024.
Conducting Fellow, 2023
Manuel Figueroa Bolvarán
Chile
Premieres his second opera “Ánthropos – Un Viaje al Wallmapu Mítico” in La Serena, Chile.
Conducting Fellow, 2023
Thibault Back de Surany
France
His Salzburg-based ensemble The Van Swietens releases its first CD on the prestigious Spanish label IBS. Multiple appearances as regular guest conductor with the Orchestre Hélios in Paris, as well as working as assistant conductor with Les Musiciens du Louvre under Marc Minkowski. Invited to conduct the Real Orquesta de Sevilla and records his second album for IBS with The Van Swietens.
Conducting Fellow, 2022
Maria Benyumova
Russia/ Germany
Debuts with the Göttingen Symphony Orchestra, the South Westphalia Philharmonic Orchestra and Northwest German Philharmonic Orchestra, returns to the Bergische Symphoniker with a ballet production and to the Jena Philharmonic Orchestra with a symphonic program, as well as assisting with the recording of Mahler’s 9th and 10th symphonies with Jena Philharmonic.
Conducting Fellow, 2024
Sally Mingyan Yu
China
Selected among the 12 finalists for the Second Hiroshima International Conducting Competition in August 2024.
Conducting Fellow, 2022
Ingrid Martin
Australia
Appointed New Zealand Assistant Conductor in Residence, working with Auckland Philharmonia, Christchurch Symphony Orchestra & Dunedin Symphony Orchestra. Selected as a mentee for the Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship mentoring program 2024-2025.
Conducting Fellow, 2024
Orr Guy
Austria
Accepted to The Critical Orchestra – a very prestigious conducting program in Berlin.
Conducting Fellow, 2024
Sheila del Bosque Fuentes
Cuba
Selected for the International Conductors Guild – Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Women’s Workshop.
Composing Fellow, 2024
Paloma Rossatto
Brazil
Premieres her first commissioned Violin Concerto as a composer and soloist this year.
Composing Fellow, 2024
Noam Faingold
USA
Receives an Arts and Humanities fellowship from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities / National Endowment for the Arts for 2025. His piece “Where Our Voices Hide When We Must Speak!” premieres at Carnegie Hall by the Kennedy Center’s Lehner Quartet.
Composing Fellow, 2023
Luis Ramírez
Mexico/ Canada
His piece “Picante” premieres in Mexico by the National Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Ludwig Carrasco, in Palacio de Bellas Artes.
Composing Fellow, 2023
Maia Steinberg
Uruguay
Her Project A – A voice journey, wins a prize for social impact at the University of Fontys, in Tilburg.
Composing Fellow, 2023
Aurés Moussong
Mexico/ France
Awarded First Prize by the Egidio Carella Competition of Fondazione Val Tidone for his work “Magma.” Awarded first prize at the Hungarian Composers Association and the WoCe (Winds of Central Europe) for his composition “Ritmus gondolatok” (Rhythmic thoughts).
Composing Fellow, 2024
Damian Norfleet
USA
Awarded a three-month fellowship in the Lucas Artists Residency Program at Montalvo Arts Center.
Composing Fellow, 2025
Katie Semro
USA
Releases her piece “Fallout” for violin solo, performed by Philadelphia Orchestra concertmaster Juliette Kang.
Composing Fellow, 2025
Nacho Gonzalez Nappa
Uruguay
His Composing Studio Final Project composition “We’re Connected” receives world premiere by Detroit Symphony’s Principal Bassoonist Conrad Cornelison.
Violin Fellow, 2024
Eva Harryson
Dominican Republic
Represents OAcademy at the Paax Festival GNP in Mexico (July 2024). Accepted into the Cleveland Institute of Music & the Royal College of Music (UK).
Double Bass Fellow, 2024
Josue Alfaro Mora
Costa Rica
Accepted into Yale School of Music for a tuition-free, performance-oriented Master of Musical Arts program.
