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Cheryl Losey Feder wins Buffalo Philharmonic audition

June 13, 2018

Cheryl Losey Feder is the new principal harpist with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. Following the retirement of Suzanne Thomas, who held the position for 51 years, the BPO hosted auditions for the position from Apr. 29 – May 1, 2018. Says Losey Feder, “I am thrilled and honored to be joining the Buffalo Philharmonic and their music director JoAnn Falletta in September 2018. My husband, Abraham Feder, just won the position of Assistant Principal Cello with the Detroit Symphony, so we knew a move up north was imminent. This makes our move all the more exciting!”

When asked about preparing for the audition, Losey Feder says, “I absolutely love playing in orchestra. What I wanted most for this audition was to clearly communicate that love and my interpretation of these works to the panel behind the screen. ‘Magic Fire Music,’ Salome… as treacherous as they can feel in an audition, they are, in the end, unbelievable works of music. Of course, nerves and the tricky logistics of auditions could get in the way of communicating this, so I tried to prepare myself for the worst possible day-of audition scenarios. I set up multiple mock auditions for colleagues with no warm-up time on unfamiliar instruments, and I had an audition bag packed full of hand warmers, gloves, hand towels, snacks, ear plugs, sticky notes, etc. In the end, I was pleasantly surprised at the audition with plenty of warm-up time, a toasty-warm backstage, and spectacular hall. The entire audition was behind a screen, which, for me, was a first.”

Previously, Losey Feder was principal harpist with the Sarasota Orchestra for eight years, and has worked with orchestras in Cleveland, Dallas, Houston, St. Louis, and San Diego, among others. This past 2017-2018 season, she performed regularly with the Philadelphia Orchestra and joined their 2018 tour of Europe and Israel. Outside of her work as an orchestral harpist, she has won top prizes at the Munich International Competition, the American Harp Society’s National Solo Competition, and the American String Teacher’s Association National Solo Competition. She is also a member of the Dallas Harp Quartet and released her debut album, A Story, in 2012.

For more information on Losey Feder, visit her website.

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