Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

A recipient of the Takaya Urakawa Foundation Grant awarded to promising young musicians, Moon Doh is associate conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, appointed by Music Director Manfred Honeck in 2021. In this role, he has conducted subscription, education, family and movie concerts as well as sold-out performances with artists such as Sting. An active community builder, he has presented Beethoven’s string quartets in various libraries across Pittsburgh, held Discovery and Drinks talks in different breweries, and led children’s concerts in diverse venues including the MuseumLab in collaboration with Mo Willems. 

As the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Flora Symphony Orchestra in Cologne, Germany prior to his Pittsburgh appointment, he initiated the orchestra’s first ever live stream concerts that reached an unprecedented number of audiences across the globe over three seasons. He not only led exciting subscription concerts but also worked closely with music pedagogues in order to give young people a chance to learn and experience orchestral music in a meaningful way. 

In recent years, Moon has worked with many orchestras across Europe: WDR Funkhausorchester, Duisburger Philharmoniker, Düsseldorfer Symphoniker, Neue Philharmonie Westfalen, and Bergische Symphoniker, Dortmunder Philharmoniker in Germany, Romanian Chamber Orchestra in Romania, Malaga Philharmonic Orchestra in Spain, Sinfonietta Cracovia in Poland, and Pleven Philharmonic in Bulgaria to name a few. Moon's latest collaborations in the US include debuts with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Symphoria.

Born in South Korea, Moon spent much of his childhood in the Philippines, Russia, and the United States. At the age of nine, he began cello and piano studies in Russia and has since performed with various youth and student orchestras across the globe. As a passionate advocate for young rising artists, he led concerts with the All-State Orchestra of Hessen in Germany. In addition, he was also the conductor of the Under-16 Orchestra of Tonhalle Düsseldorf and regularly coached the Youth Orchestra of Essen.

A staunch believer in empowering others, Moon has actively worked with asylum seekers in Hungary, children in underserved areas of Bangladesh, and inmates in Baltimore as the president of a student organization while completing his B.A. in International Relations and Economics from Johns Hopkins University. He currently sits on the Board of Violence Prevention Network USA, an organization that helps people at risk of radicalization.

Moon studied orchestral conducting at the Robert Schumann Hochschule Düsseldorf in Germany. Prior to his conducting studies, he received a B.A. in music composition from Sahmyook University in South Korea. Moon has participated in renowned music festivals such as Accademia Chigiana in Italy and Bartók Festival in Hungary. His mentors include Manfred Honeck, Rüdiger Bohn, Cristian Măcelaru, Peter Eötvös, and Jorma Panula. IG: @doh.moon

Principal Viola of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra for the seasons of 2018-2025, Tatjana Mead joined the orchestra in 1993, under the direction of Lorin Maazel and in 2003, was appointed Associate Principal Viola, under Mariss Jansons.

In 2015, Tatjana founded the Clarion Quartet, with three other members of the Pittsburgh Symphony. The virtuoso ensemble is dedicated to bringing to light the works of composers silenced by oppression. Their debut album, Breaking the Silence, was released in 2018 on the TYE/Naxos label.

Nominated in 2017 for a Latin Grammy for her performance of the Sonata for Viola and Piano, dedicated to her by the Brazilian composer/pianist, André Mehmari, Tatjana released an album of Brazilian music, titled Viola Brasil, in 2023. Her extensive performances as a recitalist and chamber musician have been broadcast on NPR and WQED in Pittsburgh. Among many solo appearances with the PSO, in 2024, Tatjana appeared as soloist with the Pittsburgh Symphony with Arvo Pärt’s Fratres, and with the PostClassical Ensemble in a program of Brasilian music at the Kennedy Center. She was also the featured recitalist at the first South American appearance of the International Viola Congress, in Brasil.

This season, Tatjana performed the world premiere of Yvar Mikhashoff’s Concerto for Viola, with the Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh, on April 4, 2026.

