Seth Sagen ’26 was recently awarded the Assistant Concertmaster position with the Central Texas Philharmonic, a professional orchestra in the Austin area. He is a violin major and student of Assistant Professor of Violin and Viola Jessica Mathaes. Seth won an audition in order to receive this highly competitive violin leadership spot with the orchestra.

Assistant Professor of Violin Jessica Mathaes performed as a soloist with the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra in Jackson, WY this summer. She also led the orchestra as concertmaster. Named “one of 2024’s top US Classical Music Festivals” by BBC Music Magazine, the Grand Teton Music Festival is an eight-week concert series that draws from top orchestra musicians throughout the world, and is led by music director Sir Donald Runnicles.

The violin studio of Part-Time Assistant Professor of Applied Music Jessica Mathaes performed in a masterclass by guest artist Sandy Yamamoto on Saturday, February 24, at Caldwell-Carvey Foyer. Professor Yamamoto is a violin professor at the University of Texas at Austin and a founding member of the renowned Miro quartet. Mathaes’ students performed violin solo works in front of a live audience, with a real-time critique by the guest artist. The Sarofim String Quartet (a student quartet coached by Mathaes) concluded the masterclass with a Beethoven Op. 18 No. 4 performance.

Part-Time Assistant Professor of Applied Music Jessica Mathaes was selected to lead the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra as concertmaster this summer. Hailed as “one of the top 10 classical music festivals in the US” (Financial Times), the Grand Teton Music Festival takes place in Jackson, Wyoming. In its 63rd season, the festival is eight weeks long and is a destination for top orchestral players from world-renowned orchestras. Mathaes will lead the orchestra in July, with Sir Donald Runnicles conducting.

Part-Time Assistant Professor of Applied Music and Concertmaster of the Austin Symphony Jessica Mathaes’ student Seth Sagen ’26, a violin performance major, performed in the violin section of the Austin Symphony on their Masterworks concerts February 9-10 at the Long Center.