MSO Welcomes Yuka Kadota, Alexander Ayers and David Cohen to Roster

The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra welcomes three new musicians to the roster for the 2013.14 season: Yuka Kadota, first violin; Alexander Ayers, second violin; and David Cohen, acting associate principal trumpet.

Yuka Kadota is a graduate of Indiana University and has performed regularly as an extra violinist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra since 2007. Alexander Ayers is a former grand prize winner of the MSO Stars of Tomorrow competition and now comes to the orchestra from the Madison Symphony Orchestra. David Cohen joins the MSO from the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, following the retirement of Dennis Najoom, and serves as an acting member of the MSO for the 2013.14 season.

Yuka Kadota, originally from Whitestone, NY, is a graduate of Indiana University with a Bachelor of Music and Performer Diploma in Violin Performance and a Bachelor of Science in Political Science. Her major teachers were Henryk Kowalski and Franco Gulli. She completed graduate studies at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, Sweden.

Ms. Kadota began her professional orchestral career at the age of 24 with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic and held the title of associate concertmaster for six seasons. She has been a featured soloist with that orchestra and during her tenure was also the second violinist of the Freimann Quartet, the Quartet in Residence of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. Since 2004, Ms. Kadota has been on faculty of the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, NC. Ms. Kadota has given performances at the White House, the Vatican, and the UN General Assembly for such dignitaries as First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, Pope John Paul II, and Secretary General Boutros-Boutros Gali, respectively. In addition to performing as a soloist with several orchestras in the New York area, she has been broadcast in Italy on the Vatican Radio and Chicago on WFMT, and she has appeared on a televised broadcast of the BBC Proms with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Since 2007, Ms. Kadota has performed regularly as an extra violinist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and joined them for the entire 2011.12 season. She has toured with the CSO throughout the United States and abroad, most recently touring Russia and Italy with Music Director Riccardo Muti. Through the CSO, she has had the privilege of working with other esteemed conductors, including Bernard Haitink, Pierre Boulez, Daniel Barenboim, Valery Gergiev, Charles Dutoit, and Esa-Pekka Salonen.

Alexander Ayers, a native of Waukesha, WI, was previously a member of the Madison Symphony Orchestra. After studying nine years at the String Academy of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with Darcy Drexler, Alex studied at Indiana University under Mimi Zweig, Alex Kerr, and Jorja Fleezanis. While at IU, he was nominated for a Performer's Certificate and held the positions of principal second violin and concertmaster in the Concert and Symphony orchestras. He has performed collaboratively with Joshua Bell, Alex Kerr, Jaime Laredo, Gilles Apap, and Soovin Kim at IU.

Alex was a member of the Indiana University String Academy's Violin Virtuosi ensemble for two years, performing in the group's concert tours to France and Argentina. He has attended several summer music festivals, including the IU Summer String Academy, Innsbrook Institute, and Madeline Island Chamber Music Camp. He enjoys playing in string quartets, and has been influenced by ensembles including the Arianna, Jupiter, Enso, Shanghai, Fry Street, Orion, and Pacifica quartets. Alex's quartet from Madeline Island was invited to perform consecutive years at the Landmark Center in St. Paul, MN.

Alex was a semifinalist in both the 2010 WAMSO Young Artist Competition and the 2009 Lennox Young Artist Competition, and won the grand prize of the MSO Stars of Tomorrow Competition in 2006; this resulted in performances of Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 1 with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.

David Cohen has played principal trumpet of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra since 2010. He received his Bachelor of Music degree from Northwestern University, studying with Barbara Butler, Charles Geyer, and Christopher Martin. He has played with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and he is an alumnus of the Tanglewood Music Center and the National Orchestral Institute. Mr. Cohen has appeared as guest principal trumpet with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Phoenix Symphony, Malaysian Philharmonic, and Beijing Symphony. In 2012, he was featured soloist with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, performing Johann Nepomuk Hummel's Trumpet Concerto in E Flat.

Ranked among the top orchestras in the country, the MSO is the largest cultural institution in Wisconsin. Since its inception in 1959, the orchestra has received critical acclaim for artistic excellence. The orchestra's 80 full-time professional musicians perform more than 135 concerts each season. A cornerstone organization in Milwaukee's arts community, the MSO provides enrichment and education activities for audiences of every age, economic status, and background.