Music Academy of the West Instrumentalists Announced for the 2017 New York Philharmonic Global Academy Fellowship Program

Ten outstanding Music Academy of the West musicians have been selected to travel to New York as Zarin Mehta Fellows in January 2017 to participate in the third year of the New York Philharmonic Global Academy Fellowship Program, which offers opportunities to train and play with Philharmonic musicians, representing an innovative approach to training the next generation of world-class musicians for successful careers.

The 2017 Zarin Mehta Fellows were selected by audition from Music Academy of the West instrumentalists, all full-scholarship participants during the summer of 2016. They are: Kevin Chen, violin; Minji Choi, cello; Michael Daley, percussion; Kaelan Decman, double bass; Ao Peng, viola; Emily Switzer, violin; Alexander Volkov, violin; Jack Walters, clarinet; Justin Woo, violin;and Hyeree Yu, viola. 2016 Global Academy Fellow Rainer Saville, trumpet, deferred his participation and will be joining the Global Academy in 2017.

These ten Music Academy of the West fellows will travel to New York in a ten-day training program with a full schedule of events, including training and playing alongside Philharmonic musicians, conducted by Music Director Alan Gilbert, in Brahms's Symphony No. 3 for the Philharmonic's subscription concerts January 11-14. The Fellows will learn directly from Philharmonic musicians, a unique experience that will immerse them in all aspects of an orchestral player's life, from audition to performance, learning invaluable career skills.

President and CEO of the Music Academy of the West Scott Reed said, "The Music Academy's partnership with the New York Philharmonic is providing invaluable and innovative leadership to our fellows that is tangibly assisting them to take a next step in their careers. Exposure and mentorship by The Players of the New York Philharmonic is an invaluable experience for these young musicians, providing the highest caliber orchestral experience to take with them throughout their very promising professional careers."

New York Philharmonic Music Director Alan Gilbert said: "I have been inspired by the passion and commitment of the Music Academy of the West fellows with whom I've worked in Santa Barbara over the past three summers. I know that these ten players, selected as the best among their talented peers, will benefit tremendously from their exposure to top-level orchestral life during their immersive week in New York, and from working with Philharmonic musicians, who have the ability to inspire and instruct to an astounding degree."

Since the New York Philharmonic's Global Academy Fellowship Program began in 2015, several alumni of the program have already been appointed to professional orchestras. 2015 Zarin Mehta Fellow successes include:

Anthony Bellino, trumpet, recently won a position in The President's Own Marine Band. Matthew Cohen, viola, took first prize at the 2015 Vivo International Music Competition ($3,000 and performance at Weill Hall). Sean Krissman, clarinet, is now the Principal Clarinet of Houston Grand Opera. Simon Michal, violin, is now a member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. AndMichael Severance, bassoon, is a member of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra.

2016 Zarin Mehta Fellows are also earning positions with major orchestras. Nikolette LaBonte, horn, served last year as Assistant Principal Horn of the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra. Rebecca Reale, violin, joins the Houston Symphony Orchestra this month.

"It has been thrilling to experience the growth and success of the New York Philharmonic Global Academy partnership with the Music Academy of the West," said Philharmonic President Matthew VanBesien. "Our first American partner, the Music Academy of the West has been as enthusiastic as its students, who are eager to learn from Philharmonic musicians as well as to learn about orchestras' administrative side. And it has been enormously gratifying to see the placement of past Zarin Mehta Fellows in top ensembles. The results speak for themselves."

The Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara is the first American partner in the New York Philharmonic Global Academy. The four-year partnership, which began in the summer of 2014, combines training of Music Academy fellows by Philharmonic musicians; biennial performances by the Philharmonic at the Music Academy Summer Festival; and Academy Festival Orchestra performances at Music Academy Summer Festivals led by Alan Gilbert. This collaboration is the formalization of a long relationship between the Orchestra and the School; thirteen New York Philharmonic musicians are alumni of the Music Academy of the West.

During the Music Academy of the West's 2016 Summer Festival, Alan Gilbert conducted the Academy Festival Orchestra, and Philharmonic musicians served as visiting artists in Santa Barbara, training Music Academy fellows in collaboration with Academy faculty (including leading master classes, chamber music coaching sessions, private lessons, and lectures). The New York Philharmonic will perform in Santa Barbara next summer as part of the Music Academy of the West's 70th anniversary.

The Music Academy's partnership with the New York Philharmonic has been made possible through the generosity of lead sponsors Linda and Michael Keston.

The Global Academy Fellowship Program, in association with the New York Philharmonic Global Academy, is supported in part by The Hilaria and Alec Baldwin Foundation, Inc., an anonymous donor, and other gifts made towards the Zarin Mehta Fund.Additional support provided by Shirley Young/U.S.-China Cultural Foundation.

About the New York Philharmonic

The New York Philharmonic plays a leading cultural role in New York City, the United States, and the world. This season's projects will connect the Philharmonic with up to 50 million music lovers through live concerts in New York City and on its worldwide tours and residencies; digital recording series; international broadcasts on television, radio, and online; and as a resource through its wide range of education programs and the New York Philharmonic Leon Levy Digital Archives. In the 2016-17 season the New York Philharmonic celebrates its 175th anniversary and Alan Gilbert's farewell season as Music Director.

The Orchestra has commissioned and/or premiered works by leading composers from every era since its founding in 1842 - including Dvo?ák's New World Symphony, John Adams's Pulitzer Prize-winning On the Transmigration of Souls, dedicated to the victims of 9/11, and Magnus Lindberg's Piano Concerto No. 2.

A resource for its community and the world, the Philharmonic complements its annual free citywide Concerts in the Parks, Presented by Didi and Oscar Schafer, with Philharmonic Free Fridays and wide-ranging education programs, including the famed Young People's Concerts and the New York Philharmonic Global Academy, collaborations with partners worldwide offering training of pre-professional musicians, often alongside performance residencies. The Global Academy was created following the launch of the flagship collaboration with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and Shanghai Conservatory of Music, forming the Shanghai Orchestra Academy. Additional Global Academy partners include Santa Barbara's Music Academy of the West and The Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. Renowned around the globe, the Philharmonic has appeared in 432 cities in 63 countries.

The oldest American symphony orchestra and one of the oldest in the world, the New York Philharmonic has made more than 2,000 recordings since 1917, including several Grammy Award winners, and its self-produced digital recording series continues in the 2016-17 season. Music Director Alan Gilbert began his tenure in September 2009, succeeding a distinguished line of 20th-century musical giants that includes Leonard Bernstein, Arturo Toscanini, and Gustav Mahler.