Biography
Members of the SF Symphony
XAVIER JARA is an internationally acclaimed American guitarist. In 2016, he won the coveted Guitar Foundation of America International Concert Artist Competition, which awarded him a sixty-concert tour. These performances, which began in September 2017, spanned locations across North and Central America and included a concert at Carnegie Hall. He has also won the Gargnano, Italy, and Tokyo International competitions.
KELLY LEON-PEARCE, a member of the SF Symphony since 1990, holds degrees from the Juilliard School, where her teachers included Dorothy DeLay and Felix Galimir. She has served as a regular substitute of the New York Philharmonic and as associate and assistant concertmaster of the Aspen Festival Orchestra. As a founding member of the Persichetti Quartet, she played the cycle of Vincent Persichetti quartets at Kennedy Center and a Béla Bartók cycle at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
A native of Seoul, South Korea, IN SUN JANG began studying violin at age four. She graduated from the Juilliard School and New England Conservatory, where she studied with Donald Weilerstein. A top prize winner at the International Henryk Szeryng Violin Competition, she made her Korean recital debut in 2000 and her Japanese recital debut in 2004. Prior to joining the SF Symphony in 2011, she was a concertmaster with the New World Symphony.
GINA COOPER joined the SF Symphony viola section in 1992, having served previously as a member of the Buffalo Philharmonic. A native of Ardsley, NY, she began her musical studies on piano and holds a master’s degree from the Yale School of Music.
DAVID GOLDBLATT, occupant of the Christine & Pierre Lamond Second Century Chair, joined the SF Symphony cello section in 1978, having previously played in the Pittsburgh Symphony. He has also been a cellist with the Concerto Soloists of Philadelphia and the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra.
STEPHANIE MCNAB has held the piccolo chair in the San Francisco Opera Orchestra since 2002. Her former orchestral positions include the Buffalo Philharmonic, New Mexico Symphony, and Long Beach Symphony. As a chamber musician, she has performed with Music@Menlo, the Carmel Bach Festival, and the African American Composers Initiative.
BARBARA BOGATIN joined the SF 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. 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.
Hailing from Oakland, KEV CHOICE earned music degrees from Xavier and Southern Illinois universities. His band, Kev Choice Ensemble, combines elements of Hip Hop, Jazz, soul, funk, and classical, and in 2018 he composed the orchestral Hip Hop work Soul Restoration Suite on commission from the Oakland Symphony. His Movements was featured as part of the SF Symphony’s CURRENTS video series and was later released as a recording on SFS Media.
MARK INOUYE, Principal Trumpet of the SF Symphony and occupant of the William G. Irwin Charity Foundation Chair, attended UC Davis and graduated from the Juilliard School. He has held principal trumpet positions with the Houston and Charleston symphonies and has performed with the New York Philharmonic and the Israel Philharmonic. His jazz album, The Trumpet & the Bull, includes his own compositions.
AARON SCHUMAN joined the SFS as Associate Principal Trumpet in 2018. A native of Buffalo, New York, he graduated from Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music before pursuing graduate studies at Rice University.
DANIEL HAWKINS joined the SF Symphony horn section in September 2017. He has performed with ensembles around the country, including the Houston Symphony, Dallas Symphony, San Antonio Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, and New World Symphony.
TIMOTHY HIGGINS joined the SF Symphony as Principal Trombone, occupying the Robert L. Samter Chair, in 2008. He was previously acting second trombone with the National Symphony. In 2005, he won the Robert Marsteller Competition and the ITA Trombone Quartet Competition, both part of the International Trombone Association.
JEFFREY ANDERSON joined the SF Symphony as Principal Tuba, occupying the James Irvine Chair, in 2002. Previously he was a member of the New Mexico Symphony and Rochester Philharmonic. With the SF Symphony, he has been heard as soloist in David Lang’s are you experienced? in the SoundBox series, and in the North American premiere of Robin Holloway’s Europa & and the Bull.
JESSIE FELLOWS is Assistant Principal Second Violin with the SF Symphony. Prior to her appointment, she performed frequently with both the Saint Louis Symphony and the New York Philharmonic. Born into a musical family, she began her studies at the age of three under the direction of her mother in Tulsa, OK.
KATIE KADARAUCH joined the SF Symphony in 2007 as Assistant Principal Viola. A native of the Bay Area, she was principal viola of the SF Symphony Youth Orchestra and earned a bachelor’s degree and graduate diploma from the New England Conservatory. She also studied at the Colburn Conservatory of Music, during which time she performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and recorded film scores. She plays on a Peter Rombouts viola ca.1720, on loan from the SF Symphony.
