Barnard College, 2025.

Emma is a Barnard freshman from Manhattan looking to pursue a combined major in music and either psychology or neuroscience. She has been studying oboe for seven years during which she has mastered a chapstick schedule so as not to mess up her reeds. She loves her cat wind quintet tote bag and is always up for discussing sustainable bubble tea initiatives.

Columbia College, 2025.

Although Kyle will claim he's from the “D.C. area,” that really just means he grew up in Virginia and visited the city once in a while. In his free time, he enjoys listening to everything from history podcasts, movie soundtracks, jazz, indie music, and classical pieces with names he can never seem to remember. A few of his other hobbies include hiking, trying to get better at chess, and playing the trombone!

Columbia College, 2025.

Gabriel is a mathematics major hailing from Nyack, New York. A lifelong musician, he plays the piano, bassoon, and saxophone, and currently studies ballet at Barnard. When not trying to prove esoteric statements about measure spaces, Gabriel enjoys watching old films, cooking, reading novels, and staring into the sky.

Columbia College, 2024; GSAS, 2025.

Hailing from Hong Kong, Jimmy is a most passionate nature-lover, so long as he stays in the city. A lover of food and procrastination, he is looking for any excuse to start a mock philosophy food blog. In his free time, catch him skating down college walk with bedhead because waking up on time for 11 AM recitations is overrated.

Columbia College, 2025.

Born in Manhattan and raised on Long Island, Gilda has somehow found herself back in Manhattan. She started off playing violin but joined the dark side in high school. Besides music, her interests include art, video games, learning languages, trying new foods, procrastinating on YouTube, and screeching it out in karaoke. And she’s a big fan of viola jokes– so keep ‘em coming!

Columbia College, 2025.

Inga is from Waterville, Maine where she does typical Maine activities such as hiking, wearing L.L. Bean, eating blueberries, and talking to lobster. She loves everything tennis, and will often be found melodramatically reminiscing about her highschool days as state champ varsity captain - she "definitely would have gone pro" if "only" she "didn’t want to go to med school". Sure, Inga. Other musicians- hang on to your instruments, she will probably try to learn yours if she gets a hold of it (she is mediocre at about 3 others besides piano). She has two bad habits: making spotify playlists for any possible scenario and saying “We should go to the practice rooms! Just kidding. Unless….” in the middle of study sessions.

Barnard College, 2025

Isha’s favorite instrument is definitely the cello, but she’s also loved to play piano and guitar since childhood. She is from the Pacific Northwest, where she spends most of her time drawing, reading, and trying her best not to fall off the stairmaster while watching TV. At school, you can probably find her on a green chair in Milstein doing Wikipedia deep dives that have absolutely nothing to do with her homework.

Columbia College, 2025.

Max Mielcarek is a student at Columbia College from Woodstock, New York (like the concert)! Always a musician, Max has played the bass for over 8 years, performing and enjoying classical, jazz, and anything he can get his hands on. In his free time, Max loves to listen to and play funk music (Vulfpeck is his favorite) and to swim!

School of Engineering and Applied Science, 2025.

School of Engineering and Applied Science, 2026.

Serena comes from Spokane, Washington, and is majoring in Computer Science with a minor in Economics (what a sellout!). When she's not jamming out to Olivia Rodrigo, she can be found attempting to "lock-in" in the Butler coffin or trying to beat her friends in the New York Times mini crossword. She also enjoys playing badminton and skiing and fun fact: she's never chewed gum before.

Columbia College, 2025.

Caitlin is a violist from Long Island studying, and often regretting, Applied Math. She started playing at age 5 and has heard more viola jokes than years she’s played for. Outside of music, she spends the majority of her time reading romcoms, enjoying an afternoon cup of coffee, and watching the EPL. On her 2024 playlist you’ll find a mix of girly pop, Les Mis and Waitress, and the very few viola solos pieces that exist.

Columbia College, 2025.

Lily was born and raised in Connecticut, so she has been a proud northeasterner all her life (although for some reason still can't stand the cold). She started playing violin at the age of 5, and she learned at her first lesson that she shouldn't decorate her violin with Dora stickers. Aside from music, she enjoys tennis, yoga, food, art, fashion, and video-making (YouTube slimer veteran).

Columbia-Juilliard Exchange, 2025.

