2026/27 New Musicians

Emma Carleton, Assistant Principal Second Violin

Violinist Emma Carleton joins the Toronto Symphony Orchestra as Assistant Principal Second Violin in the 2026/27 season. Previously a member of the first violin section of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and a tenured violinist with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, she has also performed with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the New World Symphony. Emma has appeared as guest concertmaster with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra at Woolsey Hall. She also served as concertmaster of the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, leading a performance of Stravinsky’s Agon under Thomas Adès. At New England Conservatory, she appeared as concertmaster of both the NEC Philharmonia and NEC Chamber Orchestra.

A passionate performer of contemporary music, Emma served as concertmaster for the world premiere of Wayne Shorter and Esperanza Spalding’s opera Iphigenia in Boston. She has also performed Bernard Rands’s Music for Shoko: Aubade in a Boston Symphony Orchestra Prelude Concert and has been featured in performances presented by the Callithumpian Consort and the Guitar Foundation of America. Emma has collaborated across genres as a member of the Auerbach String Quartet, performing with Connecticut State Troubadour Charlie Widmer and his bluegrass band, On the Trail. In recognition of her commitment to contemporary music, she received New England Conservatory’s John Cage Award in 2022.

Emma is also a dedicated chamber musician. While studying at the Yale School of Music, her string quartet won the Oneppo Chamber Music Competition and performed Bartók’s String Quartet No. 1 in Sprague Hall. The ensemble was subsequently awarded Yale’s Broadus Erle Prize, which recognizes an outstanding string quartet at the School of Music. Emma has performed under conductors including Andris Nelsons, Herbert Blomstedt, Hugh Wolff, Ludovic Morlot, Perry So, Carolyn Kuan, and Jonathon Heyward. Her festival appearances include the Tanglewood Music Center, Music Academy of the West, Bowdoin International Music Festival, and Meadowmount School of Music.

A native of New York City, Emma began playing the violin at age three and studied for seven years at Juilliard Pre-College. She earned her Master of Musical Arts degree from the Yale School of Music, where she studied with Soovin Kim. She also holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees and a graduate diploma from New England Conservatory, where her teachers included Paul Biss, Ayano Ninomiya, and Miriam Fried.

Outside of music, Emma enjoys practicing conversational French, gardening, and going on walks with her dog, Wally.

Sienna Minkyong Cho, Violin

Korean-Canadian violinist Sienna (Minkyong) Cho joins the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in 2026. Prior to this position, she served as the tenured Assistant Concertmaster of the Kingston Symphony since 2023. As an active orchestral player, she has performed as a substitute member with major ensembles including the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, and La Sinfonia de Lanaudière, alongside performing with Ensemble Obiora.

Dedicated to her craft, Sienna earned her Bachelor of Music and Graduate Diploma in Performance from McGill University's Schulich School of Music under the tutelage of Andrew Wan and Jinjoo Cho, graduating as the recipient of the Salsinger Tani Gold Medal. She was also named a 2nd-place prize winner of the Montreal-based Peter Mendell Award Competition (Jeunesses Musicales Canada) and secured 1st place in strings (18–20 years old) at the Canadian Music Competition Nationals. She furthered her artistic studies at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music, completing her Master of Music in Violin Performance on a full scholarship working closely with Cho-Liang Lin.

An enthusiastic participant in the global classical music community, Sienna has lent her talents to numerous world-class academy festivals and mentorship programs, including the National Arts Centre Orchestra Mentorship Program, the National Academy Orchestra of Canada, the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Kneisel Hall, Colorado College Summer Music Festival, New York String Orchestra Seminar, Toronto Summer Music, Orford Musique, and Domaine Forget.

Sienna expresses her deep appreciation to Andrew Wan for the generous loan of her instrument, a 2014 Mira Gruszow & Gideon Baumblatt violin; a fine replica of the 1744 Michel' Angelo Bergonzi.

