2009 fellows

Naimah Bilal

Naimah Bilal earned a Bachelor of Music from Indiana University and a Master's degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music in viola performance. She currently serves as Artistic Coordinator with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Previously, Naimah was the Artistic Administration, Education, and Marketing Intern for the Cleveland Orchestra. Naimah has also worked as Office Manager and Assistant to the Executive Director with the Cleveland International Piano Competition. More recently, in collaboration with the Cincinnati based Elementz Hip-Hop Youth Arts Center, Naimah founded the resident Elementz String Quartet. The ensemble performs in Cincinnati area public schools as part of the Chamber Music Remix™ series which aims to expose students to instrumental music using popular songs from the hip-hop, jazz, and classical genres. As a musician and teacher, she has performed with the Virginia and Toledo symphony orchestras, and managed a private violin and viola studio. Originally from Ft. Washington, MD, Naimah was a National Symphony Orchestra Youth Fellow.

Elizabeth Mahler

Originally from Buffalo, New York, Elizabeth Mahler now lives in Miami Beach, where she works with the New World Symphony. Liz has served NWS in three different capacities since her arrival in 2005: first as a Violin Fellow, then as Assistant to the Executive Vice President/Development Coordinator, and currently as Communications Manager. Her present responsibilities include writing and editing ads and publications, creating weekly marketing e-blasts, assisting with publicity, initiating group sales, and courting new audiences for classical music. Previous to her work with the New World Symphony, Liz earned a Master's in violin performance/pedagogy at Peabody Conservatory as a student of Pamela Frank. Liz spent four summers at Tanglewood Music Center (two as a member of the New Fromm Players, Tanglewood's contemporary ensemble-in-residence), and four years on the other side of Massachusetts at Harvard University, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in American history and literature.

David Nischwitz

David is currently the Marketing and Public Relations Manager at The Phoenix Symphony. Previously, he served as an operations and education intern with the North Carolina Symphony and as a marketing and public relations intern with The Phoenix Symphony. David holds a BM in flute performance from Furman University in Greenville, SC and a MM in flute performance from Arizona State University. During the fall of 2002, he also studied abroad in Paris, France. David has participated in the ARIA International Summer Academy and the Brevard Music Center where he served as a teaching assistant. He continues to teach and freelance throughout central Arizona. In 2006, David attended the League’s Essentials of Orchestra Management Seminar. He is a native of Saint Louis.

Rachel Sepulveda

Rachel Sepulveda has enjoyed a lifelong relationship with orchestras as a performer and manager. She began pursuing a career in arts administration while working toward her Bachelor’s degree in Double Bass Performance, serving as an intern in the Oberlin Conservatory Office of Admissions, then simultaneously taking on an internship at The Cleveland Orchestra and a part-time position with Apollo's Fire: The Cleveland Baroque Orchestra. Following the completion of her Master’s degree in Double Bass Performance at the University of Maryland, Rachel ran a world music festival at a multidisciplinary arts center. The varied nature of that position enabled her to discover an affinity for logistics, which she further explored as Operations Manager of The Phoenix Symphony. Most recently, Rachel served as Production Manager of The Cleveland Orchestra.

Nicholas Weege

A graduate of Southern Methodist University, Nicholas Weege recently received his Master’s degree in Viola Performance. Shortly after being offered a fellowship position with the New World Symphony in Miami, Nicholas switched his career focus to the business aspects of the orchestra. Currently, he works in the Development Department at the Dallas Symphony, with a focus on foundation and government grant writing. In addition, Nicholas was recently hired as a consultant to create the Dallas Symphony’s quarterly donor newsletter. Previous management/orchestral responsibilities include Assistant Orchestra Manager for the National Repertory Orchestra, Operations Intern at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, subcontractor/ musician for high profile artists such as Josh Groban, Amy Grant, and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, as well as a violist with the National Repertory Orchestra, National Orchestral Institute, and the International Festival at Roundtop.