Columbia College, 2026.

Alex, born a Brooklynite and raised in Greenwich, CT, spent most of his teens in Germany. Now knowing how to pronounce "Eichhörnchen", he is now happy to be back in the States for college and embrace his Dominican roots more, one "mangú con los tres golpes" at a time. After eating, he might just grab a quick boba from The Alley and jam out on the ocarina and ukulele bass (though he is a pianist of ~10 years, too)! When he's not studying for his next bio exam, you'll catch him either playing Genshin, passing a volleyball, watching anime with friends, or listening to city pop and Jacob Collier.

School of Engineering and Applied Science, 2026.

Alex is a pianist from suburban Los Angeles and, as a result, takes the movie La La Land very seriously. She enjoys indulging in alarmingly low levels of melatonin and alarmingly high levels of Taylor Swift, and can often be found plucking out "Wildest Dreams" whenever in proximity to a keyboard. Some of her other hobbies include reading, baking, and impromptu nap-taking.

Columbia College, 2027.

Alicia is a flutist (yes I say flutist, not flautist) from Westchester, New York and a pre-med student (yikes) at Columbia College. She picked up the instrument in 3rd grade and later piccolo, going on to play at festivals like All-Eastern, the Boston University Tanglewood Institute and in ensembles like New York Youth Symphony and Columbia University Orchestra. She is doing more music in college than she ever thought she would (yay!). Otherwise, Alicia is a coffee-enjoyer, occasional gym bro, D1 yapper, and lover of food, her cat, long walks, autumn, and laughing.

Barnard College, 2026.

Amelia is from Seattle and really really loves the rain (she swears!!). You can probably find her squinting at a sunset, running in Riverside, or procrasti-baking.

Columbia College, 2027.

Austin is a violinist from Dayton, Ohio (tentatively) planning to study Biology. He enjoys playing golf and basketball, building PCs, and playing with his two dogs, Bert and Ernie.

School of General Studies, 2026.

Bella is a film and media studies major at GS in the Dual BA program with Trinity College Dublin. Originally from Iowa, she has played the cello since elementary school and is excited to finally put her obsession with film scores to good use. Outside of playing cello, she enjoys going on aimless walks in Riverside, watching weird movies, and rearranging her endlessly expanding trinket collection. 

Barnard College, 2028.

Bella is a flutist from the Bay Area and does not own a proper rain jacket! In her free time, she enjoys watching (not) quality movies, logging said movies on Letterboxd, and taking long naps. She likes attempting to answer the big questions in life, such as: Is math red or blue? Is a hotdog a sandwich? Team Jacob or Team Edward? etc…

Columbia College, 2026

Ben Parkhurst is a bassist from California, having lived in both the Bay Area and Los Angeles. He studies linguistics at Columbia College and is passionate about language learning—in addition to English, he speaks Spanish and is learning Korean and Portuguese. Outside of school, Ben loves to cook, hike, go rock climbing, swim, and play games of any sort.

Columbia College, 2027

Ben is an alto saxophonist (and occasional pianist) from Long Island. When he's not playing his instruments, he's probably playing basketball or volleyball in the gym, and he's currently a member of the Columbia Men's Volleyball Club Team. He listens to just about any music, but some of his favorites are Daniel Caesar, Tyler, The Creator, and Frank Ocean.

School of Engineering and Applied Science, 2027.

Ben is a cellist from Ellicott City, Maryland planning to study biomedical engineering. He enjoys all kinds of music, especially hip hop artists and rappers like Travis Scott and Drake. In his free time, Ben can be found weightlifting, swimming, eating, and playing poker with friends.

Barnard College, 2027.

Catie was born in New Jersey but lived in eastern CT for most of her life. Playing the clarinet from elementary school to college, she's played a couple songs. Her favorites have always been video game OSTs and movie tracks. When not playing, she often listens to podcasts (shout out the Magnus Archives), playing Zelda on any retro console ever, watching way too many youtube videos, or watching any show she can instead of heading to Butler. Talk to her about Minecraft and be prepared to receive several realms invitations in your inbox!

Columbia College, 2026

I am from Long Island, New York and I am on the premed track. I am trying to explore my interests at Columbia such as music (of course), hiking, rock climbing, skiing, and many more adventurous activities after fencing for 12 years. On the not-so-adventurous side, I love to cook, think of dorm cooking hacks, play Mario Kart, and watch Good Mythical Morning on YouTube.

SEAS, 2027

I'm David! I'm an undergrad studying CS, and alongside playing upright and electric bass, I'm a huge video game and anime fan. My favorite games include fighters like Guilty Gear and Smash Bros, JRPGs like Persona, and anything Nintendo. My main musical background is in Jazz, but I also love VGM, J-Pop, and City Pop.

