MET Orchestra Musicians Master Class Videos

Qianwen Shen

As an orchestra musician, Qianwen Shen has served as concertmaster of New World Symphony, New England Conservatory Philharmonic Orchestra, New England Conservatory Chamber Orchestra, Mannes School of Music. She was a fellow of Tanglewood Music Center in 2016. She has appeared in ensemble and solo performances at Carnegie Hall, Boston Symphony Hall, Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall of Singapore, Hong Kong Art Center Concert Hall, National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing China, Shanghai Music Hall, Shanghai Oriental Art Center. Ms. Shen has performed with Boston Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

Ann Lehmann

Violinist Ann Lehmann joined the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in 2000. She has also been a member of the Grant Park Music Festival Orchestra in Chicago since 2008. Prior to her current jobs, Ann has enjoyed a busy and versatile career. A native of Chicago, she made her solo debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the age of eleven, and performed with them again in a nationally televised performance at the age of sixteen. Since then, Ann has played with numerous other orchestras that include the Dominican Republic National Symphony, the Little Orchestra Society of Lincoln Center, the Julius Grossman Orchestra in New York City, and the Korean Broadcasting System Symphony in Seoul, Korea. She has also given numerous recitals, including a debut recital at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall and Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater. For her Kennedy Center debut, she was praised by Strad magazine for the “subtlety and finesse of her phrasing” and her “sense of ease and control” and “unruffled assurance” for the virtuosic demands of the evening.

Garrett Fischbach

Garrett Fischbach has been a member of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra since 1998. He was a member of the San Francisco Symphony from 1996-98 and the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C. from 1995-96. His 2CD recording of the complete works for solo violin by J.S. Bach was released to critical acclaim in 2004. He was a college division faculty member at Mannes School of Music from 2008-2015, and is a frequent guest adjudicator at Juilliard Pre-College and Manhattan School of Music. He has performed and taught at the Sun Valley Artist Series, the Sid & Mary Foulger International Music Festival, and International Workshops in Graz, Austria. Garrett earned a Bachelor of Music degree, magna cum laude, from Boston University where he studied with George Neikrug and Yuri Mazurkevich, and a Master of Music degree from Northern Illinois University as a student of Shmuel Ashkenasi. Garrett is an active chamber musician and recitalist, and is sought after as a teacher for advanced violinists and violists.

– Visit Garrett Fischbach's profile on Lessonface.

David Krauss - Principal Trumpet

David Krauss joined The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra as Principal Trumpet in 2001 and occupies the Beth W. and Gary A. Glynn endowed chair. He has has performed with James Levine in the MET chamber series at Carnegie Hall and has appeared as guest principal trumpet with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and New York Philharmonic. A native of Long Island, New York, he earned both Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from The Juilliard School as a student of William Vacchiano and Chris Gekker. Prior to joining the MET, he performed with a variety of ensembles in and around New York City, including Orchestra of St. Luke’s, The New York Philharmonic, and several Broadway shows. David co-produced three recordings–Metropolitan Opera Brass, Waltzes, Songs & Festive Scenes and Sacrae Symphoniae.

Billy R. Hunter, Jr. - Principal Trumpet

A native of Austin, Texas, Billy Hunter is currently Principal Trumpet with the Metropolitan Opera in New York and Assistant Principal Trumpet with the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra in Chicago. Before this, he was Principal with the New World Symphony and Spoleto Festival Italy orchestras, and has performed as Guest Principal with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony in Germany, Malaysian Philharmonic in Kuala Lumpur, and the Charleston Symphony Orchestra. Other orchestras he has performed with are the New York Philharmonic, Boston, Baltimore, and Dallas Symphonies. As a chamber musician and soloist Mr. Hunter has performed with several ensembles and music festivals including Grant Park Orchestra, New World Symphony, University of Texas Symphony and Wind Ensemble, Prometheus Chamber Orchestra, Eastern Music Festival and the MET Chamber Ensemble.

Raymond Riccomini

Raymond Riccomini, trumpet, joined the Metropolitan Opera orchestra in 2004. Prior to this, Raymond frequently performed, toured and recorded with the New York Philharmonic, including as guest Principal trumpet. He has also held the positions of second trumpet in the New Jersey Symphony and Principal trumpet of the Hudson Valley Philharmonic. Raymond was a founding member of the Manhattan Brass Quintet and was a winner in the 1993 Fischoff Chamber music competition. In 2006, Raymond performed as Principal trumpet in Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 as part of Riverside Church’s 75th Anniversary celebration with members of the Detroit Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra and Metropolitan Opera orchestra, under the direction of Maestro Neeme Jarvi.

– Visit Raymond Riccomini's profile on Lessonface.

Anton Rist - Principal Clarinet

Anton Rist was recently appointed Principal Clarinet of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. He has performed with the American Ballet Theater, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the Louisiana Philharmonic, and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. In addition, he served as the Principal Clarinetist of the Princeton and New Haven Symphonies.

Dean LeBlanc

Clarinetist Dean LeBlanc has been performing with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra as an Associate Musician since 1998. He enjoys a versatile performance career as an orchestral musician and has also performed with the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Mostly Mozart Orchestra, Lincoln Center Festival, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Santa Fe Opera, New York City Opera, American Symphony Orchestra, Bard Music Festival, American Ballet Theatre Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, and Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.

Jerry Grossman - Principal Cello

Jerry Grossman has been the principal cellist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra since 1986. He has appeared in recital, and with symphony orchestras and chamber ensembles throughout the United States. His highly acclaimed New York debut at the Metropolitan Museum of Art was followed by the American premiere of Kurt Weill’s 1920 Cello Sonata, leading to recording that work, as well as works by Dohnanyi, Prokofiev, Bartok, and Kodaly for Nonesuch Records. His recording of works for cello by Victor Herbert is available on New World Records. He has appeared as soloist in Carnegie Hall and on domestic and European tours with the Met Orchestra under James Levine playing Don Quixote by Richard Strauss.

Joel Noyes - Assistant Principal Cello

Joel Noyes is Assistant Principal Cello of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. As a chamber musician and recitalist, Joel has appeared throughout the United States at such prestigious venues as Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, and Bargemusic, Ltd. He performed with Renee Fleming in the opening night concert of Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall and has been seen there several times since as part of the Musicians from the Met chamber series with James Levine. He has also performed at festivals including Marlboro Music, La Jolla Summerfest, and Music from Angel Fire, and has collaborated with many of the world’s leading chamber musicians, including members of the Guarneri, Juilliard, and Vermeer Quartets.

– Visit Joel Noyes's profile on Lessonface.

Kari Jane Docter

Kari Jane Docter, cello, is a native of Minneapolis, MN. She was a student of Eleonore Schoenfeld at the University of Southern California, and graduated magna cum lauda from Rice University, where she studied with Norman Fischer. Upon graduation from Juilliard, as a masters’ student of Joel Krosnick, Kari entered the professional orchestra scene, which took her from the New World Symphony, the Buffalo Philharmonic, and the Utah Symphony, to the Minnesota Orchestra, where she played two seasons. In the fall of 2002, she joined the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. A lover of chamber music, Kari has been heard at such prestigious music festivals as Marlboro, Tanglewood, and the Grand Teton Music Festival, as well as on the smaller stages of Carnegie Hall with the MET Chamber Ensemble.