Tatjana has taught masterclasses around the world and enjoys teaching/lecturing at the graduate level at Carnegie Mellon University.

Tatjana is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, where she studied with Joseph dePasquale, and the student of Mikhail Boguslavsky, co-founder of the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, with whom she began her viola studies, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

When Tatjana takes time away from her main love of music making, she can be found cycling every road and mountain trail in the Pittsburgh vicinity. She is also the lucky mother of a daughter and twin sons.

Dennis O'Boyle joined the second violin section of the Pittsburgh Symphony in the fall of 2000 under Music Director Mariss Jansons and attained the position of fourth chair in 2003. In 2011 he was formally appointed assistant principal second violin after serving the previous three years as acting assistant principal 

Before arriving in Pittsburgh, Dennis O'Boyle spent three years in Florida as a fellow in Miami Beach's New World Symphony and subsequently as principal second violin of the Florida Orchestra, Tampa Bay. 

Since arriving in Pittsburgh, Dennis O'Boyle has been active in the musical life of the city, participating in many and varied chamber music performances around town. Recent notable appearances include performances of Stravinsky's "L'Histoire du Soldat" with Attack Theatre of Pittsburgh, annual appearances in the Chamber Music Concert of the Pittsburgh Jewish Music Festival, and frequent performances in the Chatham University Chamber Music Series. O'Boyle also teaches privately and coaches chamber music and sectionals with the Three Rivers Young Peoples Orchestra. In addition, during the summer he is a member of the prestigious Grand Teton Music Festival in Wyoming. 

From a musical family, Dennis O’Boyle began studying the violin at the age of three with his mother and grew up surrounded by the sounds of string playing from her numerous students as well as his four sisters, who all went on to become professional musicians. O'Boyle spent his early childhood in Lincoln, Nebraska, but later the family spent five years in Peru and Chile, which was formative in cultivating his continuing passion for world travel. 

Dennis O'Boyle holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder, as a student of Oswald Lehnert. He earned his Master of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with Ik Hwan Bae. O'Boyle performs on a violin made by Gioffredo Cappa in 1690.  He lives in Squirrel Hill with his wife, Anna Wukich, and their two sons, Henry and Michael. 

Ukrainian violinist Marta Krechkovsky joined the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra at the beginning of the 2014-2015 season. An experienced performer of orchestral and chamber music, she has participated in numerous music festivals such as Pacific Music Festival and Verbier Festival where she has served as a concertmaster. She also took part in Miyazaki International Music Festival and was invited to perform with World Orchestra for Peace as a tribute to Sir Georg Solti on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his birth. She is currently a violinist with the Grand Teton Music Festival in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. 

An active chamber musician, Marta Krechkovsky has appeared in New York’s concert halls such as Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall, Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall and Bargemusic in Brooklyn, as well as Kitara Chamber Music Hall in Sapporo, Japan. A few chamber music highlights include performances with Yo-Yo Ma, Julian Rachlin and St. Lawrence String Quartet at the Grand Teton Music Festival, as well as Augustin Hadelich, Narek Hakhnazaryan, Benjamin Grosvenor and Pablo Sáinz-Villegas.

Marta Krechkovsky is a member of the Clarion Quartet, a quartet formed by members of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra that specializes in “Entartete Musik.” Clarion Quartet’s debut album, Breaking the Silence, was released in February of 2018 on the TYE/Naxos label. 

Marta Krechkovsky became a prizewinner at Kocian International Violin Competition in Czech Republic at the age of 10 and was a top-prize winner at Canadian Music Competition in Montreal. As a soloist, Krechkovsky has appeared with numerous orchestras in her native Ukraine, including the Lviv State Symphony Orchestra.  She performed Bach's Double concerto with Joshua Bell and Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra during their Asia tour and in 2021 performed Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. 

