Julia Sakharova (left) has joined Orchestra Iowa as concertmaster, and Eric Marshall becomes the orchestra’s CEO on July 1.
Orchestra Iowa, based in Cedar Rapids, has announced the appointment of Eric Marshall as chief executive officer and Julia Sakharova as concertmaster.
Eric Marshall becomes CEO on July 1, succeeding Linda Barnes, who will remain with the orchestra through July 31 in her interim position to help with the transition. Effective August 1, Barnes will rejoin the orchestra’s board in her former role as vice chair. Marshall was previously executive director of the Baton Rouge Symphony in Louisiana and has more than 15 years of experience in leadership roles at orchestras.
Originally from Russia, Julia Sakharova trained at Moscow’s Central Special Music School’s Tchaikovsky Conservatory and later at Oberlin College. She holds a certificate for orchestral performance from the Manhattan School of Music and a master’s degree from the Julliard School. She currently serves on the violin faculty at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. As an educator, she has conducted master classes at the University of Iowa School of Music, Alabama School of Fine Arts, and Birmingham Southwestern College. Ms. Sakharova plays an 1819 Rafaelle and Antonio Gagliano violin.
