News Archives - Young Concert Artists

Announcing the 2023 YCA Composer-in-Residence

YCA is thrilled to announce that Alistair Coleman has been selected to be YCA’s 2023 Composer-in-Residence! Alistair joins the YCA roster with a three-year comprehensive management contract, and will be awarded $18,000 for three YCA commissions to be written over the course of the residency, and premiered in upcoming debut concerts. He was selected out of nearly 150 composers who submitted for the YCA composer search, representing an incredibly high level of talent and imagination.

Alistair’s music has been commissioned and performed by leading soloists across the country. His music has also been performed by “The President’s Own” U.S. Marine Orchestra, National Cathedral Choral Society, and the Washington Master Chorale. He is the composer for Vestibule, a short film directed by Julian Elia (Spielberg’s West Side Story). He is actively pursuing an M.M. at Curtis Institute of Music, and is the winner of two ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards (2020, 2021), the 2020 Brian Israel Prize from the Society for New Music, and awards from the American Composers Forum, NPR’s From the Top, and the National YoungArts Foundation. Learn more about Alistair.

From President Daniel Kellogg (YCA 2002 Composer-in-Residence): “YCA is delighted to welcome Alistair Coleman as our next Composer-in-Residence. His music deeply impressed our jury and it will be a great pleasure to support his work. Alistair joins an illustrious list of YCA composers who began their careers on our roster.”

“I’m thrilled and grateful to be joining the YCA roster as their next composer-in-residence. It’s exciting to imagine the creative possibilities this will afford, especially through sustained collaborations with other YCA artists. I look forward to the many opportunities this residency offers to grow both my artistry and career, all with the support and guidance of YCA.” – Alistair Coleman

Broadacre City for Flute and String Quartet (2022)

Notebook Fragments (2022) for Solo Piano

Visit Alistair’s SoundCloud and YouTube for more music.

This year, we received submissions from nearly 150 composers, representing an incredibly high level of talent and imagination. Great music is being written by so many wonderful young composers throughout this country.

We’d like to recognize four composers selected as finalists this year:

We acknowledge and thank the following members of the jury, who spent countless hours listening and reviewing scores: composer Katherine Balch, composer Kenji Bunch, composer Chen Yi, pianist Anthony De Mare, flutist Brandon Patrick George, composer Missy Mazzoli, violinist Anne Akiko Meyers, composer Carlos Simon, and pianist Jeffrey Swann.

The YCA Composer Program was founded 30 years ago by YCA’s Alumni Association to discover and support exciting young composers and to provide opportunities for collaboration with excellent performers. Since the inception of the program, YCA has brought 12 exceptional composers to public attention: Dan Coleman, Kevin Puts, Kenji Bunch, Mason Bates, Daniel Kellogg, Benjamin C.S. Boyle, Andrew Norman, Chris Rogerson, David Hertzberg, Tonia Ko, Katherine Balch, Saad Haddad, Nina Shekhar — and now, most recently, Alistair Coleman.

Announcing the WINNERS of the 2022 YCA Susan Wadsworth International Auditions

We are thrilled to announce the four winners of the 2022 YCA Susan Wadsworth International Auditions.

Winners of the YCA International Auditions represent the future of classical music, and we invest in their careers so they may spend a lifetime bringing the gift of music to audiences around the world. Throughout their tenure, emerging artists benefit from YCA’s connections with the industry’s managers, concert presenters, conductors of major orchestras, and financial supporters, as well as its long-standing reputation for discovering and furthering the careers of extraordinary young artists.

Chelsea Guo, piano & soprano

Chaeyoung Park, piano

Joseph Parrish, bass-baritone

Erin Wagner, mezzo-soprano

Warmest thanks to these distinguished musicians who served on the juries of the Preliminary, Semi-Final, and Final Auditions:

Ethan Bensdorf, trumpet
Tema Blackstone, piano
Steven Blier, pianist & vocal coach
Courtenay Budd, soprano
Colin Carr, cello
Simone Dinnerstein, piano
Jose Franch-Ballester, clarinet
Alon Goldstein, piano
Denyce Graves, mezzo-soprano
Kelly Hall-Tompkins, violin
Koichiro Harada, violin
Chu-Fang Huang, piano

Benedicte Jourdois, pianist & vocal coach
Ani Kavafian, violin
Olga Kern, piano
Bridget Kibbey, harp
Karen Lindquist, harp
Marya Martin, flute
Demarre McGill, flute
Bradley Moore, conductor & vocal coach
Makoto Nakura, marimba
Ken Noda, pianist & vocal coach
Todd Palmer, clarinet

Daniel Phillips, violin
Todd Phillips, violin
Jose Serebrier, conductor
Sophie Shao, cello
Fred Sherry, cello
Barry Shiffman, violin
Arnaud Sussmann, violin
Ian David Rosenbaum, percussion
Shai Wosner, piano
DaXun Zhang, double bass
Carmit Zori, violin

*YCA alumnus/alumna

Get to know the winners

YCA introduces the 4 winners of the 2021 Auditions in an exciting evening of music and conversation. Each artist will perform selections from their winning audition, and engage the audience with a short interview.

https://www.youtube.com/live/5q71Ktwn_U0?feature=share&t=1032

See a complete list of winners by year
Learn more about the YCA International Auditions

Announcing the WINNERS of the 2021 YCA Susan Wadsworth International Auditions

We are thrilled to announce that four artists were just announced as winners of the 2021 YCA Susan Wadsworth International Auditions.