Marta Krechkovsky began studying violin at the age of six with her father, Orest Krechkovsky. She received her earlier training at Young Artists Performance Academy at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, where she studied with Atis Bankas. She holds Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from The Juilliard School where she studied with Glenn Dicterow, and a professional studies degree in orchestral performance from the Manhattan School of Music where she studied with Glenn Dicterow and Lisa Kim.

Violist Sean Juhl joined the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in June of 2022. He has had the privilege of performing as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player in venues around the world, including prestigious locations such as Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw Hall, London’s Royal Albert Hall, New York City’s Carnegie Hall, and Salzburg’s Grosses Festspielhaus.

In 2021, Sean Juhl was named a London Symphony Orchestra Keston MAX Fellow at the Music Academy of the West and performed with the LSO under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle in March 2022. Juhl was the first-prize winner in The Juilliard School’s 2019 viola concerto competition and made his solo debut with the Juilliard Orchestra at Alice Tully Hall in New York City. Additionally, Juhl joined the 2019 New York String Orchestra Seminar for multiple concerts in Carnegie Hall and performed with the Juilliard Orchestra in the BBC Proms later that summer. 

Juhl served as a principal violist of the Juilliard Orchestra from 2019-2022 and is an alumnus of Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra - USA. In addition to his orchestral career, Juhl is also a passionate chamber musician, attending programs such as the Perlman Music Program and the Music Academy of the West's String Quartet Seminar.

Born and raised in New York City, Juhl first began studying the violin with his mother at age four. After trying the viola at age 14, he fell in love with the instrument’s warm colors and has pursued it ever since. In his free time, Juhl enjoys cooking, making espresso, and watching Formula 1. 

Sean Juhl holds a Bachelor of Music from The Juilliard School, where he studied under Carol Rodland.

Bronwyn Banerdt joined the cello section of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in 2014.  She made her solo debut with Los Angeles Philharmonic in 2002 and has since appeared in concert throughout the United States, Europe, Russia and southern Africa. Notable solo appearances include performances with the Houston Symphony, Albany Symphony and the world premiere of Poem for Cello & Orchestra by Michael Kamen. At age 15, Banerdt was personally invited by the world-renowned composer John Rutter to perform the solo from his “Requiem” in Carnegie Hall. Banerdt was awarded Grand Prize at the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Bronislaw Kaper Awards, and she has also captured top prizes at the Houston Symphony Ima Hogg Competition and Kingsville Music Competition.  

Equally passionate about chamber music and orchestral performance, Bronwyn Banerdt has co-founded two uniquely focused chamber music ensembles with other members of the Pittsburgh Symphony. The Clarion Quartet specializes in “Entartete Musik”—music written by oppressed composers—and seeks to bring light to artists whose legacies would be silenced. The Pittsburgh Cello Quartet offers an eclectic mix from classical to pop and rock in unique arrangements for four cellos. Banerdt has collaborated with renowned artists such as Kim Kashkashian and Mitsuko Uchida, and members of the Emerson, Guarneri, Juilliard, Borodin and Orion string quartets. She has performed at numerous chamber music festivals including Marlboro Music and Music from Angel Fire. Before joining the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Banerdt was a member of the prize-winning Trio Terzetto and performed as a substitute with many of the great orchestras of the world, including the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Detroit Symphony and Lyric Opera of Chicago. Banerdt serves as artist lecturer in chamber music at Carnegie Mellon University.   

A native of Los Angeles, Bronwyn Banerdt earned her bachelor’s degree at age 19 from the USC Thornton School of Music, where she studied with Ronald Leonard. She subsequently studied at The Curtis Institute of Music with David Soyer and received her master’s degree from The Juilliard School with Richard Aaron.  

Bronwyn Banerdt plays a Montagnana model cello made by Mario Miralles in 1998.  

Nikki Porter is a singer, songwriter, vocal coach, choir director and recording artist who has traveled throughout the United States and Europe singing and teaching Gospel music. She teaches annually at the Gospel Connection conference in Assisi, Italy, directing a 350-voice mass choir comprised of singers from across Italy. This is her second year directing the PSO Lift Every Voice Unity Choir.