Julia Bruskin

Since her concerto debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at age 17, cellist Julia Bruskin has established herself as one of the premiere cellists of her generation. She performed Samuel Barber’s Cello Concerto with conductor Jahja Ling at Avery Fisher Hall and has also been soloist with the Nashville Symphony, Utah Symphony, Virginia Symphony, and Pacific Symphony among others. Her recent CD of music by Beethoven, Brahms, and Dohnanyi was praised by Fanfare Magazine for its “exquisite beauty of sound and expression”. Ms. Bruskin won 1st prize in the Schadt String Competition and was a prizewinner in the International Johannes Brahms Competition in Austria.

Chelsea Knox - Principal Flute

Chelsea Knox is the principal flutist of the MET Orchestra. A sought-after performer, Ms. Knox has held positions as assistant principal flute of the Baltimore Symphony and principal Flute of the New Haven and Princeton Symphonies. She has been hailed by the New York Times for her warmth, precision, and clarity, as well as by the New York Classical Review for her “expressive life and full tone.” An active orchestral and chamber musician, Ms. Knox has appeared with numerous orchestras including the Seattle Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, San Diego Symphony, and IRIS Orchestra. She has won competitions including the New York Flute Club Young Artists Competition and the Hartford Symphony Young Artists Competition.

Maron Anis Khoury

At age 20, virtuoso flutist Maron Anis Khoury became the youngest musician to join the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Born in the village of Tarshiha, Galilee, to a musical family, Khoury started playing the flute at the age of 11. Three years later, he was admitted to the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia to study with renowned flutist Jeffrey Khaner. Prior to his enrollment at Curtis, Khoury studied with Eyal Ein-Habar and Uri Shoham (Israel Philharmonic), Sara Andon (Idyllwild Arts Academy), and David Shostak (Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.) Khoury is a recipient of several grants from the Curtis Institute of Music and the Charles M. Kanev Memorial Fellowship. In addition, he is a winner of the America-Israel Cultural Foundation Scholarship and the Schoen Fellowship Grant in honor of Charlotte White.

Stephanie Mortimore - Principal Piccolo

Stephanie Mortimore has held the position of Principal Piccolo with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra since 2000. During the 2008-09 season, she served as Acting Principal Flute. Ms. Mortimore has won numerous distinctions, including first prize in the Myrna Brown Competition, the James Pappoutsakis Competition and the Union League Civic and Arts Foundation Competition. She can be heard on three Grammy Award winning recordings with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. An active recitalist and sought-after teacher, Ms. Mortimore has given numerous concerts and masterclasses in New York, Chicago, Boston, Dallas, and in her native state of Wisconsin.

Erik Ralske - Principal Horn

Erik Ralske was appointed by Maestro James Levine as Principal Horn of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra beginning with the 2010-2011 season. On July 6, 2010 he was featured in a front-page article in the New York Times for having won both the Met Opera position and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Principal Horn position in the same week!

Brad Gemeinhardt

Brad Gemeinhardt, 3rd Horn of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, has performed in a broad range of classical and commercial settings, including performances as guest Principal horn with both the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic. He has also performed with the San Francisco Symphony, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, American Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, many Broadway shows, television and radio jingles, commercial recordings, and motion picture soundtracks.

Anne Marie Scharer

Anne Marie Scharer has been playing horn in the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra since the 1997-1998 season. She was appointed to second horn by James Levine in 2016. Previously she played third horn for thirteen seasons and fourth horn for six seasons. Anne was born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin and went on to study music at Indiana University and The Juilliard School. Her first professional orchestral position was in Oviedo, Spain as co-principal horn. In 1994 she returned to the United States and played associate principal/third horn with the Columbus Symphony for three years before joining the Met. In addition to her work with the Opera, she teaches horn at Interlochen Center for the Arts and records for commercial and movie soundtracks.

– Visit Anne Marie Scharer's profile on Lessonface.

Barbara Jöstlein Currie

Barbara Jöstlein Currie joined the Met Orchestra in 1998, as assistant horn. A year later, she won the 4th horn position, which she has held since. Growing up in Chicago and studying with former CSO musicians Phil Farkas and Nancy Fako, she left for New York to study with former Met Principal Horn, Julie Landsman, at the Juilliard School with a full scholarship. During her studies, she took a year off to play third and associate horn with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra in Israel.

– Visit Barbara Jöstlein Currie's profile on Lessonface.

Rex Surany - Principal Bass

Rex Surany is the Principal Bassist of The Metropolitan Opera in New York City. He is also a professor of classical double bass performance at The Juilliard School. His musical education began with piano lessons when he was 7 years old. After two years, he switched exclusively to the double bass with Robert Peterson of Trenton, New Jersey. In 2002, upon completing the Vance Progressive Repertoire with Peterson, Rex Surany proceeded to study Rabbath Method with Nicholas Walker, professor of double bass at Ithaca College, and joined the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra under the direction of maestro Joseph Primavera.

Leigh Mesh - Associate Principal Bass

Leigh Mesh, Associate Principal Bass, joined the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in 1993. A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, he has taught master classes at the New World Symphony in Miami, the Cincinnati Conservatory, the Juilliard School and the Manhattan School of Music. Mr. Mesh has performed regularly at the Verbier Music Festival, and with the MET Chamber Ensemble, the Caramoor Virtuosi, and the Brentano and Tokyo String Quartets. He lives with his wife and two children in New York, and pursues cycling and skiing whenever he can. Mr. Mesh is an exclusive artist for Thomastik-Infeld Strings.

Brendan Kane

Double Bassist Brendan Kane has performed extensively throughout North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Originally from Stillwater, Minnesota, Mr. Kane joined the bass section of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in the Fall of 2014. Prior to his appointment at the Met, Mr. Kane held the positions of Assistant Principal Bass of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and Principal Bass of the Minas Gerias Philharmonic Orchestra in Brazil. He is also a former member of the New World Symphony in Miami Beach and regularly appears around the world as Principal Bass of the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra.

Kingsley Wood

Kingsley J. Wood has been a member of the Met Orchestra since 2001. He was formerly a member of the Louisville Orchestra. Kingsley graduated from Peabody Conservatory where he studied with John Hood and is originally from Palo Alto, CA.