Warmest thanks to these distinguished musicians who served on the juries of the Preliminary, Semi-Final, and Final Auditions:

Edward Aaron, cello
Martin Beaver, violin
Steve Beck, piano
Benjamin Beilman, violin*
Steven Blier, pianist & vocal coach
Michael Brown, piano
Amy Burton, soprano
Estelle Choi, cello
Krista Bennion Feeney, violin
Brandon Patrick George, flute
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor
Chu-Fang Huang, piano*
Paul Huang, violin*
Kayo Iwama, pianist & vocal coach

Benedicte Jorurdois, pianist & vocal coach
Ida Kavafian, violin*
Daniel Kellogg, YCA President and jury chair* (non-voting)
Bridget Kibbey, harp
Wolfram Koessel, cello
Jennifer Koh, violin
Cecile Licad, piano
Marya Martin, flute*
Anne-Marie McDermott, piano*
Jorge Mester, conductor
David Alan Miller, conductor
Makoto Nakura, marimba*
Tara Helen O’Connor, flute
Daniel Phillips, violin*

Jeremy Rothman,
Vice President of Artistic Planning, Philadelphia Orchestra
Fred Sherry, cello*
Ory Shihor, piano*
David Shifrin, clarinet
Paul Sperry, tenor
Karen Lindquist Speyer, harp*
Jeffrey Swann, piano*
Naoko Takada, marimba*
Marcus Thompson, viola*
Susan Wadsworth, YCA Founder
Paul Watkins, cello
DaXun Zhang, double bass*

*YCA alumnus/alumna

Get to know the winners

See a complete list of winners by year
Learn more about the YCA International Auditions

Announcing the finalists of the 2021 YCA Susan Wadsworth International Auditions

We congratulate ten extraordinary artists who have advanced to the final round of the 2021 Susan Wadsworth International Auditions.

Hana Chang, violin

James Kim, cello

Lun Li, violin

Ying Li, piano

Daniel McGrew, tenor

Abeo Quartet

Erin Wagner, mezzo-soprano

Mer Wohlgemuth, soprano

Aaron Wolff, cello

Harmony Zhu, piano

See a complete list of winners by year
Learn more about the YCA International Auditions

Watch the Final Auditions this Sunday

Sunday, October 31 at 10:00 AM EST

Join us live from NYC to witness and discover classical music’s next superstars. The livestream of The Final Auditions will be available for free on YCA’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.

Warmest thanks to these distinguished musicians who served on the juries of the Preliminary and Semi-Final Auditions:

Edward Aaron, cello
Martin Beaver, violin
Steve Beck, piano
Benjamin Beilman, violin*
Steven Blier, pianist & vocal coach
Michael Brown, piano
Estelle Choi, cello
Krista Bennion Feeney, violin
Chu-Fang Huang, piano *

Paul Huang, violin*
Benedicte Jorurdois, pianist & vocal coach
Ida Kavafian, violin*
Bridget Kibbey, harp
Wolfram Koessel, cello
Marya Martin, flute*
Jorge Mester, conductor
Makoto Nakura, marimba*
Tara Helen O’Connor, flute

Daniel Philips, violin*
Fred Sherry, cello*
Ory Shihor, piano*
David Shifrin, clarinet
Paul Sperry, tenor*
Karen Lindquist Speyer, harp*
Jeffrey Swann, piano*
Naoko Takada, marimba*
DaXun Zhang, double bass*

*YCA alumnus/alumna

Get to know the winners

The Winners Concert: Monday, November 1 at 7:00 PM EST: YCA introduces the winners of the 2021 Auditions in an exciting evening of music and conversation. Each artist will perform selections from their winning audition, and engage the audience with a short interview.

Watch the free livestream on YCA’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.

Announcing the Semi-finalists of The 2021 Young Concert Artists International Auditions

The preliminary round of the 2021 YCA International Auditions have just concluded, including live auditions in NYC throughout the month of September, YCA’s first-ever west coast auditions at The Colburn School in Lost Angeles, and recorded auditions submitted from artists around the world.

We congratulate 40 exceptional artists advancing to the semi-final round!

