Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Announces the Appointment of Nine New Musicians and Youth Orchestra Conductor for the 2026–27 Season

New Appointments in Horn, Oboe, Cello, Bass, Viola and Trumpet Sections

Contracts Extended for CSO Associate Conductor and Assistant Conductor

CINCINNATI, OH (September 8, 2026)—The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) announced the appointment of nine new musicians, the appointment of Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra’s (CSYO) new Concert Orchestra Conductor, and two conducting contract extensions for the 2026–27 season. Following extensive auditions from a competitive national applicant pool, the following musicians won positions with the CSO: Molly Norcross, Principal Horn; Mark Debski, Associate Principal Oboe; Drew Morgan, Associate Principal Horn; Ania Lewis, Assistant Principal Cello; Jessica Kovach, Section Bass; and Alex Pride, Section Trumpet. One-year appointments include Celia Daggy, Acting Associate Principal Viola and Micah Reinharz, Acting Associate Principal Trumpet. Also joining the Orchestra this year is cellist Osheen Manukyan as the CSO’s inaugural CSO Resident Fellow. Leading the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra Concert Orchestra is Lina Jeong. In addition, the CSO announced a one-year contract extension with CSO Assistant Conductor Duo Shen, and Assistant Conductor Alex Amsel has been promoted to Associate Conductor with a one-year contract extension.

“The opportunity to welcome new musicians and conducting leadership into the CSO family is truly special,” said Music Director Cristian Macelaru. “We expand our artistry and build an even broader diverse experience for everyone on stage. With these wonderful individuals joining us, it will be a renewed step towards achieving our mission of relevance and community building through the language of music and artistic excellence.”

The Orchestra’s 2026–27 season begins in September with the Cincinnati Pops. Upcoming Pops performances feature guest artists Lea Salonga on September 12 and 13 and Boyz II Men on September 16. The CSO’s 2026–27 subscription season, marking Macelaru’s second as Music Director, opens with a highly anticipated three-day festival featuring Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and violinist Nicola Benedetti on October 2–4, 2026 at Music Hall. A full listing of concerts and events can be found on the Orchestra’s website.

The Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra, part of the CSO’s expansive learning programs, consists of two full orchestras made up of 200 of the region’s most talented young musicians in grades 8–12, selected through a competitive audition process. The CSYO’s mission is to reinforces excellence in students, challenging them to expand their own boundaries and promoting the mastery of 21st -century skill through the highest level of performance and collaboration. Ensembles rehearse weekly, perform throughout the year, and receive access to CSO musicians as coaches and mentors. The CSYO Philharmonic Orchestra is led by Associate Conductor Alex Amsel and Assistant Conductor Duo Shen. The CSYO Concert Orchestra is led by newly appointed conductor Lina Jeong.

BIOGRAPHIES

Molly Norcross, Principal Horn
Mary M. & Charles F. Yeiser Chair

Molly Norcross returns to the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in her new role as Principal Horn. Norcross previously served for five seasons as the CSO’s Acting Associate Principal Horn, while holding the tenured position of Assistant Principal/Utility Horn. During the 2026–27 season, Norcross will also continue her appointment as third horn of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. A committed educator, Norcross has coached students through the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra and CSO Brass Institute and has served on the faculties of the University of Kentucky, Miami University and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

Mark Debski, Associate Principal Oboe
Stephen P. McKean Chair

A native of Pittsburgh, Mark Debski served as interim principal oboe of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra for the 2025–26 season. He previously held principal oboe positions with The Florida Orchestra and the Richmond Symphony and was an oboe fellow at the New World Symphony in Miami Beach. Debski has also performed as a guest with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra and Cleveland Orchestra. During the summer, Debski serves as the second oboist for the Britt Festival Orchestra in Jacksonville, Oregon, a position he has held since 2019.

Drew Morgan, Associate Principal Horn
Ellen A. & Richard C. Berghamer Chair

Drew Morgan previously served as the associate principal/third horn of the Auckland Philharmonia in New Zealand. A native of Cincinnati, Morgan participated in many Cincinnati-based ensembles, including the CSO’s own Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in 2021. He then completed his graduate studies at The Juilliard School in 2025, during which time he was a recipient of the Gluck Foundation scholarship and the Morse Teaching Artist scholarship.

