- Principal Flute Hannah Hammel joins DSO from Knoxville Symphony Orchestra; Alexander Volkov, violin, joins from Canadian Opera Company
- Sarah Lewis, DSO second oboe since 2017, won Assistant Principal Oboe position
Detroit, (December 13, 2019) – The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is pleased to welcome two new full-time musicians to its ranks beginning in January, and to announce that a current DSO musician has won a vacant Assistant Principal position.
Hannah Hammel will join the DSO as Principal Flute (Women’s Association for the DSO Chair). Hammel joins the DSO after two and a half seasons as principal flute of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra. She has also performed with the New York Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony, Houston Grand Opera, and others.
Current DSO second oboe Sarah Lewis (Maggie Miller Chair) won the vacant Assistant Principal Oboe position. Lewis joined the DSO oboe section in 2017 after five seasons with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. The Assistant Principal Oboe position was vacated this summer, when DSO musician Brian Ventura announced his retirement after 30 seasons with the orchestra.
And Alexander Volkov joins the DSO’s violin section from Canada, where he was most recently a member of the Canadian Opera Company (Toronto) and the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec. Volkov has also performed as a substitute with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and as a fellow with the New York Philharmonic and Boston Symphony Orchestra.
The three appointments were announced at yesterday’s Annual Meeting of the Governing Members. All three musicians begin performing in these capacities with the DSO in January.
Learn more about all DSO musicians – including these three new faces – at dso.org/orchestra.
About the DSO
The most accessible orchestra on the planet, the acclaimed Detroit Symphony Orchestra is known for trailblazing performances, collaborations with the world’s foremost musical artists, and a deep connection to its city. As a community-supported orchestra, generous giving by individuals and institutions at all levels drives the continued success and growth of the institution. Conductor Leonard Slatkin, who recently concluded an acclaimed decade-long tenure at the helm, now serves as the DSO’s Music Director Laureate, endowed by the Kresge Foundation. Celebrated conductor, arranger, and trumpeter Jeff Tyzik is the orchestra’s Principal Pops Conductor, while the outstanding trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard holds the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Jazz Creative Director Chair. Making its home at historic Orchestra Hall within the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center, the DSO offers a performance schedule that features Classical, PNC Pops, Paradise Jazz, and Young People’s Family Concert series. One of America’s most acoustically perfect concert halls, Orchestra Hall will celebrate its centennial in 2019-2020. In addition, the DSO presents the William Davidson Neighborhood Concert Series in seven metro area venues, as well as a robust schedule of eclectic multi-genre performances in its mid-size venue The Cube, constructed and curated with support from Peter D. & Julie F. Cummings. A dedication to broadcast innovation began in 1922, when the DSO became the first orchestra in the world to present a radio broadcast and continues today with the free Live from Orchestra Hall webcast series, which also reaches tens of thousands of children with the Classroom Edition expansion. With growing attendance and unwavering philanthropic support from the people of Detroit, the DSO actively pursues a mission to embrace and inspire individuals, families, and communities through unsurpassed musical experiences.