For immediate release:
October 19, 2022
Contact: Julie Goetz, Director of Communications
(412) 905-9058
Musician Photos Here →
jgoetz@pittsburghsymphony.org
PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA APPOINTS THREE NEW SECOND VIOLINISTS
PITTSBURGH— The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Manfred Honeck are pleased to announce the appointment of three new members of the second violin section: Regi Papa, who joined the orchestra in September; Carolyn Semes, who will join in January 2023; and Boxianzi (Vivian) Ling, who will start in June 2023.
“We are delighted to welcome to the Pittsburgh Symphony the outstanding violinists Vivian Ling, Regi Papa and Carolyn Semes, and look forward to their meaningful musical contributions to the orchestra and our community for many years to come,” said Melia Tourangeau, president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
About the Musicians
Boxianzi (Vivian) Ling is currently finishing her graduate study at the New England Conservatory and holds a Bachelor of Music from San Francisco Conservatory, which she entered at the age of 14. Ling has performed with the San Francisco Symphony, and has soloed with the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, Symphony Parnassus, Camellia Symphony Orchestra, and the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra. Ling was concertmaster of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra from 2014-2016, performing on its European tour. Ling was born in Hunan, China, started playing violin at age five, and won her national first violin prize, the “Zhaolin violin competition,” at age six. She received Second Prize in the American Virtuoso International Music Competition in 2021 and is the winner of the Young Artist Competition of PSA 2021, the Parnassus Competition, and the 2018 San Francisco Conservatory of Music violin concerto competition.
Greco-Albanian violinist Regi Papa is an avid chamber musician, performing extensively in various ensembles throughout the United States and Europe, most recently as the first violinist of the Sullivan Quartet based in New York City. Previously, Papa was a member of the Tallis Quartet, is a founding member of the Olympus Piano Trio (winner of the 2016 Chamber Music of New England Competition) and is an active member of critically acclaimed ensembles such as Orchestra of St. Luke’s and The Knights in New York City. Papa has performed in prestigious concert halls around the world and has been invited to lead as a concertmaster for many orchestras such as Mid-Atlantic Symphony and Washington Opera Society. Regi Papa has recorded for LP Classics, Navona/Naxos and Sony Classical labels. He holds a Doctoral of Music from SUNY-Stony Brook, a Master of Music from The Juilliard School and a Bachelor of Music from the Manhattan School of Music.
Carolyn Semes, a native of Philadelphia, is a recent graduate of The Juilliard School, where she earned both a Master of Music and a Bachelor of Music. She has performed with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and the New World Symphony. While studying at Juilliard, she served as concertmaster of the Juilliard Orchestra and was a recipient of the Gluck Community Service Fellowship. She has performed at festivals across the United States and Europe including the Tanglewood Music Center, Verbier Festival, Music Academy of the West, Spoleto Festival- USA, and the Aspen Music Festival and School.
Announced earlier in August
Sheryl Hadeka joined the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in August 2022 as assistant librarian. Hadeka comes to the Pittsburgh Symphony from both the orchestra playing and music library communities. Hadeka has held horn positions in several orchestras, most recently in the Buffalo Philharmonic, and prior to that the Omaha Symphony and New Mexico Philharmonic amongst others. She has previously worked in several music libraries including the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Santa Fe Opera. She will continue as Orchestra Librarian for the Music in the Mountains Festival and is a member of MOLA: An Association of Music Performance Librarians. A passionate educator, Hadeka has taught at SUNY Buffalo State College, University of Nebraska Omaha, and Loyola University New Orleans. Sheryl Hadeka earned her Master’s degree at Southern Methodist University and her Bachelor’s degree at the Eastman School of Music.
About the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Now in its 127th season, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is credited with a rich history of engaging the world’s finest conductors and musicians and demonstrates a genuine commitment to the Pittsburgh region and its citizens.
Known for its artistic excellence for more than a century, the Pittsburgh Symphony has been led by its worldwide acclaimed Music Director Manfred Honeck since 2008; past music directors have included Fritz Reiner (1938-1948), William Steinberg (1952-1976), André Previn (1976-1984), Lorin Maazel (1984-1996) and Mariss Jansons (1997-2004). The Pittsburgh Symphony is continually at the forefront of championing new American works. The Orchestra premiered Leonard Bernstein’s Symphony No. 1 “Jeremiah” in 1944, John Adams’ Short Ride in a Fast Machine in 1986, and Mason Bates’ Resurrexit in 2018 to celebrate Manfred Honeck’s 60th birthday. The two-time 2018 GRAMMY® Awardwinning orchestra has a long and illustrious history in the areas of recordings and live radio broadcasts. Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra have received multiple GRAMMY® nominations for Best Orchestral Performance, taking home the award in 2018 for their recording of Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5; Barber: Adagio. As early as 1936, the Pittsburgh Symphony has been broadcast on the radio. The orchestra has received increased attention since 1982 through national network radio broadcasts on Public Radio International, produced by Classical WQED-FM 89.3, made possible by the musicians of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Lauded as the Pittsburgh region’s international cultural ambassador, the orchestra began regular touring in 1896 and has embarked on scores of domestic and international tours. In the summer of 2022, Music Director Manfred Honeck led the orchestra on an extensive and highly acclaimed tour of Europe, celebrating 75 years of international touring for the orchestra.