Detroit Symphony Orchestra Appoints New Full-Time Musician, African American Orchestra Fellows

By SBO+ Staff

The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) has appointed a new full-time musician and two African American Orchestra Fellows ahead of its 2020-2021 season. Additionally, five long-tenured musicians will retire this August after decades of service.

Brandon Mason will join the DSO bass section in fall 2020. Mason comes to Detroit from the Kansas City Symphony and fondly remembers performing as a substitute musician with the DSO during its 2017 Asia Tour. Mason is originally from Arlington, Texas and studied at Boston University and Rice University.

The DSO’s African American Orchestra Fellowship is designed to enhance the career development of African American musicians. Fellows perform in the orchestra, work closely with coaches and mentors, participate in mock auditions, and represent the DSO in the community.

Cole Randolph, cello, joins the DSO as a Fellow after earning bachelor’s degrees in Cello Performance and Mathematics & Economics from the University of Wisconsin. Originally from Washington, DC, Randolph has had the honor of performing at the John F. Kennedy Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the White House.

Jaquain Sloan, bassoon, recently earned a Master of Music and Performance Certificate at the University of Southern California. Sloan, a North Carolina native, also studied at the Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

In addition, the following musicians will retire from decades of service this August: Joseph Striplin, second violin; Stephen Edwards, bass; Robert Williams, Principal Bassoon; Paul Wingert, cello; Randall Hawes, trombone and bass trombone.