Jennifer Haas, Violin
Jennifer Haas joined the Philadelphia Orchestra during the 2001-02 season. A native of Delaware, she began studying privately at the age of three. At the age of twenty, she was a winner of the American Austrian Competition and studied at the Mozarteum. She entered the Curtis Institute of Music in 1991, where she studied with Jascha Brodsky. After graduating, she played with the Concerto Soloists in Philadelphia and freelanced in the Tri-State area. Ms. Haas has performed as a soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Mann Center and with the Utah Symphony in Salt Lake City. She has also appeared as soloist with the Delaware Symphony, the Newark Symphony, and other local orchestras. Ms. Haas has attended the Aspen Music Festival, the Lucerne Festival, and the Bowdoin Festival. She plays a French Vuillaume violin built in Paris in 1846.
John Koen, Cello, Music Director
John Koen joined The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1990, immediately after graduating from The Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with David Soyer. After auditions, Koen was promoted to Acting Assistant, and then Acting Associate Principal Cello from 2011 to 2016. He has collaborated in chamber music with artists such as Christoph Eschenbach, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Emanuel Ax, Joshua Bell, Stephen Hough, Chantal Juillet and Jean-Yves Thibaudet. In 1988 Mr. Koen performed in the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival Orchestra as solo cellist on European tours with Christoph Eschenbach, Leonard Bernstein, and Sergiu Celibidache, including a television broadcast throughout Eastern Europe from Gorky Park in Moscow with Maestro Bernstein, and as a member of the Salzau Quartet in a performance for Federal-President Richard von Weizsäcker of Germany. He had a special relationship with the New Symphony Orchestra in Sofia, Bulgaria, with which he appeared frequently as a soloist, recitalist, coach and mentor. In 2004 Mr. Koen received The Philadelphia Orchestra’s C. Hartman Kuhn Award, given to “a musician who has shown both musical ability and enterprise of such character as to enhance the musical standards and reputation of The Philadelphia Orchestra.” His interests include studying languages, reading, traveling, and playing with his two cats.
Gabriel Polinsky, Bass
Gabriel Polinsky joined The Philadelphia Orchestra as Associate Principal Double Bass in 2022. He was the first prize double bass winner of the prestigious ARD Music Competition. He is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, having studied with Harold Robinson and Edgar Meyer. Some meaningful experiences have taken place at the Tanglewood Music Center, the New York String Orchestra Seminar, and the Lucerne Festival. Additionally, he enjoys playing on occasion with the Jupiter Chamber Players in New York. In 2019 he won The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Albert M. Greenfield Student Competition.
Mr. Polinsky was born and raised on Long Island, New York, and fostered a love of music from an early age. His inspiration for starting on the bass was his older brother Isaac, who is a bassist himself. Starting at age eight, Gabe balanced bass and piano lessons with a love for sports throughout his childhood. Toward the end of high school, he made the decision to pursue music. These days, he is caring for his dog, Hunter; having fun with coffee; and getting back into the sports world.
William Polk, Violin
Violinist William Polk joined The Philadelphia Orchestra in October 2007. He previously served as associate principal second violin of the Minnesota Orchestra beginning in 2005. Prior to that, he was guest principal second violin of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Mr. Polk has also performed as an orchestral musician with the San Francisco Symphony and the Saint Louis Symphony. Mr. Polk has participated as a chamber musician in the Mainly Mozart Summer Festival in San Diego, California and in the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society in Madison, Wisconsin. In January 2007, he and his wife, Kerri Ryan, now Assistant Principal Viola of The Philadelphia Orchestra, performed as soloists in Mozart’s Sinfonia concertante with the Minnesota Orchestra. Together, they founded and performed with the Minneapolis Quartet from 2002 to 2007, and they won a McKnight Artist Fellowship in 2006. Mr. Polk attended Louisiana State University and the University of Minnesota, and his teachers have included Sally O’Reilly and Camilla Wicks.
