The Florida Orchestra (TFO) will host eight musicians for its first full season this month. All won highly competitive blind auditions that drew applicants from across the country and around the world for full-time positions with Florida’s largest professional orchestra under the artistic direction of Music Director Michael Francis.

Tenure-track positions include Yefim Romanov, first assistant concertmaster; Natalie Yu, Deputy Principal Second Violin; Chi Lee, associate principal viola; Matthew Eeuwes, Deputy Principal Viola; Sebastian Stefanovic, viola; Yoni Draiblate, cello; Ansel Norris, Principal Associate/Utility Trumpet; and Ben Hauser, second trumpet.

In addition, six musicians will join TFO this fall for one-year positions: Russell Hoffman, interim assistant principal oboe; Jacob Thonis, acting assistant principal bassoon; Valerie Ankeney, acting assistant principal/duty horn; Nicole Haywood, bassoon/contrabassoon; Jonas Benson, viola; and Troy Chang, cello.

The Florida Orchestra employs 68 full-time professional musicians who live, work, and give back to the Tampa Bay community. For full biographies of each of the talented new musicians and the entire orchestra, visit https://floridaorchestra.org/musicians/.

TFO will present more than 100 concerts this season at venues in Tampa Bay, including a wide range of classical, popular and family music. Maestro Francis kicked off the season with TFO’s 55th Celebration benefit concert, featuring Itzhak Perlman on October 1 at the Mahaffey Theatre. The following weekend, October 7-9, the Hough Family Foundation Masterworks series kicked off with Carl Orff’s epic Carmina Burana, kicking off the classic series that ranges from Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 to Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 and more. The Raymond James Pops series includes blockbusters such as Harry Potter vs. Star WarsHoliday Pops and the iconic Beatles Abbey Road album. All tickets are on sale now at https://floridaorchestra.org/.

The Florida Orchestra is recognized as Tampa Bay’s premier performing arts institution, Florida’s largest professional orchestra, and one of America’s most dynamic and innovative orchestras. It celebrates its 55th season in 2022-23. Under Francis’ leadership, TFO presents a series of Classical, Popular, and Morning Coffee concerts in Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater, as well as free Pops in the Park concerts. The orchestra is dedicated to connecting to the community, in person and virtually, with family and youth concerts and other educational programs.

For tickets and information, visit https://floridaorchestra.org/. The Florida Orchestra is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization — EIN: 59-1223691, CH#1830. To learn more about how you can support the power of music in building community, contact sweymouth@floridaorchestra.org. To donate now, visit https://floridaorchestra.org/donate.