NEC Grads Hired by Orchestras 2013-14

NEC Alumni Hired by Major Orchestras

Congratulations are in order for these recent NEC graduates who have been engaged by symphony orchestras in the last year.

We will be adding pictures and links to this page as they become available.

Andrew Beer ‘06 M.M., ’07 G.D., named concertmaster of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, studied at NEC with Donald Weilerstein. “We’re delighted that Andrew is joining the APO family,” says the orchestra’s Chief Executive, Barbara Glaser. “The appointment of a new concertmaster is a major undertaking and Andrew is a musician of international calibre." Beer was previously principal second violin at the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. More

Kelsey Blumenthal ’14 M.M., member of the first violin section, Pittsburgh Symphony

Aram Demirjian ’11 M.M. studied with Hugh Wolff in NEC's graduate program in Orchestral Conducting. He was promoted to associate conductor of the Kansas City Symphony, "after a very successful debut season as assistant conductor, in which Music Director Michael Stern described his impact as 'significant and immediate, both on and off the podium.' ” More

Daniel Getz ’11 studied with Kim Kashkashian at NEC. Getz joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra viola section at the start of the 2013–2014 season, and had previously performed as a substitute with the BSO as well as with the New York Philharmonic. As a soloist, Getz was a prizewinner in the 2011 Primrose Competition. More

Brendan Kane '04, who studied double bass with Donald Palma at NEC, has been engaged to play in the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.

Dahae Kim '11, '13 M.M., who studied cello with Laurence Lesser and Paul Katz, won the Assistant Principal position in the Detroit Symphony last year. But when the Principal Cellist (also a Katz student from the Eastman School) left for the Los Angeles Philharmonic around the same time, Dahae was asked to step in and has been playing Principal for the entire past season. More

Lio Kuokman ’13 G.D. studied with Hugh Wolff in NEC's graduate program in Orchestral Conducting. Named assistant conductor by the Philadelphia Orchestra in April, his new duties began with conducting a Side-by-Side rehearsal, a Lunchtime Concert, and a Free Neighborhood Concert over a busy two days in May. "I look forward to the exciting 2014-15 season, especially the featured 40/40 Project," says Lio. In even more recent news, Lio took top prize in the Svetlanov Conducting Competition in Paris. More

Qianqian Li ’11, ’13 M.M. to Metropolitan Opera Orchestra violin section

Mary Lynch ‘10, moved from second oboe of Cleveland Orchestra to Principal Oboe in Seattle Symphony

Adam Rainey ’12, ’14 M.M., bass trombone, Kansas City Symphony

Jaclyn Rainey ’11 M.M., third horn, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

Jennifer Wey ’12 studied with Lucy Chapman at NEC. Named assistant concertmaster of the Detroit Symphony, and currently the youngest member of the orchestra, Wey had previously performed as a substitute with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony, and New World Symphony. More

Xi Zhang ’11, ’13 M.M., ’14 G.D. studied with Martha Strongin Katz and Kim Kashkashian at NEC. She has been appointed to the viola section of the St. Louis Symphony, after also winning a position with the Kansas City Symphony. More