Awards & Achievements

Class of 2024 - 2025 Accolades

FEBRUARY

On  Sunday, February 16, Caspian Quartet (Lily Sullivan and Tristan Zhu, violins, Vivian Van de Sype-Cucu, viola, and Jan Vargas Nedvetsky, cello) was named the Open Division Overall Winner and Strings and Piano Category Winner of the 2025 MYA Chicago National Chamber Music Competition, at the MYCA Campus in Highwood. The quartet performed excerpts from Bartok, Mendelssohn, and Haydn. The group is coached by Rodolfo Vieira. This annual event is designed to provide an educational and competitive experience for young chamber ensembles. The competition is open to chamber ensembles in 12th grade and younger and consists of two divisions (Open and MYAC). The competition is open to all instruments and is divided into the following two instrument categories:

• Strings and Piano
• All Other Instruments (brass, percussion, voice, winds).

Contestants compete for over $5,000 in cash prizes and scholarships and the winner of each category in each division will perform in a Winners Recital on March 9.

The 57^thAnnual Stars of Tomorrow Competition highlights the great musical talent of teens from across the state of Wisconsin. Cellist Katarina Kenney, student of Cornelia Watkins, and violist Vivian Van de Sype-Cucu, are two of the three finalists in the ANNUAL AUDREY G. BAIRD STARS OF TOMORROW Competition. The 2025 Audrey G. Baird Stars of Tomorrow Auditions took place on Saturday, February 15, 2025 at the First Congregational Church of Wauwatosa. The three finalists will have the honor of appearing as soloists with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra at the Audrey G. Baird Stars of Tomorrow Concert on April 8, 2025. In addition to the honor of performing as a soloist with the Milwaukee Symphony, winners are eligible to receive up to $2,000 in awards. MSO musicians serve as judges for all rounds of the competition. Semi-finalists and honorable mentions will be given the opportunity to play side-by-side with Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra musicians.

On February 2, 2025, Academy violinist Matthew Kim, student of Sang Mee Lee, and Community Music School student Kashyap Prasad, piano student of Dr. Matthew Hagle performed on the Skokie Library Young Steinway Concert Series.

Cellist Lucy Wu, student of Stefan Kartman, and violist Vivian Van de Sype-Cucu, student of Davis King, have both advanced from the semifinals to the Final Forte of the Bolz Young Artist Competition!  The final round is on March 5th.  PBS Wisconsin visited the Academy to record interviews with Lucy and Vivian. The Bolz Young Artist Competition is a highly regarded statewide competition in which Wisconsin’s young musicians compete for scholarships and the opportunity to perform as soloists with the Madison Symphony Orchestra (MSO).   Four finalists will compete in The Final Forte, which will be broadcast on PBS Wisconsin and Wisconsin Public Radio.

Neena Agrawal, viola student of Sang Mee Lee, as winner of the Symphony of Oak Park & River Forest's Annual Concerto Competition 2024-2025,  performed on the SOP concert Sunday, February 16, 2025, and will also receive a cash prize. She performed  Stamitz Viola Concerto in D major, first movement.

Violinist Elle Cho, student of Almita Vamos, was named the 2nd place winner at the 69th Annual DuPage Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Auditions, on Sunday, February 2, 2025, in Wentz Concert Hall, Naperville, IL.  “Elle delivered an exceptional performance of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D Major, first mvt., impressing the judges with her artistry and technical command.”   

Pianist Noah Kim, student of Christopher Guzman, was named runner up at the 56th Annual Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra Stanger Competition Division Round. If the winner is not available to perform at the finals in May, the runner up will compete in the May final round. Noah performed the first movement of the Grieg Piano Concerto in A minor. The Elmhurst Symphony Association, through its Stanger Competition, encourages serious study and high standards among young musicians. It is the Association’s intention that the Competition be both educational and rewarding to each entrant.   https://elmhurstsymphony.org/stanger