Oboe Fellow, 2024
Gwendolyn Goodman
USA
Wins the second oboe audition at the Orquesta Sinfónica de Xalapa and presents a recital at Carnegie Hall as winner of the 2025 American Virtuoso International Music Competition.
Flute Fellow, 2023-2024
Lina Yang
Canada
Wins a position at the Shen Yun Performing Arts Orchestra.
Violin Fellow, 2024
Malena Verduga Martínez
Argentina
Accepted to Bard College Conservatory of Music with a full scholarship.
Violin Fellow, 2024
Rebeca Masalles
Dominican Republic
Performs as a soloist with the Appassionato Philharmonic, conducted by Alberto Rincón, at the Young Euro Classic 2024 Festival in Berlin, Germany.
Violin Fellow, 2022
Mauricio Barbon
Colombia
Wins the chief second violin position at the Kunming International Philharmonic, China. 2nd prize in the Bach International Music Competition.
Percussion Fellow, 2024
David Martins
Brazil
Participates as a teacher and timpanist at the Latin American Academy of Orchestras.
Viola Fellow, 2022-2023
Lilian Sifontes
Cuba/ Mexico
Wins a position in the Mexico City Philharmonic Orchestra.
Oboe Fellow, 2023
Heather Macdonald
Canada
Debut album “That Place, Darling” is reviewed by The Whole Note and featured in their Listening Room, getting radio play across North America. Appointed Visiting Assistant Professor of Oboe at Oklahoma State University.
Trombone Fellow, 2023
Tiziano Mazzoleni
Italy/ Germany
Started to build his solo career as a trombone player, playing as a soloist with orchestras in Germany & Italy while planning new and innovative recording projects.
Bassoon Fellow, 2023
Daniela Garzón
Colombia
Offerred a teaching assistant position to pursue an Artist Diploma at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Flute Fellow, 2023
Nikolas Rodríguez
Colombia
Wins the piccolo position audition with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá.
Cello Fellow, 2023
Cristhian Requejo
Peru
Wins a position at the National Symphony Orchestra of Peru.
Viola Fellow, 2022-2023
Christian López
Mexico
Wins an audition in the Symphony Orchestra of the State of Mexico.
Clarinet Fellow, 2023
Melina Matos
Dominican Republic
Accepted into the University of British Columbia in Vancouver to study under José Franch-Ballester.
Clarinet Fellow, 2023
Macarena Villarroel
Chile
Performs Weber’s Clarinet concerto no. 2 as a soloist with the Orquesta Regional de Tarapaca, Chile.
Double Bass Fellow, 2023
Taisho Saquicoray Murga
Peru
Wins the position of academist in the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Violin Fellow, 2023
Olga Iurasova
Russia
Accepted to Advanced Performance Studies with a scholarship at Bard.
Cello Fellow, 2023
Cameron Smith
USA
Received multiple international awards for solo cello, chamber music, and composition, including a Finalist Laureate in the 2nd International Artists Competition (Vienna, Austria), the Special Prize, Cello/Chamber Music category in the 2023 Euterpe International Music Awards, the 2nd Prize and Silver Medal in Composition at the 1st Miami InterMusic Competition (2024) and the 1st Prize Tie and Gold Medal in Composition at the 1st Dubai ProMusic Competition (2024).
Clarinet Fellow, 2023
Dunia Andreu
Cuba
Appointed Manager of Music Education at the Jacksonville Symphony, FL.
Trombone Fellow, 2023
Byronn Carvajal
Colombia
Wins a position of a third trombone player at the Youth Philharmonic Wind Band of Bogota (Colombia).
Trumpet Fellow, 2023
Daniel Barak
Canada
Appointed Solo Trompette with the Orchestre Philharmonique du Québec.
Bassoon Fellow, 2024
Tetsuro Yamada
Japan
Wins the position of Gstaad Menuhin Festival Orchester and Regular guest appearances with the Prague Philharmonie.
Cello Fellow, 2023
Núria Comorera
Spain
Wins the position of cello academist at the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra for the season 23-24. Wins the audition for Assistant Principal cello in the Orquestra del Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona.
