Six new musicians have joined the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra as part of its 75th season.
Performing under music director Robert Spano, the new appointments include three tenure-track musicians and three one-year temporary appointments. Check out profiles on each musician below, courtesy of the ASO!
Associate Principal Oboe Zachary Boeding holds The Kendeda Fund Endowed Chair of the ASO. He joins the Orchestra from the San Antonio Symphony where he served as the Assistant Principal/Second Oboe. A native of Kansas City, Boeding has performed with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Grand Teton Festival Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, as well as the Kansas City, Princeton and Bay Atlantic Symphonies. Additionally, he was a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center and a core member of The Orchestra Now (TŌN), an orchestra training program at Bard College.
Principal Cello Rainer Eudeikis, holder of The Miriam & John Conant Chair, joins the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra from the Utah Symphony, where he served for five seasons as Principal Cellist. Eudeikis has performed in the same role at the Mainly Mozart Festival, Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music and the Central City Opera. A Texas native, Eudeikis began cello studies at the age of six. Following studies in Colorado with Jurgen de Lemos, he attended the University of Michigan as a student of Richard Aaron, completing his Bachelor of Music degree in three years with highest honors. He received his Master of Music degree from Indiana University, where he studied with Eric Kim. In 2014, Eudeikis completed his Artist Diploma at the Curtis Institute of Music, studying with Carter Brey and Peter Wiley.
Principal Viola Zhenwei Shi holds The Edus H. & Harriet H. Warren Chair of the ASO. Hehas performed as a solo violist and chamber musician at prestigious venues such as Buckingham Palace, Wigmore Hall, Royal Festival Hall and Shanghai Concert Hall. Shi began his viola studies with Li Sheng at the Middle school of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. He attended the Royal Academy of Music with a full scholarship for his undergraduate studies with Paul Silverthorne, Roger Chase and Juan-Miguel Hernandez. After graduating with a first-class honor degree, he attended San Francisco Conservatory for his master’s degree studies.
Jeremy Buckler joins the ASO’s trombone section as a one-year appointment. He earned his Bachelor of Music degree from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and a Master of Music degree from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. Before joining the Atlanta Symphony, he was a member of the National Symphony Orchestra for three seasons. Prior to that, he was a member of the United States Navy Band, Washington, D.C., for seven years.
Brittany Conrad joins the ASO as a one-year appointment to the bass section. She is a recent graduate of the Master of Music program at The Juilliard School, where she studied with Harold Robinson and Rex Surany, and was a proud recipient of the Kovner Fellowship. In 2017, she graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree from the Colburn School Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles, studying with Peter Lloyd. She has performed regularly with the Budapest Festival Orchestra, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the New World Symphony.
Sheela Iyengar joins the Second Violin section as a one-year appointment. Iyengar is an alumni of the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra and has been a regularly engaged musician with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for a number of years. She is married to ASO Acting Principal Second Violin Sou-Chun Su.
Up next at the Symphony, the ASO presents Christmas with the ASO, Christmas with Michael W. Smith, Handel’s Messiah, a family holiday concert, and more. Visit their website here for more information and tickets.
Planning a night out at the symphony soon? Make sure to post a photo of your copy of Encore with the hashtag #EncoreOnTheTown so we can connect with you!
Featured photo: ASO 75th Opening Night. Photo credit: Raftermen.
