The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Welcomes 6 New Musicians for the 2014-2015 Season

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra welcomes six new musicians to its ranks for the start of the 2014-2015 season.

Kelsey Blumenthal joins the orchestra as a member of the first violin section following audition finals in February 2014. She received her Master of Music degree from the New England Conservatory in 2014 and her Bachelor of Music degree from the Colburn School in 2012. She has held co-concertmaster positions with the Colburn Orchestra, the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra and the NEC Chamber Orchestra.

Filling vacancies in the second violin section are Marta Krechkovsky and Zhan Shu, who were both selected following the final section audition in June 2014. Krechkovsky was educated at the Juilliard and Manhattan Schools of Music and was a freelance musician in New York performing with the New Jersey Symphony, the New York Philharmonic and the World Orchestra for Peace. Shu comes to the Pittsburgh Symphony after working as a member of the Milwaukee Symphony's first violin section since 2007. He has performed with Pittsburgh Symphony previously, including during the most recent European tour.

Mark Houghton joins the Pittsburgh Symphony as third horn following final auditions in June 2014. He comes from the Fort Worth Symphony where he was principal horn for 10 years. Prior to that position, Houghton was principal horn with the Phoenix Symphony for three years and the Harrisburg Symphony for two years.

Michael DeBruyn and Charlie Powers joined the orchestra earlier this year, filling vacancies in the cello section. DeBruyn was principal cellist of the Louisville Orchestra before joining the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree and a Master of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music. Powers previously served as assistant principal of "The President's Own" U.S. Marine Chamber Orchestra in Washington, D.C., and performed regularly at the White House, the State Department, the Library of Congress, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the vice president's residence. He graduated with honors from the New England Conservatory of Music, where he was a Piatigorsky Scholarship recipient.