Eugene is a double bassist from Toronto, Canada. He is a fan of classical, jazz, EDM, theatre, video game soundtracks... pretty much any genre you can think of. When he's not struggling to lift his instrument over the subway turnstiles, he enjoys hiking, cooking and eating new foods, and "friendly" matches of Smash Bros. And no, he does not wish he played the flute. Please stop asking.

Columbia College, 2025.

Bella is a pianist, coffee-addict, animal-lover, and prospective math and music major from Chicago. Bella has an unhealthy obsession with practicing, but when she is not at the piano she can be found watching The Voice and The Got Talent's unironically, dancing anywhere and everywhere, thrifting, sketching friends, crying over the math homework she claims to enjoy doing, petting strangers' dogs, and going on (or wishing she was on) roller coasters.

Columbia College, 2025.

Despite having lived in Orlando, FL his whole life, Nick has only played clarinet for one Disney movie. His hobbies include complaining about there being no hot water to shower with, alleging that the tuner is wrong, and blowing precious time in the Butler Stacks watching TLC clips (he’s Amy Slaton from 1000-lb Sisters’ biggest fan & would do anything for her). Nick has an unhealthy obsession with not practicing and not studying, but became an iPad boy recently so that he seems employable. Talk to him about art history and Lady Gaga’s 2017 Super Bowl Performance, though the two are mutually inclusive.

School of Engineering and Applied Science, 2025.

Timothy originally lived in the superior part of California (that will be left up to your own interpretation) before moving to Columbia and living on the east coast for the first time. You are free to call him Tim, Timothy, Timmy, or Timothy Louis Simmons III if you want to be fancy. He's an avid movie watcher, boba connoisseur, aspiring engineer, and self-proclaimed saxophone "player." His main goal in life is to have a kid named Timothy as well. He also gives people cans of Yerba Mate upon request.

Columbia College, 2025.

Majoring in art history and visual art, Cheryl loves all art periods but humbly suggests that there are cooler movements than Impressionism. Hailing from Beijing and holding Houston dear, she once thought she would commit to flute-playing, but she completely fell for the Irish whistle after hearing Sir James Galway perform Concerning Hobbits with one. That also prompted Cheryl to pick up the Shakuhachi, pan pipe, ocarina, and a few other Chinese traditional woodwinds. Anime, Ghibli jazz lofi, museums; LOTR and Star Wars and tennis and cycling; Lottery tickets to all Broadway shows, these are a few of her favorite things.

SIPA, 2025.

Shannon has been a pianist for ~85% of her life and loves performing. She is rather fond of going on adventures, getting lost in nature, belting Broadway songs, sometimes being overly dramatic, and enjoying anything snow-related. She appreciates good witticisms and clever puns and once tried to memorize a list of Shakespearean insults.

One other thing:

If you have a puppy (or a dog, because all dogs *are* puppies...), let Shannon know. And let her pet it. She will want to pet it. Always. There is never a time she will not want to pet a puppy.

Columbia College, 2025.

Titi Akinade is a clarinetist in Columbia College. She enjoys all kinds of music ranging from classical to indie rock to afro-beats, and especially enjoys curating Spotify playlists with ambiguous titles. Other than playing her instrument, her hobbies include cooking and trying new foods; watching movies and listening to their soundtracks; and resisting the urge to pet every dog she sees in the city.

Columbia College, 2025

Kaeon is a violinist from Yeehaw, Texas studying neuroscience. She likes to sleep and accidentally slept through the deadline for her pops acceptance. Besides napping, she enjoys playing with her dog, Dori, and reading webtoons.

Columbia College, 2025.

Ari is a Columbia College freshman from Philadelphia, and is majoring in classics. When he’s not playing cello, he likes to go on late-night walks and watch Forensic Files to distract himself from the fact that he spends way too much time studying dead languages.

Barnard College, 2025.

For a 5’1" human, the cello was the only option after Tiffany’s father outright rejected the violin, citing hearing loss concerns and from then on, it was love at first sight. A dog-loving, matcha-obsessed human, Tiffany hails from the Big D (formerly known as Dallas, TX). When not practicing the cello or trying to muster up motivation to study, legend says Tiffany may be found at Milstein editing a new video or running along Riverside Park.

Columbia College, 2019.