Cellist Lucy Wu, student of Stefan Kartman, performed with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra as their featured soloist in the Rhythm Rhapsody Youth Concert Series due to winning the 2024 MSO Stars of Tomorrow. She played in four concerts for children from local schools in the Bradley Symphony Center Hall. In addition, Lucy, a winner in the Civic Music Milwaukee High School Competition, was selected as one of ten instrumentalists and vocalists from the ‘winners’ round to perform in a Showcase Recital on Saturday, February 16.  Lucy won the top scholarship award (1st prize) at the competition, and was one of four classical musicians to receive a Young Artist Scholarship. The competition is a well-regarded Milwaukee competition for accomplished high school age musicians.  High School Music Competition | Civic Music Association of Milwaukee  https://www.civicmusicmilwaukee.org/highschoolcompetition-1 

Showcase Recital Performance Opportunity - Up to ten top classical performers from Audition Day are invited to perform in a recital.
Young Artist Scholarships: For classical instrumentalists and vocalists - $1,500 in scholarships will be distributed to up to four musicians based on the judge's decisions.

Tune into From the Top!! From the Top is America’s largest national platform celebrating young classically-trained musicians. Through NPR broadcasts and digital content, and the Learning and Media Lab Fellowship, From the Top empowers young musicians to use their music and stories to engage and inspire audiences of all ages. Violinist Lily Sullivan and cellist Jan Vargas Nedvetsky will appear on the Monday, February 17 broadcast.      https://fromthetop.org/show/show-459/

Jan Vargas Nedvetsky, 18, cello, from Wilmette, Illinois (student Hans Jorgen Jensen and Oleksa Mycyk) - Sonata in D Major, III. Minuetto by Pietro Locatelli (1695-1764)

Lily Sullivan, 16, violin, from Bloomington, Indiana (student of Grigory Kalinovsky) - Sonata for Piano and Violin, No. 4 in A minor, Op. 23, III. Allegro Molto by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

JANUARY

Students Luke Montzka, Lauren Kim, Simon Updegraff, Matthew Kim, and Brayden Wu represented their high school orchestras at the ILMEA All-State Orchestra Festival in Peoria.

Violinist Sylvia Pine, student of Almita Vamos and Davis King, continues to reap rewarding experiences working with mentor Jessie Montgomery, former CSO Mead Composer-in Residence, in the Young Composer’s Initiative (CYI). Selected composers, like Sylvia,  workshop new pieces of chamber music throughout the 2024/25 Season, culminating in a performance by musicians of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago at Symphony Center on May 23, 2025. In addition to the CYI showcase featuring Sylvia’s woodwind quintet on Friday, May 23, at 7pm, Sylvia has been invited to be featured at  the Negaunee Music Institute Annual Showcase on Monday, March 17, at 7pm in Orchestra Hall. 

The Caspian Quartet (Lily Sullivan and Tristan Zhu, violins, Vivian Van de Sype-Cucu, viola,  and Jan Nedvetsky, cello), coached by Rodolfo Vieira, was named winner at the 2025 Rembrandt Chamber Musicians Annual High School Chamber Music Competition, on Sunday, February 9, 2025, at North Park University’s Anderson Chapel.  The quartet played the last movement of Bartok String Quartet No. 4.  Founded in 1995, it is widely regarded as one of the premier competitions of its kind in the Midwest, drawing participants from the Music Institute of Chicago, Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras, Midwest Young Artists, Merit School of Music, and a variety of public and private schools. Competition winners have gone on to prestigious careers in music with some holding positions in the Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, and San Diego Symphony Orchestras as well as the New York Philharmonic.   https://www.rembrandtchambermusicians.org/young-artists     PERFORMANCE VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/StlXWLh2yfk?si=uB1iJMKpXK6WdzAX

The Caspian Quartet also advanced to the  Junior Division - String & Piano category live semi-final round of the 12th Annual Coltman Chamber Music Competition at the University of Texas at Austin - Butler School of Music Austin, TX, in March. 

Since 2003, the DePaul National Concerto Competition has given students from the Midwest the opportunity to compete and receive performance evaluations from well renowned judges. The competition attracts nearly 150 musicians performing on different instruments, and now in a new duo string category. Winners perform a movement of a concerto with the Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago later in the spring.