Elaine Douvas - Principal Oboe

Elaine Douvas has been Principal Oboe of the Metropolitan Opera since 1977, highlighted by her performance of the Strauss Oboe Concerto with Maestro Levine the MET Orchestra at Carnegie Hall in 2004 and many performances with the MET Chamber Ensemble. She has served on the oboe faculty of The Juilliard School since 1982 and was appointed Woodwind Department Chairman in 1997. She has given master classes at the Curtis and Cleveland Institutes of Music, the Eastman and Manhattan Schools of Music, the New World Symphony, and the Conservatories of Beijing, Shanghai, and London’s Royal Academy of Music. In the summers, Ms. Douvas is an artist/faculty member of the Aspen Music Festival and School, and she is a past participant in the Marlboro, Grand Teton, Angel Fire, and Bravo! Colorado Festivals. Her solo CDs are issued by Boston Records, Oboe Classics, and Music Minus One. Having trained at the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Interlochen Arts Academy, her first job was Principal Oboe of the Atlanta Symphony under Robert Shaw. For the past 20 years she has devoted her spare time to figure skating and has passed eleven USFSA tests in free-style and “moves”. This season’s non-Met project is the Messiaen “Concerto a Quatre” with her quartet “Pleasure is the Law” and the New York Youth Symphony at Carnegie Hall on March 2, 2014.

Stephanie Mortimore - Principal Piccolo

Stephanie Mortimore has held the position of Principal Piccolo with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra since 2000. During the 2008-09 season, she served as Acting Principal Flute. Ms. Mortimore has won numerous distinctions, including first prize in the Myrna Brown Competition, the James Pappoutsakis Competition and the Union League Civic and Arts Foundation Competition. She can be heard on three Grammy Award winning recordings with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. An active recitalist and sought-after teacher, Ms. Mortimore has given numerous concerts and masterclasses in New York, Chicago, Boston, Dallas, and in her native state of Wisconsin. She has performed as a soloist with the Dallas Chamber Orchestra and will be giving the world premiere of Daniel Felsenfeld’s double piccolo concerto in Spring 2015 with Ensemble 212.

– Visit Stephanie Mortimore's profile on Lessonface.

Koren McCaffrey

Koren McCaffrey is an Associate Musician with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Performing with the Met Opera since 2007, she appears regularly with both the Met Orchestra and Met Chamber Ensemble at Carnegie Hall, and on the Met Opera’s Live in HD and radio broadcasts. In June 2011, Koren toured Japan with the Met Opera. In addition to the flute, Koren is an avid piccoloist, and can be heard on the Met’s Grammy Award Winning recordings of Adams’ Doctor Atomic and Wagner’s Das Ring des Nibelungen. As a member of both the Verbier Festival Orchestra and Verbier Chamber Orchestra, Koren toured over fifteen countries on four continents. In addition to the Verbier Festival, she has also performed at the Spoleto (U.S.) and Aspen Music Festivals, and Festival Mosaic in San Luis Obispo. Koren is a graduate of the University of Michigan and the Manhattan School of Music.

Demian Austin - Principal Trombone

Demian Austin is principal trombonist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. He is also a member of the MET Chamber Ensemble, which performs regularly at Carnegie’s Weill and Zankel halls. He has performed with The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and in the Mostly Mozart festival at Lincoln Center. Mr. Austin has played on numerous recordings including the Metropolitan Opera Brass CDs, several movie soundtracks, Dialogues with Double Bass with Jeremy McCoy on Bridge Records, the GM Recordings issue of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and Brahms’ First Symphony conducted by Gunther Schuller, and many recordings with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, including Strauss’ Tod und Verklarung. He can also be heard regularly on Sirius Satellite Radio’s Live at the Met Broadcasts, the Saturday Matinee Broadcasts of the Met, and on The Met: Live in HD worldwide movie simulcasts. Mr. Austin is also on the faculty of Juilliard’s precollege division. He received his Bachelor of Music degree in 1992 from Oberlin College, where he studied with Raymond Premru, and his Masters of Music degree in 1995 from The Juilliard School, where he studied with Per Brevig. Aside from his career in music, Mr. Austin has a keen interest in film and has attended several intensive seminars on screenwriting.

John Romero - Principal Trombone

John Romero is the Principal Trombonist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, beginning in 2018, and is an S.E. Shires Performing Artist. He previously held the same position in the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. A local of Longview, Texas, he has a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Performance from Baylor University studying with Brent Phillips and a Master of Music degree from Rice University studying under Allen Barnhill. Romero is an active soloist and clinician, presenting recitals and masterclasses at the International Trombone Festival, the Blast of Brass Festival, the Juilliard School, and other universities. As a student, he was a successful solo and chamber music competitor, winning the Larry Wiehe competition in 2012 at the annual International Trombone Festival in Paris, France, as well as ITF’s Marstallar competition in 2013, the Big XII Trombone Conference Tenor Competition, Eastern Trombone Workshop’s Division II Tenor Competition, the ETW Quartet competition, the TCU Quartet Competition, and Baylor University’s Concerto competition.

Weston Sprott

Weston Sprott enjoys an exciting career that includes orchestral, chamber, and solo performances, as well as numerous educational and outreach efforts. He is Dean of the Preparatory Division at The Juilliard School and a trombonist in New York’s Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, of which he has been a member since 2005. He has been recognized as “an excellent trombonist” with a “sense of style and phrasing [that] takes a backseat to no one”. He is a recipient of the Sphinx Medal of Excellence and the Atlanta Symphony Talent Development Program Aspire Award. Sprott has performed frequently with the Philadelphia Orchestra, held a position with the Zurich Opera/Philharmonia, and has appeared with numerous other major orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Atlanta Symphony, and Oslo Philharmonic. He previously held principal positions with the Pennsylvania Ballet Orchestra and the Delaware Symphony Orchestra. His chamber music and festival engagements include the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Fesitval (SICMF), Classical Tahoe, Festival Napa Valley, Walla Chamber Music Festival, Chineke!, PRIZM Ensemble, and numerous others.

Denson Paul Pollard

Denson Paul Pollard began as bass/tenor trombonist/bass trumpet player with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in September, 2007. Pollard was the bass trombonist of the Hong Kong Philharmonic from 2001-2007. He has also been bass trombonist of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the Cedar Rapids Symphony, the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, the Des Moines Metro Opera Orchestra, and the Principal Trombonist of the Waterloo/Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra. Pollard has performed with the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Houston Symphony Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. His teachers have included Dr. Jim Roberts, Dr. David Gier, George Krem, Charles Vernon and Joeseph Alessi. Pollard was awarded the Master of Musical Arts degree and the Doctorate of Musical Arts in performance and pedagogy from the University of Iowa, where he served as a teaching assistant in the areas of musicology, jazz and applied trombone. Pollard also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in music education from Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Alabama. Pollard is a member of the brass faculty at the Juilliard School, Mannes School of Music, and Bard College. He is a faculty member of the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan during the summer.

Evan Epifanio - Principal Bassoon

Evan Epifanio holds degrees in music performance from DePaul University and Northwestern University. He was a member of the New World Symphony for three years, and was appointed Principal Bassoon of the MET Orchestra in 2018.

Mark Romatz

Mark L. Romatz, bassoon, is currently Second Bassoon and Contrabassoon of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Prior to that appointment, the University of Michigan graduate held positions with the Montreal, Jacksonville, Savannah, Duluth and Flint Symphonies. He has been a member of the Bellingham, Grand Teton, Grant Park, Colorado, Spoleto, Lancaster, Sunflower and the Buzzard Bay Music Festivals. Mr. Romatz has been a faculty member at Mcgill University in Montreal, the University of Florida, St. Olaf College and the University of Minnesota-Duluth. He has served as Acting Second Bassoonist with the Minnesota Orchestra and has performed with the Chicago and Detroit Symphony Orchestras, the New York Philharmonic and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. He studied with L. Hugh Cooper and John Miller.

