With the start of the 2000-2001 season, Robert Langevin joined the New York Philharmonic as Principal Flute, in The Lila Acheson Wallace Chair. Most recently, Mr. Langevin held the Jackman Pfouts Principal Flute Chair of the Pittsburgh Symphony and was an adjunct professor at Duquesne University, in Pittsburgh. Prior to his appointment to the Pittsburgh Symphony, Mr. Langevin served as Associate Principal of the Montreal Symphony for 13 years, playing on more than 30 recordings. As a member of Musica Camerata Montreal and l’Ensemble de la Société de Musique Contemporaine du Québec, he premiered many works, including the Canadian premiere of Pierre Boulez’s Le Marteau sans maître. In addition, Mr. Langevin has performed as soloist with Quebec’s most distinguished ensembles and has recorded many recitals and chamber music programs for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He also served on the faculty of the University of Montreal for nine years.
Born in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Mr. Langevin began studying flute at age 12 and joined the local orchestra three years later. While studying with Jean-Paul Major at the Montreal Conservatory of Music, he started working in recording studios, where he accompanied a variety of artists of different styles. He graduated in 1976 with two first prizes, one in flute, the other in chamber music. Not long after, he won the prestigious Prix d’Europe, a national competition open to all instruments with a first prize of a two-year scholarship to study in Europe. This enabled him to work with Aurèle Nicolet at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Freiburg, Germany, where he graduated in 1979. He then went on to study with Maxence Larrieu, in Geneva, winning second prize at the Budapest International Competition in 1980.
Mr. Langevin is currently on the faculties of The Juilliard School, the Manhattan School of Music, and the Orford International Summer Festival.
Born in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Mr. Langevin began studying flute at age 12 and joined the local orchestra three years later. While studying with Jean-Paul Major at the Montreal Conservatory of Music, he started working in recording studios, where he accompanied a variety of artists of different styles. He graduated in 1976 with two first prizes, one in flute, the other in chamber music. Not long after, he won the prestigious Prix d’Europe, a national competition open to all instruments with a first prize of a two-year scholarship to study in Europe. This enabled him to work with Aurèle Nicolet at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Freiburg, Germany, where he graduated in 1979. He then went on to study with Maxence Larrieu, in Geneva, winning second prize at the Budapest International Competition in 1980.
Mr. Langevin is currently on the faculties of The Juilliard School, the Manhattan School of Music, and the Orford International Summer Festival.
Erik Ralske joined the New York Philharmonic as third horn in September 1993, and is currently Acting Associate Principal Horn. Prior to joining the Philharmonic, he was Associate Principal Horn with the Houston Symphony Orchestra and Principal Horn with the Vancouver Symphony, Florida Symphony, and Tulsa Philharmonic orchestras.
During his tenure with the New York Philharmonic, Mr. Ralske has been a soloist with the orchestra over a dozen times with Maestros Kurt Masur and Lorin Maazel in New York as well as on tour in Europe and South America. His 2004 solo appearance with the Tainan Symphony was televised throughout Taiwan. Other recent solo engagements include the West Virginia Symphony, Jupiter Symphony, Texas Music Festival, and the Nassau-Suffolk Wind Symphony.
Mr. Ralske has always been very active as a chamber musician. He has performed with The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the New York Philharmonic Ensembles, the Music Academy of the West, as well as the Seattle, Vancouver, and Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festivals. Currently, he is a member of The Philharmonic Quintet of New York. The quintet was formed in 2001 and in addition to performing often in the greater metropolitan area, they have toured in the U.S., Europe and Asia. In February 2005 the group raised over $50,000 in a single concert for Tsunami orphans. The quintet anticipates the release of their first CD in 2007.
Erik has long been active in the recording industry, having performed on many movie soundtracks--from Oliver Stone’s “Platoon” (1986), to the many recent releases, such as “Manchurian Candidate” and “Failure to Launch”. He appears on a recent CD entitled “Take 9”, which combines the talents of the NY Philharmonic horn section and the American Horn Quartet.
Currently, he is on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music, and Mannes College of Music. He received both his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the Juilliard School.
He and his wife, hornist Jenny Chen-Ralske, live in Edgewater, New Jersey with their young son, Evan.
