Co-Artistic Director

Applauded in London by the Sunday Times for performances of "great panache," pianist Gregory Martin has been featured throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan, including performances at Carnegie Recital Hall; collaborations with members of the Chicago, Detroit, and Indianapolis Symphonies, the New York Philharmonic, and the Dresden Staatskapelle; and the premieres of unpublished compositions by Ralph Vaughan Williams and Gerald Finzi. He is an active composer, co-artistic director of the Ronen Chamber Ensemble (Indianapolis), and Head of Academics and Piano at Music Across the Pond (UK). He has lectured at the University of Berlin, the Grieg Academy, and Oxford University, and is assistant professor at the University of Indianapolis.

Co-Artistic Director

Jennifer Christen, a Buffalo, NY native is the Principal Oboist of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. She has performed as Guest Principal Oboe with the Chicago, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Baltimore and Milwaukee Symphony Orchestras and as Guest English Horn with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Christen studied at the Juilliard School with John Mack, Nathan Hughes and Elaine Douvas. Before her time in Indianapolis, Ms. Christen spent a year in Miami Beach with the New World Symphony under Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas.

She has also spent several summers with the Verbier Festival Orchestra in Switzerland, where she met her husband. As a former adjunct faculty at the University of Indianapolis, she has had the pleasure of working with students at the Verbier Music Camp, Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, and with students in various youth ensembles around Indianapolis. She enjoys traveling, good coffee, exploring local food, running, and creating memories with her husband and two little boys. She has an identical twin sister who plays the flute.

Co-Artistic Director

Alistair Howlett currently serves as Assistant Principal and Second Flute with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Prior to this, he held the positions of Principal Flute with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra and Utility Flute with the Opera Australia Orchestra at the Sydney Opera House. 

Howlett holds a Bachelor of Music from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and a Master’s in Performance from the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Munich, where he studied under Professor András Adorján.

In addition to his orchestral work, Howlett is the co-artistic director of the Ronen Chamber Ensemble, which performs throughout the Indianapolis area.

An experienced educator, Howlett currently teaches at Butler University. He has held teaching positions at the Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University, DePauw and Anderson Universities. 

Outside of music, Howlett supports Liverpool FC and the Buffalo Bills, enjoys playing tennis, and spending quality time with his family.

Arranger Extraordinaire

Donna Maria Wilson is active as a recitalist, teacher, and orchestral musician. She is currently Adjunct Professor of Flute at Indiana Wesleyan University and has given masterclasses at Butler University, Morehead State University, and Indiana University. Currently with the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, Donna has also performed with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and several regional orchestras in Indiana and Illinois.

She earned her undergraduate degree from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music with High Distinction and her Master of Music with Distinction from the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England.

Guest Musician

Alison Dresser is 3rd Horn with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. A native of Ashland Oregon, she earned her bachelor’s degree at Northwestern University, studying with Gail Williams and Jonathan Boen, and went on to attend the Curtis Institute of Music for her Artists’ Diploma with Jennifer Montone and Jeff Lang.

She has performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the San Francisco, Atlanta, and Oregon Symphonies. During the summer, she enjoys playing with the Grand Teton Music Festival. When not performing, she loves rock climbing, camping, and traveling all over the world with her husband, Jake, and spending time with their dog, Cheerio.

Guest Musician

Violinist Yeajin Kim has brought her vibrant artistry to the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra since 2022. Originally from Korea, she began studying violin at the age of five and quickly developed a curiosity about music and the violin.

A versatile performer, Kim has appeared as a soloist at the Waltz & Dr. Mahn Young Artist Concert and has given recitals throughout Seoul, Ansan, Goyang, and Namyangju. In 2021, she premiered Double Concerto for Violin, Piano, and 15 Winds by composer Andrew Mead. Her festival appearances include the Tanglewood Music Festival, Music Academy of the West, Round Top Festival Institute, and Toronto Summer Music Festival.