Milan Milisavljević - Principal Viola

Milan Milisavljević is Principal Viola with the MET Orchestra, having served as Assistant Principal of the MET for twelve seasons. He has also performed as guest Principal Viola of orchestras worldwide, such as the Toronto Symphony. Milan’s solo album Sonata-Song, published by Delos Music, has been reviewed by the Strad magazine as “most recommendable” and “tonally alluring”, with the recording of A. Khatchaturian’s sonata on the album hailed as “definitive”. He has won prizes at competitions such as ARD, Lionel Tertis and Aspen Lower Strings and has performed at Marlboro, Cascade Head and Aspen music festivals. Milan has appeared as soloist throughout the world, with orchestras such as the Munich Chamber Orchestra, the Belgrade Philharmonic, Aspen Sinfonia, Classical Tahoe, Orquesta Filarmónica de Boca del Río and many others. His teachers include James Dunham, Nobuko Imai and Atar Arad. In addition to his activities as a violist, Milan is increasingly in demand as a conductor and teacher worldwide.

Craig Mumm - Associate Principal Viola

Associate Principal violist, Craig Mumm grew up in Milwaukee where he studied violin with his father, Edward Mumm, Concertmaster of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. In college, Craig studied violin and viola with Shmuel Ashkenasi, first violinist of the Vermeer String Quartet. Before joining the MET, Mumm performed in orchestras in Chicago and Germany. In addition to his work at the MET, Craig coaches the viola sections of the Youth Orchestra of the Americas, Filharmonica Joven de Colombia, and teaches and performs throughout Latin America. Craig is married to Mary Ann Mumm, instructor of violin at Montclair State University. The Mumm’s two children are also musicians. Daniel is a cellist and Andrea a harpist. The Mumms live in an historic townhouse in Jersey City, New Jersey where they often host the legendary MET Orchestra poker game.

Désirée Elsevier

A New York native, Désirée Elsevier began her studies at the age of 5 on the violin and at the age of 12 on the viola, and she has been a regular member of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra since 1987. In October 2013, she performed the Bartok concerto for viola with the Greeley Philharmonic in Greeley, Colorado. A champion of new music, she premiered Glen Cortese’s Viola Concerto for viola and chamber orchestra in Buffalo, NY in February, 2013. An avid chamber musician, she appears frequently in the New York area among others with her quartet named IRIS, and at Weill recital hall at Carnegie Hall with the MET Chamber players. In addition, she teaches at Bennington College at the Chamber Music Conference and Composers’ Forum of the East in Vermont since 2004. Since 1998 she has been a member of the World Orchestra for Peace (founded by Sir Georg Solti, now conducted by Valery Gergiev), which performs concerts in the name of world peace and harmony across the world, from Chicago all the way east to Beijing. Also a busy recording artist, she can be heard on many CDs and films. Her first job was as Assistant Principal Viola in the Orchestra di San Carlo in Naples, Italy. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Cornell University (where she also studied composition with Karl Husa and Stephen Stucky) and Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in music from the Manhattan School of Music, studying with Lillian Fuchs and Karen Tuttle. In addition to being a full-time member of the orchestra, from 2001 to 2012 she held the additional position of Assistant Orchestra Manager. In her spare time she reads, writes essays and fiction, knits, swims/bikes/runs, gardens and is working on an animated film.

Mariko Anraku - Associate Principal Harp

Mariko Anraku has won attention as one of the world’s outstanding harpists through numerous appearances as soloist and chamber musician. She has enchanted audiences with her virtuosity and “manifestation of grace and elegance” (Jerusalem Post). The New York Times has hailed her as a “masterful artist of intelligence and wit.” Since 1995, she has held the position of Associate Principal Harpist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Since her debut as soloist with the Toronto Symphony led by Sir Andrew Davis, Ms. Anraku has appeared with the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, Yomiuri Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and Concerto Soloists of Philadelphia, among others. As a recitalist, she has performed in major concert halls on three continents, including Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall and Merkin Concert Hall in New York, Jordan Hall in Boston, Bing Theater at the Los Angeles County Museum, Opera Comique in Paris, Palazzo dell’Esposizioni in Rome and the Casals, Kioi and Oji Halls in Tokyo. Ms. Anraku’s impressive list of awards include the Pro Musicis International Award, First Prize at the First Nippon International Harp Competition, First Prize in the Channel Classics Recording Prize, and the ITT Corporation Prizes at the Concert Artists Guild Competition in New York. She was also awarded Third Prize and the Pearl Chertok Prize for the best performance of the required Israeli composition at the International Harp Contest in Israel. Ms. Anraku’s strong commitment to contemporary music and the expansion of the boundaries of the harp repertoire has included an invitation to premiere works by Toshio Hosokawa in Germany collaborating with traditional Japanese musicians and monks. She also gave the USA premiere of Jean-Michel Damase’s Concerto “Ballade” with the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra at the American Harp Society Conference, and has collaborated in a tribute to Takemitsu at Merkin Concert Hall in New York. Mariko Anraku has recorded exclusively for EMI Classics, including three solo recordings and a CD with eminent flutist Emmanuel Pahud. A compilation from her solo CDs has also been released. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Juilliard School and is a recipient of an Artist’s Diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. Her teachers have included Nancy Allen, Lanalee deKant, Judy Loman and her aunt, Kumiko Inoue. Ms. Anraku also studied Oriental Art History at Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan. She has been on the faculty of the Pacific Music Festival since 2011.

– Visit Mariko Anraku's profile on Lessonface.

Gregory Zuber - Principal Percussion

Gregory Zuber is Principal Percussionist of the MET Orchestra and has been a member of the orchestra since 1986. He appeared with the orchestra as concerto soloist in Carnegie Hall in 2002 and performs regularly with the Met Chamber Ensemble. Mr. Zuber has been a coach at the Verbier Music Festival since 2000, where he also appears in recital and chamber music concerts. He has taught at The Juilliard School since 1993. Born in Boston, he grew up in Chicago. After two summers at The National Music Camp at Interlochen, he attended the Interlochen Arts Academy, then University of Illinois, and Temple University. Before joining the Met, he was Principal Percussionist with the Toledo Symphony Orchestra. His teachers include Tom Siwe (University of Illinois), James Ross (Chicago Symphony) and Alan Abel (Philadelphia Orchestra). Mr. Zuber often performs concerts with his wife, flutist Patricia Zuber. He has two wonderful daughters!

