Raushan Akhmedyarova is a native of Kazakhstan and comes from a family of musicians. She won first prize at the National Violin Competition of Kazakhstan, the International Competition of Asia in Tashkent, the UNISA International Competition in Pretoria, and the Geneva International Competition. She graduated from the Kazakh State Conservatory and studied privately at the Moscow Conservatory, and in 1994 she received a full scholarship to study at Southern Methodist University. Ms. Akhmedyarova was previously associate concertmaster of the New Century Chamber Orchestra and on the faculty of the San Francisco Academy Orchestra. She joined the San Francisco Symphony in 2006.

(September 2018)

David Chernyavsky joined the San Francisco Symphony in 2009. Born in Saint Petersburg, Russia, he began violin studies at the age of six and at eleven gave his first solo recital. After winning prizes in competitions in Russia and France, he entered the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. In 1997, Mr. Chernyavsky came to the US to study at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music and, later, at the Juilliard School. He has recorded several CDs with the Saint Petersburg Quartet and with the Joel Rubin Klezmer Music Ensemble, and he has released a solo CD, Klezmer Violin. He also performs and teaches with the San Francisco Academy Orchestra.

(September 2018)

Adam Smyla, who joined the San Francisco Symphony in 2000, won the National Viola Competition in his native Poland at age seventeen. Shortly thereafter he became the youngest member of the Polish National Radio and Television Orchestra and was invited to join the Penderecki String Quartet, with which he toured internationally for nearly a decade. From 1995 to 2000, Mr. Smyla was assistant principal viola with the Lyric Opera of Chicago and principal viola of the Sun Valley Symphony. He is a viola coach for the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and active in chamber music performing frequently with his wife, pianist Edna Koren.

Barbara Bogatin joined the San Francisco Symphony in 1994. Previously she was principal cello with the Milwaukee and New Jersey symphonies and played as a substitute with the New York Philharmonic for ten years. She studied cello in the preparatory division of the San Francisco Conservatory, and received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Juilliard School. Along with her neuroscientist husband, she has led workshops on meditation and music practice at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, the Esalen Institute, Stanford University, and in Italy and South Africa. She is a proud parent of two University of California graduates.

Robin McKee is Associate Principal Flute of the San Francisco Symphony, occupying the Catherine & Russell Clark Chair. A native of Tulsa, OK, she began her music studies on piano before switching to flute. She later studied with Robert Willoughby at the Oberlin Conservatory. Before joining the SFS in 1984, she played piccolo in the Richmond (Virginia) Symphony and served as assistant principal flute of the Baltimore Symphony. For more on Robin McKee, turn to page 14 of this Playbill or visit sfsymphony.org/robinmckee.

James Button was appointed Associate Principal Oboe of the San Francisco Symphony in September 2017. A native of Australia, he made his solo debut with the Melbourne Symphony at the age of 17. He later attended Temple University and the Juilliard School under the tutelage of Jonathan Blumenfeld and Eugene Izotov respectively. He has also studied with John Mack, John de Lancie, and Joseph Turner. Mr. Button was previously a member of the Nashville Symphony, Santa Fe Opera Orchestra, New World Symphony, and has appeared as guest principal with the Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Melbourne Symphony. He has performed at the Verbier, Edinburgh, and Tanglewood festivals, as well as Italy’s Spoleto Festival dei Due Mondi and the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. His live recording of Jennifer Higdon's Oboe Concerto with the Nashville Symphony won a Grammy Award in 2018.

A native of Chandler, TX, Daniel Hawkins joined the San Francisco Symphony horn section in September 2017. He was the national winner of the Music Teacher’s National Association Young Artist Brass solo recital competition in 2014 and won first place in the Mid-South Horn Workshop Concerto Competition in 2010. Mr. Hawkins has performed with ensembles around the country, including the Houston, Dallas, New World, and San Antonio symphonies, and the Louisiana Philharmonic. Mr. Hawkins studied at Stephen F. Austin State University before transferring to Southern Methodist University in Dallas to obtain his bachelor’s degree in horn performance. He earned a master’s degree from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University.