Philadelphia Orchestra String Quartet

MARC ROVETTI, violin

Violinist Marc Rovetti has been a member of The Philadelphia Orchestra since 2007 and was appointed assistant concertmaster in 2009. He has also served as guest concertmaster of the Houston, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh symphonies. Prior to his time in Philadelphia, he was a member of the New World Symphony and the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE). He also performed as a member of the award-winning Rothko String Quartet in addition to touring with the Mark Morris Dance Group Ensemble.

As a soloist, Mr. Rovetti has appeared with the Atlanta and New World symphonies, the Lexington and Sacramento philharmonics, and on Chicago Public Radio with ICE. As a chamber musician, he has performed at the Bravo! Vail, Jackson Hole, and Kneisel Hall music festivals, as well as with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

Mr. Rovetti spent four summers at the Tanglewood Music Center, both as a fellow and as a member of the New Fromm Players, Tanglewood’s resident new-music ensemble. A passionate advocate for new music, he has worked closely with composers Augusta Read Thomas, Bernard Rands, and Magnus Lindberg, and he has collaborated with many young composers during ICE residencies at New York, Columbia, and Northwestern universities.

Born and raised in Hartford, Connecticut, Mr. Rovetti holds both Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Juilliard School. His principal teachers include Ronald Copes, Pamela Frank, and Louise Behrend.

YU-TING CHEN, violin

Violinist Yu-Ting became a member of The Philadelphia Orchestra in 2017, and maintains a distinguished career as a soloist, chamber musician and teacher.

A native of Taiwan, Ms. Chen made her solo orchestral debut at the age of seven, performing Mozart’s Third Concerto with the National Taiwan Symphony. Since then she has worked with several ensembles, including the Royal Academy Symphony, the Cape Symphony, the “Mihail Jora” State Philharmonic in Varallo Sesia (Italy), the National Taiwan Symphony, the Macau Youth Symphony, and the Taipei Symphony. She has also performed extensively in many prestigious halls, such as the Royal Festival Hall, Duke’s Hall in London, the Macau Cultural Center, the HOTA—Home of the Arts in Australia, the BHS Performing Arts Center, the National Concert Hall and National Recital Hall in Taipei, the Taiwan National Symphony Orchestra Recital Hall, the National Taichung Theater, and Weiwuying Concert Hall.

In addition to winning top prizes at the Menuhin Violin Competition (2016), the Stradivarius International Violin Competition (2010), the Taiwan National Music Competitions (2010 and 2008), and the 5th Osaka International Music Competition (2004), Ms. Chen is a two-time recipient of the Art Award from the esteemed Chimei Foundation in Taiwan (2013 and 2014). In 2016 she also received the Milka-Curtis Violin Prize at the Curtis Institute of Music.

Ms. Chen currently serves as an affiliate artist at the Cairn University’s School of Music and is a regular guest artist at the Philadelphia International Music Festival (PIMF), a highly regarded summer music program founded by her colleague Kimberly Fischer. As an active chamber musician, she performs frequently with fellow members of The Philadelphia Orchestra in venues throughout the U.S. and abroad. She is also a founding member of the Fairmont Trio, alongside with pianist Natalie Zhu and cellist Clancy Newman, and the ensemble has since explored a broad and varied range of trio repertoire.

Ms. Chen completed her studies at the Curtis Institute of music with Ida Kavafian and Shmuel Ashkenasi, and at Yale University with Ani Kavafian.

DAVID NICASTRO, viola

A member of The Philadelphia Orchestra since 1995, David Nicastro is also an active recitalist and a member of numerous chamber music ensembles. Prior to 1995 he served as associate principal viola of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra.

Born in New York, Mr. Nicastro grew up in the Hague, Netherlands, where he began violin studies at the age of six. Returning to the United States, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature and a Bachelor of Music degree in violin performance from Boston University while studying with Yuri Mazurkevich. Continuing his musical studies, Mr. Nicastro received a University Fellowship and an Artist Diploma from Indiana University, where he studied viola with Abraham Skernick, Atar Arad, and former Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Viola Joseph dePasquale.

JIAYIN HE, cello

Jiayin He joined The Philadelphia Orchestra in 2025. He received his Master of Music degree from the esteemed Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he also earned his bachelor’s degree. During the 2024–25 season, he served as principal cello of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra, leading the cello section in performances at major venues including David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center in New York and Marian Anderson Hall at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia.

Originally from Shanghai, China, Mr. He began studying the cello at the age of five. He made his debut performing Haydn’s C-Major Cello Concerto at age 11, followed by a performance of Lalo’s Cello Concerto at the Shanghai Concert Hall with the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra at age 12. Since then he has gained international recognition, winning prestigious awards including First Prize at the 2013 Alice and Eleonore Schoenfeld International String Competition, First Prize at the 2012 Aiqin Chinese National Cello Competition, Second Prize at the 2014 Knushevitsky International Cello Competition, Second Prize at the 2013 David Popper International Cello Competition, and Third Prize at the Antonio Janigro International Cello Competition.

Mr. He has been the recipient of full scholarships from the Seiji Ozawa Music Academy in Japan and the Morningside Music Bridge for multiple years. From 2016 to 2018, he served as principal cello in opera productions directed by Seiji Ozawa and performed in numerous concerts across Japan, including in Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, and Matsumoto.