Flute Fellow, 2023
Joey Zhuang
China
Appointed as Saskatoon Symphony’s principal flute for their 2023/24 season, located in Saskatchewan, Canada.
Trumpet Fellow, 2023
Keqi Cen
China
Wins an audition to occupy the Principal trumpet of the Guiyang Symphony Orchestra.
Flute Fellow, 2023
Amanda Izzo
USA
Appointed Acting Second Flute at The Phoenix Symphony 2023/24.
Violin Fellow, 2022
Petra Maestre
Venezuela
Provides musical training to 130 students in vulnerable communities in Cundinamarca, Colombia, through the project “SOS Educación Musical”.
Violin Fellow, 2022
Juan Mendoza Orellana
Chile
Accepted to the National Youth Symphony Orchestra of Chile, Chamber Orchestra of the Municipal Theater of Santiago and the Symphony Orchestra of the Universidad Mayor.
Violin Fellow, 2022
Roger Campos
Venezuela/ Argentina
Appointed associate concertmaster of the Symphony Orchestra of the National University of Cuyo (UNCuyo), in Mendoza – Argentina.
Cello Fellow, 2022
Nancy Olivares
Mexico
Receives a Master’s Scholarship and Teaching Assistant position in cello performance at the University of Rhode Island with mentor Michal Shein.
Flute Fellow, 2022
Marcos Nicolás Sosa
Mexico
Starts further flute studies with Samuel Coles (Principal flute – Philharmonia Orchestra) in France, takes part in a recording featuring Mozart’s works with the Philharmonia Orchestra, Michael Collins and BPI Classics, and joins the Philharmonia Orchestra flute section for a live performance of Scriabin’s “Poem of Fire” and Rachmaninov’s “The Bells” in May 2023 in London.
Flute Fellow, 2021
Sarah Pollard
Canada
Tenured position as Assistant Principal Flute and Piccolo with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (ESO) in Alberta, Canada.
Flute Fellow, 2021
Alef Caetano
Brazil
Joins the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra as 1st Flute.
Bassoon Fellow, 2021
Eleni Katz
USA
Appointed Bassoon Faculty at the Mead Witter School of Music at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Flute Fellow, 2025
Luisana Pérez
Venezuela
Wins the audition for Principal Flutist at Venezuela Symphony Orchestra (Orquesta Sinfónica Venezuela).
Violin Fellow, 2024
María Esther Eluchans Olivares
Chile
Accepted into the Master’s Degree at Conservatorio Superior de Música del Liceu in Barcelona and Centro Superior de Música Katarina Gurska in Madrid, Spain. Wins 1st prize and performs as a soloist with Orquesta Juvenil Iberoamericana in Panama.
Bassoon Fellow, 2023 & 2025
Brisa de Paula
Brazil
Appointed Adjunct Instructor of Bassoon at the University of Northern Iowa and Second Bassoon at the La Crosse Symphony. Wins the audition for Second bassoon and contrabassoon with the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony, Iowa.
Flute Fellow, 2024
Joanna Araujo
Brazil
Accepted into the Master’s in Performance at UFMG – Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil.
Trombone Fellow, 2024
Jackson Howard
Canada
3rd prize at the Jeju International Brass Competition (2025), and substitute musician with the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Violin Fellow, 2023
Johanna Kulke
Germany
Appointed as a concertmaster in the Santa Maria Orchestra Lucerne, the Operetta Orchestra Sursee as well as the City Orchestra Langenthal in Switzerland.
Violin Fellow, 2025
Luisa Quintero
Colombia
Awarded a scholarship by the Ministry of Culture of Colombia to present a didactic chamber music concert, Dreams of the Andean Forest: Puppets in Concert, for which Luisa wrote both the story and the music.