Rob Knopper

Rob Knopper is a percussionist with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Since joining the orchestra in 2011, he has been featured on the Grammy-winning recording of Der ring des Nibelungen, 60 Minutes with the Met Orchestra, and in The Met: Live in HD movie theater presentations worldwide. Rob’s debut album, delécluse: douze études for snare drum, to be released in October 2014, is the first recording of snare drum’s most influential and elaborate composition, and was recorded in audio and HD video at The New World Center in Miami Beach, Florida, where Rob previously held a position with the New World Symphony. Rob has also performed with the All-Star Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Pacific Music Festival Orchestra, and as the timpanist of the National Repertory Orchestra. As an educator, he is faculty at the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival, and he has taught clinics and masterclasses at the Juilliard Summer Percussion Seminar, Aspen Music Festival, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, National Repertory Orchestra, and the Interlochen Arts Academy. During the 2013-2014 season, Rob designed and created METOrchestraMusicians.org, which has been featured in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. Rob is an avid ragtime xylophonist, songwriter, drumset player, and guitarist. He plays in the band The Paisley Fields, based in Brooklyn. Rob graduated from The Juilliard School in 2009 where he studied with Greg Zuber, Joseph Pereira, and Daniel Druckman. Visit robknopper.com for video, lessons, and the blog percussion hacker

Steven White

Steven White joined the MET Orchestra as a percussionist and assistant timpanist in February 2017. Before moving to New York, Steven held a percussion position with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago for two seasons, where he worked closely with Chicago Symphony percussionists James Ross and Cynthia Yeh. During his time in Chicago, Steven was a regular substitute musician with the CSO, and he accompanied them on their tour to Carnegie Hall in 2015. Steven has spent his summers at Tanglewood Music Center, Music Academy of the West, and Aspen Music Festival. Equally passionate about orchestral and solo playing, Steven was second prize winner at the Percussive Arts Society’s International Vibraphone Competition in 2013, as well as a competitor at the TROMP International Percussion Competition in Eindhoven, Netherlands in 2012. Steven holds a master’s degree in orchestral performance from Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with Christopher Lamb, Duncan Patton, Kyle Zerna, and She-e Wu. He received his undergraduate degree from Northwestern University, where he studied with She-e Wu and James Ross.

Christopher J. Hall - Principal Tuba

Christopher J. Hall has been Principal Tuba of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra since 1996. Before joining the Met Orchestra, Chris was tubist with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago for two years. He was a fellow in the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra in 1995. In 1993, Chris was the winner of the United Musical Instruments International Solo Competition at the Rafael Mendez Brass Institute, Tempe, AZ, and in 1992, he was the winner of the International Tuba and Euphonium Conference Solo Competition, Open Division, in Lexington, KY. Aside from the Metropolitan Opera Brass recordings, Chris premiered and recorded Charles Wourinen’s “Never again The Same” for Bass Voice and Tuba. He can also be heard on the Saving Private Ryan soundtrack by John Williams, and Sever Tipei’s “Cuniculi for Five Tubas”, on Centaur CD. Chris has studied with Arnold Jacobs, Eugene Pokorny, Daniel Perantoni and Fritz Kaenzig.

Pedro Díaz

Before being named Solo English Horn with the Orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera in 2005, Pedro Díaz had performed extensively on five continents. He has served extended tenures as oboe and/or English horn with the Filarmonica Jalisco (Mexico), the Orquesta Sinfonica de Galicia (Spain), the Natal Philharmonic (South Africa) and the Pittsburgh Opera. His appearances as soloist include those at the Spoleto (Italy) Festival, with the New York Symphonic Ensemble (Japan tour), The Orquesta Sinfónica de Xalapa and with the Puerto Rico Symphony. Two solo appearences at the International Double Reed Society’s conventions, one of them the performance of Michael Daugherty’s “Spaghetti Western.”

Bruno Eicher - Assistant Concertmaster

French-born violinist Bruno Eicher is the Assistant Concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, which he joined in 2001, after serving for four years as Associate Concertmaster of the Atlanta Symphony and the previous four years as Assistant Concertmaster of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. His wide-ranging orchestral experience includes playing for the Vienna Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, among others. An avid chamber musician, Mr. Eicher has performed extensively throughout Europe and the U.S., as well as in South Korea. A native of Dijon, France, Mr. Eicher is a graduate of the Paris Conservatoire where he studied with Pierre Amoyal and Jean Hubeau. In the United States, he was a student of Dorothy DeLay and Hyo Kang at the Juilliard School, from which he holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees. In 1992, he was the 2nd prize winner of the Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition.

Daniel Khalikov

Violinist Daniel Khalikov commands the world stages as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician. Born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, he is the third generation of a highly respected family of musicians. Since 2008, Khalikov has been a member of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. At Lincoln Center, and with the Met on tour, he has collaborated with such illustrious conductors as Levine, Muti, Rattle, Gergiev, Barenboim, Luisi, and Gatti in productions ranging from Adams to Verdi. As a member of the Orchestra, Khalikov is in part a recipient of the numerous Grammy Award recordings won by the Orchestra. As a chamber musician, Daniel Khalikov has performed alongside Pinchas Zukerman, Yefim Bronfman, and Emanuel Ax, at music festivals of Santa Fe, Tanglewood, Verbier, Norfolk, Music Mountain, the Perlman Music Program, the MET Chamber Players, and Lake Tahoe Summerfest. Mr. Khalikov plays a 1804 Françoise Pique violin.

Elena Barere

Elena Barere, violinist with the Metropolitan Opera since 1994, was born and raised in Manhattan. She attended the prep division and later earned a Bachelors and Masters Degree in Music from Juilliard. She studied there with Dorothy Delay, then with Leventritt award winning violinist David Nadien. While a student she performed at Aspen, Vail, Spoleto and Marlboro music festivals. Moving into the NYC studio recording world, she became concertmaster for innumerable recordings and films. Artist discography includes Carly Simon,David Bowie, Paul Simon, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Harry Connick Jr, Tony Bennett. Film credits include Cape Fear, Ty Cobb, Muppet Christmas Carol and You’ve Got Mail. Independent films include Teeth, Why We Fight and Trumbo. Currently running at the NYC Planetarium she is heard, along with her vocalist daughter Carolyn Miller “Journey to the Stars” :Whoopie Goldberg, narrator; composer, Robert Miller. Elena resides in Westchester with her husband and two daughters.

David Chan - Concertmaster

Concertmaster David Chan is one of today’s most sought after artists, both as a violinist and a conductor. The 2019-20 season marks not only his 20th as concertmaster of of the Met, but also his third as the inaugural Music Director of New Jersey’s Montclair Orchestra, with which he is already developing a reputation for innovative and adventurous programming, and his second as Music Director of Camerata Notturna, one of New York City’s foremost chamber orchestras. His guest conducting engagements in recent seasons include Belgium’s l’Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège, the Malta Philharmonic, l’Orchestre Dijon Bourgogne in France, and the Grant Park and Classical Tahoe summer festivals. As a soloist, he has appeared under the baton of such conductors as James Levine and Fabio Luisi, with orchestras including the MET Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Diego Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan, and Moscow State Symphony. He is also a dedicated chamber musician who performs regularly in the New York area and at all the leading summer festivals.

