Nicholas Collon, conductor

British conductor Nicholas Collon is Founder and Principal Conductor of Aurora Orchestra, Chief Conductor of the Finnish Radio Symphony (the first non-Finnish conductor ever to hold this post) and Principal Guest Conductor of the Guerzenich Orchester in Cologne.

Mr. Collon is recognized as a born communicator, innovative programmer and high-caliber interpreter of a wide repertoire. Under his direction, the Aurora Orchestra has become known for its eclectic programming and for performing complete symphonies from memory, become the Associate Orchestra (and, from the 2022-23 season, Resident Orchestra) at the Southbank Centre and appearing every year at the BBC Proms.

Mr. Collon’s elegant conducting style, searching musical intellect and inspirational music-making have prompted guest invitations from orchestras such as the Residentie Orkest, where he was Chief Conductor 2016-21 (latterly also Artistic Advisor), Minnesota Orchestra, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, Orchestre National de France, Danish National Symphony, Bamberg Symphony, Dresden Philharmonic, DSO Berlin, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Oslo Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony and many of the leading British orchestras including the Philharmonia, London Philharmonic, Halle Orchestra and City of Birmingham Symphony.

In Summer 2022 he conducted both the Finnish Radio Symphony and Aurora Orchestra at the BBC Proms. In the 2022-23 season he tours Germany with both orchestras, and Switzerland with the Guerzenich-Orchester.

Mr. Collon’s first commercial recording with the Finnish Radio Symphony was released in May 2022 on Ondine – Sibelius Symphony No. 7 and suites from King Christian and Pelleas and Melisande. Their next disc will feature works by Thomas Adés. Together with Aurora he has released cutting-edge concept recordings for Deutsche Grammophon (September 2020) and Warner Classics.

Mr. Collon has conducted over 200 new works, and has conducted opera at English National, Welsh National, Oper Koeln and Glyndebourne on Tour. A violist by training, he was subsequently Organ Scholar at Clare College, Cambridge.

Randall Goosby, violin

“For me, personally, music has been a way to inspire others” – Randall Goosby’s own words sum up perfectly his commitment to being an artist who makes a difference. Signed exclusively to Decca Classics in 2020 at the age of 24, American violinist Randall Goosby is acclaimed for the sensitivity and intensity of his musicianship alongside his determination to make music more inclusive and accessible, as well as bringing the music of under-represented composers to light.

Highlights of Mr. Goosby’s 2021-22 season included debuts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Gustavo Dudamel at the Hollywood Bowl, Baltimore Symphony under Dalia Stasevska, Detroit Symphony under Jader Bignamini, London Philharmonic Orchestra and Philharmonia Orchestra. He made recital appearances at London’s Wigmore Hall, New York’s 92nd Street Y, San Francisco Symphony’s Davies Symphony Hall and Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. 

June 2021 marked the release of Mr. Goosby’s debut album for Decca entitled Roots, a celebration of African American music, which explores its evolution from the spiritual through to present-day compositions. Collaborating with pianist Zhu Wang, Mr. Goosby has curated an album paying homage to the pioneering artists that paved the way for him and other artists of color. It features three world-premiere recordings of music written by African American composer Florence Price and includes works by composers William Grant Still and Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, plus a newly commissioned piece by acclaimed double bassist Xavier Foley, a fellow Sphinx and Young Concert Artists alumnus.

Mr. Goosby is deeply passionate about inspiring and serving others through education, social engagement and outreach activities. He has enjoyed working with non-profit organizations such as the Opportunity Music Project and Concerts in Motion in New York City, as well as participating in community engagement programs for schools, hospitals and assisted living facilities across the United States. 

Mr. Goosby was First Prize Winner in the 2018 Young Concert Artists International Auditions. In 2019 he was named the inaugural Robey Artist by Young Classical Artists Trust in partnership with Music Masters in London; and in 2020 he became an Ambassador for Music Masters, a role that sees him mentoring and inspiring students in schools around the United Kingdom. He is the youngest musician to have won the Sphinx Concerto Competition, is a recipient of Sphinx’s Isaac Stern Award and of a career advancement grant from the Bagby Foundation and of the 2022 Avery Fisher Career Grant. An active chamber musician, he has spent his summers studying at the Perlman Music Program, Verbier Festival Academy and Mozarteum Summer Academy among others.

Mr. Goosby made his debut with the Jacksonville Symphony at age nine and with the New York Philharmonic on a Young People’s Concert at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall at age 13. A graduate of The Juilliard School, he continues his studies there, pursuing an Artist Diploma under Itzhak Perlman and Catherine Cho. He plays a 1735 Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesu, on generous loan from the Stradivari Society.

