Ohio’s Akron Symphony Orchestra has named CHRIS ALBANESE as director of the Akron Symphony Chorus and KAREN NÍ BHROIN as assistant director of the chorus.
Virginia’s Richmond Symphony has appointed JENNIFER ARNOLD as director of artistic planning and orchestral operations, and WALTER BITNER as director of education and community engagement.
NATHAN ASPINALL has been named assistant conductor at the Nashville Symphony.
MARY STEFFEK BLASKE, the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra’s longtime executive director, will retire at the end of 2019.
The Memphis Symphony Orchestra has appointed KALENA BOVELL assistant conductor.
DAVID COOPER has been named principal horn of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Maryland’s Annapolis Symphony Orchestra has appointed JOSH COTE as principal French horn, JAKE FEWX as principal tuba, and SHANE ILER as associate principal French horn.
CONNOR GRAY COVINGTON, the Utah Symphony’s associate conductor, has been named principal conductor of the orchestra’s Deer Valley Music Festival through the 2020 season.
The Mobile Symphony in Alabama has named IVÁN DEL PRADO music director of the Mobile Symphony Youth Orchestra. DANIELA PARDO has been appointed Mobile Symphony’s education director.
New England Conservatory, based in Boston, has appointed ELIZABETH DIONNE as vice president for finance and MICHAEL SARRA as vice president for communications.
AARON C. DOTY is the new vice president and general manager at the Grand Rapids Symphony in Michigan.
CHRISTOPHER DRAGON has been named music director of the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra. He will retain his position as resident conductor of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra.
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra has chosen ELENA DUBINETS for the newly created position of chief artistic officer.
The Eugene Symphony in Oregon has named JENNY ESTRIN concertmaster.
Florida’s Jacksonville Symphony has appointed GONZALO FARIAS as associate conductor.
The Curtis Institute of Music has elected DEBORAH M. FRETZ chair of the board of trustees, and CHRISTOPHER MOSSEY has been named Curtis’s vice president for institutional advancement.
AKIKO FUJIMOTO has been appointed music director of the Mid-Texas Symphony. She retains her position as associate conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra.
New Jersey’s Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts has named PETER H. GISTELINCK executive director.
The Midland-Odessa Symphony and Chorale in Texas has appointed ALEJANDRO GÓMEZ GUILLÉN and SARAH CRANOR, who are married, to the shared positions of concertmaster and principal second violin. HAN DEWAN has been named principal viola, and JOHN E. ELIZONDO is the orchestra’s new principal trombone.
PATTI GRAETZ has been named artistic director and principal conductor of ProMusica Arizona Chorale and Orchestra.
Conductor and actor DAMON GUPTON has been appointed principal guest conductor of the Cincinnati Pops. In addition, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra has appointed WILBUR LIN assistant conductor for the Cincinnati Pops and conductor for the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra Philharmonic, and FRANÇOIS LÓPEZ-FERRER assistant conductor for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and May Festival.
Virginia’s Alexandria Symphony has named GEORGE HANSON executive director.
The Savannah Philharmonic has tapped keitaro harada as music director, effective in 2020-21.
JIM HIRSCH, the longtime executive director and CEO of the Chicago Sinfonietta, will step down on July 1, 2020.
JONATHAN KALEDIN will join the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra as vice president of development.
ROGER KALIA has been named music director of Symphony NH, based in Nashua, New Hampshire.
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra has named MEREDITH KUFCHAK principal viola, and GEORGE NICKSON principal percussion.
JAMES LOWE has been named music director of Washington’s Spokane Symphony Orchestra.
Texas’s Texarkana Symphony Orchestra has named PHILIP MANN music director.
KEN-DAVID MASUR has been appointed principal conductor of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, effective with the 2019-20 season, when he also begins as music director of the Milwaukee Symphony.
Michigan’s Traverse Symphony Orchestra has named KEDRIK MERWIN executive director.
DANIEL MEYER has been named music director of Ohio’s Lakeside Symphony Orchestra.
The Cape Conservatory in Hyannis, Massachusetts has named MARK MILLER music director of the Cape Youth Orchestra.
JUAN FELIPE MOLANO has been appointed music director of the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra.
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra have announced new participants in their fellowship programs. Flutist SHANTANIQUE MOORE has been selected for a two-year fellowship with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s EQT Orchestra Training Program for African American Musicians. The Fort Worth Symphony has appointed ALEX AMSEL and STEPHANIE RHODES RUSSELL as conducting fellows for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. The CSO/CCM Diversity Fellowship program of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra has selected as its next fellows violinists MAGDIELL ANTEQUERA and JORDAN CURRY, violist CRISTIAN J. DIAZ, bassist MICHAEL MARTIN, and cellist DENIELLE WILSON.
Arizona’s Chandler Symphony Orchestra has appointed VANJA GJUMAR NIKOLOVSKI music director.
RADU PAPONIU has been promoted from assistant to associate conductor of Florida’s Naples Philharmonic.
The Tucson Symphony Orchestra has hired GLENN PARIS as vice president of development, and BRUCE ROBINSON as vice president of patron loyalty.
CASSIE PILGRIM is the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra’s new principal oboe.
AGNIESZKA RAKHMATULLAEV has been named executive director of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic.
The Boston Symphony Orchestra has appointed ANNA RAKITINA assistant conductor.
North Carolina’s Winston-Salem Symphony has named TIMOTHY REDMOND music director.
STEPHANIE ROSENBAUM has been appointed executive director of the Bemidji Symphony Orchestra in Minnesota.
GERARD SCHWARZ has joined Florida’s Palm Beach Symphony as music director.
The Charleston Symphony has named RYAN SILVESTRI as conductor of its new Charleston Symphony Youth Strings.
The San Juan Symphony, based in Durango, Colorado, has appointed SAYRA SIVERSON music director of the San Juan Symphony Youth Orchestra.
Trombonist WESTON SPROTT has been named dean of the Juilliard School’s Preparatory Division. ROSALIE CONTRERAS becomes the Juilliard School’s vice president of public affairs.
JOHNNIA STIGALL has been appointed manager of several programs for the Cleveland Institute of Music’s Preparatory and Continuing Education division.
KEVIN SÜTTERLIN has been appointed music director of Wisconsin’s Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra.
California’s Festival Mozaic has appointed LLOYD TANNER executive director.
SABINA THATCHER has joined the Minnesota Orchestra as associate principal viola.
VLAD VIZIREANU has been appointed music director of the Knox-Galesburg Symphony in Galesburg, Illinois.
California’s La Jolla Symphony & Chorus has named STEPHANIE
WEAVER executive director.
ALANA WIESING has been named principal timpani of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra.
NAOMI WOO has been named assistant conductor at Canada’s Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.
MARIA KANAKIS YANG is the new vice president of development at the Seattle Symphony.