Jeremías Sergiani-Velázquez - Principal Second Violin

Violinist Jeremías Sergiani-Velázquez has performed classical, contemporary, and tango music around the world. As soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral performer, he has been heard in 16 countries across four continents. In 2021, he was appointed Principal Second Violin of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra by Yannick Nézet-Séguin.
Born in Córdoba, Argentina, a teenage Jeremías’ big break nearly got him expelled. While he had finally been accepted to study with violinist Fernando Hasaj, Jeremías needed to commute to Buenos Aires—a 20 hour round trip by bus which forced him to miss multiple days of school at a time. When threatened with losing his musical education, the young violinist underwent rigorous study to attain his high school diploma at 15, freeing himself to focus on music as his love.

His hard work paid off. Eventually plucked out of Argentina to join the New England Conservatory and later The Juilliard School, Jeremías quickly developed a deep orchestral resume: he was a member of both the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Chicago’s Grant Park Symphony, toured extensively with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and has served as concertmaster of the New York Classical Players. Throughout his career, Jeremías has been invited to the world’s most elite summer festivals, including the Perlman Music Program, Music@Menlo, Taos, Kneisel, Aspen, and Schleswig-Holstein. He is an Artist Faculty member of the Charles Ives Music Festival. 
Outside the orchestra, Jeremías remains an active chamber musician. In 2021, he made his Weill Hall debut performing works for violin and piano by Florence Price alongside Yannick Nézet-Séguin as part of The MET Orchestra Chamber Ensemble concert series. He made his National Sawdust debut with contemporary violinist Miranda Cuckson and is a founding member of the Frisson Ensemble—with whom he was featured in NPR’s Performance Today. Jeremías is also a member of the NYC—based Sonora Collective, a musicians collective that creates vibrant performance experiences in special venues and art installation spaces. Holding close to his Argentinian roots, Jeremías enjoys playing tango. He is a founding member of the Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet, winners of the 2018 Latin GRAMMY® Award. 

In 2016, following the previous year’s devastating earthquake, Jeremías joined the acclaimed violinist Midori in Nepal for a benefit string quartet tour of refugee camps, hospitals, and schools, culminating in a performance at the United Nations in Kathmandu. Later in 2017, the same group would conduct a quartet tour across Japan, with feature performances in Tokyo’s Oji Hall and Osaka’s Phoenix Hall.
After picking up his violin at the age of 3, Jeremías first toured his home country as a soloist at 10, and returned to win First Prize at the Argentine Hebrew Foundation Competition. He owes much of his great fortune to the violinist Miriam Fried who, upon their meeting at a music festival in Brazil, encouraged a young Jeremías to study with her at the New England Conservatory, where he received his Bachelor of Music. Jeremías holds additional degrees from The Juilliard School (M.M.) and the Manhattan School of Music (P.S.C.) and is also deeply grateful to his other primary teachers: Ronald Copes, Glenn Dicterow, Lisa Kim, Sylvia Rosenberg, and Fabricio Valvasori. 
He is based in New York City, where he lives with his fiancé, the flutist and social media influencer Katherine “katieflute” Althen, and their Havanese dog Miguel. 

Anton Rist - Principal Clarinet

Anton Rist was appointed Principal Clarinet of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in 2016. He has performed with the American Ballet Theater, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the Louisiana Philharmonic, and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. In addition, he served as the Principal Clarinetist of the Princeton and New Haven Symphonies.
Mr. Rist has performed at the Verbier, St. Barts, Pacific, Bravo! Vail, and Aspen Music Festivals, and is a founding member of the Montserrat Music Festival in the West Indies.
Mr. Rist grew up on the upper west side of Manhattan and completed two degrees at The Juilliard School. His primary teachers were Jon Manasse, Larry Guy, and Jo-Ann Sternberg.

David Krauss - Principal Trumpet

David Krauss joined The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra as Principal Trumpet in 2001 and occupies the Beth W. and Gary A. Glynn endowed chair. He has has performed with James Levine in the MET chamber series at Carnegie Hall and has appeared as guest principal trumpet with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and New York Philharmonic.

A native of Long Island, New York, he earned both Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from The Juilliard School as a student of William Vacchiano and Chris Gekker. He also studied trumpet with with James Pandolfi and Wynton Marsalis. Prior to joining the MET, he performed with a variety of ensembles in and around New York City, including Orchestra of St. Luke’s, The New York Philharmonic, and several Broadway shows. David co-produced three recordings–Metropolitan Opera Brass, Waltzes, Songs & Festive Scenes and Sacrae Symphoniae, where he is praised by the American Record Guide both for his “singing tone which is luxurious and inviting” and “effortless handling of difficult runs, trills and soaring tessitura”.

He is currently trumpet professor at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University and teaches in the pre-college division at The Juilliard School. In the summertime, he is the head brass coach and trumpet teacher at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. David lives in Manhattan with his wife, Kristen, a violinist and teacher, and their four children, Noah, Eli, Margot, and Ava.

Violin Masterclass with MET Orchestra Acting Assistant Concertmaster Wen Qian

January 31, 2023

A native of Beijing, China, Ms. Wen Qian came to the US in 1987 to pursue a musical career. As a soloist, Ms. Qian was hailed by China Daily as “one of China’s most promising young violinists” after her China concert tour in 1994. She was praised as “a rare thrill” and “enthralling” by the Strad magazine for her 2004 solo recital at the Carnegie Weill Recital Hall. As a chamber musician, she has performed in music festivals such as the Marlboro and Sarasota festivals, and the Young Concert Artist Series presented by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. As an educator, the demand for Ms. Qian’s teaching has included master classes and coachings at the New World Symphony in Miami, New York Youth Symphony and conservatories throughout China. She is currently a faculty member at the Mannes College of Music. Ms. Qian joined the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in 1997. She served as Acting Assistant Concertmaster during the 2001-2002 season.

– Visit Wen Qian's profile on Lessonface.

Trombone Masterclass with MET Orchestra Trombonist Weston Sprott

February 19, 2023

Weston Sprott is a prominent thought leader, administrator, performer, and educator in classical music. He is Dean and Director of the Preparatory Division at the Juilliard School, leading the Pre-College and the Music Advancement Program (MAP), and a trombonist in the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.

Sprott is a champion of diversity and inclusion in classical music. His efforts contributed to the creation of the Black Orchestral Network, the National Alliance for Audition Support, Sphinx Orchestral Partners Auditions Excerpt Competition, and Classical Tahoe Academy, as well as numerous other initiatives that are shifting the landscape of the industry. He is a recipient of the Sphinx Medal of Excellence, the Sphinx Venture Fund, the Atlanta Symphony’s Aspire Award, and Community Music Center of Boston’s John Kleshinski Award. He has contributed as a speaker, writer, and consultant for various organizations, conferences, universities, and publications. 

As an educator, Sprott holds faculty positions at The Juilliard School, Bard College Conservatory of Music, Music Academy of the West, Aspen Music Festival and School, and SICMF. He frequently appears as a guest teacher for the New World Symphony and The Orchestra Now and has presented over a hundred masterclasses at conservatories and colleges around the world.

