Success Stories

Musical Theater alumna Alysia Velez (BM ’22) (pictured on left above) was named one of the 18 winners of the 2026 Princess Grace Awards. Nominated by MSM, Velez will receive the John Gore Theater Honor as one of five winners in the Theatre category. Established in 1982 by Prince Rainier III of Monaco to honor the legacy of Princess Grace (née Grace Kelly), the award includes a $15,000 unrestricted cash grant.

Alumna Mary Prescott (MM ’05) (pictured on right above), who was a 2024 Princess Grace Award winner, received one of eight 2026 Special Project Grants. The Princess Grace Foundation supports and nurtures Princess Grace Award winners and Honoraria throughout their artistic journey, offering exclusive grants for significant projects that advance their artistic development.

Learn more here.

Composer-songwriter Matt Siffert (MM ’15) opened for Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash at Chautauqua Auditorium in Boulder, Colorado in July, 2026, performing songs from his latest EP, Magic of the New. Matt studied classical composition with Richard Danielpour at MSM.

Matt is also the Director of External Affairs at Musical Mentors Collaborative (MMC), an organization he joined in 2020 which received a $2 million charitable donation from Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce in July of 2026. The foundation serves under-resourced students across the United States. The collaborative includes musicians, educators, and university students; homeless shelters, supportive housing networks, and low-income Title I schools. MMC volunteers and teachers come from professions ranging from law and finance, to social work and arts-management.

Click here to learn more about Matt.
Click here to learn more about MMC.

Composer Robert Sirota‘s latest CD 212: Symphony No. 1, recorded at Manhattan School of Music, is now out on Azica Records. “I am so thankful to the incredible conductor George Manahan and Manhattan School of Music Symphony Orchestra for bringing this work to life. The album was recorded in MSM’s Neidorff-Karpati Hall in 2024 and was premiered by the Manhattan School of Music Symphony in 2007,” explains Robert Sirota, who was President of MSM from 2005–2012.

The CD can be purchased here.

Baritone Gerardo de la Torre (MM ’21) —posing here with MSM President Jim Gandre while a student at MSM— performed the lead role in Verdi’s Falstaff in Monterrey, Mexico on July 17 and 18 at the Teatro de la Ciudad presented by the Mexico Opera Studio (MOS). Dr. de la Torre was a visiting voice professor at MOS during the 2025-2026 season and this was his debut performing a title role in his hometown.

Learn more about Gerardo de la Torre here.

Violinist Elizabeth Faidley has been a faculty member of MSM Precollege for the past 20 years. In an interview, she tells Violinist.com why teaching is important to her, calling it her “life’s work.”

“What I love is that every age gives you something different. A six-year-old teaches you patience and imagination. A teenager teaches you honesty and empathy. An adult beginner teaches you courage,” she tells the publication. “Every student keeps you thinking, and after all these years I still come home from lessons with new ideas.”

On August 2, Elizabeth is holding her fifth annual Pedagogy Day, an all-day Zoom workshop with sessions on teaching technique, a session on child psychology, studio management tips, and more.

For more information and the full interview, read the Violinist.com article here.

MSM alumni mezzo-soprano Hannah Jones (MM ’24) and countertenor Haolun Zhang (MM ’24) have been selected as finalists in the Operalia competition taking place October 26 to November 1, hosted by the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and the Shangyin Opera House.

Operalia —defined as “The World Opera Competition” by the organization— was founded in 1993 by Plácido Domingo who presides over the competion’s jury, to “discover and help launch the careers of the most promising young opera singers of today…” writes Operalia on their website. “Since the jury is comprised, for the most part, of international opera managers and casting directors, these distinguished jurors often invite and engage some of the singers to perform in productions that are being scheduled in their respective theatres.”

Click here to view the Operalia finalists roster.

On July 13, MSM alumna Dr. Elizabeth Janzen (MM ’03, DMA ’10) will become the inaugural director of the East Texas A&M University School of Music. Dr. Janzen is the first to hold the director position since the program’s elevation from a Department of Music to the School of Music in 2024.

At MSM, Dr. Janzen studied Classical Flute with Linda Chesis.

East Texas A&M President Dr. Mark Rudin expressed confidence in Janzen’s leadership and the future direction of the School of Music.

“Our School of Music just took a major step forward with the hiring of Dr. Janzen,” Rudin said. “I am excited for the vision she brings to Commerce and am confident she will lead us forward in our efforts to train and inspire the next generation of performers and music educators.”

Learn more here.

