Recent Fellow Appointments

OAcademy graduates win auditions, continue their education at prestigious academic programs, or start their thriving community projects.

Conducting Fellows

Conducting Fellow, 2022
Tatiana Pérez-Hernández (Colombia)

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.

Conducting Fellow, 2024
Kelly Kawai Lam (Hong Kong/ USA)

Appointed Assistant Conductor for the US Premiere of Nadia Boulanger’s one and only opera, “La Ville Morte”, in New York City.

Conducting Fellow, 2023
Sebastián Almanzar (Colombia)

Debuts at the Royal Danish Opera conducting Tchaikovsky's Ballet “The Nutcracker” in November 2024.

Conducting Fellow, 2023
Manuel Figueroa Bolvarán (Chile)

Premieres his second opera “Ánthropos - Un Viaje al Wallmapu Mítico” in La Serena, Chile.

Conducting Fellow, 2023
Thibault Back de Surany (France)

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.

Conducting Fellow, 2022
Maria Benyumova (Russia/ Germany)

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.

Conducting Fellow, 2024
Sally Mingyan Yu (China)

Selected among the 12 finalists for the Second Hiroshima International Conducting Competition in August 2024.

Conducting Fellow, 2022
Ingrid Martin (Australia)

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.

Conducting Fellow, 2024
Orr Guy (Austria)

Accepted to The Critical Orchestra - a very prestigious conducting program in Berlin.

Conducting Fellow, 2024
Sheila del Bosque Fuentes (Cuba)

Selected for the International Conductors Guild - Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Women’s Workshop.

Composing Fellows

Composing Fellow, 2024
Paloma Rossatto (Brazil)

Premieres her first commissioned Violin Concerto as a composer and soloist this year.

Composing Fellow, 2024
Noam Faingold (USA)

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.  

Composing Fellow, 2023
Luis Ramírez (Mexico/ Canada)

His piece "Picante" premieres in Mexico by the National Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Ludwig Carrasco, in Palacio de Bellas Artes.

Composing Fellow, 2023
Maia Steinberg (Uruguay)

Her Project A - A voice journey, wins a prize for social impact at the University of Fontys, in Tilburg.

Composing Fellow, 2023
Aurés Moussong (Mexico/ France)

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).

Composing Fellow, 2024
Damian Norfleet (USA)

Awarded a three-month fellowship in the Lucas Artists Residency Program at Montalvo Arts Center.

Orchestra Fellows

Violin Fellow, 2024
Eva Harryson (Dominican Republic)

Represents OAcademy at the Paax Festival GNP in Mexico (July 2024).

Accepted into the Cleveland Institute of Music & the Royal College of Music (UK).

Double Bass Fellow, 2024
Josue Alfaro Mora (Costa Rica)

Accepted into Yale School of Music for a tuition-free, performance-oriented Master of Musical Arts program.

Oboe Fellow, 2024
Gwendolyn Goodman (USA)

Wins the second oboe audition at the Orquesta Sinfónica de Xalapa.

Flute Fellow, 2023-2024
Lina Yang (Canada)

Wins a position at the Shen Yun Performing Arts Orchestra.

Violin Fellow, 2024
Malena Verduga Martínez (Argentina)

Accepted to Bard College Conservatory of Music with a full scholarship.

Violin Fellow, 2024
Rebeca Masalles (Dominican Republic)

Performs as a soloist with the Appassionato Philharmonic, conducted by Alberto Rincón, at the Young Euro Classic 2024 Festival in Berlin, Germany.

Violin Fellow, 2022
Mauricio Barbon (Colombia)

Wins the chief second violin position at the Kunming International Philharmonic, China.

Percussion Fellow, 2024
David Martins (Brazil)

Participates as a teacher and timpanist at the Latin American Academy of Orchestras.

Viola Fellow, 2022-2023
Lilian Sifontes (Cuba/ Mexico)

Wins a position in the Mexico City Philharmonic Orchestra.

Oboe Fellow, 2023
Heather Macdonald (Canada)

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.

Trombone Fellow, 2023
Tiziano Mazzoleni (Italy/ Germany)

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.

Bassoon Fellow, 2023
Daniela Garzón (Colombia)

Offerred a teaching assistant position to pursue an Artist Diploma at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Flute Fellow, 2023
Nikolas Rodríguez (Colombia)

Wins the piccolo position audition with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá.

Cello Fellow, 2023
Cristhian Requejo (Peru)

Wins a position at the National Symphony Orchestra of Peru.

