Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Appoints Five New Musicians as it Heads into the 2023-24 Season

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) announced the appointment of five new full-time musicians to the Orchestra roster for the 2023-24 season. Following extensive auditions that attracted candidates from around the world, the following individuals have won positions with the Orchestra: Drew Dansby, Section Cello; Anthony Limoncelli, Principal Trumpet; Nicholas Mariscal, Section Cello; Alexander Pride, Second Trumpet (one-year position); and Gerald Torres, Section Double Bass, who joined the Orchestra in November 2022.

“We are happy to welcome Drew Dansby, Anthony Limoncelli, Nicholas Mariscal, and Alexander Pride and officially welcome Gerald Torres to the CSO,” said Music Director Louis Langrée. “Each of these musicians won highly competitive auditions and join the ranks of exceptionally talented players who make up our Orchestra. I am personally looking forward to working alongside each one of our new musicians as we begin our 2023-24 season together.” 

To date, Louis Langrée has appointed 32 musicians of the CSO, including the Orchestra’s first female Concertmaster Stefani Matsuo in 2019. 

Drew Dansby, Cello

Cellist Drew Dansby joins the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra as a Section Cellist in the 2023-24 season. He previously served as Acting Section Cellist for the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra in the 2021-22 season and Associate Principal Cellist for the New York String Orchestra in 2019. He will graduate in 2024 with his bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and cello performance from the Oberlin College and Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Darrett Adkins.

Anthony Limoncelli, Principal Trumpet

Rawson Chair

Anthony Limoncelli joins the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra as Principal Trumpet in the 2023-24 season. Previously, Limoncelli served as Acting Principal Trumpet for the Houston Grand Opera during the fall of 2018 and Britt Festival Orchestra during the summers of 2019 and 2022. He served as Principal Trumpet of the Sarasota Orchestra from 2018 to 2020 and Second Trumpet of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra from 2020 to 2023. Limoncelli received his bachelor’s degree in trumpet performance from the Manhattan School of Music in 2014, where he studied with Mark Gould; master’s degree in trumpet performance in 2017, where he studied with Raymond Mase; and master’s degree in trumpet performance from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music in 2018, where he studied with Barbara Butler and Charles Geyer.

Nicholas Mariscal, Cello

Cellist Nicholas Mariscal joins the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra as a Section Cellist in the 2023-24 season. Previously, Mariscal served as Principal Cello of the Fjord Cadenza Festival in Skodje, Norway in 2019; Guest Principal Cello of the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra for its South Korea Tour in 2019; and Assistant Principal Cello of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra since September 2020. He graduated from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music with a bachelor’s degree in cello performance in 2014 and the University of South California with his master’s degree in cello performance in 2016 as well as a graduate certificate in cello performance in 2018. Mariscal studied with David Geringas, Eric Kim, and Ralph Kirshbaum.

Alexander Pride, Second Trumpet

Otto M. Budig Family Foundation Chair

Alexander Pride joins the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra as Second Trumpet (one-year position) for the 2023-24 season. Previously, Pride served as substitute trumpet for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, and Charleston Symphony Orchestra. Pride was Interim Second Trumpet for the Charlotte Symphony during the fall of 2016 and Acting 4th/Utility Trumpet for the Utah Symphony in the 2019-2020 season. Pride graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Music in 2009 with his bachelor’s degree in trumpet performance and from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music in 2012 with his master’s degree in trumpet performance. His primary teachers have been Douglas Lindsay, Steven Pride, Marie Speziale, and Robert Sullivan, who were all members of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, as well as Michael Sachs, Principal Trumpet of The Cleveland Orchestra.

Gerald Torres, Double Bass

Gerald Torres joined the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra as Section Double Bass in November 2022. Previously, Torres was a member of the Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra (Michigan) since the 2015-16 season. Additionally, Torres has played with numerous orchestras, including The Cleveland Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and Columbus Symphony Orchestra. Torres received his bachelor’s degree in cello performance from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Tom Sperl of The Cleveland Orchestra. In 2009, he attended the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he studied with Max Dimoff, Principal Double Bass of The Cleveland Orchestra, and Jeff Braditch. He also studied with Michal Howard, Section Bass with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, while at Carnegie Mellon. Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, he grew up listening to and working with members of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and performed as a member of the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra during the 2001-2004 seasons.