THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA Welcomes Four New Musicians

The Philadelphia Orchestra and Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin announced the addition of four musicians to the Orchestra in the 2026–27 season: Laura Fuller, viola; Mika Elisa Gibbs, second violin; Travis Peterson, associate principal trumpet; and Stephen Savage, viola. They are joined in the upcoming season by James Vaughen, principal trumpet (Marguerite and Gerry Lenfest Chair), whose appointment was .

'We are delighted to welcome Laura, Mika, Travis, and Stephen to The Philadelphia Orchestra,' said Nézet-Séguin. 'What makes an orchestra so extraordinary is the individuality each musician brings to the collective, and each of these artists has something special to contribute to our sound and to the life of this ensemble. I am excited to hear how their artistry becomes part of the Orchestra and, most of all, to make music together. I look forward to welcoming them into our Philadelphia Orchestra family.'

Violist Laura Fuller joins The Philadelphia Orchestra after serving for nine seasons as a member of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Previously, she held the position of assistant principal viola with Chicago's Grant Park Orchestra and was a member of the Kansas City Symphony. Her summer festival appearances have included the Verbier Festival Academy in Switzerland, the Steans Institute at the Ravinia Festival, the ENCORE School for Strings, and the Bowdoin International Music Festival. As a soloist, she has appeared with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Kansas City Symphony, and the National Repertory Orchestra.

A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, Fuller earned her Bachelor of Music degree in 2007 under the instruction of Roberto Díaz. Prior to attending Curtis, she studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music with Jeffrey Irvine. When she's not performing, Fuller enjoys teaching, cooking, jogging, and traveling. She resides in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, with her husband, two children, and Siberian cat, Everest.

Mika Elisa Gibbs joins the second violin section of The Philadelphia Orchestra. She is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Music degree at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music, where she studies with Kathleen Winkler. Her previous teachers have included Ben Sayevich at the Park University International Center for Music (ICM), Ekaterina Zykova, Magdalena Maslanova, and David Kovac. At age 17, Gibbs made her solo debut with the Kansas City Symphony. As an orchestral musician, she has held several leadership positions within the Shepherd School Chamber and Symphony orchestras, including serving as concertmaster for Resident Director of Orchestras Miguel Harth-Bedoya's inaugural concert at Rice. She has also performed chamber music alongside Shepherd School faculty members Kathleen Winkler and Timothy Pitts.

Gibbs has been recognized through several competitive fellowships and scholarships, including the Center for Orchestral Leadership Fellowship at the Aspen Music Festival and School in 2025 and the Dorothy Richard Starling Foundation Fellowship at the Aspen Music Festival and School in 2024.

Travis Peterson joins The Philadelphia Orchestra as associate principal trumpet after having served as principal trumpet with the Utah Symphony since 2013. A proud native of rural Minnesota, Peterson grew up on a dairy farm, far from the concert hall. He attributes his smooth tone quality and warm timbre on the trumpet to all the butter and cheese he consumed throughout his childhood.

While in high school and during his first years in college, Peterson was also a member of the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps. After high school, he pursued a degree in music education at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, where he studied trumpet with Edmund Cord. After completing his degree at IU, he received his Graduate Diploma in trumpet performance from the New England Conservatory in Boston, where he studied with Ben Wright and Tom Rolfs, both members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He is an alumnus of the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, where he was a fellow under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas from 2010 to 2012. During the 2025–26 season, Peterson served as the acting associate principal trumpet with The Philadelphia Orchestra. During the summers of 2025 and 2026, he was guest principal trumpet with the Grand Teton Music Festival in Jackson, Wyoming. He has also performed with the Strings Music Festival in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and the Lakes Area Music Festival in Brainerd, Minnesota.

Previously an adjunct faculty member at the University of Utah, he will assume that role at Temple University this year. He has also enjoyed curating chamber performances in Salt Lake City and in his hometown for his childhood community and looks forward to doing the same in Philadelphia. Peterson resides in Philadelphia with his wife and their Mini Aussiedoodle, Millie.

Violist Stephen Savage is a native of Port St. Lucie, Florida. He has performed at the 72nd Ljubljana Festival, Maverick Chamber Music Series, Blue Candlelight Music Series (Young Artist Spotlight), the Louis Moreau Institute for New Music Performance, and the Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth. He has also participated in the Verbier Festival Academy, Music@Menlo International Program, Heifetz International Music Institute, Perlman Music Program, Josef Gingold Chamber Music Festival, and Miami Music Festival. Savage has competed in several prestigious international viola competitions, including the Concours de Genève, ARD, and the Lionel Tertis international competitions, where he was awarded the Karl Doktor Prize. He was also named a YoungArts winner and a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts.

A graduate of the Juilliard School, he also pursued graduate studies there in the studios of Paul Neubauer and Toby Appel, as a recipient of a Kovner Fellowship. During his time at Juilliard, he served as principal viola of the Juilliard Orchestra for two years and appeared as a soloist in Strauss's Don Quixote. Prior to his time at Juilliard, Savage studied with Michael Klotz who has mentored him since a young age. His other mentors and teachers have included Vivek Kamath, Elmar Oliveira, Benjamin Enyart, and Peggy Essex-Klammer.

TD Bank is a Proud Sponsor of The Philadelphia Orchestra's 2026–27 Season.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin holds the Walter and Leonore Annenberg Chair.

James Vaughen holds the Marguerite and Gerry Lenfest Chair.

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