The Philadelphia Orchestra announces the addition of seven musicians to its roster: José Maria Blumenschein, associate concertmaster; Dara Morales, assistant principal second violin; Marc Rovetti, violin; Kirsten Johnson, associate principal viola; Kerri Ryan, assistant principal viola; and Marvin Moon, viola. Jeffrey Lang, formerly acting associate principal horn, joins the Orchestra as associate principal horn/horn.
Violinist José Maria Blumenschein joins The Philadelphia Orchestra as associate concertmaster at the start of the 2007-08 season. He has performed with the Brazilian Symphony (OSB) in Rio de Janeiro and the Symphony Orchestra of the Claudio Santoro National Theater in Brazil. In Germany he has performed with the Baden-Baden Philharmonic and the Georgian Chamber Orchestra.
Mr. Blumenschein has appeared as soloist in Germany, France, Italy, Brazil, and the United States. His honors include third prize and the public prize at the Tibor Varga International Violin Competition, third prize at the Louis Spohr International Competition for Young Violinists in Weimar, first prizes at the national "Jugend musiziert" competitions in Germany, and several prizes at the Carl Flesch Academy in Baden-Baden. He has also won the Nelson Freire Competition in Brazil. Mr. Blumenschein is a founding member of the newly established Vertigo String Quartet, which was awarded first prize at the International Competition of the Duchi d'Acquaviva in Italy in 2006. Born in 1985, Mr. Blumenschein received his first violin lesson at the age of four in Freiburg, Germany. In 2001 he was accepted to the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with conductor and violinist Joseph Silverstein.
Violinist Dara Morales joined The Philadelphia Orchestra as assistant principal second violin in July 2007. She comes to the Orchestra from the Utah Symphony and Opera, where she served as principal second violin. She has previously held the positions of principal second violin and interim associate concertmaster of the Puerto Rico Symphony and concertmaster of the Northern Kentucky Symphony.
As soloist, Ms. Morales has performed with the Utah Symphony, the Cincinnati Symphony, the Puerto Rico Symphony, the Bangor Symphony, and the Lancaster Symphony, among others. During recent summers, she has been a regular participant in the Grand Teton Music Festival, the Park City Chamber Music Festival, and the Intermezzo Chamber Series.
A native of Ephrata, Pennsylvania, Ms. Morales earned both her Bachelors and Masters degrees of music from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where she acted as graduate teaching assistant and taught in the Starling Preparatory Program. Her principal teachers include Kurt Sassmannshaus, Helen Kwalwasser, and Dorothy DeLay. Ms. Morales studied chamber music with Peter Oundjian, Henry Meyer, and members the Tokyo Quartet. Ms. Morales is married to Jesús Morales, brother of Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Clarinet Ricardo Morales. She and her husband have a daughter, Isabel Alexandra.
Marc Rovetti joined The Philadelphia Orchestra's violin section in June 2007, after having been a member of the New World Symphony and the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE). He was formerly a member of the award-winning Rothko String Quartet and the Mark Morris Dance Group Ensemble. Mr. Rovetti has spent four summers at the Tanglewood Music Center, both as a fellow and as a violinist in the New Fromm Players, Tanglewood's resident new music chamber ensemble. A strong advocate for new music, Mr. Rovetti has worked closely with composers Augusta Read Thomas, Bernard Rands, and Magnus Lindberg and has collaborated with many young composers during ICE residencies at New York, Columbia, and Northwestern universities.
Born and raised in Hartford, CT, Mr. Rovetti made his solo debut with the Atlanta Symphony in 2005. He holds both a Bachelors and a Masters of music degrees from the Juilliard School and an advanced certificate from New York University (NYU), where his teachers were Ronald Copes and Pamela Frank, respectively. During his time at NYU he also served as adjunct violin faculty. Kirsten Johnson joins The Philadelphia Orchestra as associate principal viola at the start of the 2007-08 season. Ms. Johnson made her solo debut with the Chicago Symphony at the age of 17, and she has since performed with many orchestras, including the Oberlin Chamber Orchestra, the Concertante Chamber Ensemble, and the Juilliard, Jackson, Kalamazoo, and Peninsula symphonies.
