Danielle Aiken
Trumpet
Chicago, Illinois, USA 

Danielle Aiken has been studying trumpet for 14 years. She received her Bachelors of Music from Florida State University in 2008. She continued on to obtain her Masters Degree at DePaul University in 2010 where she studied with John Hagstrom, Tage Larsen, and Matt Lee.

Currently residing in Chicago, Danielle freelances with a variety of ensembles in the area. In the past she has attended music festivals such as the Eastern Music Festival and the Aspen Music Festival.

Danielle was a winner of the ITG scholarship competition and a semi finalist at the National Trumpet Competition.  

Lindsay Baggett
Violin
Marietta, Georgia, USA

Violinist Lindsey Baggett grew up in a music-loving family in Marietta, Georgia. She began her violin studies in the second grade. She is currently a Master of Music student of William Preucil at the Cleveland Institute of Music, graduating in the spring of 2011. She earned her Bachelor of Music degree from Florida State University as a student of Karen Clarke.

Additional studies with Laura Bossert at the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, MA were essential to her musical growth. Lindsey enjoys playing in orchestras, and has been a member of the Tallahassee Symphony, Mansfield Symphony, Gulf Coast Sinfonia, and Firelands Symphony, among others. She has served as concertmaster of the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra, and is currently a New World Symphony semi-finalist.

Lindsey is an alumna of Aspen Music Festival, where she studied with Cornelia Heard, and was a member of the Aspen Chamber Symphony and Festival Orchestra. Other music festivals include National Repertory Orchestra in Breckenridge, CO, LyricaFest Chamber Music Festival, and Brevard Music Festival. She was a recipient of Brevard Music Center’s Repertory Training Program Fellowship in 2005. An active chamber musician, Lindsey has been coached by Peter Salaff, Charles Castleman, Andres Cardenes, Carolyn Warner, and Roger Tapping. Lindsey is a certified Suzuki violin teacher, and received her training through the Cleveland Institute of Music Suzuki Pedagogy program. Outside of music, Lindsey’s interests include fashion design, art, and reading. 

Sophie Baird-Daniel
Harp
Seattle, Washington, USA

Sophie Baird-Daniel is from Seattle, Washington where she began playing harp at the age of 9.  Her previous teachers include Valerie Muzzolini of the Seattle Symphony and Kathleen Bride of the Eastman School of Music.  She currently resides in Toronto as a student of Judy Loman.

Sophie has had the opportunity to be coached in master classes and summer programs with leading harp pedagogues including Isabelle Perrin, Elizabeth Fontan-Binoche, Elizabeth Hainen, Catherine Michel, Mariko Anraku, and Natalia Shamayeva.  In 2010, Sophie was awarded 1st runner up at the Anne Adams Awards and was given the opportunity to perform the Debussy Trio Sonate with members of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Sophie attends the Royal Conservatory of Music’s Glenn Gould School in Toronto, where she pursues a Bachelor of Music and Performance Artist Diploma under the tutelage of Judy Loman. 

David Ellis
Cello
Cleveland, Ohio, USA 

David Ellis, a native of Solon, Ohio, is thrilled to be back with the YOA for a second summer.  David presently studies at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he is studying towards a Bachelor’s Degree in cello performance and a Master’s Degree in viola da gamba and baroque cello.  His teacher for all three instruments is Catharina Meints.

As a cellist, David has served as principal of both the Oberlin and Oberlin Chamber Orchestras, and has played as a member of the Oberlin Contemporary Ensemble.  He has participated in the Aspen Music Festival and the National Repertory Orchestra, and was a participant in YOA’s last tour of South America.

While by comparison a recent student of the viola da gamba and baroque cello, David is still beginning to enjoy a successful career at both instruments as well, participating in masterclasses with Anner Bylsma, and most recently was part of a historical performance trio chosen by Oberlin to play as part of their annual concert at the Kennedy Center.

In addition to his instrumental pursuits, David is an avid conducting student who, in his spare time, has devoted himself to assembling ad-hoc orchestras.  If still offered spare time, David highly enjoys films, or his favorite TV show, the West Wing. 

Jena Gardner
Horn
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Jena Gardner is currently living and working as a freelance musician in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  From 2007-2010 she was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago where she had the privilege to perform under the baton of conductors Bernard Haitink, Pierre Boulez, Mark Elder, Esa-pekka Salonen and many others.

Recently, Jena completed her Master's Degree at Carnegie Mellon University under the guidance of Pittsburgh Symphony Principal horn, Bill Caballero.  She received her Bachelor's Degree from Northwestern University and studied with former Chicago Symphony member Gail Williams.

Jena has attended the New York String Orchestra Seminar as well as the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan. 

Victor Gomez
Tuba
Alta Gracia, Cordoba, Argentina
Houston, Texas, USA

Victor Gomez was born to Argentinean parents in Houston, Texas. He started performing at age twelve, initially on trumpet, and soon moved to the Tuba when he discovered its awesome power. Only when he learned the values of discipline and musicality from his mentor and tuba teacher David Allen did he begin to unleash his true potential and develop his dedication to music.