Erik Ralske, horn
Robert Langevin, flute
Sherry Sylar, oboe
Associate Principal Oboe Sherry Sylar joined the New York Philharmonic in 1984, after having performed with the Louisville Orchestra and having taught at the University of Evansville, Indiana. A native of Chattanooga, Tennessee, she earned her bachelor’s degree in music at Indiana University and her master’s degree from Northwestern University. In addition to her Philharmonic concerts, Ms. Sylar performs chamber music and solo concerts regularly.
During the 1989 Christmas season, Ms. Sylar took part in the Berlin Celebration Concerts, held in East and West Berlin to hail the dismantling of the Berlin Wall. One of eight Philharmonic musicians chosen to represent the United States, she performed with an international orchestra led by Leonard Bernstein.
Ms. Sylar was a featured soloist with the New York Philharmonic in Haydn’s Sinfonia concertante in B-flat in December 2003, conducted by Jeffrey Kahane, and in March 2005 performed Bach’s Concerto for Violin and Oboe with Principal Associate Concertmaster Sheryl Staples, conducted by Kent Nagano. Ms. Sylar was invited to China as a judge in the first-ever auditions of the Beijing National Orchestra. She gives master classes for oboists internationally, and did so in Taiwan in November 2004, following the Philharmonic’s 2004 Tour of Korea and Japan.
Ms. Sylar has participated in both the Aspen and the Teton Music Festivals, and was recently named to the faculty of the Mannes College of Music.
During the 1989 Christmas season, Ms. Sylar took part in the Berlin Celebration Concerts, held in East and West Berlin to hail the dismantling of the Berlin Wall. One of eight Philharmonic musicians chosen to represent the United States, she performed with an international orchestra led by Leonard Bernstein.
Ms. Sylar was a featured soloist with the New York Philharmonic in Haydn’s Sinfonia concertante in B-flat in December 2003, conducted by Jeffrey Kahane, and in March 2005 performed Bach’s Concerto for Violin and Oboe with Principal Associate Concertmaster Sheryl Staples, conducted by Kent Nagano. Ms. Sylar was invited to China as a judge in the first-ever auditions of the Beijing National Orchestra. She gives master classes for oboists internationally, and did so in Taiwan in November 2004, following the Philharmonic’s 2004 Tour of Korea and Japan.
Ms. Sylar has participated in both the Aspen and the Teton Music Festivals, and was recently named to the faculty of the Mannes College of Music.
Mark Nuccio, clarinet
Critics have praised clarinetist Mark Nuccio for both his solo performances and chamber appearances, citing his “first-rate solos,” “fluent shaping of lines,” and “effortless soft playing.” Mr. Nuccio joined the New York Philharmonic in fall of 1999 as Associate Principal and Solo E-flat Clarinetist. Prior to this appointment in New York, he held positions with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Denver Symphony Orchestra, Savannah (Georgia) Symphony, and the Florida Orchestra in Tampa. Additionally, Mr. Nuccio has performed with orchestras in Minnesota, Atlanta, Birmingham, and Charleston, S.C. He has performed under such distinguished conductors as Lorin Maazel, Kurt Masur, Mariss Jansons, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, Erich Leinsdorf, Claudio Abbado, Riccardo Chailly, André Previn, and Leonard Slatkin. He has toured with both the New York Philharmonic and the Pittsburgh Symphony in dozens of countries, recorded with both orchestras, and performed with the Philharmonic on the PBS award-winning series, Live From Lincoln Center.
An active solo and chamber musician, Mr. Nuccio made his New York recital debut in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in March 2001 and his Japanese recital debut in Tsuda Hall in Tokyo in June 2002. In New York he can often be heard at Merkin Concert Hall, the 92nd Street Y, and Bargemusic in Brooklyn. During summers, Mr. Nuccio performs chamber music in the Strings in the Mountain Music Festival in Steamboat, Colorado. He has been the featured performer with several orchestras in the United States as well as in recital at the International Clarinet Association and, most recently, performed three recitals in Japan and Germany. In the fall of 2004, Mr. Nuccio was heard as a soloist and recitalist throughout Japan and Taiwan. As a studio musician, Mr. Nuccio has performed on several movie soundtracks, including The Last Holiday, The Rookie, The Score, Intolerable Cruelty, Alamo, Pooh’s Heffalump, The Manchurian Candidate, Hitch, numerous television commercials, the Late Show With David Letterman, as well as the 2003 Grammy Awards in New York City.
