Stanford
Thompson from
Decatur, GA, entered The Curtis Institute of Music in 2006
and studies with David Bilger, principal trumpet of the Philadelphia
Orchestra. All students at Curtis receive merit-based full-tuition
scholarships, and Mr. Thompson holds the William A. Loeb Fellowship.
He has performed as a soloist with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra,
and in January 2007, he will premiere a trumpet concertino
by Richard Pryor of Emory University at the Georgia Music
Educator’s Association In-Service Conference. Mr. Thompson
has performed as a member of the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra,
Dekalb and Metropolitan youth symphonies, Gateways Music Festival
Orchestra, Atlanta University Centerwide Orchestra, Atlanta
Youth Wind Symphony, Emory Wind Ensemble, and Atlanta Trumpet
Ensemble. As
a
chamber musician, he performs with the Conservatory Brass
and Rittenhouse Brass. While at Curtis, he has performed in
a master class with Raymond Mase of the American Brass Quintet.
Mr.
Thompson is the recipient of the Azira G. Hill Scholarship
from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Dave Maddy Scholarship
from the Metropolitan Youth Symphony, and the 2001 Fine Arts
Award from Interlochen Arts Camp. In past summers, he has
also attended the Gateways Music Festival. He comes from a
musical family: His father is a saxophonist, his mother plays
flute and piano, his sister studies percussion, and his brother,
Eric also attends Curtis, where he studies double bass.
Shachar
Israel from
Nahariya, Israel, returns this year to Philadelphia's prestigious
Curtis Institute of Music to study trombone with Nitzan Haroz,
principal trombone of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Shachar
is the recipient of a merit-based full-tuition scholarship
and holds the Ralph and Suzanne Roberts Fellowship. The trombonist
is currently serving as principal trombone of the Haddonfield
Symphony in New Jersey. He has performed around the world
with orchestras such as the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
and the Israeli Opera Orchestra. A prolific chamber musician,
Shachar has performed with the Canadian Brass Quintet at venues
such as the Blossom Festival. He is also a founding member
of the Rittenhouse Brass and a member of the Curtis Trombone
Quartet and Brass Ensemble. While attending the Music Academy
of the West, the trombonist studied with Peter Ellefson, Mark
Lawrence and Eugene Watts. In the 2006/2007 season, Shachar
will perform his New York solo debut with the Jupiter Symphony
and will record a new CD with the Canadian Brass Quintet.
The
recipient of a number of awards and honors, Shachar has won
several Keren Sharet Competitions between 1996 and 2002 and
the Peleg Competition in 2002. Prior to entering Curtis, Shachar
studied with Micha Davis, bass trombone of the Israel Philharmonic
Orchestra, and Mitchell Ross, principal trombone of the Jerusalem
Symphony Orchestra. He attended the Thelma Yellin High School
of Arts in Israel and served three years in the Israel Defense
Force; during which time his studies were made possible through
the generous assistance of the America-Israel Cultural Foundation.
Yousef
(Joe) Ismael Assi,
from Woodcliff Lake, NJ, entered The Curtis Institute of Music
in 2003 and studies with Jerome Ashby, associate principal
horn of the New York Philharmonic. All students at Curtis
receive merit-based full-tuition scholarships, and Mr. Assi
holds the Albert M. Greenfield Fellowship.
He
is associate principal horn of the Haddonfield Symphony and
performs with the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia. In 2005,
he served as acting principal horn of the Ocean City Pops
and appeared as a soloist with the orchestra, and he was principal
horn in the New York String Seminar. He recently attended
the Tanglewood Music Center and gave a recital in Ocean City,
NJ. In past summers, he attended the Manchester Music Festival.
Mr.
Assi received Instrumentalist magazine’s “2001 First
Chair Award” and the Governor’s School of the Arts Recognition
Award, and he appeared in a 2004/2005 Comcast public service
announcement promoting the arts in Philadelphia. While at
Curtis, he has participated in master classes with Richard
King, principal horn of the Cleveland Orchestra.