Pianist ELIZABETH SCHUMANN has a diverse career portfolio of projects, recordings, and performances which have brought her all over the world as recitalist, chamber musician, and concerto soloist. She has performed worldwide in venues including the Kennedy Center, Vienna’s Bösendorfer Saal, Toronto’s Koerner Hall, and Montreal’s Place des Arts.
KELLY LEON-PEARCE, a member of the SF Symphony since 1990, holds degrees from the Juilliard School, where her teachers included Dorothy DeLay and Felix Galimir. She has served as a regular substitute of the New York Philharmonic and as associate and assistant concertmaster of the Aspen Festival Orchestra. As a founding member of the Persichetti Quartet, she played the cycle of Vincent Persichetti quartets at Kennedy Center and a Béla Bartók cycle at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
A native of Seoul, South Korea, IN SUN JANG began studying violin at age four. She graduated from the Juilliard School and New England Conservatory, where she studied with Donald Weilerstein. A top prize winner at the International Henryk Szeryng Violin Competition, she made her Korean recital debut in 2000 and her Japanese recital debut in 2004. Prior to joining the SF Symphony in 2011, she was a concertmaster with the New World Symphony.
GINA COOPER joined the SF Symphony viola section in 1992, having served previously as a member of the Buffalo Philharmonic. A native of Ardsley, NY, she began her musical studies on piano and holds a master’s degree from the Yale School of Music.
DAVID GOLDBLATT, occupant of the Christine & Pierre Lamond Second Century Chair, joined the SF Symphony cello section in 1978, having previously played in the Pittsburgh Symphony. He has also been a cellist with the Concerto Soloists of Philadelphia and the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra.
STEPHANIE MCNAB has held the piccolo chair in the San Francisco Opera Orchestra since 2002. Her former orchestral positions include the Buffalo Philharmonic, New Mexico Symphony, and Long Beach Symphony. As a chamber musician, she has performed with Music@Menlo, the Carmel Bach Festival, and the African American Composers Initiative.
BARBARA BOGATIN joined the SF 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. 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.
Hailing from Oakland, KEV CHOICE earned music degrees from Xavier and Southern Illinois universities. His band, Kev Choice Ensemble, combines elements of Hip Hop, Jazz, soul, funk, and classical, and in 2018 he composed the orchestral Hip Hop work Soul Restoration Suite on commission from the Oakland Symphony. His Movements was featured as part of the SF Symphony’s CURRENTS video series and was later released as a recording on SFS Media.
MARK INOUYE, Principal Trumpet of the SF Symphony and occupant of the William G. Irwin Charity Foundation Chair, attended UC Davis and graduated from the Juilliard School. He has held principal trumpet positions with the Houston and Charleston symphonies and has performed with the New York Philharmonic and the Israel Philharmonic. His jazz album, The Trumpet & the Bull, includes his own compositions.
AARON SCHUMAN joined the SFS as Associate Principal Trumpet in 2018. A native of Buffalo, New York, he graduated from Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music before pursuing graduate studies at Rice University.
DANIEL HAWKINS joined the SF Symphony horn section in September 2017. He has performed with ensembles around the country, including the Houston Symphony, Dallas Symphony, San Antonio Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, and New World Symphony.
TIMOTHY HIGGINS joined the SF Symphony as Principal Trombone, occupying the Robert L. Samter Chair, in 2008. He was previously acting second trombone with the National Symphony. In 2005, he won the Robert Marsteller Competition and the ITA Trombone Quartet Competition, both part of the International Trombone Association.
JEFFREY ANDERSON joined the SF Symphony as Principal Tuba, occupying the James Irvine Chair, in 2002. Previously he was a member of the New Mexico Symphony and Rochester Philharmonic. With the SF Symphony, he has been heard as soloist in David Lang’s are you experienced? in the SoundBox series, and in the North American premiere of Robin Holloway’s Europa & and the Bull.
JESSIE FELLOWS is Assistant Principal Second Violin with the SF Symphony. Prior to her appointment, she performed frequently with both the Saint Louis Symphony and the New York Philharmonic. Born into a musical family, she began her studies at the age of three under the direction of her mother in Tulsa, OK.
KATIE KADARAUCH joined the SF Symphony in 2007 as Assistant Principal Viola. A native of the Bay Area, she was principal viola of the SF Symphony Youth Orchestra and earned a bachelor’s degree and graduate diploma from the New England Conservatory. She also studied at the Colburn Conservatory of Music, during which time she performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and recorded film scores. She plays on a Peter Rombouts viola ca.1720, on loan from the SF Symphony.
Pianist ELIZABETH SCHUMANN has a diverse career portfolio of projects, recordings, and performances which have brought her all over the world as recitalist, chamber musician, and concerto soloist. She has performed worldwide in venues including the Kennedy Center, Vienna’s Bösendorfer Saal, Toronto’s Koerner Hall, and Montreal’s Place des Arts.
