April 22, 2026

Three Manhattan School of Music alumni have been named 2026 Guggenheim Fellows in the field of Music Composition:

Saxophonist and composer Jon Irabagon (MM ’03), composer and teacher David Serkin Ludwig (MM ’97), and jazz bassist and composer Linda May Han Oh (MM ’08, HonDMA ’24).

The prestigious Guggenheim Fellowships are grants awarded annually since 1925 to “individuals who have demonstrated distinguished accomplishment in the past, and, potential for future achievement…They exhibit outstanding aptitude for prolific scholarship or exceptional talent in the arts,” per the Foundation. The average grant awarded is between $40,000 and $55,000.

The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation 101^st class of Guggenheim Fellows is comprised of 223 grant recipients across 55 disciplines from among 5,000 applications.

Meet the MSM Guggenheim Fellows for 2026:

Jon Irabagon (MM ’03)

Named one of New York City’s “25 Jazz Icons” by Time Out New York, saxophonist Jon Irabagon composes for his ensemble Outright! as well as the Jon Irabagon Trio, featuring Barry Altschul and Mark Helias, and his quartet with Matt Mitchell, Chris Lightcap and Dan Weiss. Irabagon was an ensemble contributor to the Dave Douglas Quintet, the Mary Halvorson Quintet, Septet and Octet, Barry Altschul’s 3Dom Factor, Ralph Alessi’s This Against That, Mostly Other People do the Killing and Uri Caine’s Catbird, among others. Irabagon’s career launched in earnest with his First Place win at the 2008 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition, and he has gone on to receive a Philippine President Award, the highest civilian honor an overseas Filipino can receive for their contributions to Filipino image abroad. He has been a faculty member at his hometown’s University of Illinois at Chicago since 2023.

More about Jon

David Serkin Ludwig (MM ’97)

Composer David Serkin Ludwig holds positions and residencies with nearly two dozen orchestras and music festivals in the US and abroad. Last year, Ludwig was inducted into the Philadelphia “Walk of Fame” by the Philadelphia Music Alliance. Ludwig served on the composition faculty of The Curtis Institute of Music for nearly two decades before being appointed Dean and Director of Music of The Juilliard School in 2021, where he also serves on the composition faculty. Ludwig holds a unique distinction in that his choral work, “The New Colossus,” opened the private prayer service for President Obama’s second inauguration. He was honored by the American Academy of Arts and Letters as recipient of their annual award in music in 2024.

More about David

Linda May Han Oh (MM ’08, HonDMA ’24)

Grammy award-winning bassist-composer Linda May Han Oh has performed and recorded with artists such as Pat Metheny, Kenny Barron, Joe Lovano, Dave Douglas, Terri Lyne Carrington, Steve Wilson, Geri Allen and Vijay Iyer. Born in Malaysia and raised in Boorloo (Perth), Western Australia, she has received many awards including a 2022 Deutscher Jazz Preis and consistently been voted Bassist of the Year by the Jazz Journalist’s Association as well other publications such as JazzTimes and Hothouse Magazine. In 2023 she received the prestigious Herb Albert Award for music and received an honorary doctorate from Manhattan School of Music in 2024. She has released five acclaimed albums as a leader, writes for film and various ensembles, and serves as Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music.

More about Linda