A proud son of Dayton, Ohio, Aaron is the perfect mix of Midwestern charm and Ohioan angst. Having played the String Bass in both Orchestral and Jazz groups for 6 years now, his other hobbies include Dungeons & Dragons and being President of the Columbia Vaporwave Club.

Columbia College, 2024.

Hailing from Minnesota, Abigail loves listening to musicals and trying to convince herself that she enjoys running. In her free time, you can find her watching cooking shows while eating microwaved tofu and veggie meat tacos. Abigail is currently soliciting suggestions for what to study (only half joking).

Barnard College, 2020. 
Music Director (FA19-SP20)

Aimee is a professional orchestral flutist, music educator, and freelance project manager based in New Haven CT. She lives with her husband, who she met through Columbia Pops, and her rescue cat Billie. You can learn more on her website at aimeetoner.com

Barnard College, 2027.

Erin is from Taipei, Taiwan who got into percussion from her inability to sit still in front of the piano. Aside from pursing a degree in STEM, Erin also loves to dance, act, and share her love of the performing arts with others. When she isn't banging away at her studies or the marimba, you can find Erin stress baking at 3am, failing to cure her boba addiction, in the chocolate covered pretzel aisle at Trader Joe's, or in a heated round of Mario Kart.

Columbia College, 2020. 

Alan Yao hails from the village of Scarsdale New York and enjoys living a lit life of sleeping, music, and computer science. He can often be found suffering through computer science and beatboxing to classical music. He has the same birthday as Obama and has never eaten an olive.

Columbia College, 2023.
Co-Social Chair (FA21), Co-/Vice-President (SP22-FA22), Senior Advisor (SP23)

Alex's last name is Zhang and yet he's somehow not in SEAS. He likes a lot of things: tennis, medical dramas, anime, playing the violin like a cello, video games, rap music, and whistling to people's annoyance. But above all, he loves ramen. If you give Alex ramen, he will be your friend.

Columbia College, 2021.
Co-Treasurer

Alex grew up in San Diego, California, spoiled by warm weather and nice beaches. He started bassoon in 6th grade, where people made fun of his bassoon "butt strap" even though he insisted it was a "seat strap". Nevertheless, he persisted, and now he's finally taller than his bassoon. His hobbies include accidentally falling asleep in public places and drinking boba too fast. Someday he wishes to be a psychiatrist.

Barnard College, 2025.

Dahlia Seidel is a Barnard first-year from a small town in Westchester County. She is a trumpet player and has been playing for about 9 years. In her free time she also loves to dance and spend time with her friends, family, and two cats, Chai and Latte. She is very excited to join the Pops community!

SEAS, 2022.

Angela hails from Texas (but like Austin, where it's slightly less yeehaw and significantly more hippie). She plays the harp and can often be spotted lugging her instrument across campus whilst grumbling about how she should have learned to play the piccolo instead. Her current interests include crying about Banana Fish and consuming Halo Top pints on the daily.

Barnard College, 2022.

Anna is a clarinetist from Kansas who has been playing for eleven years. Aside from music Anna has a passion for chemistry, ice cream, and coffee. When she is not in Milstein, Anna can often be found baking or showing people pictures of her dogs.

Columbia College, 2024.

Columbia College, 2020.
Treasurer (FA19-FA20), Senior Advisor (SP20)

A firm believer in naps, Ariana Mao loves wearing tall shoes in order to assimilate into society, obsessively marathons episodes of Chopped, and on the weekends, toils over a plot for violists to take over the world. When she's not petting dogs on the streets of New York or discovering new places to eat, Ariana can be found drinking almost unearthly amounts of coffee or listening to Korean pop music.

SEAS, 2022.

Ava is unfortunately a senior in SEAS majoring in Applied math and newly minoring in CS after her mother told her she wasn't employable enough. When she's not baffling her advisor with her inability to register for courses on time, Ava enjoys watching all subgenres of reality television, making cookie dough soup, and preparing herself emotionally for yet another New York winter.

Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, 2022.

Bianca was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona where she found her love for Mexican food and mariachi music. She recently moved to New York for graduate school and now spends most of her time in Avery or Fayerweather (the architecture buildings) laughing and crying over studio projects or cuddling with her cat Stella at home. Her graduate experience will be memorialized by thai food, tiramisu, chai lattes from Pret, and all the incredible new friends she has made from all over the world.

SEAS, 2021.

