Following successful auditions, we welcome a record number of new performing artists to the Philharmonic ranks.
Jackson Bailey
First Violin
Solo, ensemble, jazz, and orchestra – these are all welcome and familiar settings for this versatile violinist and composer. Jackson hails from Fort Collins, where he began playing at age six. He pursued his bachelor’s at DePauw University, where he also won the DePauw Concerto Competition. He then went on to the University of Colorado for his master’s under the tutelage of Harumi Rhodes of the Takacs Quartet. His talents have opened the doors for two overseas orchestral tours, a chamber music festival in Courmayeur, Italy, the 2021 Lucerne Festival Academy in Switzerland, as well as an appearance at the National Sawdust in Brooklyn. Previously performing as a substitute with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic during the 2021- 22 season, he is thrilled to now join the orchestra full time. In addition to his violin virtuosity, Jackson is a composer, an arranger, and a luthier’s apprentice.
Stephanie Bork
First Violin
After seeing a musician featured on Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood, three-year-old Stephanie cajoled her mother into buying her a violin and arranging for lessons. The Detroit native has been playing ever since. Stephanie attended the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music for her undergraduate degree. She advanced to The University of Michigan for her master’s studies where she was a pupil of Aaron Berofsky. Stephanie has played with numerous symphony orchestras and opera companies, including the Houston Symphony, the Houston Grand Opera, the Houston Ballet, the Toledo Symphony, The Lansing Symphony Orchestra, and the Ann Arbor Symphony. She is also a substitute violinist with the Houston Symphony, the Houston Grand Opera, and the Houston Ballet. Closer to home, Stephanie has been a principal with the Greely Philharmonic and a section violinist with the Boulder Phil. With 20 years of experience teaching violin, she currently maintains an active private studio and works as a freelance violinist.
Lethicia Caravello
Principal Harp
A 2020 nominee for the Harvard Musical Association’s Arthur Foote Award, Lethicia is an active solo, orchestral, accompanist, and chamber performer. She has appeared with orchestras and at classical musical festivals throughout the US and has been a resident artist fellow at the Atlantic Music Festival and the Orchestra of the Americas. She recently had her solo debut at Carnegie Hall. A native of Brazil, Lethicia graduated in music performance from Brigham Young University and earned her Masters of Music from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. She has also studied with renowned harp virtuoso, Ina Zdorovetchi. Lethicia has successfully competed nationally and internationally, receiving first place in the American Protegé International Competition for Piano and Strings. She was a finalist for The American Prize in Instrumental Performance, as well as the American Harp Society National Competition Young Professional Division. Along with performing, Lethicia is a trained Suzuki Method harp teacher and holds a private studio both online and in-person.
Evan De Long
Principal Violin II
LA native Evan De Long has played violin since the age of eight. He holds a bachelor’s degree in violin performance from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he studied with Jorja Fleezanis and Grigory Kalinovsky. While there, he also played with both the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra and the Evansville Philharmonic. He went on to earn a master’s degree at the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music, where he studied with Linda Wang. Evan has performed as an orchestral musician with the Cheyenne Symphony and currently holds section violin positions with the Fort Collins Symphony and the Boulder Philharmonic. He substitutes regularly with both the Colorado Symphony and the Santa Barbara Symphony. In addition to engagements with a variety of ensembles, Evan has been a chamber concert performer with the Holland America Line on its northern European route. He is a passionate music teacher and maintains a large private studio of both violin and piano students in the Denver area.
Nick Finley
Associate Principal Percussion II
As a young student in Frisco, Texas, Nick was a performer with the Lone Star High School Percussion Ensemble – a group that was awarded the highest recognition a high school percussion program can receive: a chance to perform at the 2016 Percussive Arts Society International Clinic convention. From there, they continued their path of excellence to Rice University, Houston, where they studied with Matthew Strauss of the Houston Symphony. They also had the opportunity to perform Missy Mazzoli’s one-act chamber opera, Proving Up – a significant, progressive piece of music that features seven tuned acoustic guitars played with a drumstick. Nick describes the experience as being a “unique challenge.” Though they originally aspired to be a solo marimbist, they have come to love orchestral performance as a primary career focus. Nick is continuing their studies in the master’s program at the University of Miami under the guidance of Svet Stoyanov and Joseph Petrasek.
Hunter Hawkins
Double Bass
Hunter began playing the double bass at age 11 when he was a middle school student in San Clemente, California. He fell in love with the instrument and music immediately, drawn to both by a sense of community musicianship and the collaborative nature of orchestral performance. His studies led him first to California State University-Long Beach for undergrad and then to Indiana University where he pursued a master’s degree. During his student years, he studied with several notable teachers including Pacific Symphony assistant principal Doug Basye as well as former Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra principal and Jacobs School of Music faculty, Jeffrey Turner. Hunter is looking forward to this season’s challenging repertoire, particularly Strauss’ Don Quixote. He will also be an orchestral performer with the Greeley Philharmonic in 2022-23 . Outside the realm of music, Hunter is a hiker and camper who is eager to explore the natural beauty of Colorado.
Daniel Moore
Viola
This Houston-born violist has a passion for New Music, Pop Music, and Early Music, and is decidedly also a lover of the classics. Daniel is most excited about performing Mahler’s emotionally riveting Symphony No. 9 during his first season with the Philharmonic. Daniel began playing at age 12 and attended the Houston High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, studying with Lawrence Wheeler. After receiving his bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University and his master’s degree from Louisiana State University – both in viola performance – he went on to study for two years at Lynn University. He has since been accepted as a doctoral student at the University of Colorado Boulder where he is studying with Erika Eckert. Daniel has been an active ensemble and festival performer throughout his years of viola study and is also an amateur organist and composer. He is also an arranger, and created an ambitious program of the songs of American composer, songwriter and pianist Tori Amos for soprano and chamber ensemble while still a doctoral student at CU.
Zachary Ragent
First Violin
As the son of a horn player, Zachary confesses that he is eagerly anticipating the horn-forward performance of Schumann’s Concert Piece for Four Horns during his first season with the Philharmonic. However, the San Mateo native has himself been an ardent violinist from age five and began his formal music education at the University of California Santa Cruz with Roy Malan. He then completed both master’s and specialist’s degrees in violin performance at the University of Michigan, where he studied with Aaron Berofsky. During his time as a student, he has spent summers as a fellow at the Mendocino, Marrowstone, and Manchester Music festivals, Garth Newel Music Center, National Orchestral Institute, and Chautauqua Institute. A dedicated teacher, Zachary maintains a private studio and has taught for Sistema based programs in both California and Michigan. In addition to his new role with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, Zachary is also a member of the Britt Festival Orchestra and the Peninsula Music Festival Orchestra and was formerly a member of the New World Symphony.