Ms. Johnson has participated in chamber music festivals nationwide, performing at Bargemusic, the Caramoor International Music Festival, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, and the Spoleto Festival, among others. She participated at the Marlboro Music Festival for three summers and continues to perform on Music from Marlboro tours. As a chamber musician, she has appeared in performances with the Orion, Vermeer, St. Lawrence, and Colorado quartets. A first-prize winner of the 1997 Washington International Competition, Ms. Johnson's recent recital engagements include performances at the Kohl Mansion Chamber Music Series near San Francisco, the concert series at the Phillips Collection in Washington D.C., the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts series in Chicago, and the St. Croix Concert Series in Stillwater, Minnesota.
Ms. Johnson received her Bachelor of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music, where she studied with Michael Tree. She pursued further studies with Samuel Rhodes at the Juilliard School. Her other teachers include Almita and Roland Vamos and James Dunham. Assistant Principal Viola Kerri Ryan joins The Philadelphia Orchestra at the beginning of the 2007-08 season. She comes to Philadelphia from the Minnesota Orchestra, where she was assistant principal viola for seven seasons. Following her graduation from the Curtis Institute of Music in 1998, she served as associate concertmaster of the Charleston Symphony. Ms. Ryan and her husband, violinist William Polk, are founding members of the award-winning Minneapolis Quartet. While pursuing a violin performance degree at Curtis, Ms. Ryan began studying viola with Karen Tuttle. Ms. Ryan also studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music as a member of its Young Artist Program. Her violin teachers include Lee Snyder, Jascha Brodsky, Rafael Druian, and Arnold Steinhardt.
A native of Philadelphia, Marvin Moon begins his position in The Philadelphia Orchestra's viola section in September 2007, after one season at the Boston Symphony. Mr. Moon previously performed for several years as a substitute player with The Philadelphia Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic. From 2000 to 2003 he was principal viola of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia. He was also previously a member of the Haddonfield Symphony (recently renamed Symphony in C), the New York String Seminar Chamber Orchestra, and the Curtis Symphony, serving as principal viola in 2000.
As a chamber musician, Mr. Moon has been a member of the Koryo String Quartet since 2001. He has participated in such festivals as Music from Angelfire (NM), Summerfest at La Jolla (CA), the Fourth International Chamber Music Encounters in Jerusalem, the Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival (ME), and the Sarasota Chamber Music Festival. As soloist, Mr. Moon has performed with the New Jersey Symphony, the Kennett Square (PA) Symphony, the Curtis Chamber Ensemble, and the Temple University Symphony. He attended the Temple University Music Preparatory Division and the Curtis Institute of Music. He studied with Joseph de Pasquale, former principal viola of The Philadelphia Orchestra, and with Choong-Jin Chang, currently principal viola of The Philadelphia Orchestra.
Jeffrey Lang joins The Philadelphia as associate principal horn/horn in September 2007. Mr. Lang is an active soloist, chamber musician, orchestral player, studio musician, and educator. Mr. Lang has played with The Philadelphia Orchestra in a variety of positions beginning in 2002. He was acting associate principal horn for the 2006-07 season and acting principal horn for the 2005-06 season. In addition, he held the title of acting co-principal horn for two six-month periods in 2002 and 2004.
In addition to his position at The Philadelphia Orchestra, Mr. Lang is principal horn of the American Symphony. He was formerly principal horn of the Israel Philharmonic and has also performed as guest principal horn of the Bavarian Radio Orchestra, the New York City Opera Orchestra, and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.
Mr. Lang's chamber music performances in the United States and abroad have included concerts with Bella Davidovitch, the Israel Piano Trio, Rolf Schulte, Melvin Chen, Richard Wilson, the Canadian Brass, and other members of The Philadelphia Orchestra. Mr. Lang has recorded for several TV, film, and commercial projects in New York City studios, including the recent films The Producers, Believe in Me, The Good Shepherd, and Failure to Launch. He was also principal horn of Beauty and the Beast on Broadway.
Mr. Lang is on the faculties of Temple University and Bard College. He has given numerous master classes and is a member of the International Horn Society. He has been involved in several successful union negotiations and is a member of the National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, cellist Elina Snellman-Lang, and their sons, Markus and Johannes. -- www.philorch.org
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