Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Welcomes New Musicians

Eight new musicians have joined the orchestra including six string players 

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) has announced eight new musicians as it begins its 2024/25 season, as well as its five-year collective bargaining agreement starting on September 9, 2024. 

After extensive auditions drawing from a competitive national applicant pool, those who have won positions in the orchestra are:

• David Alexander, Acting Associate Principal Horn (one-year contract)
• Rose Brown, Section Violin
• Elizabeth Furuta, Section Violin
• Lachezar Kostov, Associate Principal Cello
• Joseph Ohkubo, Section Violin
• Noah Roper, Bass Trombone
• Jonathan Yi, Section Violin
• Tianlu (Jerry) Xu, Section Cello.

David Alexander previously performed with the New World Symphony and the Houston Symphony and as acting second horn with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. He will also begin his teaching career this Fall as adjunct faculty at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. 

Rose Brown previously served as an acting member of the CSO from 2022 to 2024 and regularly performs with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. She is a graduate of Indiana University and the University of Michigan, where her mentors included Mimi Zweig and Danielle Belen.

Prior to joining CSO, Elizabeth Furuta served as second associate concertmaster of the Omaha Symphony and as a member of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. She has also performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, and Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

Formerly associate principal cellist of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Lachezar Kostov has performed as a soloist at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Leipzig Gewandhaus, and Oji Hall. Kostov studied cello at Bulgaria’s National Conservatory, the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and at the Yale and Rice universities. 

Previously, Joseph Ohkubo was an acting member of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. He has served as associate concertmaster of the Terre Haute Symphony and performed with the Louisville Orchestra and made appearances at the Verbier Festival, Music Masters Course Japan, Colorado College Music Festival, and Kent Blossom Music Festival.

Noah Roper began serving as bass trombonist for the CSO in December 2023. Prior to that, he was the bass trombone fellow at the New World Symphony from 2020 to 2023. He has also performed with the London, San Francisco, and Atlanta symphony orchestras, among others. 

Violinist Jonathan Yi is a graduate of the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, studying with Mimi Zweig and Alexander Kerr. Since 2022, he has been a member of the Grant Park Music Festival Orchestra, where he was acting assistant concertmaster for the 2023 season.

Tianlu “Jerry” Xu has performed as a soloist with several orchestras in Shanghai, and immediately following his graduation from the Colburn School, he was appointed third chair cellist of the Pacific Symphony for the 2023/24 season. Additionally, he has performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. 

The musicians join the CSO as it begins its five-year collective bargaining agreement, which now  places the ensemble in the top 10 American orchestras regarding competitive salaries; improvements to scheduling parameters; and industry-leading audition and tenure practices focusing on transparency, equity, and support mechanisms, as recommended by the National Alliance for Audition Support (NAAS) and the Black Orchestral Network.

On September 10, the CSO launched its new season with “John Legend: A Night of Songs and Stories with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra” at the Riverbend Music Center. The CSO’s first subscription concert featuring Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, will be held on September 27 and 28 at Music Hall. Additionally, Music Director Designate Cristian Măcelaru will return to conduct Dvořák’s New World Symphony on February 8 and 9, 2025. 

“Our exceptional musicians are at the center of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s mission, vision, and service to the community,” said CSO’s President and CEO, Jonathan Martin in the press release. “We’re thrilled to welcome David, Rose, Elizabeth, Lachezar, Joseph, Noah, Jonathan and Tianlu to the CSO family as we prepare for the 2024-25 season and launch of Cristian Măcelaru’s tenure as Music Director of our Orchestra in 2025.”