Stephanie Mortimore - Principal Piccolo

Stephanie Mortimore has held the position of Principal Piccolo with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra since 2000. During the 2008-09 season, she served as Acting Principal Flute. Ms. Mortimore has won numerous distinctions, including first prize in the Myrna Brown Competition, the James Pappoutsakis Competition and the Union League Civic and Arts Foundation Competition. She can be heard on three Grammy Award winning recordings with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. An active recitalist and sought-after teacher, Ms. Mortimore has given numerous concerts and masterclasses in New York, Chicago, Boston, Dallas, and in her native state of Wisconsin.

Brad Gemeinhardt

Brad Gemeinhardt, Principal Horn of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, has performed in a broad range of classical and commercial settings, including performances as guest Principal horn with both the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic. He has also performed with the San Francisco Symphony, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, American Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, many Broadway shows, television and radio jingles, commercial recordings, and motion picture soundtracks.

Viola Masterclass with MET Orchestra Principal Viola Milan Milisavljević

September 17, 2023

Milan Milisavljević is Principal Viola with the MET Orchestra, having served as Assistant Principal of the MET for twelve seasons. He has also performed as guest Principal Viola of orchestras worldwide, such as the Toronto Symphony.

Milan’s solo album Sonata-Song, published by Delos Music, has been reviewed by the Strad magazine as “most recommendable” and “tonally alluring”, with the recording of A. Khatchaturian’s sonata on the album hailed as “definitive”. He has won prizes at competitions such as ARD, Lionel Tertis and Aspen Lower Strings and has performed at Marlboro, Cascade Head and Aspen music festivals. Milan has appeared as soloist throughout the world, with orchestras such as the Munich Chamber Orchestra, the Belgrade Philharmonic, Aspen Sinfonia, Classical Tahoe, Orquesta Filarmónica de Boca del Río and many others.

His teachers include James Dunham, Nobuko Imai and Atar Arad. In addition to his activities as a violist, Milan is increasingly in demand as a conductor and teacher worlwide.
 

Violin Masterclass with MET Orchestra Concertmaster Benjamin Bowman

September 24, 2023

American-Canadian violinist Benjamin Bowman was recently appointed as concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera by maestro Nézét-Seguin. He is also the concertmaster of the American Ballet Theatre and is a member of the Orchestra of St. Luke’s.

Benjamin is very active and engaged as a chamber musician, recitalist and soloist. He regularly performs in concerts and festivals in Europe and North America. Most recently, he was nominated for a 2017 Grammy for his recording with the ARC (Artists of the Royal Conservatory) Ensemble (‘The Chamber Works of Jerzy Fitelberg’) and was also featured on the 2013 Juno-winning album ‘Levant’ with the Amici Chamber Ensemble. Other collaborative work includes extensive immersion in contemporary music, improvisation and performance with singer/songwriters. His discography includes recent solo and chamber-music releases on the CHANDOS, Sony Masterworks/RCA Red Seal, ATMA Classique, and Innova labels.

Bowman received his Bachelor of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.

Trombone Masterclass with MET Orchestra Principal Trombone Sasha Romero

February 4, 2024

Sasha Romero was appointed principal trombone of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in 2018. Prior to her appointment at The MET, she held the position of principal trombone with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra from 2016-2018.

Hailing from Longview, Texas, Sasha grew up within the acclaimed and robust Texas band system and achieved great musical success at a young age. She went on to earn her Bachelor of Music degree at Baylor University, where she studied with Brent Phillips; and her Master of Music degree at Rice University, studying with Allen Barnhill.

In addition to a lengthy list of national and international solo and chamber music competition wins to her name, Sasha is honored to have been a semi-finalist in the first Brass Division of the 2019 XVI International Tchaikovsky Competition in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Sasha is a passionate educator, and currently serves on the trombone faculties at Rutgers University, Mannes School of Music, and Bard College Conservatory of Music. A highly sought-after teacher, soloist, and clinician, she has presented solo recitals and masterclasses at numerous colleges, universities, music conservatories, and industry conventions across the United States.

When she is not at The MET, teaching, or screaming into the night at the shortcomings of NYC’s public transportation system (looking at you, weekend subway service), Sasha is occasionally invited to perform as a guest trombonist with the world’s major orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, Dallas Symphony, Houston Symphony, and others. She can be heard on Weezer’s OK Human album, as well as the film soundtracks to The Good Liar (2019) and Joker (2019).

Sasha currently makes her home in New York City, where she spends an embarrassing amount of time catering to the demands of her absurdly adorable cats and searching endlessly for decent Mexican food..

Sasha Romero is an S.E. Shires Performing Artist and she has a signature mouthpiece line with Long Island Brass Co.

Flute Masterclass with MET Orchestra Principal Flute Chelsea Knox

April 21, 2024

Chelsea Knox is the principal flutist of the MET Orchestra. A sought-after performer, Ms. Knox has held positions as assistant principal flute of the Baltimore Symphony and principal Flute of the New Haven and Princeton Symphonies. She has been hailed by the New York Times for her warmth, precision, and clarity, as well as by the New York Classical Review for her “expressive life and full tone.”

An active orchestral and chamber musician, Ms. Knox has appeared with numerous orchestras including the Seattle Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, San Diego Symphony, and IRIS Orchestra. Additionally, she was a member of the acclaimed woodwind trio, ETA3, managed by Manhattan Music Ensemble.

As a soloist, Ms. Knox has performed concertos with the Baltimore Symphony, Hartford Symphony, Manchester Symphony, Juilliard Lab Orchestra, and Connecticut Youth Symphony. She has won competitions including the New York Flute Club Young Artists Competition and the Hartford Symphony Young Artists Competition.

Ms. Knox earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Juilliard School in New York City as a student of Jeffrey Khaner. A native of Litchfield, CT, she received her early training at the Hartt School of Music, where she studied with Greig Shearer. In her spare time she is an active visual artist and her work has been displayed in galleries in New York and Connecticut.

Jerry Grossman - Principal Cello

Jerry Grossman has been the principal cellist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra since 1986. He has appeared in recital, and with symphony orchestras and chamber ensembles throughout the United States. His highly acclaimed New York debut at the Metropolitan Museum of Art was followed by the American premiere of Kurt Weill’s 1920 Cello Sonata, leading to recording that work, as well as works by Dohnanyi, Prokofiev, Bartok, and Kodaly for Nonesuch Records. His recording of works for cello by Victor Herbert is available on New World Records. He has appeared as soloist in Carnegie Hall and on domestic and European tours with the Met Orchestra under James Levine playing Don Quixote by Richard Strauss.

Shmuel Katz - Associate Principal Viola

Shmuel Katz has been praised as a “World-class musician” by the leading German newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau, and heralded by the Ottawa Citizen for his “Uncommonly rich and introspective” playing.

Mr. Katz is the Associate Principal Violist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. He was previously an associate member with the company for over a decade. Shmuel serves as Principal Violist of the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra and the American Ballet Theatre Orchestra. He has also served as the Assistant Principal Violist of the New York City Ballet Orchestra, Principal Violist of the Pennsylvania Ballet, member and guest Principal Violist of the New York City Opera, and member of the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. He also appeared as Concertmaster and Soloist with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in Carnegie Hall, and has toured with the orchestra across Europe, Asia and North America. Shmuel has also performed as a guest violist in the sections of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the English Chamber Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic.

