OAlumni
Every year, hundreds of exceptional musicians from around the world audition for OAcademy’s Artist Diploma. From an international pool of applicants, we select cohorts that represent the diversity of global musical talent. Through their success, they become beacons of possibility for their communities, mentors for younger musicians, and advocates for the transformative power of accessible, world-class music education.
Spotlight on 3 Fellows
Marcos Nicolás Sosa (Mexico), Cohort‘22
“Having wanted to be part of OAcademy since my youth, when I was finally able to be part of this wonderful experience, I discovered a community that not only challenged me artistically but also expanded my vision of what it means to be a musician today. The program connected me with inspiring mentors and peers from all over the world. Thanks to OAcademy, I have been able to shape my career with a stronger sense of purpose, embracing music not only as a performing art but as a bridge to education, collaboration, and meaningful cultural exchange. After OAcademy, some incredible things happened: I started further flute studies with Samuel Coles and was in a live performance with the Philharmonia Orchestra."
Yael Cohen (USA), Cohort‘25
“I’m Yael, a trumpet player passionate about blending music and social impact. My path brings together performance, entrepreneurship, and community building, and OAcademy played a pivotal role in shaping that journey. The experience inspired me to develop a platform that equips arts nonprofits with tools to better understand, communicate, and scale their impact. OAcademy has given me the confidence to push artistic boundaries while preparing me to drive systems-level change in the arts.”
Hugo Lau (Hong Kong), Cohort‘24
“Hi, I’m Hugo, a London-based clarinettist and educator dedicated to connecting people through inclusive and creative music-making. I have performed with ensembles including the Glyndebourne Sinfonia, Ulster Orchestra, and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. I am a clarinet tutor at Winchester College. I facilitate outreach projects with Wigmore Hall, English National Opera Engage, and Academy of St Martin in the Fields. My time at OAcademy was transformative - it gave me the chance to collaborate with international artists and to grow not only as a performer but as a modern musician, developing skills in PR, creative thinking, and mindset. This experience continues to shape my professional path, enriching both my performing career and the way I support students and communities through music.”
Fellow News
Conducting Fellows
Conducts the UK premiere of Florence Price's 4th Symphony with the Chineke! Orchestra in October 2024.
One of 14 Finalists for the La Maestra International Conducting Competition 3rd edition in Paris.
Appointed Assistant Conductor for the US Premiere of Nadia Boulanger’s one and only opera, “La Ville Morte”, in New York City.
Debuts at the Royal Danish Opera conducting Tchaikovsky's Ballet “The Nutcracker” in November 2024.
Premieres his second opera “Ánthropos - Un Viaje al Wallmapu Mítico” in La Serena, Chile.
His Salzburg-based ensemble The Van Swietens releases its first CD on the prestigious Spanish label IBS.
Multiple appearances as regular guest conductor with the Orchestre Hélios in Paris, as well as working as assistant conductor with Les Musiciens du Louvre under Marc Minkowski.
Debuts with the Göttingen Symphony Orchestra, the South Westphalia Philharmonic Orchestra and Northwest German Philharmonic Orchestra, returns to the Bergische Symphoniker with a ballet production and to the Jena Philharmonic Orchestra with a symphonic program, as well as assisting with the recording of Mahler’s 9th and 10th symphonies with Jena Philharmonic.
Selected among the 12 finalists for the Second Hiroshima International Conducting Competition in August 2024.
Appointed New Zealand Assistant Conductor in Residence, working with Auckland Philharmonia, Christchurch Symphony Orchestra & Dunedin Symphony Orchestra.
Selected as a mentee for the Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship mentoring program 2024-2025.
Accepted to The Critical Orchestra - a very prestigious conducting program in Berlin.
Selected for the International Conductors Guild - Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Women’s Workshop.
Composing Fellows
Premieres her first commissioned Violin Concerto as a composer and soloist this year.
Receives an Arts and Humanities fellowship from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities / National Endowment for the Arts for 2025.
His piece "Where Our Voices Hide When We Must Speak!" premieres at Carnegie Hall by the Kennedy Center's Lehner Quartet.
His piece "Picante" premieres in Mexico by the National Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Ludwig Carrasco, in Palacio de Bellas Artes.
Her Project A - A voice journey, wins a prize for social impact at the University of Fontys, in Tilburg.
Awarded First Prize by the Egidio Carella Competition of Fondazione Val Tidone for his work "Magma." Awarded first prize at the Hungarian Composers Association and the WoCe (Winds of Central Europe) for his composition "Ritmus gondolatok" (Rhythmic thoughts).
Awarded a three-month fellowship in the Lucas Artists Residency Program at Montalvo Arts Center.
Orchestra Fellows
Represents OAcademy at the Paax Festival GNP in Mexico (July 2024).
Accepted into the Cleveland Institute of Music & the Royal College of Music (UK).
Accepted into Yale School of Music for a tuition-free, performance-oriented Master of Musical Arts program.
Wins the second oboe audition at the Orquesta Sinfónica de Xalapa.
Wins a position at the Shen Yun Performing Arts Orchestra.
Accepted to Bard College Conservatory of Music with a full scholarship.
Performs as a soloist with the Appassionato Philharmonic, conducted by Alberto Rincón, at the Young Euro Classic 2024 Festival in Berlin, Germany.
Wins the chief second violin position at the Kunming International Philharmonic, China.
2nd prize in the Bach International Music Competition.
Participates as a teacher and timpanist at the Latin American Academy of Orchestras.
Wins a position in the Mexico City Philharmonic Orchestra.
Debut album “That Place, Darling” is reviewed by The Whole Note and featured in their Listening Room, getting radio play across North America.
Appointed Visiting Assistant Professor of Oboe at Oklahoma State University.
