New Kansas City Symphony concertmaster Jun Iwasaki was most recently concertmaster for the Nashville Symphony Orchestra. He has acted as concertmaster for the Oregon, Pittsburgh and Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestras, and his musical roots can be traced back to his parents: both musicians.
Autumn Chodorowski, new second violinist, also had musical role models in her life. Growing up near Chicago, being able to access great performances from ensembles like the Chicago Symphony encouraged her passion for classical music.
After time with the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, Jahleel Smith is joining the Kansas City Symphony as the bass trombonist. Although trombone was not his first (or second) choice of instrument, it didn't take long for him to fall in love with it, aided by a performance of Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 8.
Matthew Lengas is the new English horn and utility oboe player for the Kansas City Symphony. He discovered the oboe through an unlikely source: a VHS tape of a Moody Blues concert. Although as a Wisconsin native he's a Packers fan, he's excited to explore all that Kansas City has to offer in terms of sports, entertainment, and nature.
As a kid growing up in Chicago, Julius Adams didn’t see himself as a violist, but once he got one in his hands, his love for the instrument blossomed quickly. Living in Chicago also afforded Julius the opportunity to hear the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at an early age.
New symphony bassist Nils Aardahl hails from Bismarck, North Dakota, where his father exposed him to a diverse world of music. He eventually got to perform with his percussionist father in their local orchestra.
When he was 3 years old, Houston native Michael Brown wanted a violin so badly that his parents turned to arts and crafts and made one out of a toilet paper roll and string to avoid tantrums. Eventually, he got a real one and has found success, landing a position in the Kansas City Symphony's first violin section.
Seoul, South Korea native Sodam Lim, a new member of the second violins, has played with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and New World Symphony orchestras. She found a helping hand from fellow New World Symphony alums upon moving to Kansas City.
At first, new principal violist MingYu Hsu wanted to play the cello, but fell in love with the singing quality of the viola. In her native Taiwan, she heard a masterclass performance by the viola teacher at the Curtis Institute of music in Philadelphia which inspired her to move to Philadelphia to study at the school.
As the new third/utility trumpet player, Michigan native George Goad says he has to be "ready for anything." He loves discovering great classical recordings on the radio and making requests for big brassy works from composers like Gustav Mahler and Dmitri Shostakovich.