Your friendly northern neighbor from Canada who also holds a PhD in Anime.

SEAS, 2019.

Columbia College, 2025.

Lloxci(libra sun, aries moon, leo rising) spent most of her life in the very small state of Connecticut. She enjoys trying new cuisines, going back to the same ramen shop every week, piña coladas, and getting caught in the rain. When she isn't talking someone's ear off about anything and everything, you can find her relaxing(napping?) in urban green spaces, daydreaming in NOCO, or salsa dancing. Although Ecuadorian, she dreams of playing the violin for a mariachi band!!

Barnard College, 2024.

Bronwyn is a native New Yorker who has been playing the violin since 3rd grade! When she’s not shredding away on her instrument, she can be found making comics, obsessing over musical theatre, and making pasta in her suite. Fun fact: she figured out how to play the Star Wars theme on the violin by ear after playing for only a few months, so she was always destined to play nerd music! It was motivated by her love for Han Solo.

Columbia College, 2018.

Bryan Li double-majored in Computer Science and Economics. He attended high school in Irvine, CA, but grew up in various suburbs around the USA (born in Detroit represent dying city gg). He's known to be swagalicious, and often just as salty. A lifetime violinist, he channels his inner being with a bow in one hand, and his violin in the other. He's also known to get feisty on his Otamatone, a synth instrument that looks and sounds incredibly troll but is actually dank.
In his free time, he's an incredibly avid player of League of Legends who deserves to be challenjour if not for noob teammates. Also he listens to electronic music with sappy lyrics pretty much 24/7.
He hopes to one day design an indie video game, taking from his interests in music production, story writing, and coding.

Columbia College, 2022

Cassandra’s journey with the cello started thirteen years ago, and since then she’s heard “that instrument is bigger than you are” around a million times. Aside from music, Cassandra is passionate about coffee, computer science, and mathematics. She’s also interested in environmental sustainability, despite her inability to keep plants alive. In her free time, she likes to ride her bike, obsess over her pet bearded dragon, and listen to recordings of the 2Cellos.

SEAS, 2018.

Cindy studied electrical engineering. Most of the time, you can find her [trying not to set everything on fire] working in the CEPSR labs, or spending too much time watching K/C/J-dramas, anime, and stand-up comedy. Her spirit animal is a cat, and her favorite ice cream flavors are green tea, black sesame, and coffee.

Columbia College, 2022.

Cher is pre-law but somehow ended up studying Economics and CS. She loves making food and eating it. She has two states: very full and very hungry -- guess which one she is in. Some of her favorites to make are various curries, hotpot, hummus, falafel, and Asian Fusion food. Ask her to explore new food together! She was first forced to play the violin in kindergarten, successfully given up after winning the battle with her parents, and rediscovered her love in high school while sitting in Alabama Youth Symphony Orchestra not knowing what is going on. She always sets a resolution to play more music so hopefully it will happen this time.

Columbia College, 2019. 

Chris is a sophomore in Columbia College. He enjoys sleeping at irregular hours of the day and feasting in JJ's as well as stressing about Calculus III. You can typically find him in his room binging YouTube or stalking the Halal cart on 115th and Broadway. He is known to be an extremely salty Super Smash Bros Player. And he plays the cello.

Columbia College, 2019. 

Claire loves to smile and to see others smile! Hailing from Canada, she is a renowned igloo architect and maple syrup connoisseur. She has been playing the piano since she was three, and developed an interest in neuroscience while performing at senior homes and mental hospitals. 

SEAS, 2019.

David Reyes is a combined plan student at Columbia. He was originally from the University of Redlands where he studied Music Performance. If David was to write a book about himself it would be titled "How Did I Get Here?".

SEAS, 2025.

Divya is a true Bay Area native currently studying computer science as a master's student, but her roots trace back to UC Berkeley. Her idea of a good time involves lugging around her gigantic iPad, eating sweet potato fries, and wearing turtlenecks like they're going out of style. When she's not on a quest to find a new vegetarian sushi spot, Divya enjoys wasting time watching Gordon Ramsay berate amateur chefs on TV (though her own cooking skills remain a mystery) and regaling anyone within earshot on her “almost collegiate golf career.”

General Studies, 2023

Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Dylan is a culturally-proud, politically-disappointed Texan. He enjoys taking walks in nature, playing with his dog, and finding the best eats in whatever city he happens to find himself in.