Dr. Deborah Simpkin King, the Director of Choirs at MSM, is one of a series of hosts of the program Sounds Choral which airs on the WWFM The Classical Network, a classical music network serving New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania and portions of Delaware and Maryland. Mostly listener funded, The Classical Network can be heard online at www.wwfm.org.

Dr. King’s most recent episode hosting Sounds Choral on June 15 focused on Raphael Fusco’s choral compositional style and process, and included an excerpt of the MSM Chamber Choir performing the American Premiere of Raphael Fusco’s An American Requiem  earlier this year at Merkin Hall at the Kaufman Music Centre in New York City.

In 2024, Sounds Choral was the recipient of the ASCAP Foundation Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Award for Broadcasting.

Listen to the broadcast of Dr. King’s podcasts here.

The American Piano Awards has named five finalists for its 2027 jazz competition, including pianist Brahm Sasner (BM ’26), an MSM alumnus who studied Jazz Piano with Ted Rosenthal (BM ’81, MM ’83). The finalists will compete in April 2027 for the Cole Porter Fellowship and more than $200,000 in prizes and career support.

Awarded every four years, the Cole Porter Fellowship is one of the most significant honors available to an emerging American jazz pianist. Each finalist will receive $25,000, and the winner will receive a prize package valued at more than $200,000. Past winners and finalists include Emmet Cohen (MM ’14), Sullivan Fortner (MM ’10), Aaron Diehl, Kris Bowers, and Isaiah J. Thompson.

Based in New York City, Brahm Sasner is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area. He has performed throughout the United States and internationally, including appearances at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Club. He is a recipient of awards from YoungArts and the Rubato International Piano Competition.

Learn more here.

In early June, MSM Classical Percussion student Aaron Levine (BM ’29) from Tenefly, New Jersey won first prize in Division II for students 19 years of age and under, at the Modern Snare Drum Competition in Cleveland, Ohio. In photo: Aaron (on right) is presented a snare drum for winning the competition he also received a cash prize. Aaron previously studied in the MSM Precollege program.

The Competition, hosted by the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM), is open to ages 26 and under, and aims to promote snare drum literature. Students taking part in Division I of the competition performed a composition by MSM Percussion faculty member Duncan Patton.

More information about the competition here.

Tony-nominated and Drama Desk Award winner Jasmine Amy Rogers (’19), an alumna of MSM Musical Theatre program, will star as Maria von Trapp in a Lincoln Center Theater production of The Sound of Music next year, with previews beginning on March 23 and opening on April 15.

The production will be directed by Lear deBessonet and presented by Lincoln Center Theater — the team behind the revival of Ragtime that earlier this month won the Tony Award for best musical revival.

Jasmine Amy Rogers will perform the role of Maria, the singing governess whose arrival transforms a motherless family in Nazi-era Austria. Rogers burst onto Broadway in last year’s Boop! The Musical receiving a Tony nomination for her lead role in that production, and has been much in-demand since, starring in an Off Broadway production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee; she also has a role in this falls Broadway revival of School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play.

More information about the revival of The Sound of Music here.

MSM alumna Jana McIntyre (MM ’16) is the featured “Rising Star Artist” in the August 2026 issue of the respected UK based Opera magazine that merged with New York’s Opera News publication.

The “Stage Door” full-page column highlights that the award-winning soprano received her master’s degree at Manhattan School of Music, studying with Joan Patenaude-Yarnell.

She is “graceful and elegant with a bright, flexible voice that has served her well” in a range of vocal roles, writes the magazine, highlighting her busy summer season with a return to the MET Opera in March 2027.

Read the article here.

MSM Classical Voice alumnus Adam Goldstein (BM ’19) (in photo, on right) has been awarded The Center for Korean Research (CKR) Manhae Prize which is given annually by by the Columbia University Department of East Asian Languages and Culture to two graduating seniors at Columbia University who have demonstrated excellence in the study of the Korean Language.

“I never learned Korean growing up, something that is unfortunately common among immigrant and mixed families, where fears of bullying and ostracization often inform such decisions, as they did in my case,” explains Adam in a LinkedIn post.

“This was one of many ways I grew up, as many Asian-Americans do, feeling completely disconnected from my cultural heritage. At Columbia, I set out to rectify this, taking courses in Korean language, history, and culture, gaining that connection I had always been missing. In all of this, finally learning to converse with my mom in our mother tongue has been one of the proudest accomplishments of my time at Columbia.”

Read Adam Goldstein’s post here.

MSM violin student Koshiro Takeuchi (BM ‘28), who studies at MSM with Lucie Robert and Koichiro Harada, won first prize on June 4 at the 2026 Concours Musical International de Montréal, winning a prize package of $70K Canadian dollars.

