New musicians at the National Symphony Orchestra, left to right: Xiaoxuan Shi, Dana Kelley, Raymond Tsai, Noah Krauss, Michail Thompson.
The National Symphony Orchestra, based at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., has appointed Xiaoxuan Shi as second assistant concertmaster, Dana Kelley as assistant principal viola, and Raymond Tsai as assistant principal cello. In addition, Noah Krauss has joined the cello section and Michail Thompson has been appointed second trumpet.
Prior to joining the National Symphony Orchestra, Chinese-born violinist Xiaoxuan Shi was a member of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra. Shi has received top prizes at the Singapore International Violin Competition, Adelphi Orchestra Young Artist Competition, Vivo International Music Competition in New York, Guangya Invitational Violin Competition, and China National Youth Violin Competition. She has appeared as soloist with the Adelphi Orchestra, MSM Chamber Ensemble, and the Singapore Metropolitan Festival Orchestra. Festival appearances include summer programs at Aspen, Tanglewood, Crans-Montana, and Keshet Eilon. Shi holds master’s degrees from the Juilliard School and the Yale School of Music, as well as a bachelor’s degree from the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music in Singapore.
Assistant Principal Viola Dana Kelley has won top prizes in the Sphinx Music Competition, the Irving M. Klein International String Competition, the M-Prize Chamber Arts Competition, and the Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition. She is a member of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble. Kelley has performed as guest principal viola of the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra and as a member of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. She received an artist diploma in string quartet studies from the Juilliard School, and was a Fellow in Ensemble Connect. She earned a bachelor of music degree from the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University, and completed a master’s of music degree at New England Conservatory. She serves on the viola faculty of the Mannes School of Music at the New School.
Alabama native Raymond Tsai joined the National Symphony Orchestra as Assistant Principal Cello in September 2025. Prior to the NSO, he studied with Richard Aaron and pursued a bachelor’s degree at the University of Michigan. Beginning cello studies at eight years old, Tsai aimed for a solo career before discovering his love of orchestra playing during fellowships at the Pacific and Tanglewood music festivals. He has enjoyed working on a number of musical projects such as recordings of the 12 Piatti caprices, as well as premieres in collaboration with rising composers at the University of Michigan.