Nathan Amaral, violin*

Zachary Brandon, violin

Marcel Cara, harp*

Hana Chang, violin

Sarah Joyce Cooper, soprano

John-Henry Crawford, cello

Michael Davidman, piano

Isabelle Durrenberger, violin

Umi Garrett, piano

Arseniy Gusev, piano

Daniel Hass, cello

Annie Hyung, cello

Maria Ioudenitch, violin

Stathis Karapanos, flute*

James Kim, cello

Song Hyeon Kim, piano

Adam Koch Christensen, violin*

Magdalena Kuźma, soprano

Noah Lee, cello

Lun Li, violin

Ying Li, piano

Yuchen Lu, viola

Tyler Martin, flute

Daniel McGrew, tenor

Zachary Mowitz, cello

Chase Park, cello

Nina Pollet, flute*

DongYoung Shim, violin

Arthur Stockel, clarinet*

Otoha Tabata, viola*

Erin Wagner, mezzo-soprano

Siyumeng Wang, piano

Angela Wee, violin

Mer Wohlgemuth, soprano

Aaron Wolff, cello

Elliot Wuu, piano

Jiachen Xiong, piano

Sohui Yun, viola

Ilana Zaks, violin

Harmony Zhu, piano

Abeo Quartet

*Artists deferring their semi-final audition to 2022

FINAL AUDITIONS

Save the date: On Sunday, October 31, the final auditions will be livestreamed for free on YCA’s YouTube Channel and Facebook page. Join us live from NYC starting at 10:00 AM (EST) to witness and discover with us classical music’s next superstars!

We thank the following jury members who adjudicated the preliminary round auditions: Edward Aaron, cello; Martin Beaver, violin; Steve Beck, piano; Benjamin Beilman, violin; Chu-Fang Huang, piano; Benedicte Jourdois, pianist and vocal coach; Ida Kavafian, violin; Wolfram Koessel, cello; Marya Martin, flute; Jorge Mester, conductor; Daniel Phillips, violin; Fred Sherry, cello; Ory Shihor, piano; David Shifrin, clarinet; Paul Sperry, tenor.

See a complete list of winners by year
Learn more about the YCA International Auditions

Violinist Randall Goosby announces debut album, “Roots”

YCA violinist Randall Goosby will release his debut album Roots on June 25, 2021. The album is an exploration of music written by Black composers and inspired by Black American culture, an homage to the pioneering musicians that paved the way for Goosby and his generation of young artists. Accompanied by YCA pianist Zhu Wang, the album opens with a specially commissioned work by YCA bassist and composer Xavier Foley.

Randall says, “I am so grateful for the opportunity to share this album during such a pivotal moment in history. It has been a year of division and isolation for so many – I hope this music will inspire not only the kind of curiosity and creativity that brings people together, but also the reflection, understanding and compassion we so desperately need moving forward.”

“Many of these African-American composers – William Grant Still, Florence Price, Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson – had to navigate society at a time when racism, prejudice and segregation were commonplace. Today, artists like myself, and other young artists of color, enjoy more of a sense of freedom and confidence in pursuing a career in classical music.”

Produced by 2021 GRAMMY Producer of the Year, David Frost, the release also includes world premiere recordings of music by Florence Price, lately enjoying renewed recognition across the world. Price made history as the first African-American woman to have her music performed by a major US orchestra in 1933, but after her death, her music faded into obscurity. In 2009, manuscripts of Price’s music were rediscovered and saved from destruction from her former home in Illinois: two ‘Fantasies’ are commercially recorded for the first time, and ‘Adoration’ is recorded with violin for the first time on Roots.

Maud Powell (1867-1920), one of America’s first internationally acclaimed violinists, was known for championing music written and performed by women and Black composers. Her transcription of Black British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Spiritual ‘Deep River’ features on this new recording, presented for piano and violin.

Known for his classical, jazz, and film music as much as his collaborations with performers including Marvin Gaye and Harry Belafonte, Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson (1932-2004) dedicated his ‘Blue/s Forms’ to African American violinist Sanford Allen, the first Black member of the New York Philharmonic. The work in three parts draws influences from Baroque counterpoint, Black folk music and American Romanticism. Allen, born in 1939, remains a close friend and mentor to Goosby to this day. Jascha Heifetz’s virtuosic violin transcriptions from George Gershwin’s (1898-1937) Porgy and Bess follow, showcasing Goosby’s technical brilliance in the interpretation of American classics.

William Grant Still (1895-1978), the first American composer to have an opera produced at NY City Opera, wrote his lesser-known chamber piece ‘Suite for Violin and Piano’ in 1943, nicknamed ‘Mother and Child’ after the work’s second movement. Each of the three movements takes its name from a sculpture: Richard Barthe’s African Dancer, Sargent Johnson’s Mother and Child, and Augusta Savage’s Gamin, each artist a notable force in the Harlem Renaissance of the 1910s-30s.

