ABOUT THIS EPISODE
We feature four graduating seniors from Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative, a program that supports pre-college orchestral musicians from underrepresented backgrounds. Music for flute, viola, cello and clarinet.
Credit: Eric Snoza.
Jesse Perez is 17 and a senior at Dundee-Crown High School in Carpentersville. He has played flute in Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestras for the last five years, and in the ILMEA All-State Orchestra for the last two years. Jesse studies flute with Scott Metlicka of Northern Illinois University, and attended the Brevard Music Center in Summer 2024 under the guidance of Professor Amy Porter and Mrs. Delshad Posnock. Later this year Jesse will begin a major in Flute Performance with Alyce Johnson at the DePaul University School of Music.
Credit: Derek Gould.
David Roche, 18 from Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood, is a senior at Walter Payton College Prep. He is a Frank Little Merit Scholarship recipient at the Music Institute of Chicago where he studies viola with Sang Mee Lee. His previous teachers include Amy Biasello and Bridget Andes, in addition to training with Davis King and Jennifer Arnold at programs such as the Sphinx Performance Academy and Center Stage Strings. David has played with Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras for the past 7 years and served as Co-Principal Viola of the flagship CYSO Symphony Orchestra in 2024. David is a fellow of Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative and has also been a member of the Musical Arts Institute’s Chicago Urban Chamber String Ensemble. He has performed at the United Center, Northwestern Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, Chicago State University, and Symphony Center. In the fall, David plans to attend Yale University to study Music and Economics.
Diego Dahle is a 17-year-old cellist from Evanston and a member of the Evanston Township High School Symphony Orchestra, the Midwest Young Artist Conservatory Symphony Orchestra, and Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras. He began playing the cello at the age of nine, and studies with Richard Hirschl of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Roosevelt University. Diego is also a Fellow with Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative. An avid chamber musician, Diego is a member of Quartetto Speranza, a top string quartet at MYAC coached by Desirée Ruhstrat of Northwestern University. This quartet has won second prize at 2025 Rembrandt Chamber Music Competition, first prize at the 2025 Chicago National Chamber Music Competitions, second prize at the 2025 Barnett Chamber Music Competition, and an honorable mention at the 2025 St. Paul String Quartet Competition. In the fall, Diego is set to attend the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.
Sarah Morris is a dedicated clarinetist from Chicago Heights with over a decade of experience. She began her musical journey at 9 years old, playing jazz clarinet before transitioning to classical performance. Since 2020, Sarah has been a fellow in the Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative, where she’s participated in masterclasses with renowned clarinetists including Anthony McGill, Stephen Williamson, and Andrew Sandwick. The program has also afforded her opportunities to attend summer music festivals. Sarah currently performs with Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras, and this summer, she will join CYSO on an international tour to Spain. Starting in the fall, Sarah plans to pursue a Bachelor of Music in Clarinet Performance at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Other Class of 2025 CMPI fellows appearing as soloists on Introductions are:
– Jan Vargas Nedvetsky, cello, live on September 14, 2024.
– Jacob Cornejo, flute, live from Merit School of Music on June 21, 2025.
– Lily Yoshihara, violin, on June 28, 2025.
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