Noah Geller, Efe Baltacigil, Kerri Ryan, and William Polk

Noah Geller*, Concertmaster
Seattle Symphony Orchestra

Noah Geller is the David and Amy Fulton Concertmaster of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra. Named to that post at the conclusion of a multi-year search, Mr. Geller is among a small cadre of elite violinists who serve as both leaders and featured performers for the nation’s acclaimed orchestras.

As of May 22nd, Mr. Geller will have performed the West Coast premiere of Theofinidis’ double concerto with percussionist Svet Stoyanov on April 9th and 11th at Benaroya Hall, concluding a string of double concerti, including Brahms Double with SSO Principal Cello Efe Baltacigil, J.S. Bach Concerto for two violins with SSO Principal Second Violin Elisa Barston, and Saint-Saëns la muse et le poète, with Mr. Baltacigil.

Mr. Geller’s recent solo concerti have included Mozart No. 5, Bartók No. 2, Glazunov, Mendelssohn, and Vaughan Williams, along with the beautiful solo passages of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherezade in Seattle’s Benaroya Hall, home of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.

A significant and sought-after chamber musician, Mr. Geller’s appearances include prestigious festivals, such as Marlboro, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Tanglewood, Kingston (Rhode Island), Olympic, and Seattle Chamber Music Society, and chamber series, such as Lyon & Healy Hall (Chicago), Lyric Chamber Music Society (NY), Philadelphia Museum of Art, and The Seattle Series.

Mr. Geller, a graduate of the Juilliard School, began his career as a first violin and, subsequently, Acting Assistant Concertmaster of The Philadelphia Orchestra before appointment as Concertmaster of the Kansas City Symphony, leaving the latter post for the Seattle Symphony Orchestra in 2018.

An avid supporter of modern makers, Mr. Geller performs on a commissioned violin by Philadelphia luthier Justin Hess.

Noah resides with his wife, distinguished percussionist Mari Yoshinaga, their son Jonah, and their canine companion Monkey in Seattle’s Whittier Heights neighborhood.

*Mr. Geller’s performance is generously sponsored by Jane Orvis and Steve Hanson, Marcie and David Stone, and Anonymous donors.

Efe Baltacigil, Principal Cello
Seattle Symphony Orchestra

Efe Baltacigil, the Marks Family Foundation Principal Cello of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Turkey’s String Player of the Year, 2013, and awardee of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, is lauded for his risk-taking, passionate performances that immediately capture the heart and imagination.

Recipient of the Peter Jay Sharp Prize, Washington Performing Arts Society Prize, and a first-prize awardee in concerto competitions of Istanbul, New York, and the Pennsylvania Schadt String Competition, Baltacigil experienced early acclaim as winner of the 2005 Young Concert Artists International Auditions. He later served as Associate Principal Cello of the Philadelphia Orchestra before joining the Seattle Symphony as Principal Cello.

A highly sought-after and respected chamber musician, Mr. Baltacigil performs for such renowned festivals as Seattle Chamber Music Society, Marlboro, Lincoln Center, Music@Menlo, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, La Jolla, Kingston (Rhode Island), Saratoga, and Taos, and chamber series such as Lyric Chamber Music Society, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Lyon & Healy Hall, and The Seattle Series.

Mr. Baltacigil received his Bachelor’s degree from Mimar Sinan University Conservatory, Istanbul, and an Artist Diploma from the Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia, where he studied with Peter Wiley and David Soyer and received the Curtis Institute’s Jacqueline DuPré Scholarship.

Efe, his wife, attorney Heather MacClintock, and daughter Ada reside in Seattle’s Magnolia neighborhood.

Mr. Geller’s and Mr. Baltacigil’s guests for the evening are former colleagues and dear friends from their tenure in The Philadelphia Orchestra: Ms. Kerri Ryan, viola, and Mr. William Polk, violin.

Kerri Ryan, Assistant Principal Viola
The Philadelphia Orchestra

William Polk, First Violin
The Philadelphia Orchestra

Kerri Ryan, Assistant Principal Viola, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and William Polk, First Violin, The Philadelphia Orchestra, join Mr. Geller and Mr. Baltacigil for a long-awaited reunion of chamber music-making.

In addition to serving in one of the nation’s premier orchestras, where they were colleagues of Mr. Geller and Mr. Baltacigil, Ms. Ryan and Mr. Polk founded the Minneapolis Quartet, which performed to critical acclaim, winning a McKnight Foundation Artist Fellowship. As dedicated chamber players, they have continued that specialty as current members of the Philadelphia Chamber Ensemble.

Originally a violinist, Ms. Ryan attended the Cleveland Institute of Music Young Artist Program and the Curtis Institute of Music in violin performance, studying with Lee Snyder, Linda Sharon Cerone, David Cerone, Jascha Brodsky, Rafael Druian, and Arnold Steinhardt. Not until studying with Karen Tuttle at Curtis did Ryan realize her love of the viola, which later became her instrument of choice. She has since had a distinguished career, previously serving as Assistant Principal Viola of the Minnesota Orchestra for seven seasons following a post as Associate Concertmaster (violin) of the Charleston Symphony.

Violinist William Polk joined The Philadelphia Orchestra in October 2007, having previously served as associate principal second violin of the Minnesota Orchestra. A native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Mr. Polk is an alumnus of Louisiana State University, studying with Camilla Wicks, one of the first female violinists to establish a major international career, and the University of Minnesota under the tutelage of Professor Sally O’Reilly, a distinguished soloist, chamber musician, and pedagogue.

Together, Ms. Ryan and Mr. Polk have charted a unique orchestral and chamber career.