Cello: Winner: Jan Vargas-Nedvetsky, 18, Wilmette, IL, Hans Jensen

String Duo: Winner: Gabriel Raviv, 16, Chicago, IL, Tanya Carey and Cecilia O'Malley

Viola: Honorable Mention with Distinction Brayden Wu, 16, Wilmette, IL, Sang Mee Lee

Violin: Honorable Mention with Distinction: Sylvia Pine, 13, Chicago, IL, Davis King and Almita and Roland Vamos / Honorable Mention: Matthew Kim, 16, Chicago, IL, Sang Mee Lee / Honorable Mention: Sebastian Manning, 16, Quincy, IL, Almita Vamos

Celebrating Cellist Jan Vargas Nedvetsky -- 2025 Nominee for the 2025 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts

The Music Institute of Chicago is honored to announce that Academy cellist, Jan Vargas Nedvetsky, is a nominee for the 2025 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts, one of the nation’s highest honors for high school students. YoungArts is the sole nominating agency for this prestigious award, and the 60 candidates—representing 22 and 10 artistic disciplines—are all YoungArts award winners with distinction. In May, the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars will announce the final 20 high school seniors to be recognized as U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts for their academic and artistic accomplishments, demonstrated leadership, community service and outreach initiatives, and overall creativity.

Jan has been a Merit Fellow Scholarship recipient in the Academy since 2019, when he began a remarkable career of solo and chamber music performances, competition awards, a proven track record for significant community service, and a host of extraordinary life experiences.   A student of Hans Jorgen Jensen and Oleksa Mycyk, Jan is also a Cello Fellow at the Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative.  During his Academy tenure, he has performed as a soloist with numerous orchestras, including a recent performance Dvořák’s entire cello concerto with the Northbrook Symphony under the baton of Mina Zikri. Last April, Jan took center stage for his performance of the difficult Variations on a Rococo Theme by Pyotr I. Tchaikovsky, at the Athenaeum Theater in Chicago. Last year,  Jan performed in Lake Placid NY; Detroit, MI; Washington, DC; Miami, FL, Boise ID, Salmon, ID, and soloed with Central Oregon Symphony Orchestra in Bend, Oregon.

He has won numerous awards with chamber ensembles like the Omaggio String Quartet; performed live on WFMT Introductions and From the Top; has performed and attended master classes across Europe; received the Liechtenstein Music Academy scholarship and participated in the esteemed Gstaad Menuhin String Academy in 2024. Now, as a Young Arts 2024 Winner with Distinction, he is a US Presidential Scholar nominee.  We salute his dedication and drive, and will be cheering him on in April.  https://janvargasnedvetsky.com/

 We salute Jan for his dedication and passion, and will be cheering him on in April.

Violinist Lily Sullivan, student Grigory Kalinovsky, and violinist Emily Chen, student of Almita Vamos and Injoo Choi, were named semifinalists for the 2025 International Young Artist Concerto Competition. Sixteen competitors have been selected to move to the semi-final round, including one student under the age of 13. Competitors that move to the semi-final and final rounds will be invited to perform with a professional orchestra in January 2025. Four competitors will proceed to the final round with one ultimate winner. Performing January 25, 2025 with SEEN Worldwide Orchestra at Buntrock Hall, Symphony Center - Chicago Illinois.

Lily Sullivan - (Academy student of Grigory Kalinovsky) Brahms, Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77: Movement 1, Allegro non troppo

Emily Chen - (Academy student of Injoo Choi and Almita Vamos) Korngold, Violin Concerto in D major, op.35: Movement 1, Moderato mobile

Edie Park and Noah Kim were named semi-finalists in the preliminary round of the Crain-Maling Foundation CSO Young Artists Competition in Buntrock Hall Center, a big honor for first year students in the program.

