Vivek Jayaraman Named Concertmaster of the Canton Symphony Orchestra

The Canton Symphony Orchestra (CSO) has named Vivek Jayaraman its latest Concertmaster. The position became available upon the departure of Justine Lamb-Budge to the position of Associate Concertmaster of the Kansas City Symphony. Auditions for CSO Concertmaster were held in September.

Jayaraman recently completed a four-year fellowship with the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, FL. Performing across both the United States and Europe, he has made several orchestral festival appearances with Spoleto Festival USA (Charleston, SC), Artosphere Festival Orchestra (Fayetteville, AR), Sun Valley Summer Symphony (Ketchum, ID), the Verbier Festival (Switzerland), Britten-Pears (UK) and Schleswig-Holstein (Germany). As a concertmaster, he has worked closely with prominent conductors including Michael Tilson Thomas, Manfred Honeck, Gabor Takács and Valery Gergiev. Jayaraman has performed with the New York Philharmonic and Detroit Symphony Orchestra and is a regular member of the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra in Switzerland.

Jayaraman received a Master's degree in Orchestral Performance from Manhattan School of Music where he studied with Glenn Dicterow, former concertmaster of the NY Philharmonic and a Bachelor's degree from the Eastman School of Music studying with Charles Castleman. He is currently pursuing an Artist Diploma in Concertmaster Studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music with Cleveland Orchestra Concertmaster, William Preucil.

After auditions for concertmaster in September, CSO Music Director Gerhardt Zimmermann narrowed the field down to two candidates. "The two finalists are very close in ability," explains Zimmermann, "I asked them to perform in concert with the orchestra as acting concertmaster on separate occasions and made the determination afterward."

The community will have the opportunity to learn more about Jayaraman when he presents the next of the CSO's ConverZations series on Monday February 8 at 12:00 noon. ConverZations, sponsored by T. K. and Faye A. Heston, are free public discussions featuring a variety of musicians and music-lovers alike. The series is held on the second Monday of every month from October 2015 to April 2016 in the Zimmermann Symphony Center (The Z), 2331 17th St. NW, Canton. Jayaraman will be discussing how musicians prepare for concert performances and the unique preparations a concertmaster must undertake.

Founded in 1937, the Canton Symphony Orchestra is a fully professional ensemble and organization dedicated to performing concerts that enrich, educate and entertain. Under the direction of Gerhardt Zimmermann, the orchestra performs classical, pops, holiday, and educational programs. Most performances are in Umstattd Performing Arts Hall, adjacent to the Zimmermann Symphony Center 2331 17th Street NW, Canton, Ohio. Parking at the Zimmermann Symphony Center is free. For more information, please visitwww.CantonSymphony.org.