Symphony San Jose Appoints Rachel Ostler & Sam Weiser as Co-Concertmasters

Following a year-long national search, Symphony San Jose has appointed Rachel Ostler and Sam Weiser as co-concertmasters. The position has been vacant since Robin Mayforth's retirement in 2024. Ms. Mayforth had served as the Symphony's concertmaster—the first chair violinist that leads the string section, determines bowings, and often performs solo passages—since its founding in 2002.

Rachel Ostler has played in leading concert halls across the United States, Europe, Asia, and South America. She has performed with ensembles such as the Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and San Francisco Symphony.

After serving in the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for five years, Ms. Ostler was named Co-Concertmaster of the Naples Philharmonic. A graduate of the Yale School of Music, where she studied with Ani Kavafian, Ms. Ostler also studied at the Colburn Conservatory with Robert Lipsett and Arnold Steinhardt.

Sam Weiser, a lifelong chamber musician and advocate of contemporary music, serves as first violinist of the Carpe Diem String Quartet. He holds a number of positions around the Bay Area, including assistant concertmaster of the California Symphony, member of One Found Sound, and violinist in sfSound. Formerly, he was a member of the award-winning Del Sol Quartet. Mr. Weiser studied with Ian Swensen, Lucy Chapman, James Buswell, and Patinka Kopec. He holds bachelors' degrees from Tufts University in computer science and the New England Conservatory in violin, as well as a master's degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in chamber music.