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ALUMNI NEWS

MSM

8 MSM ALUMNI RECEIVED 2022 GRAMMY AWARDS

BestOperaRecording

Glass: Akhnaten

BestJazzInstrumentalAlbum Skyline

BestChoralPerformance

BestContemporaryClassicalComposition

Caroline

BestLargeJazzEnsembleAlbum

BestArrangement,InstrumentalorACappella

2022 PULITZER PRIZE FOR MUSIC FINALISTS

Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti (DMA '16) Andy Akiho (MM ’09)

Joshua Cohen

Cohen's Novel The Netanyahus:

of a Minor and Ultimately Even Negligible Episode in the History of a Very Famous Family is a 2022 Pulitzer Prize Winner. (BM ’01)

An Account

Le Bu

Bu (BM ‘22) was one of six winners named in the Met Opera’s 2022 Laffont CompetitionGrand Finals held in May.

Daniel Rich (MM ’19), Baritone Le Bu (BM ‘22), Baritone William Woodward (MM ‘19), Piano Juan José Lázaro (MM ‘19), Piano The Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann YoungArtist Development Program now has four MSM alums on their roster.

Jeanine De Bique

De Bique (BM ‘06, MM ‘08, PS ‘09) performed this summer with “Mostly Mozart”and was praised for her performance by the NY Times.

Erin Wagner

Wagner (BM '19) won the 2021 Young Concert Artists Auditions

She made her solo debut at Carnegie Hall in April as the winner of the Walter W. Naumburg Foundation’s 2021 International Vocal Competition.

J’Nai Bridges

Bridges was featured on the cover of Opera News' February issue.

J’nai Bridges & Damien

Sneed

Bridges and Sneed were recently featured in the PBS documentary American Masters – Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands.

Anthony Roth Costanzo

Interviewed and profiled for the NY Times in January after being named this year's NY PhilharmonicArtist in Residence.

He opened AKHNATEN at the Met Opera in late May.

2022 History Makers Award from New-York Historical Society.

EgyptologyFellowship from Oxford University.

Pablo Sáinz Villegas

Villegas (PD '04, PS '06, AD '07) was featured on PBS's Great Performances at the Met in concert with Nadine Sierra,Ailyn Pérez, and faculty member Isabel Leonard at the Royal Opera of Versailles.

Sophia Santiago

Santiago (MM ‘21) has won the 16th Fatima Terzo Award.

Nina Berman

Berman premiere recording of Milton Babbitt’s Works for High Voice

Laquita

Laquita Mitchell

Mitchell(MM ’01, PS ’02) sang the title role in Tom Cipullo’s Josephine in January and was recently appointedto the Mannes School of Music Faculty.

Maria Brea

Brea (BM ‘15) was a finalist in the Paris Opera Competition in January.

Fire Shut Up In My Bones after party with all the MSM alums involved with the production.

Briana Hunter

Hunter sang in Julia Perry’s Stabat Mater with The Orchestra Now at Carnegie Hall.

José Luis Maldonado

Maldonado (MM ‘18) covered Sir Bryn Terfel in the role of Falstaff in the Aspen Music Festival’s production of Falstaff

Alysia Velez

Velez (BM ‘22) was cast as Rapunzel in Broadway's Into the Woods

Torinae Norman

Norman (BM ‘22) was cast as Ms. Clara Eynsford-Hill/Ensemble/Eliza Doolittle u/s, in the national tour of My Fair Lady.

N’Kenge Pacurar & Joseph Joubert

Broadway’s Caroline, or Change featured MSM alums Pacurar (BM '96) and Joubert (BM ’79, MM ’81)

I-Jung Huang

Huang (PS ‘20) was appointed violinist with the New York Philharmonic.

Kevin Ritenauer

Ritenauer (BM ‘16) was appointed Associate Principal Timpanist/Section Percussionist with the St. Louis Symphony.

Kunbo Xu

Xu (PPD ‘23) was appointed to the viola section of the American Ballet Theatre Orchestra.

Xiaoxuan Shi

Shi (MM ‘22) won a violin position with the San Diego Symphony.

Marcelina Suchoka

Suchoka (BM '16, MM '18) has been named Principal Percussionist of the Sarasota Orchestra.

Lumeng Yang

Yang (MM ’22) won a violin position with the National Center Orchestra of the Performing Arts (Beijing)

Magdiell Jesus Antequera Chirinos

Antequera Chirinos (PS ’22) won a violin post at Artis-Naples (Naples Philharmonic).

Pinghua Ren

Ren (PS ’20) recently won the Principal Bassoon position in the Richmond Symphony.

Sein Lee

Lee (PS ‘22) won the Principal Cello position with the Portland Symphony Orchestra

Sphinx Virtuosi at Carnegie Hall

Thomas Mesa

Mesa (DMA ’17) was appointed to the faculty of SUNY-Purchase and was one of the 2023 Sphinx Medals of Excellence honorees.

Noemi Gasparini

Gasparini (MM ’20) won First Prize at Académie Ravel in St Jean De Luz

Brandon Patrick George

George (MM ‘10) was featured on the WQXRArtist PropulsionLab concert series in a performance with pianist David Fung and in the NY Times.

