Cleveland Orchestra takes in 6 new musicians
NewsMessage received:
The Cleveland Orchestra and Music Director Franz Welser-Möst have announced updates to musician personnel with the appointment of five new members and one member in an assistant principal position.
At the beginning of the 2021-22 Severance season this October, Derek Zadinsky, a bass section member since 2012, won the position of assistant principal bass and the Orchestra welcomed two new members: Michael Ferraguto as head librarian and Amy Zoloto (pictured) as bass clarinet and clarinet. During the 2021-22 season, the viola section was joined by William Bender the week of November 8 and Gareth Zehngut (a Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra alumnus) joins the week of January 3. In the bass section, Charles Paul joins the Orchestra the week of January 3.
In honestly, Amy Zoloto’s appointment as bass clarinet chair makes me very sad, because when her predecessor Stephen Freeman retired from New York Phil in 2009 (same time with Drucker), it took 7 long years to replace him. If she passed her trial period in Cleveland, then it might be takes another 7 painful long years to find replacement for her. Or in the most worst scenario – even more years (e.g. 9 years like hiring new English horn). We “audition process followers” must now hope that they find new bass clarinet player quickly in this time.
Amy Zoloto is very talented. I don’t know the whole story, but if I’m not mistaken, she was a sub in the NY Philharmonic for a few years after Freeman retired. She then went to Toronto, but later returned to New York. You’re right—it’s ridiculous that it took the NY Philharmonic seven years to replace Stephen Freeman.
Amy Zoloto late of the NY Phil.
Last night I dreamt that someone gave me a bass clarinet, and today you publish that picture! Don’t try and tell me it’s a coincidence.
Last night, I dreamt that I was eating a 5-pound marshmallow. When I woke up, I saw that my pillow was gone!
Quit covering for the Cleveland Orchestra Mr. Lebrecht. Six hires 5 men and one woman, typical for TCO. One of the other hires has a relative already in the orchestra. At least he is not another Preucil!
This comment is far from a home run, McGuire – get a grip! Sad.
A very interesting take, considering that the TCO string section is majority women. Damned if you do, etc…
Reminds me of FWM’s then self-congratulating announcement that he had hired the first minority principal clarinet, not because he was a person of color (monsieur doth protest too much), but because he was the best. I just listened to his Mozart clarinet quintet on the Cleveland orchestra website. If he was the best, the Cleveland Orchestra didn’t try too hard or look too long to replace Franklin Cohen, whose clarinet playing sounded like liquid gold. Nope, certainly not the 7 years mentioned in an above post that the NYPhil took to find a new bass clarinet.
Perhaps he was the best of the people who auditioned. It’s difficult to hire people who don’t show up.
New York hired Anthony McGill (who had already spent several years as principal at the Met) several years before, so that claim doesn’t hold up. Afendi Yusuf played quite well in the one Cleveland concert that I was able to hear before Covid hit; I look forward to hearing more from him.
Derek played the Koussevitzky concerto in a “young artists” concert program I did with an orchestra I used to manage, about 11 or 12 years ago. Great to see this about him. Both his parents are also musicians – Arthur, a violinist with the Seattle Symphony.
I am sorry to see Ms. Zoloto leave the NY Philharmonic. Her playing was always excellent and recalled the many fine performances of Mr. Stanley Drucker, albeit he played the standard B-flat/A soprano clarinet, not the bass clarinet as Ms. Zoloto does. I hope it does not take another 7 years to find her replacement.
This has to be the only site in the world where some people would actually find fault with someone who was hired to play bass clarinet in Cleveland.
You should have seen the comments when they hired a new piccolo player in Philly a few years ago. A person would think they’d held an audition to find the WORST PICCOLO PLAYER ON EARTH. I decided the ringleader must be someone she broke up with in high school.
No one here found fault with Amy Zoloto; perhaps you should go back and read the comments again.