Columbia College, 2027

David is from Ellicott City, Maryland, and has been playing French Horn since 5th grade, when his band director told him that clarinet might not be the best choice for him. When not practicing, which might be more often than he'd like, David enjoys hiking, badminton, or playing poker. Please don't ask him to get halal at 2am because you will end up going. 

Columbia College, 2028

Dillon Ring is a Financial Economics major/Jazz minor at Columbia College from Los Angeles. He loves playing all kinds of music, composing, and arranging. His other interests include traveling around NYC for cool food, watching sunsets, geoguessr, and chess.

School of Engineering and Applied Science, 2026.

Donovan is an alto saxophonist from the not-so-far-away Long Island. In addition to watching an unhealthy amount of YouTube shorts and Instagram reels (while refusing to download TikTok), he is an aspiring food influencer (@donovaneats) and, once upon a time, Faculty House’s number 1 fan. He enjoys listening to anything from 2010s Pop to Disney or Broadway soundtracks to jazzy VGM covers — basically anything but classical or country.

Columbia College, 2026.

Originally from Greenville, SC, Emily is an anthropology major at Columbia College. While her main musical interest is the clarinet, she's been known to dabble in piano, mellophone, and belting show tunes in the shower. She jokes that she's secretly a senior citizen because she likes to knit sweaters, read the New York Times, and complain about the kids these days.

Barnard College, 2028.

Hadassah Weinmartin, aka Dasi, is a proud Philadelphian with a New York appreciation. She is hoping to study some combination of music, math, and Spanish. You can find Hadassah at a jazz club downtown, in a green chair at Milstein Library, or taking unnecessarily long walks down Broadway instead of taking the subway. Outside of playing bass and guitar, Hadassah enjoys cooking, trying new food, hiking, rewatching The Office and Rick and Morty, and learning how to DJ. 

Columbia College - Jewish Theological Seminary, 2028

Hannah is from Seattle, Washington, but she spent her last two years of high school at an arts boarding school in Michigan where she majored in percussion! If she’s not playing percussion, you'll probably find Hannah practicing piano, eating turtle chips, redecorating, or FaceTiming her dogs. Hannah is pursuing a degree in either history or political science at Columbia and Jewish ethics at the Jewish Theological Seminary. She is a strong proponent of Stevie Wonder, denim-on-denim, and finding the perfect peanut sauce.

GSAS, 2026.

Hanyu is from Yunnan Province in southwest China, a region known for its natural beauty and cultural diversity. From a young age, he was immersed in music, developing a deep appreciation for both classical and traditional Chinese music. Hanyuy began playing the violin and clarinet simultaneously in the second grade and had the opportunity to perform at the prestigious Golden Hall in Vienna. During his undergraduate studies, he played the violin with the Beijing Jiaotong University Symphony Orchestra, performing major classical works by composers such as Tchaikovsky and Beethoven, and also gave solo performances.

Outside of music, Hanyu is a passionate football fan, a die-hard supporter of FC Barcelona and the Argentine national team. He captained his department's football team during his undergraduate years. An outgoing and enthusiastic person, Hanyu looks forward to making new friends and sharing his hobbies with everyone during his time at Columbia Pops!

Columbia College, 2027.

Hyatt is from Cleveland, Ohio, which is where he first played "the family trumpet," originally owned by his great uncle (fun fact: he still plays on this trumpet today). He’s majoring in Evolutionary Biology of the Human Species & Climate Systems Science. When not in practice rooms or a lab, he is skateboarding/playing frisbee with friends in Riverside, attempting to find the best butter pecan ice cream in NYC, or listening to Mk.gee, Pink Floyd, or Childish Gambino. 

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.

School of Engineering and Applied Science, 2027.

Hi, My name is Jackson Aoyama, I have been a musician for more than half of my life, and love to play any type of music from orchestra to marching band. In my free time I usually play games, but I also enjoy going out and trying places to eat. 

Columbia College, 2026.

Jeff is a guitarist (and, sort of, violinist) in CC hailing from the great state of Connecticut. He likes eating pasta, reading, and... playing guitar. You may see him wheeling his green wagon around on campus as he goes to rehearsal. He loves his wagon.

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.

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, 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, 2027.