Chad Goodman, conductor

With a flair for inventive programming and a bold presence on stage and in the community, Chad Goodman has been praised for "bringing innovation to classical music" (Forbes).

As the Conducting Fellow of the New World Symphony, Mr. Goodman conducts on subscription, education, family and holiday programs. His program, “SPARK: How Composers Find Inspiration,” blended captivating light design and videography with engaging audience participation to explore how a composition is created and brought to life by an orchestra.

Since 2018 Mr. Goodman has served as an Assistant Conductor to the San Francisco Symphony, assisting Esa-Pekka Salonen, Manfred Honeck, Daniel Harding, Pablo Heras-Casado, Simone Young and James Gaffigan among others.

As Founder and Artistic Director of Elevate Ensemble, Mr. Goodman’s ambitious vision for concert programming resulted in the pairing of music from Bay Area composers with underappreciated gems of the 20th and 21st centuries. Under his leadership, Elevate Ensemble established a Composer-in-Residence program and commissioned fifteen works from Bay Area composers. Elevate collaborated with photographers, videographers, poets and culinary artists, bringing new music and vibrant multi-genre experiences to unique venues such as yoga studios, historic Victorian homes and art studio warehouses.

Mr. Goodman has previously served as Conducting Fellow of Festival Napa Valley, Music Director of the Contra Costa Chamber Orchestra, Conducting Fellow of the Atlantic Music Festival, and a rehearsal and cover conductor for the San Francisco Ballet.

In addition to his performing career, he teaches young musicians the business and entrepreneurial skills needed to successfully navigate the world as a working musician in his workshop “You Earned a Music Degree. Now What?”

Mr. Goodman holds a bachelor of music degree from the Eastman School of Music and a master of music degree from San Francisco State University. His mentors include Michael Tilson Thomas, Alasdair Neale, Cyrus Ginwala and Martin Seggelke.

New York Philharmonic String Principals

The New York Philharmonic String Quartet comprises four Principal musicians from the Orchestra: Concertmaster Frank Huang (The Charles E. Culpeper Chair); Principal Second Violin Group Qianqian Li; Principal Viola Cynthia Phelps (The Mr. and Mrs. Frederick P. Rose Chair) and Principal Cello Carter Brey (The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Chair). The group was formed in 2017, during the Philharmonic’s 175th anniversary season; the New York Philharmonic String Quartet made its debut as the solo ensemble in John Adams’s Absolute Jest that season, and reprised the work on the Orchestra’s Europe/Spring 2017 tour. All four members are multiple prize winners, have appeared as concerto soloists with the Philharmonic and orchestras around the world, and have appeared frequently in the Philharmonic’s chamber music series at David Geffen Hall and Merkin Concert Hall.

Frank Huang has performed at the Marlboro Music Festival, Ravinia’s Steans Institute, Seattle Chamber Music Festival and Caramoor. He frequently participates in Musicians from Marlboro’s tours, and was selected by The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center to be a member of the prestigious Bowers Program (formerly CMS Two). Before joining the Houston Symphony as concertmaster in 2010, Frank Huang held the position of first violinist of the Grammy Award–winning Ying Quartet.

Qianqian Li has performed at major music festivals including Aspen, Tanglewood, Yellow Barn and Sarasota. As a soloist, she has performed with orchestras in major concert halls in Asia, the United States, the United Kingdom and South Africa. Before joining the New York Philharmonic, she served as a member of the first violin section of The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra for three years, after winning positions with the orchestras of Seattle, Atlanta, and St. Paul in the same period. She has also performed in the Boston, Pittsburgh and Atlanta symphony orchestras and The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.

Cynthia Phelps performs with The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Jupiter Chamber Players and the Santa Fe, La Jolla, Seattle, Chamber Music Northwest and Bridgehampton festivals. She has appeared with the Guarneri, Tokyo, Orion, American, Brentano and Prague Quartets, and the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio. She is also a founding member of the chamber group Les Amies, a flute-harp-viola group with Philharmonic Principal Harp Nancy Allen and flutist Carol Wincenc.

Carter Brey has made regular appearances with the Tokyo and Emerson string quartets as well as The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and at festivals such as Spoleto (both in the United States and Italy), and the Santa Fe and La Jolla Chamber Music festivals. He and pianist Christopher O’Riley recorded Le Grand Tango: Music of Latin America, a disc of compositions from South America and Mexico released on Helicon Records.