Introducing Our New Concertmaster

After a season-long search, The Phoenix Symphony has just announced the hiring of our new concertmaster, Steven Moeckel. For those of you who might not have been keeping close score at home, Steven was one of twelve candidates who each took a turn as guest concertmaster for a week during the 2007-08 season. While often times there is a taboo associated with the idea of going first, Steven proved it to be merely a silly superstition as he was the very first candidate to audition in the fall of 2007. In addition to performing concertmaster duties with the orchestra during his audition week, he also had to perform a formal solo audition in front of the Concertmaster audition committe consisting of orchestra members and artistic staff.

Steven comes to The Phoenix Symphony from our orchestral neighbors to the south, the Tucson Symphony Orchestra where he had been concertmaster for the last six years. He has also kept a busy solo schedule, appearing with orchestras in Europe, South America and across the U.S. His violin? A Nicholas Lupot from Paris, circa 1817. Most interesting aspect of his musical background? At age eleven he was principal soprano soloist in the renowned Vienna Boys Choir!

Like most orchestral stars of the new digital age, Steven has a great website where you can find photos, performance history, repertoire and sound clips from his solo albums. You can find it at the appropriately named StevenMoeckel.com.

We're excited for the upcoming season as Steven takes the helm and leads the orchestra into another fantastic year of monumental masterworks!