Claire Thaler, Violin

Claire Thaler began playing the violin at age four in her hometown of Tallahassee, Florida. Before joining the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Claire spent two seasons as a section violinist of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. She has also performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Nashville Symphony.
​​
​​
​​
​An avid orchestral and chamber musician, Claire has performed at festivals including the Tanglewood Music Center, Yellow Barn Young Artist Program, Castleman Quartet Program, Madeline Island Chamber Music, and LyricaFest. She was a member of the New York String Orchestra Seminar in 2019, performing in two sold-out concerts at Carnegie Hall, and was a winner of the Blair School of Music Concerto Competition the following spring.
​​
​​
​​
​Claire is a graduate of the New England Conservatory in Boston. She obtained her Master of Music (M.M.) under the direction of Professor Ayano Ninomiya and studied chamber music with members of the Borromeo Quartet and Merry Peckham. She received her bachelor’s degree (B.M.) from the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University in 2022, where she studied with Dr. Carolyn Huebl. At Vanderbilt, Claire also studied baroque violin with Dr. María Romero Ramos and completed substantial coursework in the History of Art and Architecture department. She graduated Magna Cum Laude.
​

Kathryn Ladner, Flute and Piccolo

Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Kathryn Ladner began playing flute in public school at age 10. Kathryn holds a Bachelors of Music and Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music, where she studied with Bonita Boyd and Anne Harrow, and a Masters of Music from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, where she studied with Leone Buyse. Prior to joining the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Kathryn played piccolo and flute in the Houston Symphony and the Nashville Symphony.

In addition to reaching audiences through symphonic performances, Kathryn is passionate about fostering personal connections in the community through chamber music. While in Houston she performed with and was a board member of Third Space Music, a musician-led non-profit chamber music organization that raises money for local charities. She also enjoys taking chamber music performances to schools, community centers and nursing homes.

Kathryn loves to teach the flute and piccolo and believes in a holistic approach, inspired by her study of the Alexander Technique. In her spare time Kathryn enjoys hiking, going to the movies, and composing music. She has also been published three times in the New York Times as a crossword constructor.

Jackson Howard, Bass Trombone

Born in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Jackson Howard begins as the Bass Trombonist of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in September of 2026. Jackson has performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in recent years as a bass trombonist. Just as at home on tenor trombone, Jackson has performed with the London Symphony Orchestra and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra as Guest Principal, and with the Nashville Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and National Arts Centre (Canada) Orchestra as a substitute.

Jackson is also an active soloist, having been a prize winner in the Jeju International Brass Competition in 2025. He has performed concertos with the Jeju Philharmonic, the PRISMA Festival Orchestra, and the Fraser Valley Symphony among others. He has been involved with the creation of new works for trombone with composers such as Kevin Lao, Sterling Maffee, and Isaac Creager, as well as leading a consortium with Brooklyn Wood.

Jackson holds a Bachelor's degree from the Glenn Gould School and a Master's degree from the Curtis Institute of Music, with his primary teachers including Gordon Wolfe, Matthew Vaughn, Nitzan Haroz, Gordon Cherry, and Brian Wendel. Jackson has spent his summers as a student at the Pacific Music Festival, the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, the National Academy Orchestra of Canada, and at the PRISMA Festival.

Joe LeFevre, Principal Tuba

Joe LeFevre joined the Toronto Symphony Orchestra as Principal Tuba in 2026. Prior to this appointment, he was Principal Tuba in the Kansas City Symphony since 2018. LeFevre is a former member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and holds a bachelor’s degree in tuba performance with an emphasis in music education from Michigan State University.

He has studied with Phil Sinder, Gene Pokorny, Mike Roylance, Dennis Nulty, Deanna Swoboda, Jacob Cameron, and Bill Short. He has performed as soloist with the Kansas City Symphony, Fountain City Brass Band, Michigan State University Wind Symphony, and Civic Orchestra of Chicago. In addition, he has subbed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Santa Fe Opera, and Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, and was a Tanglewood Music Center fellow in 2016.

LeFevre has won and medaled in various international competitions including the Leonard Falcone International Tuba and Euphonium Festival Competition and the International Tuba and Euphonium Conference Soloist Competition. In 2013, LeFevre was a member of the Michigan State Spartan Marching Band when they performed at the 100th Rose Bowl Game.

LeFevre is a native of Kalamazoo, Michigan. In his spare time, he enjoys triathlon, collecting watches and baseball cards, and spending time with family and friends. He is an avid sports fan and lifelong baseball and American football enthusiast. Despite Toronto’s best intentions, he remains a devoted Detroit Tigers fan. Joe and his wife Kloe call Toronto home and live with their three dogs Ash, Luna, and Toby.