Zanon (MM '16) led the Italian National Anthem alongside pop singer Malika Ayane at the closing ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics. Giovanni Zanon

Alex Laing (MM ’98) Clarinet Monica Ellis (PS ’98) Bassoon Jannina Norpoth (BM ’03) Violin Burt Mason (MM ’08) Trombone Tia Allen (PS ’10, PD ’12) Viola Chris Johnson (MM ’08) Bass Kyra Sims (MM ’12) French horn MSM alumnijoined the Re-Collective Orchestra to celebrate Juneteenthat the Hollywood Bowl.

Matt Wong (BM ‘19), Piano Shantos Sharma (BM ‘20), Saxophone Jasper Davis (MM ‘18), Trombone Eva Ding (MM ’19), Flute Kyra Sims (MM ‘12), French Horn Endea Owens (BM ‘20), Jazz Bass Glenn Alexander (MM ‘22), Conducting Niles Luther (BM ‘20), Cello MSM Alumni premiered Jon Batiste's latest opus, American Symphony. The work was orchestrated and arranged by Matt Wong (BM ‘19).

Rupert Boyd

Boyd (MM '06) released his new album “Songs of Love and Despair”.

Boyd was chosen as Musical America Worldwide Artist of the Month in April.

Eliana Fisbeyn

Fishbeyn (MM ’22) was named a 2022 ASCAP Foundation Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer.

Ron Carter

Carter(MM’61, HonDMA‘98) celebratedhis 85th birthday in a concert at CarnegieHall titled For the Love of Ron, Ron Carter and Friends: 85th Birthday Celebration.

He was the subject of a PBS documentary that aired in mid-October.

Imani Williams (MM ‘21) Jazz Voice Domo Branch (BM ‘22) Jazz Percussion

MSMAlumni performed at The Django in its inaugural “Next Gen Series” celebrating the next generationof jazz musicians. Eric Lewis (BM ‘97) Jazz Piano Evan Sherman (BM ‘15) Jazz Drumset

Patricio Molina

Molina (BM ’12, MM ‘14) was named a Yamaha Artist in April.

QINGHONG LIAN (BM ‘22) ZEZE XUE (MM ’19)

Xue won 1st Place and Lian won 3rd Place in the orchestra914 Competition.

Simone Dinnerstein

Dinnerstein(PC '89) performed with Renée Fleming, Uma Thurman, and the Emerson String Quartet at Carnegie Hall.

Kirill Gerstein

Gerstein(BM '99, MM '00, HonDMA‘21) replaced Daniel Barenboim on three days notice, learning and performing a new Mozart concertowith the Vienna Philharmonic in March.

He performed to a sold-outcrowd of 32,000 at the Berlin Philharmonic at Berlin’s Waldbühne.

Fei-Fei Dong & Dominic Cheli

Dong (MM ‘21) and Cheli (BM ‘14) performed as part of a program of all five Rachmaninoff Concerti with Pegasus: The Orchestra

Leah Claiborne

Claiborne (BM '12) was chosen as the winner of the 2022 Stecher & Horowitz Power of Innovation Award.

Yuan Sheng

Sheng (BM '95, MM ‘97) appointed Chair of Piano at the Central Conservatory (Beijing).

Malcolm Merriweather

Merriweather

(DMA ‘15) has been named director of the newly formed New York Philharmonic Chorus

Earl Lee

Lee (MM '13) is Assistant Conductor of the Boston Symphony and was recently appointed Music Director of theAnn Arbor Symphony. He made his debut with the New York Philharmonic in a Lunar New Year concert.

Marlon Daniel

Daniel (BM ‘93) was interviewed in OPERAWIRE for his work with young singers and opera in Cuba.

Jason Flowers II

Flowers (BM ’19, MM ’21) was interviewed recently by CBS New York, commenting with other teachers about a recent study that shows children respond well to having a male teacher of color.

Erica Xiaoyan Guo

Guo (BM ‘15) spent the summer working at the Santa Fe Opera. This Fall, she joined the Minnesota Opera as a resident artist.

Maureen Zoltek

Zoltek (DMA

'13) was appointed music director of the Houston Grand Opera's Studio Artist program.

Christopher Cano

Cano (PS ‘03) was recently appointed as the Director of the Young Artist Program and of the American Opera Initiative at Washington National Opera of Kennedy Center.

Hyoung-joon Chang

Chang (BM '86, MM '88, DMA '92) was appointed President of the Seoul Arts Center.

Michael G. Ibrahim (DMA '09) was recently appointed Director of the School of Music at The Ohio State University. Michael G. Ibrahim

Blake-Anthony Johnson

Brevard Music Center honored Johnson (MM ‘16) as the recipient of the 2022 Alumni Award and was named one of "40 under 40" in Crain's Business.

He is Executive Director of Chicago Sinfonietta.

Melissa Wegner

Opera Now magazine interviewed Wegner (MM '05), head of the Met Opera's Lindemann Young Artists Program and the Met's Laffont Competition.

Christopher Cerrone

Cerrone's (BM '07) Opera, In a Grove, received rave reviews at its world premiere at the Pittsburgh Opera.

Jack Perla

Perla's (MM ‘84) Give me Jesus premiered at the San Francisco Symphony.