MSM faculty member, the respected violinist Ilmar Gavilán, will be part of Summerfest at the Kaufman Music Center taking place this summer at the respected arts center in New York City from August 19 to 24, 2024.

Kaufman Music Center’s SummerFest is an intensive week of masterclasses, lessons, workshops, chamber ensembles and performance opportunities led by world-renowned guest artists and faculty for advanced pianists, violinists and cellists age 14 – 22.

Musicians taking part also include: Adele Anthony, Fabio Bidini, Amir Eldan, Richard Goode, Grigory Kalinovsky, Yoheved Kaplinsky, Masao Kawasaki, Clara Minhye Kim, and others.

Learn more about Ilmar Gavilan here.

Learn more about Summerfest here.

Ebony Chants, Paolo Marchettini‘s second album on the label New Focus Recordings showcases music for clarinets in both solo and ensemble setting and will be released on April 14th.

The album features Rome-born and New York City-based Paolo Marchettini as both composer and clarinetist, working alongside with three other clarinetists who are MSM current and former students: Meng Zhang (DMA) (also worked as recording engineer), Ka Hei Chan (MM ’23) and Tommy Shermulis (MM ’23).

In liner notes, the respected guitarist Dan Lippel comments that Ebony Chants evokes the rich wood used in clarinet construction, and highlights Marchettini’s “subtle, lyrical composition voice.”

“Marchettini strikes an engaging balance between experimental elements such as the use of microtones and extended techniques, and more traditional material, performing the works with elegance and virtuosity…  Allusions to multiple eras and styles of music are seamlessly integrated in music that is natural and always breathes,” he writes.

Preorder the CD here.

MSM President James Gandre will receive an Honorary Doctor of Music degree and deliver an address at his alma mater, Lawrence University, in Appleton, Wisconsin, on June 9 and 10, during the school’s 2024 Commencement weekend.

A graduate of the Lawrence Class of 1981, President Gandre will address graduates and their families at the Baccalaureate Service on Saturday, June 8.  The multi-faith service is scheduled for 2:30 pm in Memorial Chapel at the University.

And then on Sunday, June 9, President Gandre will be awarded an Honorary Doctor of Music degree at Commencement, where his fellow honorary doctorate recipient (and Commencement Speaker) will be Lawrence University alumnus Pawo Choyning Dorji, Class of ’06, an Oscar-nominated Bhutanese filmmaker.

Learn more here.

Dr. James Kim (DMA 2023) who studied at MSM with Philippe Muller, was recently appointed Assistant Professor of Cello, tenure-track, at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. His appointment will begin in fall 2024.

“James Kim brings an exceptionally high levels of artistry and teaching to the Hugh Hodgson School of Music faculty, and we look forward to welcoming him to the Hodgson school and UGA,” said Hugh Hodgson School of Music Director Pete Jutras in a statement. “We are excited to see the impact he will have on our students and programs.”

Kim holds an Artist Diploma from The Juilliard School, where he served as Studio Teaching Assistant to Joel Krosnick, and a Doctor of Musical Arts from Manhattan School of Music, where he was a Teaching Fellow.

“I am proud to join the incredible faculty of Hugh Hodgson School of Music and the vibrant campus of University of Georgia,” said Kim. “It is my honor to be part of a community that not only achieves excellence but also participates in society within and beyond its state borders. I look forward to guiding students toward their goals and sharing the lessons I’ve learned in the process.”

Learn more here.

The DIVA Jazz Orchestra performed at Dizzy’s Club at Lincoln Center in late March that featured MSM student Kellin Hanas (BM ’24) trumpet, who studies and MSM with Dean of Jazz Arts Ingrid Jensen, along with alumni Pureum Jin (MM ’17), alto saxophone, and Barbara Laronga (MM ’02), trumpet.

In the photo above, MSM President James Gandre poses with the three after the performance.

Read our interview with Kellin Hanas here.

Learn more about the DIVA Jazz Orchestra here.

Pianist Jancis Xu, who studies in the MSM Precollege Division program at MSM with Irina Edelman, won first prize at Musical Life Competition held by the Musical Life Foundation.