Columbia College, 2022.
Co-President (FA21), Co-Music Director (SP20-FA21), Senior Advisor (SP22)

Aside from his talent of remaining perpetually 5'4", Edmund spends the majority of his free time eating too much ramen and stalking the Nintendo website for updates. He also noodles around on his violin once in a while. The most effective way to get Edmund to play is by luring him into the practice room with a trail of gummy bears.

Barnard College, 2024.

Elaine is from Taipei, Taiwan, which she says is her origin story for her love of all yummy foods. In her free time, she loves playing volleyball and badminton, reading memoirs or writing in cafes and parks, and blurting out puns/dad jokes at every opportunity that arises :)

Columbia College, 2024.

Eleanor decided she wanted to play violin in third grade, after hearing her school orchestra play the Star Wars theme music (so it's only entirely appropriate that she should end up with Pops, eleven years later!). She also plays piano and is obsessed with the soundtracks to every Studio Ghibli movie ever made. In her non-musical free time, she enjoys reading and writing poetry and learning new languages.

Columbia Juilliard Exchange, 2020.

Elena loves music-making and computer programming, and is always wondering whether she can somehow find an intersection of the two fields that effectively combines her passions. When she's not coding or stress-practicing cello, she can be found solitarily watching anime or drawing bad sketches or paper crafting, plus a plethora of other excuses to procrastinate from the schoolwork she should actually be doing. Her favorite anime shows and movies include: Fullmetal Alchemist, Silver Spoon, Hunter x Hunter, and the Ghibli movies. 

Columbia College, 2021.

Elizabeth is a mango-loving sock enthusiast who enjoys excessive amounts of coffee (black, like her soul). She is fond of elephants, but her spirit animal has been described by others as "the cat who tips over the vase," which is probably accurate. When she's not sleeping or dying via academic overdose, you can usually find her wandering around parks, watching kdramas, or waiting in line for bubble tea.

Columbia College, 2023.
Co-Secretary (FA21), Co-/President (SP22-FA22), Senior Advisor (SP23)

Emily was born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina where she spent most of her time drinking sweet tea, avoiding practicing her cello, dreaming of all the Korean food she would eat in NYC, constantly organizing her life (and all her stationary), and obsessing over/annoying her yellow lab Zoey (2008-2021). Her interests include Marvel movies, Korean music (particularly a certain 22-member boy group) and K-dramas, and collecting Columbia merch.

SEAS, 2022.

Emily is an engineer-in-training who just barely escaped Michigan. She enjoys riding the subway and is an ardent evangelist of the deeply unappreciated Joachim Raff Cello Concerto No.1. A top item on her bucket list is to get into a vitriolic, mudslinging, friendship-ruining argument over the validity of horoscopes.

Columbia College, 2021.

Columbia College, 2022.

Erina is a junior in Columbia College hailing from the far lands of Tokyo, Japan. An avid tea drinker and snack-lover, she would one day like to visit England and experience the famed afternoon tea time. A video game enthusiast and avid moviegoer, she has an entire Spotify playlist (100+ songs collected over 7 years) dedicated to soundtracks from her favorite games and movies. Her favorite character is Winnie the Pooh, and she has a collection of Pooh plushies of all sizes at home. She also loves to bake Apple Crumble from scratch (the only thing she can bake), and provided that she has the ingredients, she'd be more than happy to make you some!

Columbia College, 2024.

Ethan is from the best state in the US, New Jersey, and isn't afraid to admit it. When not in class, he can be found getting beat up in basketball, binge watching/reading anime and manga, and asking people to play poker with him to satisfy his gambling addiction. Alternatively, he might actually be practicing for once.

Columbia College, 2020. 

Hailing from a small town in Massachusetts where orchestras exist only as theoretical constructs, Evan is an avid woodwind player, composer, and guitarist. Outside of the musical sphere, he greatly enjoys hiking, camping, and martial arts. He aspires to someday become a doctor, hopefully the kind that doesn't need to cash in his malpractice insurance.

Columbia College 2019

Fabiola plays the viola (and not just because it rhymes) and is from West Palm Beach, Florida. When she isn't complaining about how cold it is, you can find Fabiola napping, crying about being Pre-Med, or jamming out to the songs of her childhood. This is Fabiola's first and last year in Pops and she is super excited to join the family!

