For Immediate Release

New Musicians Win Positions
with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra

Press Contact

Katie Kelly
Communications Manager
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
kkelly@fwsymphony.org
817-665-6500

FORT WORTH, TX— 0ctober 7, 2019 — Music Director Miguel Harth-Bedoya and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra announce the appointment of three new musicians in the Trombone, Horn, and Viola sections. Joseph Dubas is the newly-appointed Principal Trombone. Two one-year appointments were also awarded to Nikolette LaBonte, Principal Horn and Anna Kolotylina, Principal Viola.

About Joseph Dubas, Principal Trombone

Joseph Dubas joined the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra as Principal Trombone in 2019. Prior to his appointment in the FWSO, he held positions in the Richmond Symphony and Sarasota Orchestra. He has also performed with the Florida Orchestra, Naples Philharmonic, Chicago Sinfonietta, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Joseph studied at Northwestern University where he was a student of Michael Mulcahy, Timothy Higgins, Randall Hawes, R. Douglas Wright and Christopher Davis. While in Chicago, Joseph was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and served as a Civic Fellow, engaging in creative outreach programming and project design as well as chamber and solo recitals.

Joseph has been a fellow at the Pacific Music Festival and the Music Academy of West, where he was a finalist in the 2018 Concerto Competition. In 2017, he won the International Trombone Association Lewis Van Haney Prize.

Joseph grew up in Falls Church, VA. In high school, he studied with Barry Hearn, who remains an important influence and mentor.

About Anna Kolotylina, Principal Viola

Ukrainian violist Anna Kolotylina began playing violin at the age of 5. While in school, she performed as a soloist with a Lutsk Philharmonic Orchestra and was part of famous Ukrainian ensemble “Volyniany” which maintains a robust touring schedule throughout the Slovak Republic, Poland, Austria, Luxemburg, Germany, Italy, Spain and Portugal. In 1999 and 2001 Ms. Kolotylina won a First Prize and Grand Prix at the Regional Competition in Lutsk and participated in the Kiev National Competition receiving the prestigious “New Name in Ukraine” award.

In 2003 she studied at the Special Music School named after Solomia Krushelnytska in Lviv, Ukraine where she was the soloist with the Lviv Symphony Orchestra. In 2006 Anna entered the National Lviv Music Academy and, after one year, she participated at the Rencontres Musicales and was very privileged to be accepted to study at the International Menuhin Music Academy, Switzerland. She finished her studies at the Menuhin Academy and received her Master’s Degree at the National Lviv Music Academy. While studying at the Lemberg Conservatory and the Menuhin Academy, Ms. Kolotylina participated at the International Brahms Competition in Pörtschach, Austria and was awarded a scholarship from the foundation of the competition.

She has performed in orchestras conducted by Yehuda Gilad, Bramwell Tovey, Neville Merriner, James Conlon, and Gustavo Dudamel and was invited to perform as a soloist at the Los Angeles based festival "Le Salon de Musique" at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Anna also has an involved career as a chamber musician. She was a part of the IMMA Quartet which in 2011 won the First Prize and the Audience Prize at the “Chamonix Mont Blanc” International Competition in France. She has also performed with famous Ebene String Quartet, Tokyo String Quartet, Gurneri String Quartet, and the string ensemble “Camerata Menuhin ” in Switzerland, Italy and Portugal.

About Nikolette LaBonte, Principal Horn

Nikolette LaBonte, a native of South Florida, is currently serving as the Principal Horn of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. She joined the FWSO in 2019 and is currently on leave from her position as Associate/Assistant/Utility Horn of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra where she has served since 2016. In addition to the FWSO and RPO, Nikolette has held positions with the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra and Oahu Choral Society and has had had the opportunity to perform with orchestras across the country including the New York Philharmonic, Buffalo Philharmonic, New World Symphony, and Syracuse-based Symphoria.

Ms. LaBonte received her Bachelor’s Degree in 2018 from the Eastman School of Music under the tutelage of W. Peter Kurau and is currently working to complete her graduate degree coursework under the same guidance. In addition to her degree studies, she maintains a private studio, has been a guest lecturer at institutions including the University of Arizona and SUNY Potsdam, and is a member of several chamber ensembles including the Antara Winds and the American Wild Ensemble. Nikolette is also an award winning soloist and will be featured with the Verde Valley Sinfonietta this season as their 2020 Emerging Young Artist.

Outside of the concert hall, Ms. LaBonte is active in promoting classical music throughout the community. She is a faculty member of the Eastman Horn Institute and serves as the Associate Operations Director of the Kendall Betts Horn Camp. She previously worked as the Education Coordinator of the Hawaii Symphony. Away from the horn, she enjoys hiking, bicycling, and scuba diving, although she has to reserve the latter for her visits to more tropical destinations.

About Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra

The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra is deeply committed to uniting its community through performance, education, and outreach, reaching an audience of more than 200,000 annually. Since its beginnings in 1912, the FWSO has been an essential thread in the city’s cultural fabric and the very foundation of Fort Worth’s performing arts. Music Director Miguel Harth-Bedoya, now entering his 20^th and final season at the artistic helm of the FWSO, has led the orchestra into the 21st century to new levels of excellence. Under his leadership, the FWSO has performed at Carnegie Hall and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as part of SHIFT: A Festival of American Orchestras. Throughout his tenure, the FWSO has released 13 recordings – with several being world premiere releases – garnering international acclaim. Miguel Harth-Bedoya and the FWSO have embraced creative collaborations through residencies, partnerships, and commissions. As the principal resident company of the acoustically superb Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall, the Orchestra performs a full season of concerts featuring internationally acclaimed guest artists and works by living composers. The Orchestra performs and partners with the Texas Ballet Theater, Fort Worth Opera, The Cliburn, and Performing Arts Fort Worth. Each summer at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, the FWSO presents Concerts In The Garden – a series of family-friendly concerts that has become a city-wide tradition. Additionally, the orchestra hosts an annual Festival of Orchestras, providing an opportunity for non-professional orchestras across the state of Texas to perform in Bass Performance Hall. The FWSO keeps exceptional musical experiences at the heart of its community. After all—life is better with music!

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