The Cleveland Orchestra Appoints CIM Alumni

The Cleveland Orchestra welcomes three new members to the bassoon, violin and oboe sections and among them are Cleveland Institute of Music alumni Gareth Thomas and Analise Denise Kukelhan.

Thomas will begin his new appointment on January 5, 2015 as second bassoon, making the short trip from Cleveland’s neighboring city of Toledo where he had been serving as principal bassoon in the Toledo Symphony Orchestra since 2011. Thomas earned a bachelor’s degree from CIM in 2009 where he was also awarded the George F. Goslee Prize for outstanding artistry. While at CIM, he studied with John Clouser, the principal bassoonist of The Cleveland Orchestra who he will now join upon his appointment.

Kukelhan’s start date as a new member of The Cleveland Orchestra’s violin section is January 26. Kukelhan earned a master’s degree at CIM in 2011 with William Preucil and makes her way back to Cleveland from North Carolina, where she had been serving in the North Carolina Symphony since 2012. Kukelhan has previously been a member of both the Akron and Canton Symphony Orchestras.

Read the full story online on cleveland.com.