SEAS, 2022.

Federick is your typical Chaotic Neutral brass player who is also a Florida Man™. He is what is known as a "Computer Science Major", and believes Java is by far the best language. If you don't find him frantically finishing his assignments, he is either doing something Wushu related, getting food, cooking food, cooking some more food, or listening to video game and movie soundtracks over and over again. If you're looking for a new friend, you've found one

Columbia College, 2023.

Grace is a violist in Columbia College who LOVES petting dogs, eating ramen, exploring the city, crushing people at ping pong, and of course, playing viola! She loves performing with her friends and enjoying everything the music world has to offer! :D

Columbia College, 2020.
Secretary (SP17-FA17), Co-President (SP18-FA19), Senior Advisor (SP20)

Hannah Wang was born and raised in Potomac, Maryland. She started playing bassoon her 3rd year in middle school because her music teacher made her. Thankfully, she liked the bassoon and now continues to play today. Hannah enjoys studying neuroscience because it's interesting and not that it's the easiest major to take for a Pre-Med (but that too). If you don't find Hannah drinking bubble tea, napping, or tripping over the cobble stones in front of Butler, she is probably listening to video game sound tracks, finagling with the Columbia bureaucracy, and actively avoiding any form of reading. Hannah is very eager to make friend though she is very shy. But once you get past her layers of shyness, profuse apologizing, and sarcasm, you will find that she is just exponentially more sarcastic.

Columbia College, 2021.

Seungmin Lee goes by Helen to avoid having to pronounce her name a hundred times for other people. She loves playing all kinds of music as she is in both the Columbia University Orchestra and Pops. When not playing music, she is always looking to try new foods and to see interesting things around the city!

Barnard College, 2023.

Heli has been dabbling with the piano for almost 17 years now, spanning from classical repertoire, to musical theater, to sight-reading for fun. From the sweet beautiful green state of Washington, Heli has developed multiple hobbies during quarantine: from hiking, to watching anime with her brother, to playing video games online. Heli is double majoring in Economics/Social History and Ethnomusiclogy, which both totally sound like made-up majors!

Columbia College, 2020.

Hugo Zoells is a violinist from the suburbs of Chicago, IL. He enjoys oysters, bananagrams, and Twin Peaks, the television show, not the restaurant. In his free time, Hugo likes to cook and to eat, often in that order.

Columbia College, 2022
Music Director (FA20-SP22), Senior Advisor (SP22)

As a wizened old senior, Ian has given up all attempts to appear even mildly cool, and has fully embraced the lifestyle of a moderately wealthy suburban housewife - stretching regularly to maintain joint health, doting on his potted plant Snelly, and ending the night with fifteen minutes in an adult colouring book and a refreshing glass of grape juice. Ian has (not quite) mastered the art of leaving his arrangements to the last possible second, then winging it in rehearsal. But hey, as they say - diamonds are created under great pressure (as are Kevlar, baby mammals, and questionable hygiene habits).

Barnard College, 2021.

Isabel is a clarinetist from Seattle, WA who has been playing the clarinet for five years. Aside from music Isabel has a passion for chemistry, ice cream, and coffee. When she is not in the library, Isabel can often be found napping or blasting Enrique Iglesias while complaining about chemistry.  

SEAS, 2019. 

Claiming Las Vegas as his home, Jake hopes to break the convention that "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" by showing the rest of the world how awesome he is. Aside from playing piano and cello, Jake likes to spend too much time programming, build robots that will take over the world, and read books that aren't required for class.

Columbia College, 2019.
Board Member (SP16-FA16), President (SP17-FA18)

From the dismally frigid state of Minnesota, Jason enjoys watching sports, video games, sleeping, and being stunningly attractive. In his free time, Jason likes to trip on the stairs outside Butler Library, make obnoxious viola jokes, and not practice the violin. Jason's favorite Pokemon is Gengar.

Barnard College, 2024.

Hailing from Beijing, China, Jasmine brought her musical passion to the US during high school. Flute in hand, she dreamed of a musical career until focal dystonia threw a surprising twist into her life. Yet, her love for music endures as she seeks both the joy of the flute and a future as a doctor researching musician-related injuries. When she's not making music or studying, Jasmine's on a mission to conquer random heights. Whether it's a random statue or some other unexpected spots, just look up, and you'll probably find her there!