Viola Fellow, 2022-2023
Christian López (Mexico)

Wins an audition in the Symphony Orchestra of the State of Mexico.

Clarinet Fellow, 2023
Melina Matos (Dominican Republic)

Accepted into the University of British Columbia in Vancouver to study under José Franch-Ballester.

Clarinet Fellow, 2023
Macarena Villarroel (Chile)

Performs Weber’s Clarinet concerto no. 2 as a soloist with the Orquesta Regional de Tarapaca, Chile.

Double Bass Fellow, 2023
Taisho Saquicoray Murga (Peru)

Wins the position of academist in the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Violin Fellow, 2023
Olga Iurasova (Russia)

Accepted to Advanced Performance Studies with a scholarship at Bard.

Cello Fellow, 2023
Cameron Smith (USA)

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).

Clarinet Fellow, 2023
Dunia Andreu (Cuba)

Appointed Manager of Music Education at the Jacksonville Symphony, FL.

Trombone Fellow, 2023
Byronn Carvajal (Colombia)

Wins a position of a third trombone player at the Youth Philharmonic Wind Band of Bogota (Colombia).

Trumpet Fellow, 2023
Daniel Barak (Canada)

Appointed Solo Trompette with the Orchestre Philharmonique du Québec.

Bassoon Fellow, 2024
Tetsuro Yamada (Japan)

Wins the position of Gstaad Menuhin Festival Orchester and Regular guest appearances with the Prague Philharmonie.

Cello Fellow, 2023
Núria Comorera (Spain)

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.

Flute Fellow, 2023
Joey Zhuang (China)

Appointed as Saskatoon Symphony’s principal flute for their 2023/24 season, located in Saskatchewan, Canada.

Trumpet Fellow, 2023
Keqi Cen (China)

Wins an audition to occupy the Principal trumpet of the Guiyang Symphony Orchestra.

Flute Fellow, 2023
Amanda Izzo (USA)

Appointed Acting Second Flute at The Phoenix Symphony 2023/24.

Violin Fellow, 2022
Petra Maestre (Venezuela)

Provides musical training to 130 students in vulnerable communities in Cundinamarca, Colombia, through the project “SOS Educación Musical”.

Violin Fellow, 2022
Juan Mendoza Orellana (Chile)

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.

Violin Fellow, 2022
Roger Campos (Venezuela/ Argentina)

Appointed associate concertmaster of the Symphony Orchestra of the National University of Cuyo (UNCuyo), in Mendoza - Argentina.

Cello Fellow, 2022
Nancy Olivares (Mexico)

Receives a Master’s Scholarship and Teaching Assistant position in cello performance at the University of Rhode Island with mentor Michal Shein.

Flute Fellow, 2022
Marcos Nicolás Sosa (Mexico)

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.

Flute Fellow, 2021
Sarah Pollard (Canada)

Tenured position as Assistant Principal Flute and Piccolo with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (ESO) in Alberta, Canada.

Flute Fellow, 2021
Alef Caetano (Brazil)

Joins the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra as 1st Flute.

Bassoon Fellow, 2021
Eleni Katz (USA)

Appointed Bassoon Faculty at the Mead Witter School of Music at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Flute Fellow, 2025
Luisana Pérez (Venezuela)

Wins the audition for Principal Flutist at Venezuela Symphony Orchestra (Orquesta Sinfónica Venezuela).

Violin Fellow, 2024
María Esther Eluchans Olivares (Chile)

Accepted into the Master's Degree at Conservatorio Superior de Música del Liceu in Barcelona, Spain.

Bassoon Fellow, 2023 & 2025
Brisa de Paula (Brazil)

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.

Piano Fellows

Piano Fellow, 2023-2024
Anastasiya Magamedova (Tajikistan)

Wins 2nd prize in the ArsClassica International Competition; to be featured in a performance in Rome, Italy as part of the prize.

Piano Fellow, 2022-2023
Dmytro Choni (Ukraine)

Serves as the president of the jury for the first ProPiano Caribe Regional Competition on March 2024.

Piano Fellow, 2024
Gastón Frydman (Argentina)

Accepted into Manhattan School of Music.

Piano Fellow, 2024
Viviana-Zarah Baudis (Germany/ Czech Republic)

Accepted into Cleveland Institute of Music to study for her master’s under Gabriela Montero.

Piano Fellow, 2022
Ana Gabriela Fernández (Cuba)

Performs Gabriela Ortiz’s Piano Concerto “Fractalis” as a soloist over six times with three Mexican professional orchestras throughout the country.

Piano Fellow, 2024
Katharina Hack (Germany)

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.