MUSICIANS
MUSICIANS
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MELISSA MUÑOZ
MELISSA MUÑOZ
TRUMPET
TRUMPET
Melissa Muñoz is a dedicated trumpeter and educator based in New York City. She enjoys a career of freelancing, subbing on Broadway, and teaching in the New York Tri-State area. She has performed with Broadway Sinfonietta, New York Philharmonic, The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke's, and Talea Ensemble. Melissa is an avid chamber musician and frequently performs with The Paragon Ragtime Orchestra, Baroquelyn, and is a member of Riverside Brass Quintet. Melissa is a Bach/Conn-Selmer trumpet artist.
Melissa earned her Bachelor of Music degree at UT Austin and Master of Music degree at Yale School of Music, where she was awarded the John Swallow Brass Prize. She also studied at the Colburn School under the tutelage of Jim Wilt. Melissa was a fellow in the Cleveland Institute of Music's inaugural Future of Music Faculty Fellowship, a program designed to represent “a critical step forward in creating diversity within the music academy and beyond.”
Melissa has a passion for education and loves bringing out meaningful musicianship in her students. She has maintained a private lesson studio since 2017, and is on faculty at The Browning School. As an education advocate, she has mentored for the Fortissima Program, Tidewater Brass Institute, French Woods Festival, and Maestra Mentorship Program. She currently serves as Pathways and Partnerships Manager at the Kaufman Music Center, a program dedicated to increasing diversity and access in the music field by creating pathways to impactful music study beginning in elementary and middle school.
CHANGHYUN CHA
CHANGHYUN CHA
TRUMPET
TRUMPET
Changhyun Cha was born in Busan, South Korea in 1993.
At the age of 16, he began studying trumpet performance under Dmitri Lokalenkov at Korea National University of Arts, where he also received guidance from Prof. Eungwoo Lee and Wansun Kim.
During his time as a student in Korea, Changhyun Cha participated in various international festivals, including the Great Mountain Festival, TIMF (directed by Unsuk Chin), GoingHome Project, and the LaLa Land project with Justin Hurwitz and original soundtrack members such as Wayne Bergeron. He also performed as an orchestra player with renowned ensembles such as the Seoul Philharmonic, KBS Symphony Orchestra, Korea National Symphony Orchestra, and others.
In 2019, after completing his undergraduate studies, Changhyun Cha decided to pursue further education in Orchestral Studies abroad. He moved to New York to study under Thomas Smith and Ethan Bensdorf, both current members of the NY Philharmonic, at the Manhattan School of Music, where he aimed to obtain his master's degree in Orchestral Performance.
Throughout his time at Manhattan School, he had the privilege of being selected as a member of prestigious festivals such as the National Orchestra Institute (conducted by Marin Alsop), Pacific Music Festival 2020 (conducted by Valery Gergiev), and the National Repertory Orchestra (conducted by Carl Tapilow, currently Michael Stern), among others.
Presently, Changhyun Cha is a company member in the Broadway musical "Sweeney Todd," showcasing his talents as a trumpet player at the Lunt Fontanne Theatre in New York City.
LIANA HOFFMAN
LIANA HOFFMAN
FRENCH HORN
FRENCH HORN
Horn player Liana Hoffman is an active performer and teacher in the New York City freelance scene. While she most frequently works as a substitute musician in several Broadway shows, she can also be found performing with classical ensembles like the New York Philharmonic, the American Ballet Theater, and the American Symphony Orchestra.
Before returning to NYC, Liana regularly performed with the Houston Symphony, the North Carolina Symphony, and held the position of Fourth Horn with the Austin Symphony Orchestra from 2021-2023, a job she earned while still in pursuit of her master's degree. She has also attended the Aspen Music Festival, the Music Academy of the West, the Sarasota Music Festival, and the New York String Orchestra Seminar.
Liana gained a master’s degree as a student of William VerMeulen at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music, and a bachelor's degree as a student of Michelle Baker at the Manhattan School of Music, where she returned to perform as a soloist with the MSM Symphony Orchestra in 2022.
Throughout Liana's career, she has prioritized community involvement and education by presenting accessible solo concerts to diverse audiences at schools, retirement homes, and cultural centers. She also maintains a teaching studio both in-person and online through Virtu. Academy.
JULIE DOMBROSKI-JONES
JULIE DOMBROSKI-JONES
TROMBONE
TROMBONE
Julie is a New York City trombonist performing a variety of genres with a focus in chamber music, orchestra and Broadway. Known for her innovative spirit and versatile performance, Julie can be heard performing regularly at the Belasco Theatre with the Maybe Happy Ending orchestra, with local symphonic and opera orchestras, and throughout NYC with Riverside Brass Quintet.
Additional Broadway Orchestra credits include Merrily We Roll Along (2023-2024) and Sweeney Todd (2023) as well as with the Radio City Christmas Spectacular Orchestra (2021). She has also notably performed with NOVUS NY, the Orchestra of St. Luke's, New Jersey Symphony, Teatro Grattecielo, TILT brass, MODUS Orchestra, the Doll-Parts, Brass Queens, and the American Lyric Theater. She has recorded with the Orchestra Now, Mariah Lyttle, the Ines Velasco Big Band, Reuben Reuel, Anna Paddock, Patriot Brass and for multiple Broadway cast albums.
She holds a B.M from Ithaca College and a M.M. from the Manhattan School of Music. Her primary instructors included Colin Williams (New York Philharmonic), Jeffrey Gray (Rochester Philharmonic) and Dr. Hal Reynolds.
DECLAN WILCOX
DECLAN WILCOX
BASS TROMBONE
BASS TROMBONE
Declan Wilcox is a bass trombonist and educator based in New York City, where he stays busy playing chamber and orchestral music, jazz, and new music. He is the bass trombonist of Symphony in C and performs regularly with the Princeton Symphony and the Syracuse Orchestra.
Declan has been a member of the National Repertory Orchestra as well as the Spoleto Festival Orchestra.
He was the winner of the 2022 International Women's Brass Conference Bass Trombone Orchestral Excerpts competition and a finalist in the 2020 American Trombone Workshop National Solo Competition, Division Ill.
A passionate educator, Declan has been a Teaching Artist with Yale's Music in Schools Initiative and served as trombone faculty at the Morse Summer Music Academy. Previously, he was the Band Area Director for the University of Colorado Middle School Ensemble. Through education and outreach, Declan aims to help students and communities foster a lifelong love of music, a goal central to his life.
An advocate for new music, Declan has premiered brass chamber works by composers such as Lila Meretzky, Harriet Steinke and Addison Maye-Saxon. He has a particular interest in expanding the brass chamber repertoire, and arranges and commissions works to that end.
Declan earned both his Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Music Education degrees at the University of Colorado. He earned his Master of Music degree from the Yale School of Music, where he was awarded the John Swallow Prize.
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