Learn more here.

Violinist Madison Lee (BM’ 29) who studies at MSM with Lucie Robert is one of two winners of the 2026 Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra Young Artist Competition held in late April, 2026. Violist Jeremy Klein also won.

The two winners will perform with the Orchestra at the Syriac Community Hall in Paramus, New Jersey on March 20, 2027 under the baton of Maestro Timothy Cho.

Madison was also winner with distinction in the National Young Arts Competition this past January during the week long chamber music festival.

Learn more about the March 2027 concert here.

MSM Musical Theatre alumnus Galvin Yuan (BM ’23) recently joined the ensemble of the national tour of Beetlejuice the Musical. The tour is running from February 2026 through June 2027 and will be in Florida, Indiana, and Ohio in June; Washington, D.C. in July; Colorado in August, and Ontario, Michigan, Ohio, and New Jersey in September.

Learn about dates and more information about the production here.
Learn more about Galvin Yuan here.

Monarch: A Mexican-American Musical, a new production co-created by MSM composition alumnus Dr. Alfonso Molina (MM ’10) and his sister Mayu Molina Lehmann, will have its Off-Broadway debut from July 23–26 at The American Theatre for Actors (inside the Cullum Theatre) as part of the Midtown International Theatre Festival in NYC.

The musical tells the story of an “undocumented handyman navigating love, loss, and legacy. Inspired by the migration of Monarch butterflies, it follows his journey for sanctuary.” It was previously staged in Los Angeles where it received a rave review in the Los Angeles Times, as well as in Washington, D.C. and at Harvard University.

NYC performance schedule:
July 23 at 6 PM
July 24 at 8:15 PM
July 26 at 4 PM.

Click here for tickets and more information about Monarch.
Click here to learn more about Dr. Molina.

Pianist and composer Dr. Hayk Arsenyan (PS ’08) won a Silver Medal in the 2026 Global Music Awards in the “Creativity/Originality” category for his composition Stratum. This work for piano and double bass was commissioned and premiered in 2014, and subsequently published by Zimmerman Publications, but was released as a recording for the first time on the Navona label earlier this year. The Global Music Awards are an annual international celebration of the work of independent artists.

Dr. Arsenyan is also Director of the Armenian General Benevolent Union Arts Department and was interviewed last month by The Armenian Weekly. Click here to read the interview.

Click here to listen to Stratum.

MSM alumnus Herbie Hancock (’61, HonDMA ’23) is the curator of the Fulbright Chicago International Jazz Day Celebration taking place on Thursday, April 30. One of the featured performers is MSM Jazz Voice alumna Martina Barta (MM ’23) who is representing her home country, the Czech Republic. The Chicago Chapter of the Fulbright Association is hosting this event in partnership with the Consulate Generals of the Czech Republic, Brazil, Poland, and Switzerland to celebrate renowned international jazz performers.

The performances and reception will take place at Roosevelt University in the Auditorium Building’s Fainman Lounge.

Click here to learn more about Martina.
Click here for additional event details.

Alumnus Ziqing Guo (BM ’18, MM ’20) has been appointed to the violin section of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO). He received his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from Manhattan School of Music, studying with Sylvia Rosenberg and Nicholas Mann, and more recently a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music.

Ziqing has been a guest violinist with Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood Music Festival, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Minnesota Orchestra.

Click here to learn more about Ziqing.

Korean pianist and coach Ye In Kwak (MM ‘24) is in her second year in the prestigious Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at the Met Opera in New York, where she will make her Met Music Staff debut as an assistant conductor in Eugene Onegin on April 20. The production runs through May 16. This season, Ye In will also perform in the Program’s Patron Concert of opera scenes and annual spring recital series held at Merkin Hall.

“Congratulations, Ye In! And toi, toi, toi to the rest of the cast and crew!” writes the Lindemann program on social media.

Watch our video interview with Ye In Kwak in 2024 when she was named to the Lindemann Program here.
Ticket information about Eugene Onegin can be found here.

MSM violin faculty member Lucie Robert has been asked to return for to the international jury for the 11th International Louis Spohr Competition for Young Violinists being held in Weimar, Germany from November 7 to 29, 2026. It will be her second time on the jury.

Founded in 1995 at the University of Music FRANZ LISZT Weimar, the International LOUIS SPOHR Competition for Young Violinists helps promote highly gifted musicians. The competition focuses on talented young musicians up to the age of 21, giving young talents an opportunity to attract the attention of an international jury at an early stage.

Learn more here.

