Three New Principal Appointments at the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

Zhenwei Shi (Principal Viola), Michael Banks (Assistant Principal Bass), and Julia Harguindey (Principal Bassoon) have all joined the ranks

Three new players have joined the ranks of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO), all to principal roles. They are  Zhenwei Shi (Principal Viola), Michael Banks (Assistant Principal Bass), and Julia Harguindey (Principal Bassoon).

Zenwei Shi joins the PSO from a role as Principal Viola of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, where hewas appointed aged just 23 in 2019. Shi has made a number of guest appearances with orchestras including the San Francisco Symphony and Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He is a graduate of London's Royal Academy of Music and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Michael Banks studied with Rex Surany at The Juilliard School and with Peter Lloyd at the Colburn School. He has made guest appearances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the L.A. Phil New Music Group, and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and has also served as a fellow at the Center for Orchestral Leadership at the Aspen Music Festival and School.

Julia Harguindey is already familiar with the PSO, having appeared as Guest Principal for the season finale of the BNY Classics concerts during the 2024/25 season. This concert included recordings of the World Premiere of Lera Auerbach’s Frozen Dreams and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10. She comes to the orchestra from a role as Principal Bassoon of the Nashville Symphony and the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra, and while she is in Pittsburgh, she will begin teaching at the Carnegie Mellon University School of Music as well as at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.

"Each of these three musicians brings a passion and energy to their playing that will add to the vitality of our great orchestra," said Manfred Honeck, PSO Music Director. "Julia, Zhenwei and Michael continue a long line of incredibly distinguished players in Pittsburgh, and will themselves contribute to our history. I am pleased to welcome all three to the PSO family, excited to perform with them — whether at Heinz Hall, in the community, or abroad — and eager for the music they will inspire and create."