On March 17, recent School of Music alum Issac Vitousy and current graduate student in music-performance, Margaret Wu, were chosen to audition for Stockton Symphony’s Fellowship Training Program.
The one-year, paid fellowship program recognizes promising violinists from a variety of diverse backgrounds who are pursuing orchestral careers.
“Isaac and Margaret are very diligent students committed to the study of their craft,” said Ernest Salem, professor of music and violinist. Both Vitousy and Wu have studied under or currently study under Salem.
Vitousy arrived at CSUF as a freshman without any prior private study. Salem was Vitousy’s first violin teacher and guided him through his undergraduate studies, later preparing him for his graduate auditions.
Vitousy was accepted into the top-ranked Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and invited to a fellowship audition for the Cincinnati Symphony. He is currently working on his Master of Music at UCLA.
Graduate student Margaret Wu received her undergraduate degree in violin performance from UCLA. She prepared her for the fellowship audition with Salem and is currently the concertmaster for CSUF’s University Symphony Orchestra.
The Stockton Symphony opened its doors to concertgoers in 1926 with 50-cent adult tickets and 10-cent tickets for children. It is the third oldest continuously operating professional orchestra in California after the San Francisco Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Part of the symphony’s mission is “to inspire joy and build community through the magic of music” by making music accessible in its community and beyond.
For the symphony, its outreach programs and fellowship represent not only an investment in “future leaders, artists and innovators,” but a “way to make the concert-going experience an essential and vital part of community life.”
As fellows, Vitousy and Wu will rehearse and perform with the orchestra throughout its 2025-26 season and will receive mentorship from the conductor and its principal players.
During the season, they can also “mock audition” for the symphony and receive feedback on their performance from their orchestra peers, which is an invaluable experience for musicians beginning their careers.
For Wu, the fellowship opportunity offers a sense of relief: “The process can be lonely and filled with doubts. To be chosen by a group and receive mentorship from seasoned principals indicates acceptance and an opportunity to develop and grow in a space.”