Equally passionate about chamber music, Kim is a founding member of the Eurus String Quartet, which served as the Graduate Quartet-in-Residence at Indiana University under the guidance of the Pacifica Quartet during the 2019–20 season. With Eurus, she made her European recital debut at the Beethoven-Haus Kammermusiksaal and performed at the Chelsea Music Festival.

Before joining the ISO, Kim was pursuing her Artist Diploma at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University under the mentorship of Simin Ganatra. She also holds a Master of Music degree from Indiana University, where she studied with Jorja Fleezanis, and earned her Bachelor of Music degree summa cum laude from Seoul National University as a student of Hyuk-Joo Kwun.

Outside the stage, Kim enjoys long distance running and exploring new languages, always seeking fresh perspectives to bring back into her music.

Guest Musician

Known for his “beautiful control, tremendous energy and thoughtful musicality" (Violinist) and “tone projected miraculously” (Strings), violist Zhanbo Zheng was the first Chinese to win the Primrose International Viola Competition. He has also taken top prizes in other major competitions, including the Irving M. Klein International String Competition and the Washington International Competition for Strings. He was also a recipient of the Emerging Artist Award from the Saint Botolph Club Foundation.

An avid chamber musician, Zheng has collaborated with distinguished artists, such as Midori, Jonathan Biss, Anthony McGill, Gary Hoffman. He has been invited to perform at the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society as a guest artist, and his music festival appearances include Marlboro Music Festival, Music@Menlo, Ravinia Steans Music Institute, Verbier Music Festival Academy, Krzyżowa-Music Festival, Caramoor Evnin Rising Stars, and Cleveland ChamberFest. With his extensive touring experience, including the national tours with Musicians from Marlboro, Ravinia Steans Music Institute Spring Tour, and A Far Cry Chamber Orchestra, Zheng has performed in leading venues such as Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, and Kaufman Music Center.

As a soloist, Zheng has performed with orchestras such as the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, San Jose Chamber Orchestra, China Broadcasting Performing Arts Orchestra, and EOS Repertoire Orchestra of CCOM. In 2014, sent by the Ministry of Culture, he was selected for an exchange activity between China and Germany, hosted by China Education Association for International Exchange. He has also participated in the recording project “My Concert Hall — The Classical Music Appreciation,” which was proposed by Li Lanqing, the former Premier of the State Council of China.

Zheng earned his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the New England Conservatory, where he studied with Kim Kashkashian, Miriam Fried, and Dominique Eade. He was a recipient of NEC’s prestigious Presidential Scholarship and graduated with top Academic Honors. He also holds an Artist Diploma from the Juilliard School, where he was mentored by Paul Neubauer. In 2024, Zheng joined the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra as Associate Principal Viola.

Guest Musician

Austin Huntington was appointed principal cellist of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra in 2015 at the age of 20, making him one of the youngest principal musicians in a major American orchestra. He was recently the runner-up for the San Francisco Symphony’s principal cello position in March 2022, a finalist for the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s principal cello position in March 2018, and the winner of the Utah Symphony’s principal cello position in May 2023. He has been featured as guest principal cellist with the San Francisco Symphony, Utah Symphony, Florida Orchestra, and Quad City Symphony Orchestra. During the summer, Austin serves as principal cellist for the Mainly Mozart Festival and Colorado Music Festival orchestras.

Austin is a former first prize winner of the Stulberg and Irving M. Klein International String Competitions, and is a top prize winner of the Schadt National Cello Competition. He has performed as a soloist with orchestras such as the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, The Florida Orchestra, Marin Symphony, Colburn Orchestra, Santa Cruz Symphony, San Jose Chamber Orchestra, and the Salomon Chamber Orchestra.

An avid chamber musician, Austin has collaborated with artists such as Itzhak Perlman, Augustin Hadelich, Wu Han, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Garrick Ohlsson, and Edgar Meyer. He was previously a faculty member at Indiana University and the University of Indianapolis, as well as president of the Indianapolis Suzuki Academy’s Board of Directors.

Austin holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Colburn School Conservatory of Music and a Master of Music degree from Indiana University, where he studied with Ronald Leonard and Eric Kim respectively.