Kerri Ryan, Viola
Assistant Principal Viola Kerri Ryan joined The Philadelphia Orchestra at the beginning of the 2007-08 season. She came to Philadelphia from the Minnesota Orchestra, where she was assistant principal viola for seven seasons. Following her graduation from The Curtis Institute of Music in 1998, she served as associate concertmaster of the Charleston Symphony. Ms. Ryan and her husband, violinist William Polk, are founding members of the award-winning Minneapolis Quartet.
In Philadelphia, while pursuing a violin performance degree at Curtis, Ms. Ryan began studying viola with Karen Tuttle. Ms. Ryan also studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music as a member of its Young Artist Program. Her violin teachers include Lee Snyder, Jascha Brodsky, Rafael Druian, and Arnold Steinhardt.
Kiyoko Takeuti, Piano
Born in Tokyo, Kiyoko Takeuti studied with Max Egger and Soulima Stravinsky, before coming to the Curtis Institute of Music, where she continued her studies with Rudolf Serkin and Mieczyslaw Horszowski. Her performing career began with solo recitals at the age of eleven, and at nineteen, she was a winner of the J.S. Bach International Competition in Washington, D.C. She performed with The Philadelphia Orchestra as a student audition winner and has appeared as soloist with many other orchestras. She has been a participant at the Marlboro and Luzern Music Festivals and performs extensively in chamber music concerts and recitals. She joined The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1985 as the orchestra pianist.
Patrick Williams, Flute
Patrick Williams was appointed Associate Principal Flute of The Philadelphia Orchestra in 2018 by Yannick Nézet-Séguin. He was previously principal flute of the Louisiana Philharmonic and co-principal flute of the Hyogo Performing Arts Center Orchestra in Nishinomiya, Japan. He has also performed in such ensembles as the Chicago Symphony, the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Columbus Symphony, the Fort Worth Symphony, the Princeton Symphony, and the Pacific Music Festival Orchestra in Sapporo, Japan. During the 2010 and 2011 seasons he was the Flute Fellowship recipient at the Aspen Music Festival, mentored by Mark Sparks. Conductors with whom Mr. Williams has collaborated include Simon Rattle, Vladimir Jurowski, Fabio Luisi, Neville Marriner, Robert Spano, Michael Stern, Rossen Milanov, and Otto-Werner Mueller.
Hailed for his artistry in concerto performances with the Curtis Symphony, Music at Angel Fire, and the Steamboat Orchestra, Mr. Williams compliments his passion for orchestral performance with concerto, chamber music, and recital performance. Many of his live performances have been recorded and released online via Instant Encore and on WHYY’s television program On Stage at Curtis.
Mr. Williams currently serves on the faculty of Temple University’s Boyer College of Music. He has served as adjunct instructor of flute at Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans and has been a clinician at the Interlochen Arts Academy, Loyola University of New Orleans, and Louisiana State University. In addition to teaching he has regularly participated in youth concerts and outreach programs for the Louisiana Philharmonic, the Hyogo Performing Arts Center, the New York Pops, Music at Angel Fire, and the Curtis Institute of Music.
A proud Colorado native, Mr. Williams began studying the Suzuki flute method in Steamboat Springs. After just one year of study, he traveled to Nagano, Japan, to perform with thousands of Suzuki students in a multicultural celebration during the 1998 Olympics. He attended the Interlochen Arts Academy High School, studying with Nancy Stagnitta, and graduated with a distinguished award for excellence in flute performance. At the Oberlin College and Conservatory of Music, he studied with Michel Debost while pursuing a double degree in flute performance and environmental studies. Mr. Williams received his performance degree at the Curtis Institute of Music under the tutelage of Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Flute Jeffrey Khaner. Find out more at www.patrickwilliamsflute.com.
