Philadelphia Orchestra Presents 2026 C. Hartman Kuhn Award to Bassist Nathaniel West

The Philadelphia Orchestra recognized seven members of the Orchestra family for their exemplary contributions to the organization in a ceremony during the June 4 concert in Marian Anderson Hall at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.

Nathaniel West (bass) was presented with the 2026 C. Hartman Kuhn Award. Retiring musicians Boris Balter (violin), Holly Blake (contrabassoon), and Jonathan Blumenfeld (oboe) were honored after 115 years of combined service to the Orchestra. Che-Hung Chen (viola) was recognized for 25 years of service. Jonathan Beiler (violin) and Richard Harlow (cello) were recognized for 50 years of service. 

Established in 1941 and named for a charter member of the Orchestra's Board of Trustees who served from 1901 to 1933, the C. Hartman Kuhn Award is given annually to “the member of The Philadelphia Orchestra who has shown ability and enterprise of such character as to enhance the standards and the reputation of the ensemble.” Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin selected bassist Nathaniel West, praising his high level of engagement in Orchestra activities on and off stage. “Nate represents the complete orchestra citizen,” said Nézet-Séguin. “He's an incredibly dedicated musician contributing every note to our legendary bass section with all of his intensity and musicality, but also by contributing to the greater good of the Orchestra.” West participated in an episode of the Orchestra's digital community outreach series, Our City, Your Orchestra and currently serves as vice chair of the Members Committee.  

About the Kuhn Award recipient: 

Nathaniel West joined The Philadelphia Orchestra's bass section in September 2017. He is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he studied with then-Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Bass Harold Robinson and Edgar Meyer. West is a former member of the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, and he has performed in the bass sections of the Atlanta Symphony, the East Coast Chamber Orchestra, the San Antonio Symphony, and the National Symphony. He has also performed as guest principal with the Atlanta and Toronto symphonies and the Festival Teatro del Lago Orchestra in Frutillar, Chile. As a chamber musician, he has performed regularly with the quintet Ensemble39 in Philadelphia and the Jupiter Chamber Players in New York, and he spent three summers at the Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont. He has also performed chamber music at summer festivals such as Twickenham Fest in Huntsville, AL; the Vivo Music Festival in his hometown of Columbus, OH; and most recently at the Luzerne Music Festival in Lake Luzerne, NY, and with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in its annual residency in Saratoga Springs, NY. 

About the retirees: 

Boris Balter joined The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1985 after having been a member of the Baltimore Symphony since 1982. He was also a member of the Orchestra of New York, the Brooklyn Philharmonic, and the Mexico City Philharmonic. A native of the USSR, he began his musical studies at the Stolyarsky School for musically gifted children in Odessa. He obtained his degree in solo and orchestral performance and teaching from the Odessa State Conservatory. 

Holly Blake joined The Philadelphia Orchestra's bassoon section in 1992. She is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and Temple University, where she was a student of then-Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Bassoon Bernard Garfield. She has performed as soloist for student concerts and with many local orchestras, as well as playing with numerous chamber music groups including on The Philadelphia Orchestra's Chamber series at Perelman Theater, the College of Physicians, and as part of residency activities on tour. She has also performed on the Sound All Around series, the Bassoon and Woodwind PlayINs, and various other educational endeavors with the Orchestra. She has taught privately and through the All City Fellowship program as well as teaching, coaching, and giving master classes on contrabassoon through the Curtis Institute and Temple University, and she has also coached Philadelphia Youth Orchestra and All City bassoon and woodwind sectionals. Additional Philadelphia Orchestra activities include serving as a musician Board member, a member of the Tour Committee for 12 years and its eventual chair, and on the Members Committee for 10 years. Before joining the Orchestra, she was a member of the Filarmónica de Caracas for two seasons and then freelanced and taught extensively in the Philadelphia area including as a frequent substitute with the Orchestra. She also served on the faculty of the College of New Jersey and the University of Delaware, where she was a member of the Del'Arte Woodwind Quintet.  

Jonathan Blumenfeld joined The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1986. He was principal oboe with the Savannah Symphony from 1981 to 1984 and played with the Concerto Soloists (now the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia) from 1984 to 1986. He also participated in the Tanglewood, Blossom, and Spoleto festivals. A native of New York City, he is a graduate of Haverford College and the Curtis Institute of Music, where he was a student of former Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Oboe John de Lancie. He also attended Temple University where he studied with former Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Oboe Richard Woodhams. He currently teaches at Temple, has previously been on the oboe faculty at the Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University, and at the former School of Orchestral Studies in Saratoga Springs, NY, which he attended as a high school student, and where he began his association with The Philadelphia Orchestra. 

About the anniversary celebrants: 

Jonathan Beiler joined The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1976. He previously played in the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and the St. Louis Symphony. He grew up in the Philadelphia area and began his studies at the age of eight with Louis Gesensway, a former member of The Philadelphia Orchestra. He graduated from Friends Select School and went on to major in French at Yale University, where he studied violin with Broadus Erle and Syoko Aki. After graduating from Yale, Beiler studied violin with Josef Gingold at Indiana University. He and his wife, Lynne, live in Cherry Hill, NJ. Their two sons live in Chicago, IL, and Kathmandu, Nepal.   

Che-Hung Chen joined The Philadelphia Orchestra at the age of 20, when he was hired by then-Music Director Wolfgang Sawallisch, becoming the first Taiwanese citizen ever to join the Orchestra. He has also served as acting associate principal viola under former Music Director Christoph Eschenbach. He was the first-prize winner at the Seventh Banff International String Quartet Competition as the founding member of the Daedalus Quartet; the Quartet was also awarded the Pièce de Concert prize for the best performance of a commissioned work and the Székely Prize for the best performance of a Beethoven quartet. A three-time top-prize winner at the Taiwan National Instrumental Competition, he is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with then-Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Viola Joseph dePasquale. Mr. Chen has appeared as guest principal viola with Japan's Hyogo Performing Arts Center Orchestra, the San Diego Symphony, and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. His recording, Twelve Signs for solo viola on the Naxos label, part of composer Chiayu's album Journeys, was praised in Gramophone magazine's “Awards 2015” issue for its “mesmerizing intensity.” As a chamber musician, Mr. Chen was a participant at the Marlboro Music Festival, performing in its 50th anniversary concerts in Boston and at New York's Carnegie Hall, and in several “Musicians from Marlboro” national tours. In addition, he has appeared as guest violist with the Dover and Formosa quartets on their tours in Europe and the United States and has continued to perform as a founding member of the Clarosa Piano Quartet and Quartet Iris. 

Richard Harlow joined The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1976, becoming fourth chair in 1985. Prior to coming to Philadelphia, he served as assistant principal cello of the Toledo Symphony. He is also a former member of the Dearborn Symphony and the Flint Symphony and has appeared as a chamber music recitalist. A native of Dearborn, MI, he was born into a musical family and began cello studies at the age of five. While earning a Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Michigan, he studied with Oliver Edel and Samuel Mayes, former principal cello of The Philadelphia Orchestra. His hobbies include African violets and playing the harmonica.