SACRAMENTO, CA – December 12, 2023 – The Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera (SP&O) received a fresh injection of artistic talent with the appointment of four new musicians to the orchestra. The four new members, who include Principal Viola Jacob Joseph, Principal Bassoon Jordan Farber, Section Viola Evan Buttemer, and 2nd Bassoon Nicolasa Kuster, begin their tenure immediately.
“I have been extremely impressed with the quality of musicianship in this orchestra, and I know that the addition of Jacob, Jordan, Evan, and Nicolasa in their key new positions will make it even better. Stronger, deeper and more consistent,” SP&O Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor Ari Pelto reflected. “I congratulate each of them and look forward to working with them to bring the best in orchestral music and opera to this community.”
The new musicians join the orchestra at a time when the SP&O is on a trajectory of artistic growth and achievement. The SP&O named Pelto to the new post of Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor in April 2023 while producing regularly sold-out concerts and setting fundraising records. The 2023-24 season began in October and will continue through May 2024, with 7 performances at the SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center.
About the new musicians
Violist Jacob Joseph has a varied career as a freelance musician in his native bay area. Aside from appearing with many of the regional symphony orchestras and with touring Broadway productions, he is a founding member of the Oakland based Town Quartet who perform in weekly and monthly residencies throughout northern California. He has been a member of the Schleswig-Holstein, Glimmerglass, and Spoletto festival orchestras as well as the orchestra of the New York City Ballet, and has performed in chamber music recitals with members of the Juilliard String Quartet, The Claremont Trio, and with pianist Alon Goldstein and violist Toby Appel. He has also shared the stage with the likes of Johnny Mathis, The Eagles, The Moody Blues, and Nick Cave among others. When he’s not practicing the viola He can be found smoking meat on the BBQ, making pickles, or at the Oakland Coliseum for an A’s game.
Originally from Las Vegas, Nevada, Jordan Farber has appeared on stages across the world. He began his studies at The Colburn School in Los Angeles, where he is currently in the fourth year of his undergraduate studies. As well as being the newly appointed principal bassoonist in Sacramento, Jordan had performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, Charleston Symphony, and the Fort Worth Symphony, among others. As well, he was a fellow in both the Tanglewood Festival Orchestra, and the Music Academy of the West. Jordan is a passionate teacher of both bassoon and reed making, with students accepted to numerous conservatories and colleges, as well as participating in the National Youth Orchestra USA.
Bassoonist Nicolasa Kuster is Associate Professor of Bassoon and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at the University of the Pacific Conservatory of Music in Stockton, California. She balances her full-time position in higher education with a rich orchestral, chamber, and solo performing life around northern California and beyond. She founded and continues to lead the Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition and Bassoon Symposium, a biennial competition for young women bassoonists from the Americas and a three day event surrounding it. Kuster is Principal Bassoon of the Stockton Symphony and New Hampshire Music Festival Orchestras, Second Bassoon of the Monterey Symphony, and performs on occasion with the San Francisco and San Diego Symphonies. Previous positions include the Wichita Symphony, the Tulsa Philharmonic Orchestra, the Rhode Island Philharmonic, and the Virginia Symphony. She is a Double Degree graduate from Oberlin College and Conservatory with a B.M. in Bassoon Performance and a B.A. in Religion. Her solo CD, Metamorphosis, can be found online.
Photos left to right: Jacob Joseph, Jordan Farber, Nicolasa Kuster. Photo unavailable for Evan Buttemer.