MSM classical piano alumna Elzbieta Bilicka (PS ’23) will launch her and collaborator Mateusz Mikołajczak’s new Classical Piano Salon series at their inaugural gala and concert on April 8 at 7:30 PM at the Kosciuszko Foundation. The evening will feature performances by Nicolas Namoradze, Elsie Lu, and Haowen Deng.

Click here for tickets.

Click here to learn more about Elzbieta.

MSM classical piano alumnus Zheng Yue (MM ’25), a former student of MSM Piano Co-Chair Dr. Inesa Sinkevych (PS ’06, DMA ’10), recently completed a tour of Mainland China cities Tianjin, Quanzhou, Chengdu, and Shanghai (Shanghai Symphony Hall’s Chamber Hall) in collaboration with Shanghai Conservatory Cello Professor Dr. Weiping Chen.

The program, entitled Gallery by Ear, featured a unique cross-genre selection, ranging from classical character pieces to original works by Dr. Bo Li and contemporary transcriptions. This repertoire was curated to reflect the milestones of Dr. Chen’s musical journey.

Current MSM students Seiran Tozlian (BM ’26), piano, and Angelina Tozlyan (BM ’28), violin, as well as alumni Diana Gabrielyan (MM ’23), piano, and Karina Vartanian (PC ’21, BM ’25), soprano, will perform at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall on Friday, May 8 at 7:30 p.m. They are all recent recipients of the Armenian General Benevolent Union Performing Arts scholarship and will join their fellow recipients for a program of traditional Armenian and Western classical music, dance, and poetry readings.

Tickets are currently available on the Carnegie Hall website as well as the box office at (212) 247-7800.

Photo collage: Diana Gabrielyan (top left), Seiran Tozlian (bottom left), Angelina Tozlyan (bottom middle), Karina Vartanian (bottom right)

MSM classical piano alumnus Dmitry Yudin (BM ’23, MM ’25) was awarded one of four 2026 Avery Fisher Career Grants. This highly prestigious $25,000 award recognizes four young artists whose careers exhibit significant accomplishment and exceptional promise. Awardees do not apply and do not know that they are under consideration. They are U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

From St. Petersburg, Dmitry moved to New York City in 2019 to study at MSM. He is a prizewinner of competitions including the 15th International Scriabin Piano Competition, the International Classical Music Festival and Competition for Young Pianists, Astana Piano Passion, and the Vladimir Krainev Moscow International Piano Competition.

Click here to read The Strad announcement.

Wynton Marsalis‘s new cello concerto premiered on March 7 with Yo-Yo Ma on cello at the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan. It was performed again on March 10 in Detroit featuring MSM faculty member cellist Tommy Mesa (DMA ’23) performing with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

Tommy Mesa worked closely with Wynton Marsalis and Yo Yo Ma in preparation for the touring series of four concerts conducted by Cristian Măcelaru; the composition was also performed in Philadelphia on March 13 and Boston on March 15, with Yo-Yo Ma on cello.

Listen to the performance here.

MSM Jazz Piano faculty member Ted Rosenthal (BM ’81, MM ’83) will release the latest installment of his Trios in 4 Acts tetralogy, this one entitled The Good Old Days (TMR Music) on May 1. Leading two different trios, he puts a contemporary twist on early jazz styles. The late, great clarinetist Ken Peplowski additionally appears on two of the album’s tracks.

Click here to learn more about Ted, his other albums, and upcoming performances.

MSM classical flute alumna Janet Axelrod (MM ’87) has released a new album, entitled Act One: New Works for Flute & Piano, on the Freedom Road Records label. The album is comprised entirely of instrumental classical commissions from composers with a background in musical theatre. The result is new repertoire with a breadth of stylistic influences. Each piece was written with the concert stage in mind and showcases a distinctive voice.

An integral member of New York’s commercial and classical scenes, Janet is equally comfortable in a Broadway pit, studio session, or chamber ensemble. She also enjoyed a two-decade tenure as the flute and piccolo chair in the Radio City Music Hall Orchestra.

Click here to learn more about Janet.
Click here to read the EarRelevant review.

American Ballet Theatre (ABT) opened its 2026 Spring Season at the David H. Koch Theater with Lar Lubovitch‘s Othello: A Dance in Three Acts on Friday, March 6, 2026. This revival of the 1997 Shakespearean adaptation features an original score by Academy Award-winning composer and MSM alumnus Elliot Goldenthal (BM ’77, MM ’79).

Elliot received a Bachelors degree at MSM studying trumpet with Mel Broiles, and a Masters degree studying composition with John Corigliano.

The performances of Othello: A Dance in Three Acts run through March 20, 2026.

More about the production here.