Accompanists

Davyd Booth joined The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1973.  A native of Clarksburg, West Virginia, he made his professional debut at the age of 13.  He toured the United States for four years, giving recitals and performing with such orchestras as the San Antonio and Pittsburgh symphonies.  At 16 he made a concert tour of Mexico.  He studied violin at the New School of Music with Jascha Brodsky and piano with Susan Starr.  Mr. Booth is co-music director and harpsichordist for the Amerita Chamber Ensemble, and he is active in music education.  He is on the faculty of Temple University Preparatory Department where he serves as conductor of two student orchestras.  He has also served on the faculties of the University of Pennsylvania, New School of Music, and Rutgers University. Mr. Booth was a member of the Philarte String Quartet for 15 years and is currently a member of the Wister String Quartet.  He is also very active in The Philadelphia Orchestra Association, participating in over 200 fundraising events and musical activities, such as the “Musicians on the Fringe” Concert at South Street’s Theater of the Living Arts in January 1998, for which he played the accordion. Since 1998 Mr. Booth has been the harpsichordist for The Philadelphia Orchestra.  He also serves as the Orchestra’s second keyboard player, and has been featured on piano, celesta, harmonium, organ, synthesizer, and accordion. Among his other interests, he is an avid orchid grower, with two greenhouses and 8,000 plants.

Fabio Parrini's activity (developed mostly in Italy and the US) includes recordings, radio and TV broadcasts, solo recitals, concerto performances, (recently featuring works by Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Prokofiev, Rachmaninov, and Gershwin), chamber music, and collaborative work with solo voice, choir, orchestra, and opera productions. He has released CDs as a soloist and with violinist Eun-Sun Lee; other recent partners have been cellist Alberto Parrini, soprano Lisa Sain Odom, various members of the North Greenville University music faculty, and the Pan Harmonia players. A Steinway Artist, Mr. Parrini won first prizes at the Italian competitions of Galatina, Osimo, and Cagliari, the Richmond Competition at Boston University, a Fulbright Grant, a Kahn Award, and recording grants from the Metropolitan Arts Council of Greenville and NGU. He is Professor of Music and Piano Coordinator at NGU, and is also active as a clinician and adjudicator. He holds degrees from the Conservatory of Padua and Boston University, and has studied with Anthony di Bonaventura, Micaela Mingardo, Gyorgy Sandor, Bruno Mezzena, and Adriana Rognoni.

Ellen Hannigan-Youssefian

Ellen Hannigan-Youssefian received her Bachelor of Music in performance and Bachelor of Music Education from Shenandoah College and Conservatory of Music. She received an International Rotary Foundation Scholarship for advanced studies in Würzburg, West Germany, completing her diploma at the Hochschule für Musik, Würzburg. After three additional years of study in Vienna, Austria at the Hochschule für Musik and the Konservatorium der Stadt Wien, she made her way to Philadelphia. She completed her Master’s Degree in Piano Performance and Piano Pedagogy at Temple University.

Ms. Youssefian has extensive performance experience as a soloist, chamber musician, and accompanist Performances include the premier of a Piano Suite dedicated to her by composer Paul Miller. She has performed locally at the Academy of Music Ballroom, Laurel Hill Mansion, Temple University, Settlement Music School, and Rutger’s University. Collaborations include concerts with musicians from the Philadelphia Orchestra, Network for New Music,  and the Wister Quartet. She is currently Adjunct Faculty at Temple University and teaches privately.