The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) have selected five accomplished musicians for their next class of CSO/CCM Diversity Fellows.

The performance fellowship program was launched in 2015 out of a desire to help American orchestras be more inclusive and to better represent the communities they serve. The mission is to eliminate obstacles that can prevent musicians of color from achieving their full potential. It is funded with a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Through the collaborative program, CCM and the CSO provide graduate level academic study
and professional development and performance opportunities for the Diversity Fellows.

“The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra exists to serve our community. Our entire community,”
said CSO President Jonathan Martin. “But how can we authentically serve our entire community
if a significant part of that community doesn’t see themselves reflected in our organization? The
CSO/CCM Diversity Fellowship is one of many steps we are taking to address this disparity. By
providing professional opportunities to a more diverse group of outstanding musicians, we hope
to cultivate—and begin changing —the next generation of American orchestral musicians.”

The new Fellows are:

Maalik Glover, (violin): A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Maalik Glover has studied the violin since the age of 11. In May 2019, Glover graduated summa cum laude from Columbus State University’s Schwob
School of Music. During his time here, he studied with Boris Abramov, principal second violinist
of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra.

Amy Nickler, (double bass): Born and raised in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, Amy Nickler began playing the violin at age six. Six years later she switched to the double bass and has loved it ever since. She received her Bachelor of Music at Lynn Conservatory in 2017 and her Master of Music at Yale School of Music.

Max Oppeltz-Carroz, (cello): Max Oppeltz-Carroz started playing the cello at the age of four as a student of El Sistema in Caracas, Venezuela. In 2014, Oppeltz-Carroz moved to the U.S. to study at the Juilliard School with Professor Richard Aaron.

Javier Otalora, (viola): Javier Otalora was born and raised in West Palm Beach, Florida, and began playing violin at age six. In 2018, he graduated from Oberlin Conservatory of Music where he studied violin with Gregory Fulkerson and

Sibbi Bernhardsson and viola with Kirsten Docter and Peter Slowik. Otalora is also a recent graduate of the University of Michigan where he received his Master of Music in viola performance .

Giuseppe Tejeiro, (violin): Giuseppe Tejeiro was born in Bogotá, Columbia. He is currently finishing his second year of graduate studies at Kent State University. For the past 10 years, he has held a tenure position in the violin section with the Bogota Philharmonic Orchestra, and he has worked with Akron, Youngstown and Canton Symphony Orchestras in the U.S.

The Diversity Fellows perform the equivalent of five weeks per season with the CSO while
enrolled in a two-year Master of Music (MM) or Artist Diploma (AD) graduate degree program at
CCM. The program also includes private lessons, mock auditions, professional development and
audition travel assistance, career development workshops and mentorship from CSO musicians.

Each Fellow receives full tuition scholarship support from CCM, in addition to a $10,000 per year
graduate stipend and a one-time Graduate School Dean’s Excellence Award of $3,000. Each
Fellow also receives compensation of $8,000 per season while performing with the CSO.

The program also partners with the Chautauqua Institution which offers Fellows a summer
residency with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra and professional development
opportunities during its nine-week summer season.

Twelve musicians have graduated from the CSO/CCM Diversity Fellowship to date. The third
class of Diversity Fellows, which is comprised of Camellia Aftahi (double bass), Yan Izquierdo
(violin), Arman Nasrinpay (violin) and Alexis Shambley (violin), recently completed the program
at the conclusion of the 2019-20 season.

Alumni have gone on to work with orchestras such as the Dallas, National, and Nashville Symphony Orchestras, as well as continuing as freelance artists and educators across the country.