Brent Taghap, Principal Second Violin
Brent Taghap is a violinist from the Tampa Bay area. Brent holds degrees from Florida State University (BM ’16) and from DePaul University (MM ’18; Certificate in Performance 20’). Their primary teachers include Eliot Chapo, Corinne Stillwell, and Janet Sung. As an active performer, Brent has been a part of numerous ensembles in Chicago including the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the Oistrakh Symphony, the Illinois Symphony, and the Artemis Chamber Orchestra. As an educator, Brent has worked with students of varying backgrounds and served as a mentor with the Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative, an organization dedicated to working with students from underrepresented backgrounds within Classical Music. Besides being a performer, Brent is a Donor Engagement Manager for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra where he curates donor benefit events and manages the League of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association. Brent is also interested in preserving, cataloging, and performing works by Filipino composers in the hopes that they will become part of the canon of works for violin. Other interests include sleeping, eating, going to art museums, hanging out with friends, and playing with his cat, Wren.