We are delighted to welcome Stephen Zielinski, clarinetist, and Alex Orfaly, timpanist as our newest members of the California Symphony.
Stephen Zielinski just won the highly competitive audition for Clarinet 2/Eb in June (though, on Sunday he is playing Principal Clarinet). He is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music AND The Julliard School. But like many superheroes, Stephen also has a day job — as a software engineer at Silicon Valley tech giant Airbnb. We may not have a phone booth backstage for him to change in, but we hear that if you look closely you may see a hint of a cape trailing out from under his concert attire on Sunday.
“Extraordinary!” That’s what the committee said when they heard Alex’s audition from behind a screen this June. Alex is the newest addition to fill out our Percussion section as Principal Timpanist. Hailing from Boston, Alex is a graduate of The Cleveland Institute of Music and he most recently has played as Acting Principal Timpani at San Francisco Symphony. He maintains positions as Principal Timpani at Sun Valley Symphony and Stockton Symphony.
Look for them in the orchestra starting at our season opener concert on Sunday, September 24.
LYRICAL DREAMS is at the Lesher Center in Walnut Creek on Sunday September 24 at 4pm and includes:
Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915
Stookey YTTE (Yield To Total Elation)
Mahler Symphony №4
Tickets are available at 925.943.SHOW and LesherCenter.com. Prices start at just $33 per concert.