Jancis started playing piano since she was 5 years old.  She has won many music competitions including the Grand Prix of Young Maestro International Music Competition 2022, First Prize in the William Knabe International Piano Competition in 2022, Second Prize in 2022 in the XIII Chopin International Piano Competition in Hartford, CT, and first place winner of the 2022 American Music Talent Competition and won first place in the Crescendo International Competition in 2021,

The Musical Life Competition and Composers in Residence supports meaningful talent development opportunities for up-and-coming musicians and composers, to provide visibility and a platform for musical and artistic growth.  It features young musicians under 18 years of age in piano, violin, viola and cello in solo or small ensembles.

The winners will be performing at Carnegie Hall on April 30th. Information about that concert can be found here.

More information about the Musical Life Competition here.

Tenor Daniel Espinal (BM ’22) from Sarasota, Florida, is a winner of the 2024 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition along with four other competitors. He receives a prize money of $20,000 prize along with the prestige, exposure, and networking opportunities that come with winning this renowned competition that has launched the careers of many of opera’s most well-known stars.

Yulin Wang (MM ’25), tenor and Zhenpeng Zhang (MM ’23, PS ’24), baritone, both students of Cynthia Hoffman at MSM, won Encouragement Awards during the Competition.

Learn more here.

MSM Jazz Arts student Motswedi Modiba, known professionally as Moe, was a featured speaker at the Forbes magazine African Leading Women Summit held in South Africa on March 8, 2024.

According to organizers, the event “brings together the who’s who of female leadership from the African continent and beyond – from the world of business, politics, art, sports, civil society and life; a unique collection of female trailblazers who are distinct in their thinking but single-minded in their purpose.”

Moe was recently a contestant on the high-profile singing competition in China known as “Sing! China” (photo above).

Learn more about the event here.

MSM Orchestral Performance alumna Kayla Burggraf (MM ’16) studied at MSM with Robert Langevin. She performed with the Kansas City Symphony in the 2019–20 season. She was previously a fellow with the New World Symphony, served as Principal Flute of the Des Moines and Ann Arbor Symphonies and a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.

During the 2022–23 season she is playing Guest Principal Flute with the San Francisco Symphony for selected weeks as well as for their European tour with Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen. She has performed as Guest Principal Flute with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and as solo piccolo and in the flute sections of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Lyric Opera of Chicago and Milwaukee Symphony among others. She has worked with such notable conductors as Herbert Blomstedt, Semyon Bychkov, Riccardo Muti, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Michael Stern, Michael Tilson Thomas, Osmo Vänskä, Edo de Waart and Jaap van Zweden among others.

Learn  more about Kayla Burggraf here.

MSM woodwinds student Lucy Rubin (MM ’25)  from Highland Park, Illinois, has placed third at the Flute Society of Greater Philadelphia’s Young Artist Competition.

Lucy Rubin is flutist and music theorist pursuing a Master of Music in Classical Flute under Linda Chesis at the Manhattan School of Music. She recently graduated from the Hugh Hodgson School of Music at the University of Georgia as a First Honors Graduate (4.0 GPA) with degrees in music performance and music theory, studying under Angela Jones-Reus. She was principal flute of the UGA Symphony Orchestra, Hodgson Wind Ensemble, a member of the UGA Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, and numerous chamber ensembles.

More information about Lucy Rubin here.
More information about the competition here.

MSM Orchestral Performance alumna Xiaoxuan Shi (MM ’22) won a violin position with the San Diego Symphony in 2022 and recently received tenure in the orchestra.

Xiaoxuan has won numerous international and national competitions including the Vivo International Music Competition in New York, Singapore International Violin Competition and the China National Violin Competition.

She has appeared as a soloist with the Adelphi Orchestra, MSM Chamber ensemble, Singapore Metropolitan Festival Orchestra and the Kids’ Philharmonic in Singapore. An experienced orchestral player, she has served in leadership positions at the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, New Haven Chamber Symphony, Aspen Chamber Symphony, the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, the Apex Ensemble and Yale Philharmonia.

Learn more about Xiaoxuan Shi here.

MSM student Lorien Britt (BM’26) won first place in the COFA Collegiate Flute Competition in Ohio on March 2.

Lorien Britt currently studies flute performance with MSM Woodwinds Department Chair Linda Chesis. She is from Dallas, Texas, where she studied flute with Claire Johnson.

Lorien received the Outstanding Performer distinction at the Texas State Solo and Ensemble Contest every year she had been in attendance. She has performed for several world-renowned flutists, such as Jasmine Choi, Paul Edmund-Davies, Lorna McGhee, and James Walker.