Started to build his solo career as a trombone player, playing as a soloist with orchestras in Germany & Italy while planning new and innovative recording projects.
Offerred a teaching assistant position to pursue an Artist Diploma at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Wins the piccolo position audition with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá.
Wins a position at the National Symphony Orchestra of Peru.
Wins an audition in the Symphony Orchestra of the State of Mexico.
Accepted into the University of British Columbia in Vancouver to study under José Franch-Ballester.
Performs Weber’s Clarinet concerto no. 2 as a soloist with the Orquesta Regional de Tarapaca, Chile.
Wins the position of academist in the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Accepted to Advanced Performance Studies with a scholarship at Bard.
Received multiple international awards for solo cello, chamber music, and composition, including a Finalist Laureate in the 2nd International Artists Competition (Vienna, Austria), the Special Prize, Cello/Chamber Music category in the 2023 Euterpe International Music Awards, the 2nd Prize and Silver Medal in Composition at the 1st Miami InterMusic Competition (2024) and the 1st Prize Tie and Gold Medal in Composition at the 1st Dubai ProMusic Competition (2024).
Appointed Manager of Music Education at the Jacksonville Symphony, FL.
Wins a position of a third trombone player at the Youth Philharmonic Wind Band of Bogota (Colombia).
Appointed Solo Trompette with the Orchestre Philharmonique du Québec.
Wins the position of Gstaad Menuhin Festival Orchester and Regular guest appearances with the Prague Philharmonie.
Wins the position of cello academist at the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra for the season 23-24.
Wins the audition for Assistant Principal cello in the Orquestra del Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona.
Appointed as Saskatoon Symphony’s principal flute for their 2023/24 season, located in Saskatchewan, Canada.
Wins an audition to occupy the Principal trumpet of the Guiyang Symphony Orchestra.
Appointed Acting Second Flute at The Phoenix Symphony 2023/24.
Provides musical training to 130 students in vulnerable communities in Cundinamarca, Colombia, through the project “SOS Educación Musical”.
Accepted to the National Youth Symphony Orchestra of Chile, Chamber Orchestra of the Municipal Theater of Santiago and the Symphony Orchestra of the Universidad Mayor.
Appointed associate concertmaster of the Symphony Orchestra of the National University of Cuyo (UNCuyo), in Mendoza - Argentina.
Receives a Master’s Scholarship and Teaching Assistant position in cello performance at the University of Rhode Island with mentor Michal Shein.
Starts further flute studies with Samuel Coles (Principal flute - Philharmonia Orchestra) in France, takes part in a recording featuring Mozart’s works with the Philharmonia Orchestra, Michael Collins and BPI Classics, and joins the Philharmonia Orchestra flute section for a live performance of Scriabin’s “Poem of Fire” and Rachmaninov’s “The Bells” in May 2023 in London.
Tenured position as Assistant Principal Flute and Piccolo with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (ESO) in Alberta, Canada.
Joins the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra as 1st Flute.
Appointed Bassoon Faculty at the Mead Witter School of Music at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Wins the audition for Principal Flutist at Venezuela Symphony Orchestra (Orquesta Sinfónica Venezuela).
Accepted into the Master's Degree at Conservatorio Superior de Música del Liceu in Barcelona and Centro Superior de Música Katarina Gurska in Madrid, Spain.
Appointed Adjunct Instructor of Bassoon at the University of Northern Iowa and Second Bassoon at the La Crosse Symphony.
Wins the audition for Second bassoon and contrabassoon with the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony, Iowa.
Accepted into the Master's in Performance at UFMG - Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil.
3rd prize at the Jeju International Brass Competition (2025), and substitute musician with the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Appointed as a concertmaster in the Santa Maria Orchestra Lucerne, the Operetta Orchestra Sursee as well as the City Orchestra Langenthal in Switzerland.
Awarded a scholarship by the Ministry of Culture of Colombia to present a didactic chamber music concert, Dreams of the Andean Forest: Puppets in Concert, for which Luisa wrote both the story and the music.
Appointed Principal of Percussion and Timpani of FILMO - Film Music Orchestra Bogotá and Percussion at the Estudiantina Regional del Altiplano Cundiboyacense of the Ministerio de las Culturas, las Artes y los Saberes in Colombia.
Wins Prêmio Antonio Henrique Seixas, at the ABT Trombone Festival XIV Solo Competition in Rio de Janeiro.
Wins Prêmio Radegundis Feitosa, at the ABT Trombone Festival XIV Solo Competition in Rio de Janeiro.
Wins the 2nd Trumpet position with the Lansing Symphony Orchestra.
Piano Fellows
Wins the Gold Medal at the 2025 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. In addition to this prestigious honor, Aristo was awarded the Audience Prize, selected by over 20 million global viewers.
Wins 2nd prize in the ArsClassica International Competition; to be featured in a performance in Rome, Italy as part of the prize.
Serves as the president of the jury for the first ProPiano Caribe Regional Competition on March 2024.
Accepted into Manhattan School of Music.
Accepted into Cleveland Institute of Music to study for her master’s under Gabriela Montero.
Performs Gabriela Ortiz’s Piano Concerto “Fractalis” as a soloist over six times with three Mexican professional orchestras throughout the country.
Releases her new album "Alle Menschen werden Schwestern" ("All people become sisters"), featuring music by sister composers Lili & Nadia Boulanger, siblings Fanny & Felix Mendelssohn as well as a new composition, based on Beethoven's 'Ode to Joy' (Alle Menschen werden Brüder) by Ukrainian composer Marina Baranova, at Berlin Classics in cooperation with the German radio station Deutschlandfunk. Katharina will debut at Berlin Philharmonie on October 25th, 2024 playing Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2 with HSO Berlin and conductor Tess Jackson.