Mark Grisez is originally from Central California. From 2014 to 2016, he served as Acting Associate Principal Trumpet of the San Francisco Symphony and in May 2015, he was named Musical America’s New Artist of the Month. He moved to Miami Beach, FL in the fall of 2016 and spent three years as a Trumpet Fellow with the New World Symphony. Mark also has held the position of Principal Trumpet of the California Symphony, played as Guest Principal Trumpet of the Louisville Orchestra, and performed with a variety of other ensembles, including The Bay Brass, San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, One Found Sound, and Nomad Session, a pop-up wind octet of which he is a founding member.
One of Mark’s primary interests is expanding the role that performers play socially and interpersonally in the world. In 2018, he created The Curious Musician, an online video series for musicians to share thoughts on musicianship, creativity, practice, and personal growth. In 2019, he and a team of New World Symphony Fellows designed, programmed, and performed Double Take: The Human Effect, a concert experience exploring the ways in which art helps make sense of a turbulent world. That same year, Mark started a collaboration in which New World Symphony musicians made weekly visits to a South Florida juvenile justice organization, playing and writing music together with small groups of court-involved high school students in an effort to explore positive relationships and personal growth. He also has taught as a brass coach for the Stanford Youth Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra, New World Symphony’s MusicLab program, and Iberacademy in Medellín, Colombia.
Mark received his bachelor’s degree in music performance in 2015 from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he studied under David Burkhart and Mark Inouye. He also studied with Charles Geyer and Barbara Butler at Rice University from 2019 to 2020. In his spare time, he enjoys writing, curating a collection of fine pencils, reading too many books, and running.
Julia Rose has been Associate Principal Horn of the Columbus Symphony since 1997. Born in Cedar Rapids, IA and raised in Cannon Falls, MN, she obtained her Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Wisconsin- Madison, where she was a student of Douglas Hill. Upon graduation she became a member of the New World Symphony in Miami, FL, where she played for 3 years before joining the Columbus Symphony. In addition to performing regularly with the Columbus Symphony, she has also performed with the Buffalo Philharmonic, Cincinnati Symphony, Detroit Symphony, and the San Francisco Symphony.
Besides her orchestral playing, Julia was also a prizewinner and finalist at the American Horn Competition in both 1999 and 2003, and won 1st prize (professional horn division) at the 2000 International Women’s Brass Conference Solo Competition. She has also appeared twice as a concerto soloist with the New World Symphony. She resides in Dublin with her husband and their 3 children.
Joseph Duchi, retired Associate Professor of Trombone at The Ohio State University, is a graduate of the University of Michigan, where he earned both the BM and MM degrees. Before coming to Ohio State, Duchi held the position of Assistant Conductor of Bands and Assistant Professor of Low Brass at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. While in Amherst, he gave numerous trombone clinics, adjudicated several state contests, and participated in many concerts with Mt. Holyoke, Smith, and Amherst College groups.
His performance experience includes three seasons with the Springfield (Massachusetts) Symphony Orchestra and the Springfield Symphony Orchestra Brass Quintet. Duchi is also a former member of the Fifth U.S. Army Band, where he often performed as soloist and assistant conductor as well as a former faculty member at the National Music Camp in Interlochen, MI. He is currently the Bass Trombonist in the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, member of the Ohio Brass Quintet, and trombonist with the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra of Columbus.
Jeff Korak has been a member of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra (CSO) as Second Trumpet since 1999. He has performed on the Columbus Symphony’s classical subscription series as soloist three times, twice performing the Vivaldi Concerto for Two Trumpets as well as the CSO’s premiere performance of John Adams’ Tromba Lontana.
Jeff has held positions with symphony orchestras all over the United States and countries in Europe, including Norway and Spain. Positions in the United States include the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Illinois Symphony Orchestra, Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestra, New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, and Santa Fe Opera. Mr. Korak also performs regularly as a guest with orchestras across the United States and occasionally in Canada.
Jeff enjoys playing chamber music and is a member of the Columbus Symphony Brass Quintet, which performs all over Central Ohio and has raised over $10,000 for Central Ohio food banks.
Jeff earned his Bachelor of Music from the University of North Texas in 1990, where he studied with world-famous pedagogue and performer Dr. Leonard Candelaria. Jeff continued his education at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, where he received a Master of Music in 1991 and studied with long-time member of the world-famous Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Vincent Cichowicz. As a student, he was the winner of several solo and mock orchestral competitions for the International Trumpet Guild and International Women’s Brass Conference.
Jeff began playing trumpet in 5th grade in Albuquerque, NM. After his family moved to the Dallas, TX area in 1979, Jeff continued his studies on trumpet and was awarded positions in the Texas All-State Orchestra and Wind Ensemble. During this time, he performed at the acclaimed Montreux Jazz Festival and North Sea Jazz Festival in Holland as Lead Trumpet with the Lewisville High School Jazz Ensemble.
Jeff enjoys working with students in his home studio and is a frequent guest clinician at universities in Ohio, across the country, and in Canada. He is currently a Yamaha-sponsored Performing Artist.
Jack is originally from Northern Virginia, where he attended George C Marshall High School, and studied with musicians from the Delaware and National Symphonies, the Kennedy Center Opera House, and the Washington D.C. military bands. In high school Jack was involved in a wide variety of music, playing in big bands, brass bands, marching band, wind ensemble, and orchestras.
He went on to attend Northwestern University where he majored in trombone performance, studying with Michael Mulcahy, Doug Wright, Tim Higgins, Randy Hawes, and Christopher Davis. At Northwestern, Jack continued to play diverse styles of music, playing lead trombone in the big band, and performing in the pit for many musicals on trombone, bass trombone, and tuba, in addition to his classical studies. Following his junior year, Jack spent the summer playing lead trombone in the 2019 Disney All-American College Band, performing in Disneyland, and working with world class clinicians in the LA studio music scene. After his undergraduate, Jack spent a year in New York City performing with regional orchestras, and studying with Colin Williams of the New York Philharmonic at The Manhattan School of Music. In the summer of 2023, Jack was a fellow at the Aspen Music Festival, performing on trombone and bass trumpet with the Aspen Festival Orchestra.
Outside of performing Jack enjoys writing and arranging music for big band, as well as playing and watching tennis. A member of his high school tennis team, he often attends ATP tennis tournaments in the United States, and gets on the court to hit as much as possible.
Adam Koch is currently Fourth horn with the Columbus Symphony. Prior to Columbus, Adam was second horn with the Charleston Symphony in South Carolina.
The son of a career military officer, Adam was born in San Antonio, Texas. He spent his early childhood in Missouri, elementary school in Vicenza, Italy, and high school in Olympia, Washington. He attributes much of his musical success to studying art, architecture and sculpture at an early age.
Adam earned his Bachelor of Science in French Horn Performance with an outside field in Business from Indiana University, where he studied with Michael Hatfield and Richard Seraphinoff (natural horn). He also spent a year at Rice University studying with William VerMeulen.
In high demand as a freelancer and substitute, Adam has performed throughout North America including performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Houston, Cincinnati, Seattle, Detroit and Toronto symphonies. Adam has spent summers in Colorado performing with the Aspen Music Festival and the National Repertory Orchestra.
An Eagle Scout, Adam enjoys cooking, photography and hiking with his wife Katherine and his Siberian Husky. Adam and Katherine currently reside in Worthington, Ohio.