Jose is always thinking about music and how weird it feels to write in the third person about oneself. His main instrument is guitar but honestly, he’ll play whatever you need him to play. He’s really into movies, art, series and comics and enjoys playing music outdoors for Columbia kids to enjoy and he’ll be happy to meet other people who also enjoy that :)

Columbia College, 2028

Joseph is planning to major in maths and neuroscience, and research with music. Joseph learned meditation when he was 5 years old from his mom, started playing cello at 10, and combined the two in a workshop since 11; he can't wait to continue growing this in the next 4 years. Joseph loves nature too and wants to bring friends to local community gardens. And at any hangout with Joseph, there will always be someplace to eat yummy food.

Columbia College, 2026.

Raised in an exceedingly suburban Massachusetts town, Justin is now a Columbia undergrad studying Biochem and Applied Math who hopes to one day have an absolutely massive h-index. Justin strongly dislikes wearing non-black clothing and walking barefoot through dry sand. To find Justin, run the Central Park Loop clockwise and listen out for the entire discography of The Strokes blasting through a phone speaker.

Columbia College, 2028.

Jude is a violinist from Austin, Texas, which means he had never experienced living in the cold. (That is, until moving to New York). In his free time, Jude loves playing basketball, going to JJ's with anyone, exercising excessively, and finding ways to socialize instead of doing homework. He plans to major in Economics-Mathematics. 

Barnard College, 2028.

Justine Jaremko plays both the flute and the alto saxophone and is studying Biology. She is from San Francisco and is really looking forward to experiencing real season in NYC! In her free time, she loves running, talking about her dog (named Bear), and getting Orewashers olive za’atar breadsticks. Talk to me about architecture reality TV shows! 

Columbia College, 2026

Karen hails from Flushing, inarguably the best neighborhood in NYC. She plays the piano, but you’ll probably never hear it because she’s always missing her cues from admiring her fellow members' incredible musical talents. Her simple life (ideally) includes hosting dinner parties, biking down waterfronts in her snazzy sunglasses, Paul McCartney, and her pet cactus. 

Columbia College, 2027.

Born and raised in the small town of Weston, Connecticut, Karl is a pianist who loves listening to and making all kinds of music, from jazz to rock to reggae. In his free time, he loves hiking, skiing, biking, playing Ultimate Frisbee, gigging, and hanging out with his cat. Karl looks forward to getting musically involved at Columbia and is excited to be a part of Columbia Pops!

Columbia College, 2026.

Katie is a born-and-raised Seattle native who didn’t realize that Seattle was home to the original Starbucks until her senior year of high school. Besides being oblivious to her surroundings, she loves playing instruments (only ones with strings so far, though), complaining about hiking up to Hamilton 7, and learning languages (aka, watching TV shows in different languages to feel productive while procrastinating).

Barnard College, 2028.

Katya is from Russia and the USA, and has played percussion since fifth grade, and piano since she was four. Outside of Pops, she is part of CU Taiko, Pep Band and Wind Ensemble! Katya also loves experimenting with her fashion style (in the summer she is seldom seen without a bucket hat), and photography of anything but people! Her favorite activities include hiking, ice skating and reading sci-fi, however most often you will find her sitting in her dorm room thinking about cutting her hair, but never actually doing it.

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!

School of General Studies, 2026.

Kento was born and raised in Japan. He started playing the alto saxophone in elementary school. In high school, he was a member of the marching band. Besides music, he enjoys eating ramen (Tabetoomo is his fav), exploring the city, and whistling. You can often find him whistling as he walks on campus.

Barnard College, 2027.

Kimi is from Westchester, NY. When she is not playing the violin (or the occasional cello), she likes to play video games, dive, and make cartoons! If you ever run into Kimi, she will happily accept a beet (haha music pun) of any kind, they taste yummy. She is currently obsessed with Nintendo playlists, but loves all genres of music!

Columbia College, 2028

Kristine hails from both California and Seoul, South Korea, and spent her high school years rocking out on the drums (hands down the coolest instrument). When she’s not working on her drum beats, you’ll find her re-re-re-watching Grey’s Anatomy and daydreaming about a future as a surgeon. Known for her hyperfixations, Kristine is loyal to her favorites—like always returning to Loco Coco, the açaí bowl spot she discovered during a summer at Columbia, long before she became an undergrad.

Columbia College, 2027.

Kym is a saxophone player from Long Island studying Computer Science. If she isn't saxophoning there's probably a Rubik's Cube in her hand, along with headphones on that make it impossible to hear her surroundings (for better or worse.) Outside of that, she enjoys watching teen dramas (no matter how bad they are,) trying to not sleep through her 10 A.M. lectures, and making spotify playlists with the same 50 songs that will never be used. 

School of Engineering and Applied Science, 2028.

