Artistry on Stage
Every Dearborn Symphony performance brings unique perspectives, incredible talents, and vibrant storytelling to the stage. Our guest artists help create the shared experiences that connect our community through music.
We are currently putting the finishing touches on our guest artist lineup for the upcoming performances. Please check back soon to discover the exceptional guest artists who will be sharing the stage with the Dearborn Symphony this season.
About the Featured Artist: Symphony at Sea | OCT 2, 2026
Brandon Gajek, cello
2026 Youth Artist Solo Competition Winner
Brandon’s remarkable achievement is the culmination of six years of dedicated cello study, characterized by mentorship from some of the region’s finest pedagogues. He currently studies under Dr. Amir Eldan, Professor of Cello at the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre & Dance, having previously refined his craft with Dr. Melissa Kraut, Wei Yu, Abraham Feder, and Samantha Farmer. Beyond private instruction, Brandon’s musical development spans major regional and national training grounds. He was a member of the Detroit Symphony Youth Orchestra starting in 2023 under the baton of Na’Zir McFadden, served as the principal cellist of the Michigan All-State Orchestra in 2025, and has spent his summers training at top-tier institutions, including the Interlochen Arts Camp, the Philadelphia International Music Festival, the Bowdoin International Music Festival, and the prestigious Meadowmount School of Music in the summer of 2026.
In addition to his orchestral and solo accolades, Brandon has earned a stellar reputation as a decorated honors student and an active chamber musician. The Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association (MSBOA) has repeatedly recognized his talents, nominating him for the Outstanding Soloist award in both 2024 and 2025, alongside granting him an outstanding ensemble award for a demanding performance of Brahms’ Double Concerto for Violin and Cello. Brandon also channels his artistic collaborative spirit into the Trouville Quartet, an ensemble currently dedicated to exploring the rich string quartet literature of Felix Mendelssohn and Ralph Vaughan Williams.
About the Featured Artists: Forces of Nature | NOV 6, 2026
Eric Jenkins, piano
Pianist and vocal coach Eric Jenkins has recently relocated to the Detroit area. He previously served as Staff Accompanist and Collaborative Piano Area Coordinator at Kennesaw State University and on faculty at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, where he was coach-pianist for the nationally award-winning Bravo Opera Company. Dr. Jenkins has also held appointments on the collaborative piano faculty at Emory University and as a vocal coach with the Georgia State University Opera Theater.
An active recitalist, Dr. Jenkins has collaborated with distinguished instrumentalists and vocalists throughout the United States and abroad, with performances in Canada, Austria, France, Turkey, and Cyprus. He has recently appeared in chamber performances with principals and members of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra at venues across the Atlanta metropolitan area.
Dr. Jenkins’s operatic work includes extensive experience with The Atlanta Opera, where he has served as both pianist and music director for the 96-Hour Opera Project, an initiative supporting the careers of BIPOC emerging composers and librettists. He has also worked as rehearsal pianist for mainstage productions, including the world premiere of Forsyth County Is Flooding with the Joy of Lake Lanier by Marcus Norris and Adamma Ebo. Beginning in 2010, he served for several years as répétiteur for the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria.
He made his concerto debut in 2008, performing Benjamin Britten’s Piano Concerto with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, and most recently has performed as an orchestral keyboardist with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
Dr. Jenkins holds a Doctor of Music and Master of Music in Collaborative Piano Performance from Florida State University.
Erika Tazaw, piano
Erika Tazawa enjoys an active and diverse career as a pianist and conductor, working across orchestral, operatic, choral, and contemporary music. In demand as an orchestral keyboardist, she regularly performs with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and has also appeared with The Cleveland Orchestra and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. A dedicated advocate for new music, she serves as pianist for the contemporary music ensemble Bent Frequency and has collaborated extensively with The Atlanta Opera on new opera projects. Her solo album of 21st-century piano works has been praised by Gramophone for its “intelligent programme-building and committed performances” that “warrant serious attention and exposure,” while Texture lauded her “technical prowess and expressive interpretations.” Tazawa relocated to Detroit in 2025 upon her appointment as conducting faculty and Director of Choral Activities at Wayne State University.