A Colorado native, Mr. Nuccio holds a master’s degree from Northwestern University, where he studied with renowned pedagogue Robert Marcellus, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Colorado, in Greeley.
In addition to his active performing schedule, Mr. Nuccio is committed to training the next generation of musicians. He currently serves on the faculties of the Manhattan School of Music and the Mannes College of Music in New York, and is very active teaching master classes in the United States and abroad.
Mr. Nuccio resides in New Jersey with his wife, Suzanne, and their two young children, Dominic and Mikala. Mr. Nuccio is an artist/clinician for The Music Group and performs exclusively on Buffet clarinets.
Judith LeClair, bassoon
Judith LeClair joined the New York Philharmonic as Principal Bassoon in 1981, at the age of 23. Since then, she has made more than 50 solo appearances with the Orchestra, performing with conductors such as Sir Colin Davis, Sir Andrew Davis, Christopher Hogwood, Rafael Kubelik, Erich Leinsdorf, Kurt Masur, Zubin Mehta, André Previn, and John Williams. Her performance of the Weber Bassoon Concerto in late December 2005 marked her first concerto appearance with Music Director Lorin Maazel.
Ms. LeClair is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music, where she studied with K. David Van Hoesen. She made her professional debut with The Philadelphia Orchestra at age 15, playing Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante with colleagues from the Settlement Music School in Philadelphia, where she studied with Shirley Curtiss. Before joining the New York Philharmonic, she was Principal Bassoonist for two seasons with the San Diego Symphony and San Diego Opera.
Active as a chamber musician, she has performed with numerous leading artists and has participated in the Music from Angel Fire, Bridgehampton, Bay Chamber, and Aspen festivals. She has given solo recitals and master classes at the Eastman School of Music, Northwestern University, Oberlin College, Michigan and Ohio Universities, and the University of Colorado at Boulder. Every August she gives a solo recital and week-long master class at the Hidden Valley Music Seminar in Carmel Valley, California. She is a member of the Philharmonic Quintet of New York, an active group formed in 2001 with her colleagues from the New York Philharmonic wind section. They have performed extensively together in New York and in Asia, Europe and the United States.
Ms. LeClair is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music, where she studied with K. David Van Hoesen. She made her professional debut with The Philadelphia Orchestra at age 15, playing Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante with colleagues from the Settlement Music School in Philadelphia, where she studied with Shirley Curtiss. Before joining the New York Philharmonic, she was Principal Bassoonist for two seasons with the San Diego Symphony and San Diego Opera.
Active as a chamber musician, she has performed with numerous leading artists and has participated in the Music from Angel Fire, Bridgehampton, Bay Chamber, and Aspen festivals. She has given solo recitals and master classes at the Eastman School of Music, Northwestern University, Oberlin College, Michigan and Ohio Universities, and the University of Colorado at Boulder. Every August she gives a solo recital and week-long master class at the Hidden Valley Music Seminar in Carmel Valley, California. She is a member of the Philharmonic Quintet of New York, an active group formed in 2001 with her colleagues from the New York Philharmonic wind section. They have performed extensively together in New York and in Asia, Europe and the United States.
In April 1995 Ms. LeClair premiered The Five Sacred Trees, a concerto written for her by John Williams and commissioned by the New York Philharmonic as part of its 150th Anniversary celebration. She later performed the concerto with the San Francisco Symphony and with the Royal Academy Orchestra in London. She recorded it for Sony Classical with the London Symphony Orchestra in June 1996, with Mr. Williams conducting. This, along with her solo New York Legends CD for Cala Records, was released in March 1997.
Ms. LeClair is on the faculty of The Juilliard School. She lives in New Jersey with her husband, pianist Jonathan Feldman, and their young son, Gabriel.
All photos appearing on this website courtesy of David Finlayson