Laura is from California and is planning on majoring in mechanical engineering. She likes going for long walks, reading, and messing around in the Makerspace. She hopes in her time at Columbia she can try food from every country in the world all in New York City.

Columbia College, 2027.

I am from West Virginia. I put philosophy major on my college applications but I don’t really know what I want to study. My favorite movie is spider-man homecoming, but I also really like Casino Royale (2006), Ratatouille, The Incredibles, and of course Cars 2. Fun fact I once had a 16mm kidney stone!

Columbia College, 2027.

Leel, who hails from the Great State of New Jersey, is excited to play cello with Pops this year. Aside from playing cello, Leel enjoys running, reading, and working on projects related to environmental activism.

Columbia College, 2026.

Lela is from New York City majoring in earth science. She likes dinosaurs, cats, knitting, and playing frisbee (badly). She has two pet cats, cinnamon and spice.

Columbia College, 2026.

Lina is a biology and medical humanities major from Los Angeles. When not hibernating in the warmth of the Music and Arts library, you can find her walking in Riverside, trying new food spots, or getting overly excited every time it snows.

Barnard College, 2026.

Lucy tells people she’s from Philadelphia, PA, but in reality comes from a town about 50 minutes away from anywhere notable. Throughout her career as a musician, she has struggled with the look of surprise she receives when telling people she plays trombone, and has struggled even more with admitting she was a member of the marching band for all 4 years of high school. In her free time, Lucy can be found reading, watching a movie, or attempting to fix her very flaky trombone.

Columbia College, 2025.

Matthew is from New Jersey and has been playing clarinet for 9 years. When found in the wild, he is usually always listening to music of distinguished genres; however, his heart forever belongs to The Beatles, Queen, Cody Fry, and Jacob Collier. His interests include doodling, composing for fun, and watching movies.

SEAS, 2026.

Max Gao is from Hangzhou, China where he was forced to pick an instrument to play as a third grader. Fortunately, he picked the clarinet. Max is studying applied math and has yet to find an occupation to apply all the maths. When he is not biking or working out, you can find him anywhere except the practice rooms. 

Columbia College, 2028.

Melinda is a neuroscience and behavior major from Pearland, Texas. When she's not noodling around on the flute, you may find her procrastinating her to-do list, staring into the distance in Riverside Park, building the optimal Stardew Valley farm, watching/rewatching The West Wing, making her mother send proof-of-life pictures of her two cats, and reminiscing on her high school marching band "glory days."

Barnard College, 2025

Mia is a percussionist, majoring in environmental science and minoring in computer science and French. From Los Angeles, their favorite season is summer, and they love being outside. If she isn't cooking or baking, she is on the never-ending hunt for the best meals in the city (and strictly against TikTok recommendations). 

Columbia College, 2025.

Michael is a freshman in Columbia College who hails from the cow pastures of Eastern Tennessee. He claims to be a big Daft Punk fan even though he didn't discover their existence until three months before they broke up. When he's not making questionable sounds on his trombone, he's probably watching an anime whilst regretting his decision to study Japanese.

Columbia College, 2026.

Michael Zhang is a pianist, swimmer, amateur cook, cactus owner, and Biology major from Burke, Virginia. He started playing piano when he was 5 years old and has played every song by Chopin that he is capable of since then. In his non-existent free time, he can be found watching self-help Youtube videos, eating grapefruit, and sitting on his massive Craigslist bean bag.

Columbia College, 2026.

Columbia College, 2027.

Natalie Kim is a student at Columbia College (Class of 2027) who plans to study Sociology. Natalie was born and raised in Austin, Texas, where she spends time with loved ones, plays piano and cello, thrifts, reads, explores new music, writes, and ritually rewatches Studio Ghibli movies in the company of her inner child :)

Columbia College, 2026.

Nick is from Hershey, Pennsylvania (like the chocolate!!!) and has been playing french horn (the coolest instrument by far) since sixth grade. His favorite ways to avoid doing homework are listening to music, watching movies, going down Wikipedia/YouTube rabbit holes, playing video games, and wandering aimlessly around campus and the city…

Oh, and practicing!!

Columbia College, 2026.

Nithin is a computer science major from San Diego, CA, and plays the flute and piccolo in Pops. When not exploring the city or studying in a cafe, you’ll probably find him watching anime or reading manga.

SEAS, 2027.

Norié is from Tokyo, Japan (she’s half Japanese half Nigerian), and studies biomedical engineering with a minor in economics. In her free time, she loves walking around the city, thrifting, eating out with friends, and watching k-drama. She’s always on the hunt for the best matcha latte in the city, her next Netflix binge, and a new R&B artist to add to my playlist (Giveon and Daniel Caesar are her go-to favorites!)

