Flute

Niles Watson, from Damascus, MD, joined the Columbus Symphony in February 2019. He is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Jeffrey Khaner. Niles’ prior teachers include Aaron Goldman of the National Symphony Orchestra. Before coming to Columbus, Niles spent two seasons playing full-time with The Philadelphia Orchestra. He has played extensively across the United States and abroad while on tour with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra and The Philadelphia Orchestra.

As a winner of the Greenfield Student Competition, Niles made his solo debut with The Philadelphia Orchestra in 2011. He also has been a soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra, Valley Forge Orchestra, and Amerita Chamber Players. Playing with the Qwinda Woodwind Quintet, Niles toured Colorado as part of the Bravo! Vail Young Professionals In-Residence program in 2016. He also was in-residence with Qwinda at Music from Angel Fire, working at schools and playing local concerts.

In his free time, Niles enjoys hiking, lifting weights, racing go-karts, racing online in Gran Turismo, and fishing, though he is not very good at any of these activities.

Lydia Roth is Second Flute and Piccolo of the Columbus Symphony. Prior to joining the CSO in 2021, she performed frequently with the orchestra as an associate musician in addition to holding the position of Principal Flute with Symphony in C and appearing as a substitute musician with The Philadelphia Orchestra, Louisville Orchestra, and The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia.

Lydia enjoys performing as a chamber musician and soloist, having presented duo recitals in Palm Beach and Longwood Gardens. As part of Curtis on Tour, she performed Mozart quartets throughout California as well as in London for a live broadcast on BBC Radio 3. She has completed a residency in Fayetteville, AR, where she performed a recital and worked with students at local high schools. Lydia also has led masterclasses for Play On Philly, Philadelphia Musical Alliance for Youth, Philadelphia All-City Orchestra, and the Columbus Symphony Youth Orchestra and maintains her own private studio.

A native of Grand Rapids, MI, Lydia grew up in a musical home playing flute, oboe, and piano as well as studying composition. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in flute performance from the Curtis Institute of Music and Lynn Conservatory, studying with Jeffrey Khaner. She has spent summers studying and performing at the Aspen Music Festival, National Orchestral Institute, and Lake George Music Festival.

When she’s not performing, you can find Lydia drinking a mug of tea while reading a book or solving a crossword puzzle. She lives with her partner and their two kittens.

Heidi Ruby-Kushious plays flute and piccolo in the Columbus Symphony Orchestra (CSO). She received her Bachelor of Music from the Curtis Institute of Music as a scholarship student of Julius Baker, John Krell, and Murray Panitz. She continued her studies with Thomas Nyfenger at the Yale School of Music and with Alain Marion at the Salzburg Mozarteum.

Heidi made her solo recital debut in Carnegie Hall to rave reviews by Tim Page of The New York Times and has been featured as concerto soloist with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, CityMusic Cleveland, Curtis Symphony Orchestra, Yale Philharmonia, and Red {an orchestra} as well as in a duo concerto with Jean- Pierre Rampal and the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. As the first American flute finalist in 21 years, Heidi was Laureate Prize Winner of the prestigious Munich International Flute Competition. She received first prize in the Artists International, New York Flute Club, and National Flute Association competitions and was awarded the distinguished C.D. Jackson Master Award at Tanglewood.

In addition to playing flute and piccolo for twenty seasons with the CSO, Heidi has held Principal Flute positions in the Tanglewood, Spoleto, National Repertory, Cleveland Pops, Red {an orchestra}, and CityMusic Cleveland orchestras.

Since 1995, Heidi has enjoyed the opportunity of playing extra flute and piccolo in the Cleveland Orchestra and has had the distinct honor of playing with the ensemble on many domestic and international tours, including those celebrating its 100th year. She performs with the Blossom Festival Band and Orchestra every summer. Heidi also had the privilege of playing Second Flute in the Detroit Symphony (DSO) flute section for large portions of its 2008-13 seasons, including on DSO Live from Orchestra Hall recordings, DSO Beethoven Festival, and Carnegie Hall Spring for Music Festival concerts.

Heidi can be heard on numerous recordings, including Dominick Farinacci’s Short Stories and many Cleveland Orchestra, CityMusic Cleveland, and Columbus Symphony Orchestra releases.

Heidi is the Instructor of Flute for the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) – Case Western Reserve University Joint Music Program, CIM Preparatory Division, and Musical Pathway Fellowship program. She has been the Instructor of Flute at Kenyon College, Capital University, and The University of Akron, where she performed as a member of Solaris Woodwind Quintet. Heidi also enjoys coaching chamber music and teaching privately, having conservatory bound students accepted at prestigious institutions around the world.

She and her husband Paul Kushious, a Cleveland Orchestra cellist and former CSO cellist, tour as a chamber music duo called INNovation, performing at inns and resorts worldwide. They live in Chagrin Falls, OH, and enjoy the long drive to their home away from home in the Taconic Mountains of Vermont. Heidi and Paul have a daughter who dances for The Walt Disney Company and a son who is a photographer and videographer.