Columbia College, 2021.
Co-President

Hailing from either northern New Jersey or North Carolina (depends on which state is getting more embarrassing news coverage at the moment), Jay has been playing clarinet for who knows how long, but Pops has definitely made that time worthwhile! If he’s not raving on about the disintegration of social registers in Neon Genesis Evangelion, Jay enjoys going to art museums, tacking on too many books in his reading list, and complaining about Heidegger.

Columbia College, 2021.

Jayant hails from the DC-metro area, where the only thing that people hate more than the government is the traffic. He is a huge nerd so if you can't find him in one of the practice rooms with his cello, he's probably locked in his room doing math. Or maybe balling because ball is life. He likes to run, and he has a lot of experience in various races ranging from half marathons to running away from the people who want to beat him up for doing too much math. He also really enjoys listening to all kinds of music, especially R and B and classical.

Mailman School of Public Health, 2016. 

Jeanne is spending her last year of grad school learning how to maybe fix the healthcare system, with a contingency plan of opening an a cappella bakery. Her spirit animal was recently decided by others to be a cat, songbird, or marlin (?). Indeed, when not playing viola or piano, she can often be found eating salmon, singing, or telling jokes about anemones (not actually). She also enjoys soccer, video games, and wandering around Wikipedia.

Columbia College, 2019.

Jennifer Choi is a L.A. native taking on the big city. Her current obsessions include fro-yo, puppies, and everything Disney.

General Studies, 2018. 

Jeremy hails from Singapore, where it never actually hails. He plays multiple instruments, although none well enough to make it into an actual orchestra, which is why he sticks to writing and arranging. In his free time, he enjoys music making, getting lost in strange cities, and writing three part lists.

Columbia College, 2025.

From Las Vegas, NV, Jess is studying financial economics. Outside of orchestra, she plays in a jazz ensemble and her hobbies include tennis, ceramics, and spendly ungodly amounts of money on loose-leaf tea and 3am snacks.

SEAS, 2022.

Jessica Kuleshov hails from rural-suburbia New Jersey and adores the long boi Bass Clarinet. In her spare time, she enjoys talking about how she has no spare time. In the rest of the time, however, Jessica can be found ranting about languages, playing some sick tunes, cooking and subsequently consuming all the things, or engaging sweet, sweet punnery.

Barnard College, 2020. 

When she's not at an art museum, Jewel can be found wherever there is caffeine or Instagrammable desserts. All of her favorite memories from high school involve marching band, so it's clear she has always been a band nerd. Currently, she is pursuing her lifelong dream of being able to whistle.

Columbia College, 2021.

Jianyu, nickname Jian, is from the research triangle of North Carolina, where they attended a STEM boarding school and proceeded to excel in everything other than STEM. They are currently studying data science with the hopes of working in artificial intelligence, but also love learning languages in their free time. When they are not weeping silently over sheet music or LeetCode, they enjoy city exploring, experimenting with makeup and fashion, and marathoning crime dramas on a Netflix account that isn't theirs.

Columbia College, 2025.

Jimmy is a saxophonist from Princeton, New Jersey who somehow doesn't play jazz. An avid rock climber and cyclist until he injured his ankle, he now enjoys taking an eternity to walk across campus to his class at NoCo. In his free time, Jimmy likes to eat food, browse reddit, and pretend to study.

Columbia College, 2019.

Columbia College, 2025.

Joanna was born in Boston but has lived in Westchester County (which is NOT in Upstate NY) for most of her life. She loves walks and jogs in Riverside and Central Park to stay active, but both are really just excuses to see dogs. Her other interests include making fun puns and eating sweet potatoes.

Columbia College, 2022.

Joheen is a violinist from New Jersey who was in pops for 2.5 years, but only got to perform in two concerts because of a certain global pandemic. He is headed off to graduate school to study physics, and he hopes he can find a community there as fun and supportive as Pops was.

Columbia College, 2021.

Hailing from Jericho, Long Island, John has been enjoying (getting deafened by) the sound of drums (because he doesn’t wear earplugs like he should) since he was five. He prides himself as an avid fan of the Halal cart on 115th and Broadway and is trying (but failing) to find better Halal carts around the city.

SEAS, 2023.

