Ally Cho is an Australian-born violinist who has crossed the Pacific Ocean to chase her dreams. She embarked on an international journey, crossing continents to the bustling metropolis of New York City. Here, under the expert guidance of Lucie Robert, she pursued her Bachelor’s degree in classical violin at the Manhattan School of Music. During her time in New York City, she discovered a deep passion for chamber music.

Today, Ally stands at a new chapter in her life at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) where she’s been awarded with a fellowship for Armenian Music. This chapter in her musical journey casts her as part of the UCLA resident quartet, VEM, under the guidance of the distinguished Movses Pogossian and Varty Manouelian.

Los Angeles-based violist and violinist Damon Zavala has been deeply connected to music since childhood, thanks to his family’s diverse musical influences. His musical journey began as a young violist in Oregon, where he earned numerous accolades, including securing two OSAA state titles. Seeking broader horizons, Damon ventured 2000 miles to Nashville to study at Vanderbilt University under Kathryn Plummer, Daniel Reinker, and María Romero-Ramos. There, he explored a wide range of musical genres, from baroque to bluegrass, collaborating with various artists and studios.

Presently, Damon is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Viola Performance at The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, where he studies under Professor Che-Yen Chen. Alongside his studies, he teaches part-time at UCLA under the direction of Dr. Wendy Richman, working with students from disciplines largely outside of the music school. This role provides him with the unique opportunity to connect with a broader campus population, fostering an interdisciplinary appreciation of music—a class he finds both engaging and deeply rewarding.

Damon also serves as an Arts Coordinator, facilitating multiple orchestra programs at the middle school level in Santa Monica. In this role, he oversees the organization and implementation of music education programs, empowering young musicians to thrive and grow in their artistic journeys. Upon relocating to Los Angeles, Damon has continued to collaborate with a wide variety of musical groups, showcasing his talent on both violin and viola. His collaborations include notable performances with EDM artist John Summit, Season 22 of NBC’s The Voice, and artists such as Young the Giant. He has also worked with orchestras including the Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra, the American Youth Symphony, California Young Artists Symphony, and most recently, the New West Symphony. These experiences highlight his expanding reach and influence in the vibrant and diverse music industry of Southern California.

Beyond performance, Damon’s role as an arts administrator is integral to his identity as a Latino musician committed to cultural advocacy. Through the Sphinx Orchestral Futurist Fellowship & Residency Program, he is at the forefront of initiatives that engage and empower black and brown communities, driving forward the mission to increase representation in the symphony hall.

His work is fueled by a personal and professional devotion to cultivating spaces where underrepresented communities can thrive and be recognized in the classical music arena. Damon’s efforts are not just about inclusion but also about celebrating the rich array of voices that black and brown musicians bring to the orchestral world.

Samuel Chung is an orchestral conducting major in the Masters program at UCLA, studying with Neal Stulberg and leading its ensembles, including UCLA Symphony, UCLA Philharmonia, and uclaFLUX.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree from Boston University, where his primary teachers were Lucia Lin and Jeremy Yudkin. At B.U., he was conductor of Time’s Arrow, the school’s contemporary music ensemble, and also studied with Joshua Rifkin, Steven Ansell, Peter Zazofsky and others. He received a Boston University College of Fine Arts Scholarship in violin performance and its 2023 Departmental Award in Musicology and Ethnomusicology.

As founder and artistic director of the Magari Ensemble, Chung has collaborated on interdisciplinary projects with organizations such as New England Conservatory’s Blind Glass Ensemble and Schönberg Center Vienna.

In recent summers, Chung studied with Gerard Schwarz as a Conducting Scholar at the Eastern Music Festival and was in residence at the 2023 Montecito International Music Festival as conductor of the festival orchestra. He has also assisted and prepared ensembles for conductors including Paul Phillips (Stanford University) and Larry Livingston (USC Thornton). In 2023, Chung was named Finalist of The Respighi Prize in Conducting, issued by the Chamber Orchestra of New York and Comune di Bologna (Italy).

