Five new musicians joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the start of the 2026/27 season. Soyoung Cho, Andrea Caputo, Jeongmin An, Bianna Bell, and Andrés Pichardo-Rosenthal all bring their talent, passion, and personality to the orchestra. We caught up with them to talk about the upcoming concerts they are most excited for, which composers they'd carve into Mount Rushmore, their bucket-list destinations in LA, and more. Read on to find out who had the best-ever Monte Cristo sandwich while on tour in Edinburgh, who is a huge La La Land fan but has never visited the Griffith Observatory, and the composer unanimously chosen to be memorialized in stone.

Which concert are you most looking forward to this season?

It’s so hard to choose because there are so many incredible concerts ahead! I’m especially excited for the programs with our new Music Director, Daniel Harding. I can’t wait to see how our music comes together, and I’m particularly looking forward to the Strauss program with him. On top of that, Schumann’s Symphony No. 3, which is one of my absolute favorites, with Paavo Järvi and Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5 with Gustavo Dudamel are also programs I’m really looking forward to.

Is there a certain piece that you’d love to perform one day with the Los Angeles Philharmonic?

I love playing any Beethoven symphony, but I haven’t had the chance to play No. 6, the ”Pastoral,” yet. It’s been on my list for so long, and I would be so happy if I performed it for the first time with the LA Phil!

Being new to LA, what’s one area or place that you’d love to explore in the city?

I’ve spent almost all my time on the East Coast since I came to the US, so everything feels so different and new to me in LA. I love being close to the beautiful Pacific Coast. I would love to explore the national parks in and around California. And not to mention K-Town in LA, which is basically another Korea! I am loving the food scene here.

Who’s on your classical music Mount Rushmore and why?

This question is always so tough! But thankfully—since I get to pick four this time—it’d be Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms, and Hindemith. The more I play and learn Beethoven’s music, the more I appreciate it across all genres. I especially enjoy playing Mozart’s chamber music; it feels pure and brings me so much joy. Brahms has always been a composer whose music I really love playing, as I think most musicians do. And I couldn’t leave Hindemith out as a violist. He made such a huge contribution to the viola repertoire, and there’s something almost like putting a puzzle together when I learn his works that I find really interesting as a player.

Which concert are you most looking forward to this season? 

It would be very hard for me to choose which works I’m looking forward to the most. There are so many exciting new commissions—it’s amazing how many new productions we will present throughout the season-long Rituals festival, as well as the Green Umbrella and Insight series. All of this, without forgetting the classics. The audience is in for a treat!

Is there a certain piece that you’d love to perform one day with the Los Angeles Philharmonic?

I would particularly love to perform Kodály’s Dances of Galánta one day. I have never had the chance to perform the piece, even though I have practiced it so many times for auditions. It’s such a staple of the clarinet repertoire! For some reason, I think the way our orchestra plays fits very well with the music.

What’s one area or place that you’d love to explore in LA? 

I’m not new to LA—I’ve lived here for three years now. But there are so many iconic spots that I find myself revisiting from time to time: the Griffith Observatory, a walk on the beach in Santa Monica, hunting for the best Korean BBQ in Koreatown. The food scene in Los Angeles is spectacular, and it’s one of the things I love most about this city, along with how diverse and heterogeneous its people are!

Who’s on your classical music Mount Rushmore and why? 

Brahms, Strauss, Mahler, Beethoven. But I can’t forget about Stravinsky, Ravel, Mozart, and Schumann. I know, this is not the top four you asked for. I just happen to fall in love with the music I practice and perform. I love music, and just sitting down and answering these questions makes me want to put my headphones on and listen to everything I just thought about. Actually—I’m listening right now to Brahms’ Fourth Symphony, conducted by Carlo Maria Giulini, who was also one of the LA Phil’s Music Directors!

Which concert are you most looking forward to this season? 

I’m especially looking forward to performing Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring with Esa-Pekka Salonen. I still remember hearing it for the first time when I was young and being struck by how powerful and unlike anything else it sounded. It has been one of my favorite orchestral pieces ever since, so getting to perform it with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Salonen is something I’m really excited about this season.

Is there a certain piece that you’d love to perform one day with the Los Angeles Philharmonic?

I’d love to perform Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé with the orchestra someday. I’ve always loved the colors and atmosphere of the piece, and I’d love to experience that sound from within this orchestra.

Being new to LA, what’s one area or place you’d love to explore in LA? 

Griffith Observatory is definitely on my list—I’m a huge La La Land fan, and I also love stargazing, so I’ve always wanted to visit it in person!

What was your favorite moment from the LA Phil Tour to London and Edinburgh this summer?

My favorite moments from the tour were hiking up Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh and eating the best Monte Cristo sandwich I’ve ever had, which I have since been trying to recreate.

Is there a certain piece that you’d love to perform one day with the Los Angeles Philharmonic?

Two works I would love to perform with the orchestra in the future are Strauss’ An Alpine Symphony or Mahler’s Symphony No. 4. It was too hard to choose one.

Who’s on your classical music Mount Rushmore and why?

My top four (plus a fifth) composers would be Mahler, Beethoven, Ravel, Haydn, and Shostakovich. I think this list encapsulates a versatile enough spectrum of composers I like through the Classical, Romantic, and 20th-century eras. For some reason I have always preferred the humor in Haydn’s music over Mozart’s, and I really enjoy playing Haydn symphonies. Beethoven’s music is simply human and real. You also get to pick your own adventure because his late works will take you on a very different journey than his earlier works. Mahler never fails to make me go through the five stages of grief and experience love, sorrow, and ache through his music. Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G is my favorite piano concerto ever, and I love how his music is inspired by his love for machinery. Sometimes the pulse in his music sounds like a clock or machine, which I find very endearing. Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1 hits me so deep emotionally, and I think because I come from a Soviet family, his music feels like (twisted) home because of the Russian folk music influence.

Which concert are you most looking forward to this season?  

I am really looking forward to the Green Umbrella concert series. I enjoyed attending these concerts as an audience member because of how different it is from the normal concert experience. I’ve always enjoyed the challenge of playing contemporary music and, unlike the more traditional classical music, percussion is usually very prominent.

What’s one area or place you’d love to explore in LA?  

I grew up in LA, but I left after high school, so my relationship with the city is very much through the lens of my youth. I’m excited to experience things I didn’t have access to as a kid—like the food scene and nightlife. I’m excited to have the ocean and mountains in my backyard, too. I’m also moving back with my wife and three small children so it will be fun to see LA through their eyes.

Who’s on your classical music Mount Rushmore and why?

It’s difficult to have a “Mount Rushmore” of composers because that implies that it’s a list set in stone, and my list is constantly changing. But the four composers that are consistently on my “favorites” list are Richard Strauss, Mahler, Beethoven, and Stravinsky—and if I could carve one more face in the mountain, it would be Ravel!