Victor is now a student of Mark J. Barton, and has also been privileged to learn from David Kirk,  Jim Desano, Jim Austin, and Brad White. While at the University, Victor won the Moores Concerto Competition and performed with its highest ensemble on their regional tour. Mr. Gomez has performed as a guest artist for various concerts at the Moores School of Music during his studies there.  He is also quite busy outside of school, having performed with both the Rafael Mendez Institute and Instrumenta Oaxaca, winning the “Brass Divison” of the chamber-music competition with his brass Quintet.  In 2008 Mr. Gomez played tuba with the rock band Weezer during their North American tour. He enjoys exploring the application of the tuba in many different genres and styles of music.

Mr. Gomez has played in and given master classes domestically as well as abroad in Ecuador, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Colombia, and Brazil. Victor now studies in Houston Texas and works as a freelance musician. He also enjoys having a competitive private low brass studio. 

Maggie Gould
Violin
Greenville, SC, USA

Violinist Maggie Gould is from Greenville, South Carolina. Since 2007, she has won the Carolina Youth Symphony Concerto Competition, second place in the MTNA competition, and placed as a finalist twice in the Greater Anderson Musical Arts Consortium Competition. Margaret has received the Emerson Scholar Award as well as the Fine Arts Award at the Interlochen Arts Camp. She has been selected as a National Symphony Fellow at the Kennedy Center, and selected to play in the National High School Honors Orchestra in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She received a full scholarship to attend Meadowmount in the summer of 2010.

Margaret has performed in masterclasses for Charles Castleman, Burton Kaplan, William Preucil, George Taylor, Elizabeth Adkins and Holly Hamilton. She is currently a student of Gerardo Ribeiro at Northwestern University. 

Adam Daniel Jones
Bass Trombone
Wichita, Kansas, USA

A native of Kansas, Bass Trombonist Adam Daniel Jones recently completed his Masters Degree Program at the New England Conservatory of Music. He also holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Wichita State University, graduating with Honors in 2007. While at WSU Mr. Jones was a featured soloist with the WSU Symphony Orchestra, Trombone Ensemble and Jazz Arts Ensemble. While residing in Boston, Mr. Jones was an active freelance musician, regularly performing with multiple area orchestras. Mr. Jones is currently the bass trombonist with The Wichita Grand Opera. He is an alumnus of the Aspen Music Festival and Pierre Monteux School. His principal teachers were Russ Widener, John Rojak and Douglas Yeo. Mr. Jones is also an avid photographer and scuba diver. 

Priscilla Rinehart
French Horn
Seminole, Florida, USA

Priscilla Rinehart attends The Juilliard School in New York City, and is studying French Horn Performance under William Purvis. She is a third year undergraduate student and performs with the Juilliard Orchestra, Opera Orchestra, and chamber ensembles. Ms. Rinehart is twenty one years old and graduated from Seminole High School in southwest Florida. While there she participated in All-State and All-County ensembles. Priscilla attributes her musical beginnings to her first private teacher, Carolyn Wahl, of The Florida Orchestra. Ms. Rinehart is expected to graduate in the spring of 2012, then begin a Master's degree. She is a recipient of the Irene Diamond Scholarship.

Joel Schut
Violin
Boulder, Colorado, USA 

Fascinated by music’s ability to connect people, places, ideas and communities, Joel Schut is active as a conductor, educator and violinist. Originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan, he began his training on piano and quickly developed a passion for making music. Joel is a graduate of the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance where he was awarded the Albert A. Stanley Medal, the school’s highest honor. As a conductor, he has served as Music Director of the Livingston Symphony Orchestra from 2007-2010 as well as founding director of the Detroit Medical Orchestra. As a violinist, Joel is a former member of the Flint Symphony Orchestra and a semi-finalist for the New World Symphony. He has performed with the Aspen Music Festival, the National Repertory Orchestra and the American Institute of Musical Studies Festival Orchestra in Graz, Austria. A passionate advocate for music education, Joel served as Orchestra Director at Saline High School in Saline, Michigan teaching a vibrant string program of over 160 students. Additionally, he has served as an American Music Ambassador on a Cultures in Harmony project in Tunisia. He is currently pursuing a masters degree in orchestral conducting at the University of Colorado-Boulder under the instruction of Gary Lewis. 

Michael Severance
Bassoon
San Francisco, California, USA 

Michael Severance is a 21-year-old bassoonist from San Francisco, California. He is currently studying bassoon with Kristin Wolfe Jensen at the University of Texas at Austin. He has won the Felix Khuner Concerto Competition and second prize in the Fremont Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition.

He has performed as a soloist in concerti with the Fremont Symphony Orchestra and the Prometheus Symphony Orchestra. He has performed in master classes of Frank Forst, Kathleen McLean, Jeff Robinson, Steve Wilson, Martin Kuuskmann, and the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet.