School of Engineering and Applied Science, 2028

Olivia is from Toronto, Canada, where she grew up in the city hanging around polar bears and moose. In addition to being a student at SEAS, she has been playing the violin for 12+ years. In her free time, she can often be found scouring for cheap concert tickets and trying out new restaurants.

Columbia College, 2028

Rayson is a violinist from Singapore majoring in sociology. He loves (in no particular order) the violin, cats, Chinese food, going to Mala Town (as pictured) photography, playing badminton, Pink Floyd, dogs, guitar, the gym, Studio Ghibli films, and sleeping for half the day.

Columbia College, 2026.

I was originally born in Corvallis, Oregon on the West Coast. 7 years ago, my family moved to South Bend, Indiana in the Midwest. And now I find myself in New York, finally ticking "East Coast" off my list. If I'm not studying or playing music, I'll usually be either playing video games with my friends or watching random intriguing science videos on YouTube, usually astronomy. I've been in a ton of ensembles in my 7 years of playing percussion, but nothing like Pops, so I'm more than excited to be a part of it this year and the coming years!!

Columbia College, 2028

Born and raised in Hong Kong, SJ started playing the harp at the age of 7, while they were still idolizing their elder sister (who started playing the harp a year prior). They love delicious food, theatre, and listening to instrumental (often anime) soundtracks while trying to study. SJ is also a big fan of sleep, even though they rarely get the recommended 8 hours a night. When they’re not in the practice room, you can find SJ either looking up etymology or gushing over adorable creatures!

Columbia College, 2028

Sophia is a violinist from Longmeadow, Massachusetts, where the closest boba place is too far away. She plans to major in Neuroscience & Behavior on the pre-med track. When she's not napping in her dorm or studying in Butler, Sophia can be found watching movies with friends at 1 am, playing volleyball, scrolling on Instagram instead of being productive, crocheting, or trying to navigate the NYC subway.

Barnard College, 2027.

Sophia from Albany, California (30 mins from San Francisco). She loves to play tennis, read, and watch anime. Sophia is a Physics major at Barnard College and enjoys all things stem. She has an unhealthy boba obsession and is on a quest to find the best boba place in NYC.

Barnard College, 2028

Stella Dull, a Seattle native and violinist, is equally passionate about playing John Williams' Star Wars scores as she is about tackling her opponents on the rugby field. When not immersed in orchestral music or club rugby, you'll likely find her on a quest for the city's best food spots! (May the fork be with you)

Barnard College, 2025.

Tara is an avid central NJ fan majoring in computational biology, who listens to lofi and house music (bonus points if they're lofi house). Tara enjoys biking, playing card games, and engaging in epic speed typing duels (definitely not using piano as a method of improving typing skills). As a recent convert to team tomato, Tara's favorite topics include ketchup, rewatching "New Girl" for the 7th time, the best overnight oats recipe, and game pigeon mancala supremacy!

Columbia College, 2027

Tazia Mohammad plays the French Horn, and is majoring in Economics-Political Science at Columbia College. In her free time, she can be found stress cooking, drawing on her iPad, or working on This Month's Pet Project.

Barnard College, 2027.

Teja is a violinist from Maryland majoring in neuroscience at Barnard College. Outside of violin, she also sings Carnatic (Indian Classical) music, and loves to (attempt) landscape photography! She also loves knit sweaters and any variation of tea (although homemade chai is her favorite).

Columbia College, 2027

Yordan is from Asheville, NC, and plans to study biology! Outside of playing the oboe, he enjoys hiking, cooking, reading and wandering around NYC in his free time :) 

SEAS, 2026.

Alex is from Lexington Kentucky, exactly 81.6 miles from where the Kentucky Derby is held each year. When she is not studying her next superfecta, she is playing her own superfecta of instruments in bassoon, piano, bass guitar, and alto saxophone. Outside of practicing you will most likely find her binging all 47 seasons of Survivor (for the third time) or one of her other 30 favorite reality shows!

Barnard College, 2028

Athena is a violinist from Seattle, Washington. In her free time she buys overpriced iced lattes, rots in her dorm bed, and browses Pinterest for more unattainable outfit inspiration. She also loves skiing and film photography, you will never see her on a trip without her trusty camera.

Columbia College, 2028.

I am from Cincinnati, Ohio but I studied cello performance at Interlochen Arts Academy in Northern Michigan. I’m studying biology at Columbia, but I also enjoy thrifting, watching movies with friends, and trying new food spots in the city! I like a wide range of music: afrobeats, amapiano, r&b, and classical!