The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra has appointed HA YOUNG JUNG as principal bass, GREGORY LaROSA as principal timpani, and ERIN VANDER WYST as principal librarian. In addition, Alexander Bickard has been named assistant principal bass and Anderson Romero has been named assistant principal trumpet. Cellist Laura Andrade joins the orchestra for the 2019–20 season as the first NJSO Colton Fellow; the fellowship is designed to support musicians from underrepresented communities.
A graduate of the Royal College of Music, Juilliard School, Yale University, and Boston University, Ha Young Jung has appeared with ensembles including A Far Cry (Boston), Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect, Chineke! Orchestra (U.K.), Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players (New York), New York Philharmonic and, as acting principal double bass, Riverside Symphony (New York). Jung won first prize at the Koussevitzky Young Artist Award (New York, 2013), Silver Medal of Serge Koussevitzky International Double Bass Competition (St. Petersburg, 2007), First Prize of International Society of Bassists’ Competition (U.S., 2007), Grand-Prix of International String Competition (Moscow, 2006), and Musician of the Year at the Solti Foundation (Belgium, 2006).
Gregory LaRosa has appeared as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral performer, and has held fellowships at the Tanglewood Music Center, Aspen Music Festival, and Texas Music Festival. He is a scholar at the Union League of Philadelphia and earned degrees from the Juilliard School and the Colburn School, having studied with Ted Atkatz, Daniel Druckman, and Markus Rhoten. He won the grand prize at the Kerope Zildjian Competition and third prize at the Larry Spivack International Vibraphone Competition.
Librarian Erin Vander Wyst received a DMA in clarinet performance at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Originally from Appleton, Wisconsin, Vander Wyst earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in clarinet performance from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. Vander Wyst has performed with the Las Vegas Philharmonic, Opera Las Vegas, and Southern Nevada Musical Arts Society, among others. International performances have included the Doctors in Performance Conference in Dublin, the College Music Society’s International Conference in Sydney, and Clarinetfest, the conference of the International Clarinet Association in Belgium. Vander Wyst has served as principal librarian for the Las Vegas Philharmonic, Nevada Ballet Theater, and Henderson Symphony Orchestra (NV); she is presently librarian of the New York Youth Symphony.
Posted October 21, 2019
