The Cayuga Chamber Orchestra recently held auditions for section string positions and have announced seven winners, now members of the orchestra.
Distinguished by the designation of the “Official Orchestra of the City of Ithaca,” Cayuga Chamber Orchestra has been presenting exceptional live classical music to the region since 1976. The Orchestra was founded by Charles McCary when a group of local professional musicians debuted as the Finger Lakes Orchestra.
The Cayuga Chamber Orchestra has a strong commitment to serving its community in a variety of ways. Through its professional excellence, vibrant performances, community education, and passion for transformation through music, Cayuga Chamber Orchestra is devoted to fostering artistic life in the Ithaca and Finger Lakes regions of New York State.
Wan-Chun Hu – violin – Bloomsfield, New Jersey
Originally from Taiwan, Wan-Chun Hu is a classically trained musician and music teacher. In 2020, Wan-Chun won the second prize at the American Protege International Competition and was chosen to perform in Carnegie Hall. Additionally, Wan-Chun has won several orchestra positions, including first violin with the Annapolis Symphony, second violin with the Binghamton Philharmonic, and substitute violin with the Buffalo Philharmonic and Allentown Symphony.
William Knuth – violin – Liverpool
William Knuth, violinist and Fulbright Scholar, has earned recognition for his artistry as a solo and chamber musician. He is Assistant Professor of Violin and string department coordinator at the Syracuse University Setnor School of Music with a private teaching studio in Syracuse, NY. As a member of Duo Sonidos with guitarist Adam Levin, Knuth has performed extensively throughout the United States, Europe, Africa, and South America.
Asher Wulfman – violin – Ithaca
Asher Wulfman, violinist, is a performer of solo, chamber, and orchestral works for violin currently based in Ithaca NY. He is a member of Symphoria and Cayuga Chamber Orchestra and performs regularly with Opera Ithaca and Cornell University’s Ensemble X. He is also a guest lecturer at Cornell University, and is on the faculty of Opus Ithaca School of Music, where he also coordinates and coaches chamber music.
Bryce Bunner – viola – Penfield
Bryce Bunner, violist currently serves as principal violist of the Erie Philharmonic, and performs as an extra musician with the Rochester Philharmonic & Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestras. He also performs in the DC area with the Post Classical Ensemble, Inscape Chamber Orchestra, and the Washington Concert Opera. He spent 21 years as a violist with the Air Force Strings/USAF Band in Washington, D.C., and taught and coached the DC Youth Orchestra program for many years.
Peter Dudek – viola – New York City
Peter Dudek, Violist, completed his Bachelor’s degree in The Juilliard School, where currently he is pursuing his Master’s degree under the tutelage of Molly Carr. He is an alumn of Itzhak Perlman’s Perlman Music Program as well as Pinchas Zukerman’s Young Artists Program. Peter is under agreement to perform for the final time as a member of the Verbier Festival Orchestra in Switzerland this upcoming summer.
Grace Ho – cello – New York City
Taiwanese-American cellist Grace Ho, praised by South Florida Classical Review “…the warmth and flexibility of Grace Ho’s cello solos were standouts”, is an active soloist and chamber musician in the United States and Asia. Ms. Ho has appeared as soloist with the Vienna Ensemble, Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra, Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra, Ho Chi Minh City Symphony Orchestra, Evergreen Symphony Orchestra, and many more.
Zachary Sweet – cello – Ithaca
Zachary Sweet, Cellist, is a registered Teacher Trainer with the Suzuki Association of the Americas. He is currently an instructor of cello at Nazareth College, Binghamton University, and on the faculties of Ithaca Talent Education and Music Together of Ithaca. Nationally, he is in demand as a clinician having lead workshops, masterclasses and institutes across the United States and Canada.
Auditions were held behind a screen and were evaluated by a panel of our musicians and Interim Music Director, Grant Cooper. Look for these new musicians onstage in the coming months.
UPCOMING EVENTS FOR CAYUGA CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
Holiday Concert Händel’s Messiah
Saturday, Dec.16, 2023 at 7:30 PM
Ford Hall, Ithaca College
Chamber Series Mozart and Schumann
Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024 at 3 PM
First Unitarian Church, Ithaca
Orchestral Series Beethoven’s Second
Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024 at 7:30 PM
Ford Hall, Ithaca College
Orchestral Series Beethoven’s Fourth
Saturday, Mar. 23, 2024 at 7:30 PM
Ford Hall, Ithaca College
Chamber Series Brahms and Glière
Sunday, Apr. 21, 2024 at 3 PM
First Unitarian Church, Ithaca
Passing the Baton The Four Seasons
Sunday, May 19, 2024 at 3:00 PM
First Presbyterian Church, Ithaca
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