Percussion Fellow, 2023
José David Rodríguez
Colombia
Appointed Principal of Percussion and Timpani of FILMO – Film Music Orchestra Bogotá and Percussion at the Estudiantina Regional del Altiplano Cundiboyacense of the Ministerio de las Culturas, las Artes y los Saberes in Colombia. Premieres Ludsen Martinus’ Concerto for Marimba with Orquesta Filarmónica de Medellín.
Bass Trombone Fellow, 2022
Maximiliano Paulsen
Chile
Wins Prêmio Antonio Henrique Seixas, at the ABT Trombone Festival XIV Solo Competition in Rio de Janeiro.
Trombone Fellow, 2025
Alexsandro Stanley
Brazil
Wins Prêmio Radegundis Feitosa, at the ABT Trombone Festival XIV Solo Competition in Rio de Janeiro.
Trumpet Fellow, 2024
James Reed Ricotta
USA
Wins the 2nd Trumpet position with the Lansing Symphony Orchestra.
Harp Fellow, 2024
Emily Stone
USA
Wins the 2025 University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Harp Concerto Competition.
Flute Fellow, 2025
Lucy Rubin
USA
Wins first prize in the Colorado Flute Association Young Artist Competition. Wins second prize in the Emerging Artists Competition of the Rochester Flute Association. Accepted into the Doctor of Musical Arts program at CUNY The Graduate Center.
Violin Fellow, 2025
Juan Felipe Loaiza Romero
Colombia
Performs Bruch’s Violin Concerto with Orchester Spiez in Switzerland.
Viola Fellow, 2025
Paulina Casas
Mexico
Wins the audition for Millennial Orchestra’s concert season in Austin, Texas, and reaches the finals of the Texas State Orchestra soloist competition.
Double bass Fellow, 2025
Gustavo Abril Meneses
Colombia
Joins the Staatskappelle Halle in Germany as Academist for the 25/26 season.
Harp Fellow, 2022 & 2025
María Paula Loría Valerín
Costa Rica
Wins the audition for Principal Harp with the Las Vegas Philharmonic.
Piano Fellow, 2022
Aristo Sham
Hong Kong, China
Wins the Gold Medal at the 2025 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. In addition to this prestigious honor, Aristo was awarded the Audience Prize, selected by over 20 million global viewers.
Piano Fellow, 2023-2024
Anastasiya Magamedova
Tajikistan
Wins 2nd prize in the ArsClassica International Competition; to be featured in a performance in Rome, Italy as part of the prize.
Piano Fellow, 2022-2023
Dmytro Choni
Ukraine
Serves as the president of the jury for the first ProPiano Caribe Regional Competition on March 2024.
Piano Fellow, 2024
Gastón Frydman
Argentina
Accepted into Manhattan School of Music.
Piano Fellow, 2024
Viviana-Zarah Baudis
Germany/ Czech Republic
Accepted into Cleveland Institute of Music to study for her master’s under Gabriela Montero.
Piano Fellow, 2022
Ana Gabriela Fernández
Cuba
Performs Gabriela Ortiz’s Piano Concerto “Fractalis” as a soloist over six times with three Mexican professional orchestras throughout the country.
Piano Fellow, 2024
Katharina Hack
Germany
Releases her new album “Alle Menschen werden Schwestern” (“All people become sisters”), featuring music by sister composers Lili & Nadia Boulanger, siblings Fanny & Felix Mendelssohn as well as a new composition, based on Beethoven’s ‘Ode to Joy’ (Alle Menschen werden Brüder) by Ukrainian composer Marina Baranova, at Berlin Classics in cooperation with the German radio station Deutschlandfunk. Katharina will debut at Berlin Philharmonie on October 25th, 2024 playing Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with HSO Berlin and conductor Tess Jackson. Performs Chopin’s First Piano Concerto at the Cologne Philharmonie in Germany in November 2025.
Piano Fellow, 2024-2025
Élisabeth Pion
Canada
Wins 2025 Honens Gold Laureate and Audience Choice Award at the Honens International Piano Competition.
Piano Fellow, 2023-2024
Victoria Wog
Canada
Performs at the 19th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in Poland.