Chinese-born conductor Gan Xiong has led orchestras including the Case Western Reserve University Orchestra (Cleveland, OH), Tokyo Sinfonia, UCLA Symphony, Miami Music Festival Orchestra, and Bacâu Philharmonic Orchestra (Romania), and has conducted student productions of musicals including “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” and “Dear Evan Hansen.” He has led youth orchestras in Shanghai including the Huangpu District Youth Orchestra and Shanghai Kite Youth Orchestra, where he served as faculty in a Baroque summer camp session and conducted its final concert in 2019.

Also a vocalist, Gan was a member of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus from 2021 to 2022, where he participated in a recording of Shostakovich Symphony No. 3 with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in vocal performance from Case Western Reserve University and a Master’s Degree in orchestral conducting from The Boston Conservatory at Berklee. His teachers have included Kathleen Horvath, Bruce Hangen, Charles Gambetta, and Ovidiu Balan; he has participated in masterclasses with Mark Gibson, Arthur Fagen, Apo Hsu, Robert Ryker, and John Farrer. He currently pursues a DMA degree in orchestral conducting at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, studying with Neal Stulberg.

ROSTER

VIOLIN I

Mingye Wang +

Gabrielle Arreglo

Ethan Cotta

Connie Chen

Verna Chen

David Gaines

Ben Goldman

Jesse Gu

Anais Huet

Sod Ider

Matheo Irazabal

Jeannie Kim

Elena Kobayashi

Valerie Kuo

Andrea Liang

Kevin Nam

Vanessa Niu

Sophia Ting

John Yoon

Nilofer Yu

Arin Yi

VIOLIN II

Ariana Chin +

Katarina Baumgart

Julia Bui

Jessie Cai

Brian Cheng

Rachel Choi

Lily Covarrubias

Stewart Fang

Hasti Hedayatiparsa

Alexa Jennings

Sophia Jin

Dory Kawauchi

Yassna Khosravi

Anja Kunkee

Michael Lee

Mason Leykauf

Siofra Linden

Nathan Ng

Lizzie Su

Da-Yi Wu

Fiona Xie

VIOLA

Coleman Hoffner +

Spencer Bergland

Josephine Gore

Alistair Kouzi

Sullivan Rodriguez

Mallika Shah

Ariel Villaroya

Jason Zhang

CELLO

Zachary Tu +

Mabel Brown

Henri Danzelaud

Elaine Dong

Andrew Huang

Yuta Kiami

Qinghong Shi

Tomas Mazeika

Caroline Ozmun

Charlotte Wilson

Tyler Xiao

Frankie Xun

Emma Yim

Charles Zhang

BASS

Aiden Neuman +

Richard Li

Zoe Eng

Melissa Heredia

Colin Wyse

FLUTE

Grace Brandes

Carina Li *

Emma Lee

Petunia Rizo

*Piccolo

OBOE

Jasmine Hsich

Lora Hernandez

Megan Nguyen *

*English Horn

CLARINET

Cyrus Asasi

Oren Dror

Mia Kuo

Alec Rodriguez

BASSOON

Daniel Torrero

Issac Li

Dani Santana *

*Contra-bassoon

FRENCH HORN

Vasili Magaziotis

Clara Marks

Brenna Moore

Julian Dohi

Schichen Yuan

TRUMPET

Cyrus Alva

Jesse Chi

Christian Cruz Morales

Morgan Michalik

Gabriel Shyh

Sean Zender

TROMBONE

Tim McElroy

Spencer Mar

TUBA

Leigha Linder

TIMPANI

Demitrius Alleyne

PERCUSSION

Demitrius Alleyne

Tu Han Huynh

Jesper Nguyen

Kennethson Thang

Trent Williams

HARP

Chloe Bang

PIANO/CELESTE

Jessica Li

Denotes Principal +