Violinist Lily Sullivan, student of Indiana University Jacobs School of Music faculty member, Grigory Kalinovsky  was named a semifinalist in the Johansen International String Competition for Young String Players,  ages 13–17, established in 1997, takes place once every 3 years in Washington, DC. Lily will compete March 18–20, 2025. Lily was named first-place winner of the Central Oregon Symphony Young Artist Competition. Tune in to watch Lily’s winning performance of Brahms Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77, I. Allegro non troppo  https://youtu.be/b5ePr1j23TA 

Elle Cho, student of Almita Vamos, was a runner up in the 2025 KSO’s Arthur D. Montzka’s Young Artists Concerto Competition in DeKalb, IL at Northern Illinois University.

2024

DECEMBER

Violist Neena Agrawal, student of Sang Mee Lee played in the Skokie Library Young Steinway Concert Series on December 1, 2024. Neena performed with cellist Oliver Mah.   https://skokielibrary.info/events/19648/young-steinway-concert-neena-agrawal-viola-and-oliver-mah-cello

Violinist Emily Chen, student of Injoo Choi and Almita Vamos, was named a 2025 Cooper International Competition for Violin Participant.  The Thomas and Evon Cooper International Competition brings some of the world’s most talented young musicians to the campus of Oberlin College and Conservatory. Alternating years feature a competition for violinists and a competition for pianists.  The “Cooper Competition” is open to musicians between the ages of 13 and 18, the competition culminates in a final round where the top three competitors perform a full concerto with orchestra.  https://www.oberlin.edu/cooper.../violin-2025/participants

The O'Malley Foundation National Concerto Competition (formerly Walgreens) has a reputation for excellence, featuring various categories and divisions to ensure a wide range of talented young musicians can participate. This year's event only offered a live round of participation, and was held on  December 29 and 30 at the MYAC Center in Highwood, IL. The competition provides both monetary awards and performance opportunities for winners. 

OPEN SENIOR DIVISION: String Category Winner: Emily Chen, 16, violin, Almita Vamos and Injoo Choi, Arlington Heights, IL
Piano Category Honorable Mention: Noah Kim, 18, piano, Christopher Guzman, Vernon Hills, IL
 

NOVEMBER

November 2, 2024 - Violinist Lily Sullivan, student of Grigory Kalinovsky, was featured on Introductions on WFMT, classical radio.

Sasha Varchenko, violin student of Dimitry Berlinsky , was accepted into the Juventus Pro Musica program, which offers chamber music performance opportunities for aspiring string and piano students. This program allows rising musicians to enhance their skills by collaborating with professionals in ensemble settings.  The final concert was on November 3, 2024 in the Baryshnikov Arts Centre, NYC, and featured Shasha, six other students and artists Dmitri Berlinsky (violin), Yoram Youngerman (viola), Wolfram Koessel (cello) and Irina Nuzova (piano).

Cellist Katarina Kenney, student of Cornelia Watkins, performed on Wisconsin Public Radio's Midday Show with Host Norman Gilliland on Friday, November 1, 2024.  She performed works of Bach, Brahms, and Paganini.  https://www.wpr.org/programs/midday

Violinist Tristan Zhu, student of Almita Vamos, was named the winner in the Illinois MTNA Competition. Tristan won the state senior string division and will be moving on to the Division round this winter. He performed at Millikin University in Decatur last Sunday.  Winners/Representatives will advance to the East Central Division Online-only Video Competitions. The three-tiered Junior Performance Competitions begin with State Competitions. The winners/representatives of each state’s competitions advance to a video-only division competition. All videos will receive comments from the judges. Division winners/representatives will compete in person at the National Finals during the annual MTNA National Conference.  https://www.mtna.org/MTNA/Engage/Competitions/Junior_Performance_Competitions.aspx

Tristan went on to be named winner of the East Central Division of Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Senior String Competition. He will be competing as a national finalist at the MTNA National Conference in MN, in March.  The three-tiered Performance Competitions begin with State Competitions. States have the option to hold live or video competitions.  The winners/representatives of each state’s competitions advance to a video-only Division Competition. All videos at that level will receive comments from the judges. Division winners/representatives will compete in person at the National Finals during the annual MTNA National Conference. The state competitions are considered the primary educational level with the division and national levels showcasing outstanding performance and honoring significant pedagogical achievement.  The two-tiered MTNA competitions begin with video-only nation-wide competitions. Seven finalists then proceed to the in-person National Competition Finals.