Mr. Katz is on the viola faculty of the Manhattan School of Music for both the College and Orchestral Performance Programs, in addition to leading the Orchestral Repertoire classes. He previously taught on the viola faculty of SUNY Purchase and New York University. Mr. Katz has given masterclasses at TON at Bard college and at the North Carolina School of the Arts.

Shmuel is an active recording artist. He has recorded for the EMI, Deutche Grammophon and Ondine labels with the Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. His studio work in New York includes albums of Sting, Bruce Springsteen, and Lou Reed as well as more than 20 movie soundtracks.

Mr. Katz enjoys playing in a variety of chamber music concert and recitals throughout the year.  He performs regularly with Maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin as part of the Met Orchestra Chamber Ensemble Series at Carnegie Hall, as well as with the Concertante, Richardson and American Chamber Players, St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble and the Israeli Chamber Project. He has collaborated in chamber music performances with Pinchas Zukerman, Itzhak Perlman, Yefim Bronfman, Michael Tree, Ralph Kirchbaum, Vadim Gluzman, Leif Ove Andsnes, the American String Quartet, and Tabea Zimmerman.  He has also collaborated in chamber ensembles with opera singers such as Tamara Mumford, Eric Owens, Ryan Speedo Green, and Joyce DiDonato. As a recitalist, Mr. Katz has performed in Weill Recital hall, David Geffen Hall, the Jerusalem Music Centre, National Library in Ottawa, Canada and more.

Also in demand as an arranger, Mr. Katz has had his viola arrangements performed by the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra members in New York City, as well as by principal musicians in the Royal Swedish Orchestra and renowned chamber musicians in England. 

He received his Bachelors and Masters degrees from the Manhattan School of Music where he studied violin and viola with Pinchas Zukerman, Michael Tree and Patinka Kopec. Before leaving for New York, he studied in Israel with Haim Taub, Ora Shiran and Yair Kless. He also performed in masterclasses given by Isaac Stern, Itzhak Perlman, Dorothy DeLay, Josef Gingold, Joseph Silverstein, Arnold Steinhardt, and Alexander Schneider.

Mr. Katz performs regularly on his Iizuka violas, one of which was previously owned by his former teacher and mentor, Michael Tree of the Guarneri Quartet. He is also a Thomastik Infeld Artist Ambassador.
 

Nancy Wu - Associate Concertmaster

Nancy Wu has served as Associate Concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra since 1989. She performs regularly with the MET Chamber Ensemble and has been a guest artist with the Chamber Music Society of Martha’s Vineyard and the Fondation Giannada in Martigny, Switzerland. Ms. Wu has been a coach for the Verbier Festival Orchestra since its founding in 2000. She is an exclusive artist for Thomastik-Infeld Strings. A Fulbright grant recipient, Ms. Wu graduated with honors from Stanford University and the Vienna Hochschule für Musik, and lives in Pleasantville, New York, with her husband, double bassist Leigh Mesh and their two children.
 

Evan Epifanio - Principal Bassoon

Evan Epifanio was appointed Principal Bassoon of The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in 2018.  Prior to The Met, Evan was a member of The Sarasota Orchestra and New World Symphony, as well as serving as Principal Bassoon of the Des Moines Metro Opera.  He has also performed with other ensembles including The Chicago Symphony Orchestra and The Florida Orchestra. 

Evan can be heard playing with The MET Orchestra Chamber Ensemble at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall throughout the year. In addition to performing, Evan serves as Bassoon Faculty at The Manhattan School of Music, and has lead masterclasses at a variety of locations including The Academia Filarmónica de Medellín, Colombia and The Juilliard School. 

During his summer months Evan serves as Bassoon Faculty at the Aspen Music Festival and School.  He has been heard performing with Classical Tahoe in Incline Village, Nevada and The Mainly Mozart Festival in San Diego.  

When Evan is not playing bassoon or making reeds, he enjoys spending time on his various knitting and sewing projects! 

Sylvia Danburg Volpe - Associate Principal Second Violin

Sylvia Danburg Volpe joined the orchestra as Associate Principal Second Violin in the year 2000. A native of Houston, Texas, she began her undergraduate studies with Ken Goldsmith at the Shepard School of Music at Rice University, and completed her Bachelor of Music at Juilliard with Glenn Dicterow. She made her New York solo debut at Alice Tully Hall in 1996, where she was praised by the New York Times for “beautiful tone — both lyricism and virtuosity”. Sylvia plays with the MET Chamber Ensemble concert series at Carnegie Hall, and has performed a wide variety of classical and cross-over music both here and abroad. In addition to this, for several weeks a year she actively dedicates herself to the pursuit and refinement of the perfect Christmas cookie.

Javier Gándara - Third Horn

Javier Gándara has been a member of the Met Opera Orchestra since 1999. He began his professional career at age sixteen, when he won a position in the Puerto Rico Symphony while attending high school at La Escuela Libre de Música in San Juan. Javier later graduated from The Juilliard School where he studied with Ranier De Intinis. He has held positions with the Orquesta del Principado de Asturias, Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia, Orquesta de Euskadi, and the Oregon Symphony. He is on faculty at the Manhattan School of Music and Juilliard Pre-College.

Rafael Figueroa - Principal Cello

Principal cellist with the Metropolitan opera since 1995, Rafael Figueroa has appeared as a soloist and as a chamber musician throughout the U.S. , Europe , South and Central Americas, Korea and Japan. He is the winner of many distinguished competitions and awards including the First Prize at the Gregor Piatigorsky Competition in Boston, The Bronze Medal at the International Pablo Casals Competition in Budapest and winner of the concerto competition at the Third American Cello Congress.

Rafael Has been a frequent soloist with the Casals Festival in Puerto Rico as well as the Casals Festival in Tokyo, The Pacific Music Festival in Japan, Aspen Music Festival, Marlboro Music Festival, the Musique et Vin Festival in Burgundy and the Cape Cod Chamber music Festival.

Rafael made his Carnegie Hall solo debut together with concertmaster David Chan and The Met Orchestra in the Brahms Double concerto led by James Levine to critical acclaim. He completed his studies at Indiana University under Janos Starker and Gary Hoffman. He currently plays on a cello made for him by violin maker Stefan Valcuha in New York City.

THE METROPOLITAN OPERA ORCHESTRA

Thrilling audiences with more than 200 performances each season, the MET Orchestra is one of the world’s great performing ensembles, both on stage and in the opera pit. Since its founding in 1883, the MET Orchestra’s performances have encompassed not only the entire opera repertoire, but symphonic and chamber programs at Carnegie Hall, international tours, and countless musician activities outside of the Metropolitan Opera House. The MET Orchestra has grown in the past four decades into an ensemble noted by singers, critics, conductors, and audiences as one of today’s most stylistically versatile and musically satisfying orchestras.