Czech composer Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) composed ‘Sonatina’ in the autumn of 1893 when the composer was staying in New York City, following a return from the American Midwest. Heavily influenced by his exploration of Native American melodies and Negro Spirituals while in the United States, Dvořák utilises pentatonic scales and syncopated rhythms, with the second movement’s plaintive melodies echoing the nostalgia felt by the composer for his homeland.

A year on from their first meeting at the 2010 Sphinx Competition in Detroit, Michigan, at which a 13-year old Goosby would become the youngest musician to win First Place in the junior division, Goosby and Xavier Foley would reunite in 2011 at Shelter Island, New York, as participants in the Perlman Music Program. As their friendship developed, so did the bluegrass and R&B-inspired contemporary work ‘Shelter Island’, receiving its world premiere recording on Roots.

Randall’s sparkling enthusiasm for the violin seeks to show young people that music can inspire regardless of background, and with the release of Roots, he continues to recognise the immense impact of the work done by Black and female composers in the last century. He says, “If it weren’t for these composers, these artists and this music, I wouldn’t be able to do what I’m doing today. This recording is a tribute to their lives and experiences, and their dedication to creating this art that we all love.”

Randall Goosby releases Roots on Decca Classics on June 25, 2021.
Pre-order the album here.

Announcing the 2021 YCA Composer-in-Residence

YCA is thrilled to announce that Nina Shekhar has been selected to be YCA’s 2021 Composer-in-Residence! She joins the YCA roster with a three-year comprehensive management contract, and will be awarded $18,000 for three YCA commissions to be written over the course of the residency, and premiered in upcoming debut concerts.

Nina Shekhar is a composer who explores the intersection of identity, vulnerability, love, and laughter to create bold and intensely personal works.

Described as “vivid” (The Washington Post) and “surprises and delights aplenty” (The LA Times), her music has been commissioned and performed by leading soloists, ensembles and orchestras across the country. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Music Composition at Princeton University. An active educator, she is a Composer Teaching Artist Fellow for Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and is on faculty at Brightwork newmusic‘s Project Beacon initiative. Read more about Nina

From President Daniel Kellogg (YCA 2002 Composer-in-Residence): “YCA is delighted to welcome Nina Shekhar as Composer-in-Residence. Her music deeply impressed our jury and it will be a great pleasure to support her work. Nina joins an illustrious list of YCA composers who began their careers on our roster.”

“I’m very excited to be YCA’s next composer-in-residence during a time when the arts world is redefining what music-making means through and post-pandemic. I’m grateful to have YCA’s support as I navigate my own creative pathways and forge my values as an artist.” – Nina Shekhar

hush (2019) for two microtonal keyboards

DEAR ABBY (2020) for two singers and sinfonietta (performed by Albany Symphony Dogs of Desire)

Visit Nina’s SoundCloud and YouTube for more music.

This year, we received submissions from 82 composers, representing an incredibly high level of talent and imagination. Great music is being written by so many wonderful young composers throughout this country.

We’d like to recognize three composers selected as finalists this year:

Aiyana Braun

Tyson Davis

Max Vinetz

We acknowledge and thank the following members of the jury, who spent countless hours listening and reviewing scores: Jonathan Bailey Holland, composer; Tania Leon, composer; Andrew Norman, composer; Ursula Oppens, piano; Lesley Robertson, viola; Nadia Sirota, viola; Jeffrey Swann, piano, Susan Wadsworth, YCA Founder.

The YCA Composer Program was founded 28 years ago by YCA’s Alumni Association to discover and support exciting young composers and to provide opportunities for collaboration with excellent performers. Since the inception of the program, YCA has brought 12 exceptional composers to public attention: Dan Coleman, Kevin Puts, Kenji Bunch, Mason Bates, Daniel Kellogg, Benjamin C.S. Boyle, Andrew Norman, Chris Rogerson, David Hertzberg, Tonia Ko, Katherine Balch, Saad Haddad — and now, most recently, Nina Shekhar.

Now Accepting Applications for Composer-in-Residence Search

Young Concert Artists is currently accepting applications for its 2021 composer-in-residence. The new composer will be announced by April 1, will be awarded $18,000.00 (for three commissions), and joins the YCA roster with a minimum three-year comprehensive management contract!

Apply Now!

Deadline: March 1, 2021

The YCA Composer Program was founded 28 years ago by YCA’s Alumni Association to discover and support exciting young composers and to provide opportunities for collaboration with excellent performers. Since the inception of the program, YCA composers have benefitted from YCA’s connections with the industry’s managers and publishers, concert presenters, conductors of major orchestras, and financial supporters, as well as its long-standing reputation for discovering and furthering the careers of extraordinary young artists.