Tristan’s program: Bach: Partita No. 2 in D Minor, V. Chaconne; Sibelius: Violin Concerto In D minor, I. Allegro Moderato; Roumain: FILTER for solo violin

OCTOBER

Midori Master Class – Esteemed artist Midori visits the Academy for a fifth inspiring master class. Academy students Lauren Kim performed Jean Sibelius: violin concerto, movement one: Allegro moderato; Sasha Varchenko – Maurice Ravel: Tzigane; and Emily Chen – Erich Wolfgang Korngold: violin concerto, movement one: Moderato nobile

We thank Midori for returning to the Academy each year with insightful classes.

Pianist Edie Park performed Beethoven Concerto No. 3,  I. Allegro con brio, on her orchestra debut with the Northeastern Illinois University Orchestra, conducted by Dr. Benjamin Firer.  As a winner of the 10th Annual 2024 Chicago Chamber Music Festival Concerto Competition for pianists and string players, Edie performed with the orchestra on Friday, Oct 25th at 7:30pm (location: NEIU Auditorium.) Edie studies with faculty member Marta Aznavoorian and Winston Choi.

Violinist Sylvia Pine joined her mother, esteemed violinist Rachel Barton Pine, in WFMT's Levin Studio to make the Midwest premiere recording of a new Mozart piece, uncovered more than 230 years after the composer's death. Learn more about the discovery and the performance! https://www.wfmt.com/2024/10/14/video-brand-new-mozart-piece-on-period-instruments/

2024 Sejong Music Competition  -  The goals of the Sejong Music Competition are to discover talented young musicians and encourage them in their studies, and to also introduce traditional Korean music expressed through Western media. Through this competition they hope to increase the awareness and understanding of Korea’s cultural heritage amongst the younger generations growing up in the United States so as to promote harmony among people of various ethnic backgrounds and bridge Asian and Western cultures.    

Emily Chen, First Place and Best interpretation of Korean piece, Violin Senior Division, student of Injoo Choi and Almita Vamos

Finalist: Violin Senior Division - Elle Cho, student of Almita Vamos

Edie Park, First Place and Best Interpretation of a Korean piece, Piano Senior Division, student of Winston Choi and Marta Aznavoorian

SEPTEMBER

Violinist Lily Sullivan, student of Grigory Kalinovsky, was one of 55 participants that advanced to the second round of the prestigious Kloster Schöntal Competition. The 20th International Competition for Violin in Kloster Schöntal concluded on August 31, 2024  at the monastery’s ballroom in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.  

Senior Jan Vargas Nedvetsky, cello student of Hans Jensen,  was featured on the inaugural Back to School episode of Introductions on WFMT on Saturday September 14, 2024.  Introductions is WFMT’s weekly Saturday morning program that features talented pre-college classical musicians in the Chicago area. Soloists and chamber ensembles perform live in WFMT’s Levin Performance Studio. Jan and pianist Liang-yu Wang performed music of Locatelli, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven and Judith Weir.  His previous appearances on WFMT include an Introductions solo recital in January 2021; as a concerto soloist in April 2023; on WFMT’s 70th Anniversary Day of Celebration in December 2021; and further chamber music appearances in August 2020, in May 2021, in August 2022, and in December 2023. He appeared on the front cover of the WTTW-WFMT Program Guide in April 2023 in conjunction with the commemorative album Introductions Turns 15. https://www.wfmt.com/programs/introductions/

AUGUST

Violinist Lily Sullivan, student of Grigory Kalinovsky, one of 55 participants, advanced to the second round of the prestigious Kloster Schöntal Competition. The 20th International Competition for Violin in Kloster Schöntal concluded on 31 August at the monastery’s ballroom in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The competition was open to violinists of all nationalities up to the age of 21. https://www.violinwettbewerb.de/en/competition/

