Welcome to Our New Musicians

They came from 44 different states and eight different countries, including Argentina, Colombia, Denmark, Italy, Kazakhstan and Spain, along with the U.S. and Canada.

A total of 328 instrumentalists and 220 vocalists came to Chicago, hoping to win a spot in the Grant Park Music Festival’s 2026 season. Auditions started in October of 2025 and continued through this April.

“Auditions are not only about filling seats in the orchestra, they directly influence artistic quality and culture within the ensemble,” said Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Giancarlo Guerrero. “Every musician brings a unique style and interpretation. Audition committees look for musicians who will blend well together with other members of the orchestra. Over time, these choices will create a distinct orchestral sound that audiences will come to associate with the Grant Park Music Festival.”

After seven months, the Festival is proud to announce the nine world-class musicians who will join the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus this summer: Georgi Dimitrov (viola), Shinae Ra (cello), Elvin Schlanger (flute), Gwendolyn Goble (oboe), Besnik Abrashi (clarinet), Matthew Melillo (bassoon), Rebecca Oliverio (trumpet), Ed Frazier Davis (bass), and Ian Prichard (bass).

Georgi Dimitrov currently performs as section violist with the Milwaukee Symphony.  Georgi was born in Bulgaria and came to the United States as a high school student. He graduated Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Natick, Massachusetts and enrolled in college at the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, California. As a graduate student at the University of Southern California, Georgi studied viola, conducting, and composition.

Georgi has performed with the Jacksonville, San Diego, Toledo, and Grant Park Symphony Orchestras. He enjoys teaching and has worked with the Young Musicians Foundation of Los Angeles and taught violin classes to both Catholic-school children as well as young students enrolled in the YMF’s Neighborhood Orchestra initiative.

Shinae Ra joined the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in 2023 as a section cellist and has since advanced to the position of Assistant Principal Cello.

A graduate of Indiana University with a Bachelor’s degree and The Juilliard School with a Master’s degree, Ra’s musical journey has been shaped by notable leadership roles as the principal cellist of the Juilliard Orchestra, several of Indiana University’s orchestras, and the National Repertory Orchestra. She has participated in world-renowned festivals, including the Spoleto Festival, Pacific Music Festival, the New York String Orchestra Seminar, and the Lakes Area Music Festival. Ra’s professional performance experience includes engagements with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, and Columbus Indiana

Originally from Southern California, Elvin Schlanger joins the Grant Park Orchestra as Principal Flute. He currently serves as Principal Flute of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra and previously held the position of Third Flute/Piccolo with the Las Vegas Philharmonic.

An active orchestral performer, Schlanger has appeared as a substitute musician with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Pacific Symphony, New World Symphony, and several other orchestras across the country. He has received recognition in numerous national and international competitions, including invitations and top prizes at the Carl Nielsen International Flute Competition, the National Flute Association Young Artist Competition, and the San Diego Flute Guild Young Artist Competition. Schlanger has participated in prestigious training programs and festivals including the Music Academy of the West, Hidden Valley Festival of Winds, Sphinx NAAS Audition Intensive, and Domaine Forget Summer Music Academy.  He earned an Artist Diploma from The Colburn School, a Master of Music degree from Yale School of Music, and a Bachelor of Music degree from California State University, Long Beach.

Gwendolyn Goble joins the Grant Park Orchestra as Second Oboe. An active orchestral musician, she has performed with the New World Symphony and Boston Pops. Goble has participated in leading training orchestras and festivals across the country, including the Music Academy of the West, National Orchestral Institute, Colorado College Summer Music Festival, and the Tanglewood Institute Young Artists Orchestra. While at the Colorado College Summer Music Festival, she won the festival’s Concerto Competition and was later featured on PBS’s Now Hear This.

A dedicated and versatile performer, Goble studied at the New England Conservatory, where she earned both a Graduate Diploma and Master of Music degree in Oboe Performance, and at Oberlin Conservatory, where she received her Bachelor of Music degree.

Originally from Flower Mound, Texas, Besnik Abrashi is the bass clarinetist with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Before joining the Milwaukee Symphony, he was a fellow with the New World Symphony. Throughout his career, Abrashi has performed with esteemed ensembles such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra, Modesto Symphony Orchestra, American Contemporary Ballet, and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

A highly accomplished musician, Abrashi has earned accolades in various solo competitions, most notably winning first prize at the International Clarinet Association Young Artist Competition. His festival participation includes Opera NEO and the Music Academy of the West, where he was featured in a special collaboration with the Museum of Contemporary Art in Santa Barbara and contemporary artist Awol Erizku. Abrashi holds a Bachelor’s degree in Clarinet Performance summa cum laude from the University of North Texas and a Master’s degree in Clarinet Performance from the University of Southern California.

Matthew Melillo joined The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra as third bassoon and contrabassoon in 2025. Matthew grew up in New Jersey, and has been performing in orchestras since the age of 11. He credits much of his early musical growth to the New Jersey Youth Symphony, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and Juilliard Pre-College.

He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in bassoon performance from Northwestern University. Prior to his appointment in Milwaukee, Matthew was the contrabassoonist of The Florida Orchestra. He has performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, as well as playing in Switzerland and Germany as a member of the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra, and in Colorado with the National Repertory Orchestra. He teaches at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and has taught masterclasses at the University of Miami and the University of Central Florida.

Originally from Maryland, Rebecca Oliverio joins the Grant Park Orchestra as Assistant Principal and Third Trumpet. She currently serves as Acting Assistant Principal Trumpet with the Lyric Opera of Chicago and is also a member of the artist faculty at Roosevelt University.

An accomplished orchestral musician, Oliverio has performed with many of the nation’s leading ensembles, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and Detroit Symphony Orchestra. She has also appeared with the New World Symphony, Chicago Philharmonic, and a variety of chamber and contemporary music ensembles throughout the Midwest.  Her festival appearances include the Tanglewood Music Center, Music Academy of the West, and the National Repertory Orchestra.  Oliverio earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Boston University and a Master of Music degree from Northwestern University.

Ed Frazier Davis is a Chicago-based baritone and composer whose work spans both contemporary composition and professional choral performance. His compositions have been commissioned by major musical organizations including the Lyric Opera of Chicago Chorus, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, the William Baker Festival Singers and Orchestra, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Toronto Children’s Chorus.

As a vocalist, Davis has performed with ensembles including the Grant Park Music Festival Chorus, Kansas City Chorale, and Bella Voce. His solo appearances include performances of Fauré’s Requiem with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra under Sir Andrew Davis and Brahms’s A German Requiem with the William Baker Festival Singers and Orchestra.

Davis earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with Honors in Music from Knox College and a Master of Music degree in Composition from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. He also pursued doctoral-level studies in composition at the University of Missouri–Kansas City.

Ian Prichard is a Chicago-based bass vocalist who performs regularly with many of the city’s leading choral and vocal ensembles, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Grant Park Music Festival, Music of the Baroque, Bella Voce, The William Ferris Chorale, The Oriana Singers, and His Majestys Men. He has also appeared with the Santa Fe Desert Chorale and The Newberry Consort.

His operatic credits include Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte, Don Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro, Seneca in L’Incoronazione di Poppea, and roles in Candide, The Medium, The Tender Land, and A Game of Chance. In addition to his performance work, Prichard has participated in educational residencies and outreach programs with organizations including the Santa Fe Desert Chorale and Constellation Men’s Ensemble.

Prichard earned a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Roosevelt University and a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education, along with a Certificate in Vocal Performance, from University of South Carolina.