Some of Nikki’s favorite performances include singing at the Grand Ole Opry Theater for Verizon’s How Sweet the Sound pre-Stellar Awards showcase; touring as actress/singer with the hit Gospel musical The Bold & The Sanctified II featuring Ruben Studdard; opening for Kirk Franklin; singing background vocals with Grammy-Award-winning artist Common and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra at Heinz Hall; and touring Europe’s beautiful cathedrals and opera houses singing Gospel music.

Nikki is the Minister of Music at Eastminster Presbyterian Church, a cross-cultural, inner-city congregation in Pittsburgh’s East End. She provides oversight of the church’s music department including leading worship, directing the adult and youth praise teams, directing the children’s and mass choirs and teaching private voice lessons in the church’s afterschool music program, The Judah Project, which she established in 2005.

Nikki received her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Duquesne University, where she also studied jazz voice with the late Maureen Budway and founded the Gospel choir Gospel Joynotes. Her private studies include piano with Dr. Alton Merrell and classical voice with Eugene Perry.

Yoshiaki Nakano is from Osaka, Japan. He joined Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre in 2010, was promoted to Soloist in 2013, and was promoted to a Principal in 2014. He received his early training at the Elite Ballet Studio in Osaka, Japan, and went on to train at San Francisco Ballet School and in PBT School’s Pre-Professional Program. Yoshiaki won the gold medal at the 2013 Beijing International Ballet and Choreography Competition in China, and the silver medal at the 2010 World Ballet Competition in Orlando, Florida. In 2014, Dance Magazine named Nakano among its top 25 Dancers to Watch. 

Yoshiaki has performed the most of future roles in his career at PBT. PBT commissioned Nakano to choreograph three new works – A Fellow Feeling,Infusion and Catharsis – for its 2015-2016,2017-2018 and 2022-2023 mainstage seasons. He has also created works for PBT School, Point Park University and Tetsuya Kumakawa’s Gala in Tokyo.

Each summer Nakano returns to Osaka, Japan, to choreograph and perform in the World Dream Gala in partnership with his mother’s Elite Ballet Studio, where he grew up dancing. He also teaches, performs and choreographs in several companies and studios all around Japan.

 

Charles Timbers has been a performer for more than 30 years; appearing in over 30+ plays in Pittsburgh, and he is an active member of SAG/AFTRA and A.E.A.  He is currently the producer and director of his own show on PCTV “Changing The Narrative.” When he is not acting, Mr. Timbers is a full time Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner. Chuck is a collective member and board member of the Demaskus Theater Collective, and part of the Community Empowerment Associations (C.E.A) Arts Renaissance Collective. Mr. Timbers has been seen in multiple productions with Pittsburgh Playwrights Theater Co. and most recently seen in “The Bluegrass Mile” which received rave reviews and was submitted for the Pulitzer prize and has been selected to perform the show at the International Black theater Festival summer 2024.

Charles also  played the role of Cutler in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” at the Short North Stage Theater in Columbus, Ohio where he received the Excellence in Acting Award 2016 from the Theater Roundtable of Columbus. He has performed with New Horizons Theater C0. and Kuntu Repertory Theater Co.  He was seen in The Summer King with the Pittsburgh Opera. He has also appeared with the Mendelssohn choir in the production of” Let My People Go: A spiritual Journey Along the Underground Railroad” as the narrator. Charles was also executive producer and narrator for the short film documentary” Black Mary”.

His film credits include several local and national TV commercials, industrial and student films, Black Mary, Rehabilitation of the Hill, Dead and Alive and he played the role of Dr. Hayes in the ABC TV movie The Jacksons: An American Dream. Most recently an award-winning tribute to Martin Luther King “Spirit Everlasting” with the August Wilson Center here in Pittsburgh. Charles recently performed in “The Bold and the Sanctified” in Chicago.