JULY

Violinist Emily Chen, student of Almita Vamos and Injoo Choi, and cellist Lucy Wu, student of Stefan Kartman, competed in the Chicago International Music Competition Rising Star Category, held in July.  Emily received first grand prize and Lucy tied for second grand prize.  The competition is sponsored by the International Institute of Piano Artistry and co-organized by Wheaton College, and aims to find and cultivate a new generation of music talents in the world and to promote the development of classical music and cultural exchange. Thousands of dollars in cash prizes, master classes, and recording opportunities are provided to the winners. [Chicago%20International%20Music%20Competition%20(cimcusa.org)]Chicago International Music Competition (cimcusa.org) https://www.cimcusa.org/page/AboutUS.html

REMARKABLE ACADEMY ALUMNI NEWS   

Academy grads perform on SNL and NFL Games alongside stars Beyoncé and Shaboozey - Academy alumni, violinist Hannah White (former student of Almita Vamos) and violist Kayla Cabrera (former student of Roland Vamos), performed on the NFL 2024 Christmas Day Halftime Show. Dubbed the Beyoncé Bowl. Beyoncé performed selections from her album "Cowboy Carter" on Netflix December 25, 2024, at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas during the Baltimore Ravens vs. Houston Texans game. Hannah and Kayla were members of a small orchestra performing alongside the grammy award-winning artist. They also appeared on the Super Bowl Halftime Show. Earlier in December, violinist Clayton Penrose Whitmore (former student of Almita Vamos) performed with singer-songwriter and record producer Shaboozey, whose music combines country, rock, and Americana, at the NFL Thanksgiving Halftime Show between the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions, and then again on Saturday Night Live, December 7, 2024. Clayton also performed on the Super Bowl Halftime Show.

Cellist Gabriel Cabezas, student of Hans Jensen, named one of “23 Composers and Performers to Watch in ’23” by the Washington Post, is a sought-after soloist. Gabriel has appeared with America’s finest symphony orchestras, including the Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic, and has premiered dozens of new works by acclaimed composers working today.  His Lost Coast, an album of original music composed by Gabriella Smith, inspired by her reflections on climate change, which she has seen devastate her home state of California. The album was named one of NPR Music’s “Favorite Albums Of 2021” and a “Classical Album to Hear Right Now” by The New York Times.  Gabriel premiered the concerto Lost Coast, reimagined by the composer for solo cello and orchestra, with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel in May 2023. Last weekend,  he made his debut with the NY Phil performing Smith’s cello concerto, conducted by the legendary John Adams. Gabriel is a member of the genre-leading chamber sextet yMusic. Gabriel has recorded extensively as a studio musician, appearing on releases by Phoebe Bridgers, John Legend, Rufus Wainright and Taylor Swift, among many others.

In 2016, Gabriel received the Sphinx Medal of Excellence, a career grant awarded to extraordinary classical Black and Latinx musicians, who, early in their professional career, demonstrate artistic excellence, outstanding work ethic, a spirit of determination, and ongoing commitment to leadership. Gabriel studied at the Curtis Institute of Music under Carter Brey, and was a member of the award-winning Polaris Quartet at the Academy with violist Matthew Lipman, and violinists Andrea Jarrett and Vincent Meklis, and coached by Hans Jensen. 

MIC Alumna Isabella Brown Joins LA Philharmonic - At just 21, Academy alumna Isabella Brown has reached a remarkable milestone in her career, joining the LA Philharmonic as Assistant Principal Violinist under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel. Academy violinist Isabella Brown joined the Academy in September 2015. Izzy, as we warmly know her, moved with her family from the East Coast to Chicago, with her brothers Nicholas and Joshua, who are also violinists—to study with esteemed violin faculty members Almita and Roland Vamos and join the Academy, MIC’s pre-college conservatory program. For six years, Izzy played a vital role in the program, evolving into a confident, eloquent, and expressive performer. She graduated in May 2021 and matriculated to the Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles to study with violin and chamber music faculty member Martin Beaver.