Ania Lewis, Assistant Principal Cello
Karl & Roberta Schlachter Family Chair

Ania Lewis started studying the cello at the age of 6 before moving to Cleveland a few years later. She made her solo debut with the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra at age 14. An avid chamber musician, Lewis was featured as part of the Curtis Institute of Music’s Curtis on Tour, playing a guitar quartet program with Roberto Díaz and Jason Vieaux. Lewis has performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Chicago Symphony and Boston Symphony, and will be featured as a soloist with the Lexington Philharmonic in the fall of 2026, performing Elgar’s Cello Concerto.

Jessica Kovach, Section Bass
Bassist

Jessica Kovach has played with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra as a regular substitute musician since 2019 and joins the Orchestra as a roster player starting in the fall of 2026. She earned her bachelor’s degree from San Diego State University and pursued graduate studies at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, primarily studying with Jeremy Kurtz-Harris, P.J. Cinque and Owen Lee. Kovach has also appeared with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, Erie Philharmonic and Santa Barbara Symphony.

Alex Pride, Section Trumpet
Otto M. Budig Family Foundation Chair

Alexander Pride joined the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra as Second Trumpet in 2023. Previously, he served as acting fourth/utility trumpet with the Utah Symphony in the 2019–20 season, as well as substitute trumpet with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Charleston Symphony Orchestra. Pride graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Music in 2009 with his bachelor’s degree in trumpet performance and from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music in 2012 with his master’s degree in trumpet performance. His primary teachers include Michael Sachs of The Cleveland Orchestra and Douglas Lindsay, Steven Pride, Marie Speziale and Robert Sullivan, all of whom were members of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

Celia Daggy, Acting Associate Principal Viola
Grace M. Allen Chair

Originally from Los Angeles, Celia Daggy joins the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra from her position as principal viola of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. She holds a bachelor’s degree summa cum laude from Boston University and was a Tanglewood Music Center fellow for three years. In 2018, she gave the world premiere of a viola concerto written for her by Stephen Baillargeon, as a benefit for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Daggy has performed with the Boston, Pittsburgh and North Carolina symphony orchestras, the Boston Pops and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. In the summers, she has served as assistant principal viola of the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival Orchestra, where she recently gave the world premiere of Scott Wheeler’s Blue Ridge Suite, and is a member of the Wintergreen Festival Orchestra.

Micah Reinharz, Acting Associate Principal Trumpet
Jackie & Roy Sweeney Family Chair

Micah Reinharz graduated from Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music with a degree in trumpet performance and holds a Master’s degree in trumpet performance from Indiana University. Reinharz had previous appointments as acting associate principal trumpet of the Richmond Symphony Orchestra and the Alabama Symphony Orchestra as well as acting associate principal/third trumpet of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. He has played with the National Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra and New World Symphony. Reinharz spends his summers playing in various music festivals, including the Tanglewood Music Festival for the 2024 and 2025 seasons, the Brevard Music Center Orchestra in 2023 and 2022 and the Berlin Opera Academy in Kandersteg, Switzerland in 2021.

Osheen Manukyan, CSO Resident Fellow, Cello

Osheen Manukyan graduated from The Juilliard School in New York where he was a scholarship student of Timothy Eddy. Prior to his collegiate training, he studied with Richard Naill at the Colburn School in California. A passionate ensemble musician, Manukyan has served as principal cellist under renowned conductors Marin Alsop, Stéphane Denève and JoAnn Falletta and has appeared at leading U.S. festivals, including the Music Academy of the West Summer Festival in California, Sarasota Music Festival in Florida and Aspen Music Festival in Colorado where he was a fellowship recipient. He was also the winner of the Colburn Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition in 2017 and appeared on NPR’s From the Top at Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Lina Jeong, CSYO Concert Orchestra Conductor

Lina Jeong currently serves as Orchestra Director at Xavier University, where she conducts the Chamber Orchestra and founded the Pre-College Summer Strings program. She also serves as assistant conductor for the Seven Hills Symphony and is an active guest conductor, clinician and adjudicator. She has contributed to multiple music programs, including the Northwestern Music Academy Pre-College String Division, the University of Central Florida, The People’s Music School in Chicago, Cincinnati Public Schools and youth orchestras across the country. Jeong is a dedicated advocate for musician wellness and occupational health, serving as Vice Chair of the National Wellness Committee for the American String Teachers Association.

BIOGRAPHIES: Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cristian M?celaru, Alex Amsel, Duo Shen

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