Josette hails from a small rural town in upstate NY, where they make up for their lack of orchestras with cows, cows, and more cows. When she’s not practicing, Josette can be found either looking for new restaurants with friends, skiing down some sick slope, working on a robot that will eventually take over the world, or living that MechE life (oof).

Columbia College, 2021.
Social Chair

Katherine is from a small suburb of Boston called Weston, where she has lived for most of her life. She has mostly played classical music, so she is excited to play some pop music! In her free time, she enjoys watching TV, specifically Friends and The Office, hanging out with friends, and taking frequent naps. 

Columbia College, 2022.
Co-Secretary (SP19-FA20), Co-Social Chair (SP20-SP21), Co-President (FA21), Senior Advisor (SP22)

Karenna is a wilted kale from Auburn, Alabama. Although she complains about having to play high notes pianissimo or keep a C# in tune, in reality, she loves playing her precious flute. You can often find her 5' 2"-self speed-walking to classes or drinking (un)healthy amounts of coffee at the Hungarian Pastry Shop. Next time you spot her around campus, feel free to ask why she identifies as a wilted kale.

PhD Candidate in Biomedical Engineering, 2022.

As a native SoCal-ite, Kavi's move to NYC for her PhD has been one of her biggest adventures. She feels so blessed to have been able to find at Columbia the opportunity to pursue her passions at the intersection of Engineering and Medicine while helping expedite detection of eye disease through her work. Being able to pursue her passion for music by playing her clarinet with the Columbia Pops side-by-side with her PhD is making her final year at Columbia truly complete and fulfilling! :)

Columbia College, 2025.

Kay is a drummer, pianist, anime enthusiast, plant lover, and history buff hailing from Beijing, China. When she is not jamming, you can find her lounging outside Butler Library, sipping boba and reading. She loves bombarding people with random history facts (for example, "did you know that humans lost an entire war to emus - yes, giant birds - in the 1930s?”), so beware!

Barnard College/SIPA, 2022.
Co-Treasurer (SP22-FA22), Senior Advisor (SP23)

Kelsey Chin is a second-year Masters student at Columbia School of International and Public School of Affairs studying Urban/Social Policy with a regional specialization in the Middle East and East Asia. Kelsey began studying flute at 7 and made her Carnegie Hall debut at 14 under the baton of Dr. Jason Noble. She has toured internationally: in Prague, Budapest, and Vienna in 2014 and Australia in 2017. In 2021, she performed the Dutilleux Sonatine for Flute and Piano at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall with pianist Marco Jimenez. You can find her scootering to campus, eating soup dumplings in Chinatown, or napping in the green chairs at Milstein because she’s still sad she graduated from Barnard already.

SEAS, 2021.

Kevin is from Staten Island, NYC, where nothing really happens. He's a huge science nerd and also an overall nerd. He loves music, and his favorite soundtracks include Legend of Zelda and Star Wars. His hobbies include watching shows (favorite anime is Steins Gate and The Office is amazing), listening to music, and trying to be athletic (ultimate is lit). 

Columbia College, 2021.

Columbia College, 2023.

Lauren hails from Omaha, Nebraska, which is fitting, because she really likes corn. She also likes to bake goodies, start (but never finish) knitting projects, and attempt to curry favor with her dog who probably hasn't even noticed that she's gone.

School of Engineering and Applied Science, 2024.

Larry is a multi-instrumentalist from Long Island, NY who enjoys playing a wide range of music, from classical to show tunes. When not rehearsing in an ensemble, he can often be found watching movies with friends, at a Broadway show, grinding Tears of the Kingdom, or getting his @$$ kicked by the NYT crossword. Oh, and his favorite thing is clearly procrastinating his problem sets, because he can be found doing that virtually all the time.

Columbia College, 2022.

Leo spent the first 15 years of his existence living in Hong Kong before moving to a suburb in Long Island NY before moving to a suburb in Kansas. After a failed attempt to play the violin (his parents commented that when he plays, it sounds like wood-cutting), Leo discovered his love for the flute in 5th grade and has been playing it ever since. When Leo is not doing physics and math, he is diligently practicing Pops’ pieces (obviously), trying to learn French, and playing all kinds of .io games.

Columbia College, 2023.
Chamber Program Co-Director (SP20-FA22), Senior Advisor (SP23)

Leon likes avocados, randbats on Pokemon Showdown, jazz, and Studio Ghibli.