In May, while still a student at Colburn, Izzy auditioned for the position of Assistant Principal at just 21 years old (and her first orchestral audition). Remarkably, she was offered the job at this young age. She assumed the position earlier this month and, under the leadership of Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel, will work alongside some of the finest musicians in the world. Read her story:  https://www.musicinst.org/news/mic-alumna-isabella-brown-joins-la-philharmonic

Violin soloist Maya Anjali Buchanan, who performed Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with the Evanston Symphony Orchestra two years ago, will play Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s Violin Concerto on November 3, 2:30pm. Buchanan studied violin with Almita and Roland Vamos before attending The Curtis Institute. The program also includes Jessie Montgomery’s penetrating and stirring Soul Force, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Overture to King Stephen and is anchored by Edward Elgar’s “Enigma Variations.”  

Cellist James Baik, First Prize Winner of the 2023 Young Concert Artists Susan Wadsworth International Auditions and recipient of the Paul A. Fish Memorial Prize and the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Prize has advanced to the Final Round of the 2024 YCA Susan Wadsworth International Auditions on Sunday, October 27, 2024. James was also a finalist at the 2019 Stulberg International String Competition and would go on to receive the first prize at the prestigious Irving M. Klein International Competition. Raised in Houston, Texas, James’ early education included studies with Houston Symphony Associate Principal Christopher French and with esteemed pedagogue Hans Jørgen Jensen in Chicago at the Academy. James holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Colburn Conservatory of Music where he studied with Clive Greensmith.

Cellist Johannes Gray won second prize in the XXIV International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition 2024 in Leipzig, Germany. He also received the GENUIN Special Prize for  CD production. Gray studied with Hans Jensen and Gilda Barston while enrolled in the Academy. Though currently based in Paris, cellist Johannes Gray started his musical career in Chicago and has become an award-winning instrumentalist. His solo engagements have taken him across four continents, including performances at the Berlin Philharmonie, the festivals of Ravinia and Verbier, Lincoln Center, SuperCello (Beijing), and the Cello Biënnale Amsterdam. Johannes is passionate about performing contemporary works and plans to showcase a collection of new Parisian compositions along with Poulenc’s cello sonata on his proposed album with Cedille. https://www.cedillerecords.org/emerging-artist-spotlight-johannes-gray/

Violinist Julian Rhee received a 2024 Avery Fisher Career Grant, which recognizes instrumentalists and chamber ensembles with a $25,000 cash prize. Rhee studied with Hye-Sun Lee and Almita Vamos at the Music Institute of Chicago Academy and received his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree as teaching assistant of Miriam Fried at the New England Conservatory.  Rhee came to international prominence following his prize-winning performances at the 2024 Queen Elisabeth International Violin Competition and Silver Medal finish at The 11th Quadrennial International Violin Competition of Indianapolis. Rhee joins accomplished Academy alumni Benjamin Beilman, Matthew Lipman, and the Calidore String Quartet (with the Academy’s Ryan Meehan), as Avery Fisher Career Grant recipients.   https://www.julianrhee.com/full-bio-2

Academy alumna cellist Luka Coetzee, former student of Horacio Contreras, won the Paulo International Cello Competition in 2023.  In July 2024, she performed her 1st prize-winning performance of Penderecki’s Cello Concerto No. 2, with Conductor Rumon Gamba and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. Luka received numerous awards including First Prize in 2023 at the eminent 7th International Paulo Cello Competition. In November 2022, she was recognized as the First Prize Winner at the Pablo Casals International Award, and in September, she received the Frans Helmerson Promotional Award at the Kronberg Academy, as well as First Prize in the 2022 Johansen International Competition in Washington, DC, garnering further attention for her exciting introduction as an international soloist. https://youtu.be/h-shH2WKzJ4?si=fZmNWiy7Ku92pcWS

• Awards and Scholarship Archive (2006-2022)
• Class of 2023 - 2024 Accolades (PDF)
• Class of 2022 - 2023 Accolades (PDF)
• Class of 2021 - 2022 Accolades (PDF)
• Class of 2020 - 2021 Accolades (PDF)
• Class of 2019 - 2020 Accolades (PDF)
• Class of 2017 - 2018 Accolades (PDF)