The Philadelphia Orchestra has four bright new voices — and the city is about to hear them! The Orchestra and Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin announced that violist Laura Fuller, violinist Mika Elisa Gibbs, associate principal trumpet Travis Peterson, and violist Stephen Savage join the ensemble for the 2026–27 season.
They arrive alongside new principal trumpet James Vaughen, who holds the Marguerite and Gerry Lenfest Chair. Each musician brings a remarkable journey: Fuller comes from nine seasons with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Gibbs is a rising star from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, and Peterson and Savage add their own artistry to the strings and brass.
“We are delighted to welcome Laura, Mika, Travis, and Stephen to The Philadelphia Orchestra,” said Nézet-Séguin. “Each of these artists has something special to contribute to our sound and to the life of this ensemble.”
For Philadelphia music lovers, it is a happy preview of things to come: fresh talent blending into one of the world’s finest orchestras, right in time for a new season at the Kimmel Center. Keep an eye on the calendar — the new sound of Philadelphia is ready to play.
Photo: Schiller12 via Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