He previously studied at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music with Stephen Paulson, where he received awards for outstanding achievement in bassoon performance, musicianship, and music theory. 

Kevin Shannon
Trumpet
Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA 

Kevin Shannon is a native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA and began playing the trumpet at the age of 9. After studying with Dr. Karl Sievers at the University of Oklahoma where he received his Bachelor of Music in 2009, Kevin received his Master of Music degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music in the Spring of 2011 under the instruction of Mr. Michael Sachs.

As a soloist, Mr. Shannon won the 2003 International Trumpet Guild Youth Competition in Fort Worth, Texas. As well as being a finalist in the National Trumpet Competition twice as a soloist in the high school and college solo divisions, Kevin was a member of the 2010 National Repertory Orchestra in Breckenridge, Colorado, USA.

As a chamber musician, Kevin has performed with his brass quintet in master classes of the Cavani String Quartet and in local homeless shelters of Cleveland, Ohio.

Kevin enjoys reading, playing sports, learning the German language, and drinking coffee. His plans for next year are to move to Houston, Texas and to begin work on his Doctor of Musical Arts degree under the instruction of Mr. Jim Vassallo at the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music.

Robin Su
Violin
Boulder, Colorado, USA

Robin Su is pursuing a double-degree at Oberlin College and Conservatory in Violin Performance and Hispanic Studies. A native of Colorado, and playing violin since age 8, she has gained her musical experience from various music festivals and orchestras including Aspen Music Festival Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra Academy of the Pacific, and playing alongside members of Oberlin faculty, Colorado Symphony Orchestra and Cleveland Orchestra. She is currently a student of Marilyn McDonald.

In addition, Robin recently spent four months in Cuba studying at the University of Havana and exploring various styles of Cuban music. She is now researching Latin American ethnomusicology, with an emphasis on the African Diaspora in the Americas.  

Ivy Wong
Double Bass
New York, USA/Hong Kong

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Ivy started playing the Double Bass at age ten.   She was the principal bass at the Hong Kong Youth Symphony Orchestra, Eastern Festival Symphony Orchestra, Purchase Symphony Orchestra, Belilios Symphony Orchestra, and others.  She came third in the Bass Solo competition (Senior) in Hong Kong School Music Festival.

In addition to participating in competitions, Ivy has toured with orchestras and choirs to music festivals around the world since she was ten.  In summer 2010, Ivy participated in Moritzburg Festival Academy in Germany.  She is currently studying with Timothy Cobb at State University of New York - Purchase College and double majoring in Arts Management.

Apart from playing the bass, Ivy is also a conductor, chamber pianist, and an A capella singer.  A natural collaborator and supporter of new music, Ivy is greatly in demand for chamber music alliances. She was honored as the “Musician of the Year” of Belilios Public School in 2007 and appointed as the Chairlady of the school’s Music Society shortly after.  Under her direction, the school orchestra has won championships in Hong Kong Youth Music Interflow Competition and Hong Kong School Music. 

Jennifer Zhou
Flute
Columbus, Ohio, USA 

A native of China, 18 year old Jennifer Zhou is a freshman flutist on full merit scholarship studying with Professor Bonita Boyd at the Eastman School of Music. Jennifer made her debut in Carnegie Hall in October 2010, as a result of being a First Prize Winner of the Alexander & Buono International Flute Competition. She has participated in many orchestras including the Aspen Music Festival Orchestras, Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra, the 2008 American Strings Teacher Association National High School Honor Orchestra, and Interlochen World Youth Symphony Orchestra.

Jennifer was named a substitute for the 2010 New World Symphony and winner of the 2010 Yamaha Young Performing Artists for flute. She was the winner of the 2010 Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition and performed with COYO in Severance Hall on May 9, 2010. Zhou has garnered numerous awards including First Place in the 2009 National Flute Association High School Soloist Competition, YoungArts Honorable Mention Award by the 2010 National Foundation for the Advancement in the Arts, and finalist for the 2010 Astral Artist National Auditions. She won the second annual “The President’s Own” Marine Band Concerto Competition and the opportunity to perform with the Marine Band in their Young People’s Concert. Zhou placed second in the 2009 MTNA Senior Woodwind Competition. She was featured on NPR’s From the Top. Jennifer was first place winner in the 2004 MTNA Junior Woodwind Competition as well as the COFA Junior and Senior Competitions.

Jennifer began her studies at the age of six. She has studied with Beth Owen (NCTM) and Martha Aarons (freelancing and former 2nd flute of The Cleveland Orchestra). Jennifer has attended the Aspen Music Festival and School, the Interlochen Center for the Arts, Oberlin Flute Institute, and Kennedy Center’s National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute. Upcoming engagements include a performance as a member of the 2011 YouTube Symphony Orchestra at the Sydney Opera House on March 20, 2011, and a solo performance with The Cleveland Orchestra at Severance Hall on April 26, 2011.