Katsuaki Arakawa (MM ’25) performs in a special Butler School of Music faculty and student event honoring the life and legacy of Dmitri Shostakovich. This season marks both the 120th anniversary of his birth and the 50th anniversary of his passing, making it a particularly meaningful moment to revisit his work. Katsu will be performing Shostakovich’s Piano Trio No. 1 in C Minor, “Poème,” Op. 8 (1923), with Professor Rick Rowley on piano. The concert takes place next Monday, January 26th, at 7:30pm, in Bates Recital Hall, and is free and open to the public. For complete program, ticket and more information, visit music.utexas.edu.
UPDATE — Due to inclement weather, this event has been postponed and rescheduled to Friday, February 6th, at 7:30pm.
The lineup for Austin Camerata’s 2026 CelloFest has been announced! Among the eight cellists performing will be Matthew Armbruster (MM ’16), Cory Blais (MM ’19), Hyugrai “Ray” Kim (DMA ’19, AD ’24) and artistic director Daniel Kopp (MM ’18). Musical numbers will include brand new arrangements by Blais of A-ha’s Take on Me, Glenn Miller’s In the Mood and Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody.
Yi-Chien Lian (MM ’21) has been appointed Principal Cellist of the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra. Founded in 1948 by Antonia Brico, the first woman to conduct the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (1938), the DPO is led today by Music Director and Conductor Scott O’Neil, who joined the orchestra in January 2025. With a 75+ year history in Denver, the DPO’s mission is to continually redefine the way our community experiences and engages with classical music.
Tsz To Wong (DMA ’24) has just won a section cello position with the San Antonio Philharmonic orchestra. A professional orchestra in San Antonio dates back to 1939 when the San Antonio Symphony orchestra was founded. When the San Antonio Symphony management ceased operations in June 2022, the musicians—some of whom won their seats in the 1970s and ‘80s—were determined to preserve world-class music in San Antonio, forming the San Antonio Philharmonic. In February 2024, Jeffrey Kahane was named the San Antonio Philharmonic’s first music director. In October 2024, the Philharmonic signed an agreement to make the Scottish Rite Cathedral, a structure built in 1924, its permanent home.
This past weekend, Aidan Bolding (MM ’27) won the audition for Principal Cellist of the Central Texas Philharmonic Orchestra. Led by Music Director Stefan Sanders, the CTPO opens its 2025–26 season on Sunday, September 14th, at 4 PM, with Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, the “Titan,” at the Klett Performing Arts Center in Georgetown.
Tsz To Wong (DMA ’25) has been appointed to the music faculty of South Texas College (STC), a public community college serving the Rio Grande Valley region of South Texas. STC has an enrollment of over 26,000 students and a staff of approximately 1,600 working across six campuses. Beginning this 2025-26 academic year, Tsz To will work with all lower strings students at STC on its Pecan Campus in McAllen.
Representing Austin Soundwaves on the national stage as part of Carnegie Hall’s PlayUSA conference in New York were Mika Sims (BM Music Studies ’26), orchestra director Erika Perera and fellow alumni Cristal Martinez Perez.
Longhorn Cellos 