Alumni

Music Academy Alumni Program

Engage, Connect, and Celebrate

Music Academy alumni number nearly 7,000, performing around the world as soloists, in major symphony and chamber orchestras, ensembles, and opera companies. Many serve as faculty at top universities and conservatories, while others make an impact in education and nonprofit leadership. The Music Academy proudly supports its alumni through events, awards, and performance opportunities.

Kathleen O'Mara
('18) soprano

2024 Operalia Competition Winner

Clayton Stephenson
(‘19) solo piano

2025 Sphinx Medal of Excellence
2024 Avery Fisher Career Grant

Martha Long
(‘09) flute

Baltimore Symphony
Principal Flute

Luke Sieve
('23) bass trombone

Bass Trombone
The Cleveland Orchestra

Izzy Brown
('23) violin

Assistant Principal Second Violin
Los Angeles Philharmonic

Celebrate Success

Alumni Spotlights

Isabel Leonard
('05) mezzo-soprano

GRAMMY Award-winning artist Isabel Leonard is a sought-after performer on the world’s leading stages. In the 2024–2025 season, she returns to Opéra National de Paris and the Metropolitan Opera, debuts with Gran Teatre del Liceu, and performs with renowned orchestras and in recitals across the Americas

Víkingur Ólafsson
('04) solo piano

The Icelandic pianist has captured the public and critical imagination with profound musicianship and visionary programs. Ólafsson’s recordings for Deutsche Grammophon have led to almost one billion streams and garnered numerous awards, including BBC Music Magazine Album of the Year and Opus Klassik Solo Recording of the Year (twice).

Frank Huang
('98, '99) violin

The multi-year alum joined the New York Philharmonic as Concertmaster, The Charles E. Culpeper Chair, in September 2015. The First Prize Winner of the 2003 Walter W. Naumburg Foundation’s Violin Competition and the 2000 Hannover International Violin Competition, he has established a major career as a violin virtuoso.

Tracking achievements

Alumni Stats

571 of our alumni are performing with major North American orchestras

*current as of 2024

Atlanta Symphony

Chicago Symphony

Los Angeles Philharmonic

St. Louis Symphony

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra

Baltimore Symphony

Boston Symphony

Cincinnati Symphony

Detroit Symphony

San Francisco Symphony

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Discover your fellow Alums

Alumni Database

Alumni Testimonials

Music Academy of the West memories & takeaways

I began the transition from student to professional at the Music Academy of the West. MAW offered a wonderful work/life balance while keeping me busy. I feel lucky to have experienced it all!

voice ('02, '03)

Music Academy of the West was deeply formative for me as a musician, as it has been for many before me and will be for many to come!

oboe ('15)

The disciplined creative process I developed at MAW remains the foundation of my professional career.

double bass ('85)

I especially loved attending concerts and hearing my peers perform, including in the competitions. Going to the beach after a long, intense day of practice and rehearsal was unforgettable.

solo piano ('88)

Training with coaches and exposure to high-level repertoire prepared me for professional life and gave me confidence.

percussion ('19)

My time at the Music Academy of the West provided some of the most rewarding and unforgettable musical experiences of my life. The professionalism I observed and learned at MAW has carried into my career.