Richard Woodhams, Oboe
Richard Woodhams was Principal Oboe for The Philadelphia Orchestra from 1977, when he succeeded his teacher John de Lancie, until his retirement in 2018. During his tenure, he has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician many times in Philadelphia and elsewhere as well, including New York, Boston, Chicago, and the Far East. Mr. Woodhams introduced to Philadelphia audiences solo works by J.S. Bach, Bellini, Chuck Holdeman, Haydn, Thea Musgrave, Bernard Rands, George Rochberg, Richard Strauss, Joan Tower, Vaughan Williams, and Richard and Adam Wernick. In chamber music, he has performed with pianists Kiyoko Takeuti, Christoph Eschenbach, Andre Watts, Emmanuel Ax, and Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and with violinists Alexander Schneider and Itzhak Perlman. He has also appeared with the Dover, Guarneri, Orion, Shanghai, and Tokyo string quartets, as well as with many other outstanding musicians. A graduate of The Curtis Institute, where he taught from 1985 to 2021, Mr. Woodhams has participated in numerous summer music festivals both as a teacher and performer, including Aspen, Marlboro, and La Jolla’s SummerFest. His students from Temple University and the Curtis Institute hold many playing and teaching positions both in the United States and abroad.
Samuel Caviezel, Clarinet
Samuel Caviezel was born in Seattle and grew up in the Puget Sound region of Washington State. He began his clarinet studies with Laurie DeLuca of the Seattle Symphony, progressed through the Tacoma Youth Symphony Association, and spent his senior year of high school at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan. In 1992 he entered The Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Donald Montanaro. Before graduation in 1996, he joined the Grand Rapids Symphony as Principal Clarinet, returning to Philadelphia two years later to perform under the baton of Wolfgang Sawallisch. He became and is currently the Associate Principal and E flat Clarinetist of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Mr. Caviezel has performed frequently at The Philadelphia Orchestra Chamber Series, and has also appeared with PCMS. He is on the faculty of Temple University, where he teaches the clarinet.
Mark Gigliotti, Bassoon
Mark Gigliotti has been a member of The Philadelphia Orchestra bassoon section since 1982. He is currently Co-Principal Bassoon. He has also held the positions of principal bassoon with the Pittsburgh Symphony under the direction of Loren Maazel and solo bassoonist with the Hague Philharmonic under conductor Hans Vonk. He has appeared as soloist with The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Hague Philharmonic and many local orchestras in the Philadelphia area. Mr. Gigliotti has given master classes in Europe, the United States, South America, and the Far East. He is a graduate of The Curtis Institute of Music.
Jeffrey Lang, Horn
Jeffrey Lang is the Associate Principal Horn of The Philadelphia Orchestra and is currently on the faculties of Bard College, Temple University, and The Curtis Institute of Music. Formerly principal horn of the Israel Philharmonic and the American Symphony Orchestra, he has performed as guest principal horn of the Bavarian Radio Orchestra, New York City Opera, and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. He is a frequent soloist and has appeared with conductors Zubin Mehta, Myung-Whun Chung, Kurt Masur, Cristian Macelaru, and Rossen Milanov. Chamber music performances at home and abroad have included concerts with Bella Davidovich, Diane Walsh, Simone Dinnerstein, the Israel Piano Trio, the Wister Quartet, Melvin Chen, the Canadian Brass, members of The Philadelphia Orchestra and CMS. He has participated in the Kingston Chamber Music Festival, Bard Summerscape, OK Mozart, and the Spoleto Festival. Jeff is a member of the Recording Academy, the International Horn Society, and the American Federation of Musicians. He recently released a solo horn album One World Horn, a charitable project presenting unaccompanied horn works from around the world. A live recording of Richard Wilson’s Triple Concerto for Horn, Marimba, and Bass Clarinet with the American Symphony Orchestra is also available on iTunes. Jeff studied at The Juilliard School and Temple University, and has given master classes in Israel, Finland, Korea, China, and the USA. He is also an active partner in Central Jersey’s premier recording studio, Whitebrow Recording.