Cinc’y Symphony signs 10 new players
NewsMessage received:
The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra will welcome 10 new musicians to the Orchestra for the 2022-23 season. Following extensive, national auditions, the following have won positions with the Orchestra:
Tenure-track positions include: Felicity James, Associate Concertmaster; Joe Bricker, Associate Principal Timpani/Percussion; Stephen Jones, Assistant Principal Bass; Rebecca Tutunick, Piccolo/Utility Flute; Dan Wang, viola; Gabriel Napoli, viola; Daniel Kaler, cello; and Luis Arturo Celis Avila, bass.
One-year positions include: Emilio Carlo, viola and Isabel Kwon, cello.
James (pictured) has been Associate Concertmaster of the Minnesota Orchestra since 2018. She also served as concertmaster of the Verbier Festival Orchestra, the Colburn Orchestra, and the Aspen Philharmonic Orchestra.
The audiences in the U.S. may not be what they used to be but rest assured, there are more than enough capable musicians to keep the orchestras playing
I think it takes an audience and funding to keep an orchestra (the organization itself) playing – regardless of the abilities of the musicians playing.
Musicians can always get together and play music – it just doesn’t mean they will always get paid.
For Felicity James, it sounds like a lateral move, but I’m pretty sure she was the #3 in Minnesota (after Erin Keefe and Susie Park), and assume she’ll be #2 in Cincy. That would make sense. I think highly of Cincy and feel it gets a bit overshadowed in Ohio by the Cleveland Orchestra, but I’m not sure a straight lateral move there from Minnesota would be a step up.
I hear she didn’t get tenure in Minnesota
Her along with many violinists before her (though I’ve heard it’s mostly people failing trial weeks)
Their loss if that’s the case, if you’ve ever heard her or worked with her you know she’s a catch!
The bass hires are inexperienced and just happen to be students of the principal. Audition rigged.
Please tell me more about your experience
Please be careful in the future when you make unfounded allgegations or assertions. As the Union President in Cincinnati, I attend the final rounds of all auditions. The decision is made entirely by the Music Director, and the musicians of the auditioning committee vote anonymously in an advisory capacity with no discussion until all finalists have played and secret ballots are cast. The final rounds are screened entirely, and the auditioning committee only contained two bass players, the other eight members being string principals and an assortment of winds and brass players. Both new bass players are highly experienced orchestra musicians, and only one happened to be a regular student of the principal. They also were subject to trial weeks prior to being offered employment. Having heard this audition in my observational capacity, I can assure you this audition was not rigged, but a “slam dunk” decision for the Music Director based on the high level of the winning auditions behind the screen.
I for one really hope the Music Director said “slam dunk” out loud when referring to the audition results, that would have been really cool.
Weren’t all the finalists students of the principal though? It seems the problem happened before the finals began.
Owen pulled something similar in his summer orchestra in Chautauqua a few years ago by rejecting the resumes of many highly qualified applicants. In the end, multiple students of his won those positions.
His YouTube audition repertoire videos are a lesson in mediocrity.
When the prelims and semis have land mines in them, you can get a final full of your students. Owen teaches a certain orchestral solo in a way that has one playing the wrong rhythm in a spot. When he heard otherwise, he insisted that they were cut. Tons of great players were cut for playing conventionally and accurately.
So in the end, you had a final full of those who (maybe unknowingly) knew the trick to his game. It is so blatant that it doesn’t even warrant much discussion.
The other committee members may feel like they experienced a very fair final round with a good result, but I’m afraid what they experienced was completely distorted.
Dear Mr. Frankenstein, You don’t know what it means to have orchestral experience. You hired a couple of nobodies. Your slam dunk decision left many over qualified applicants with nothing but a total loss. And two nobodies with life long appointments with ridiculous pay. How about giving more trial weeks? You know nothing about a musician from an audition.
Except that he just retired as Associate Principal Viola of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra after 43 years of being in the Orchestra. Check your facts before making comments.
Could probably say the same for many of the Curtis grads in the Philadelphia Orchestra
Curtis students win jobs everywhere, not just auditions where their teacher is on the committee.
Susie Park has been associate CM in Minnesota for a lot longer than 2018. Do they have two associates? More likely Felicity was assistant (#3).
Susie Park is FIRST Associate CM.
Way to go Gabe Napoli and Emilio Carlo!!
Regardless whether the double bass hires were part of a sneaky scheme, it is fantastic that this audition didn’t end up in a no hire situation.
The auditon was poorly run.
I submitted my resume before the deadline, I was waiting listed, contacted via email with less than 24 hours to confirm my participation.
I arrived at the audition, checked in, and stood around waiting to be directed to a room. It never happened. I was asked my name 3 times from 3 different people and asked if I had checked in. The best part was watching the “auditon coordinators” giving hugs to some curly headed guy who was just hanging out with the rest of us waiting for direction.
He was one of the eventual winners.
I’m sure Luis was getting hugs for being a local regular at the orchestra, but he won mostly because his teacher refused to let the best players continue after playing the correct rhythms in Pulcinella. He was taught the wrong way, which is the right way for Owen.
Mr. Lee has videos on YouTube playing all the common audition repertoire, including Pulcinella. With the bare minimum amount of research you could’ve figured out how the boss of your prospective job would want things done.