More information about the competition here.

Violinist and MSM student Risa Hokamura (BM ’24) is performing a recital at NYC’s prestigious The Morgan Library & Museum on February 28 at noon with a program that includes solo works by Ysaÿe, Symanowski, and Ravel, plus Dvořák’s Terzetto in C Major.

The event in the Gilder Lehrman Hall also features guest artists from the YCA family violinist Lun Li and violist Toby Appel. Tickets to this performance include access to current exhibitions.

Watch video of Risa with details about the concert here.

MSM alumni mezzo-soprano Erin Wagner (BM ’19), tenor Samuel White (PS ’18), and baritone Benjamin Dickerson (BM ’17) have been named winners in the 2024 George and Nora London Foundation Competition for young American and Canadian opera singers, one of the opera world’s oldest and most prestigious competitions. They are pictured above along with the other four principal award winners.

The winners were announced after the competition’s final round on February 16 which took place at Gilder Lehrman Hall at The Morgan Library & Museum in New York City, with both an in-person and online audience.

Erin Wagner, from El Paso, Texas sang “Sein wir wieder gut” from Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos, and won the George London Award of $12,000 in memory of Mary Palumbo, sponsored by Donald Palumbo.

Samuel White, from Columbia, South Carolina sang “Amfortas! Die Wunde” from Wagner’s Parsifal won the George London Award of $12,000 in memory of Lloyd E. Rigler, sponsored by The Lloyd E. Rigler and Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation, James D. Rigler, President.

Benjamin Dickerson, from Burlington, Vermont, sang “Nemico della patria” from Giordano’s Andrea Chénier won the George London Award of $12,000 in memory of Lois Kirschenbaum, sponsored by the George and Nora London Foundation for Singers.

Learn more about the competition here.

MSM piano student Jas Ogiste (MM  ’25), who studies at MSM with Jiayin Li, was singled out by The New York Times in its recent review of “The Chevalier,” a production about the composer Joseph Boulogne, also known as Chevalier de Saint-Georges, who was born in Guadeloupe in 1745.

“The pianist Jas Ogiste performs tender, yearning solos for Marie Antoinette’s character,” writes The New York Times.

The production took place at the United Palace theater in Washington Heights in New York City, and will be available for streaming later in February.

Jas Ogiste was performing as a member of the The Harlem Chamber Players, praised by the paper as offering “sparkling, taut performances.”

New York Classical Review also applauded Jas Ogiste’s performance: “Pianist Jas Ogiste of the Harlem ensemble ably accompanied Elliott in Bologne’s violin sonatas and set a reflective tone for the epilogue with a moody solo, the composer’s Adagio in F minor.”

The Jas Ogiste was recently featured in MSM’s Black History Month concert which can be seen here.

Read the New York Times review here.
Read the New York Classical Review here.

MSM alumnus Ambrose Akinmusire (BM ’05) has been named Best Trumpeter by DownBeat for eight years in a row and the venerable magazine — along with respected general news publications including The Guardian, The Irish Times, and the Wall Street Journal — is giving high critical praise to his latest album Owl Song.

DownBeat gives Owl Song a five-star review describing it as “a quiet rush of gorgeous sound where space, tone and beauty come together in one of the most impactful albums of 2023… This is one of the most interesting recordings to come along in a very long time by one of the most interesting artists of our time.”

Read the full DownBeat review here.

MSM Precollege faculty member Kariné Poghosyan (MM ’05, DMA ’07) performed to a full house at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall on February 14.

The centerpiece of the program was the centennial celebration of the world premiere of George Gershwin’s iconic Rhapsody in Blue which debuted on February 12, 1924. The concert was presented by the Permanent Mission of Armenia to the United Nations.

“We were happy to have partnered, once again this year, with our distinguished artist, the New York-based Armenian-American pianist Kariné Poghosyan, to bring together dear friends and colleagues,” said His Excellency Ambassador Mher Margaryan during pre-concert remarks before the group of Permanent Representatives of the U.N. member states.

The Armenian Weekly is calling the performance “magnificent… (she has) impeccable phrasing, breathtaking vulnerability and power.”

The cultural advisor of the Embassy of Armenia to the U.S., Vicki Shoghag Hovanessian said “Kariné Poghosyan is one of those virtuoso spectacular pianists with extraordinary stamina and musical skills as well as jaw-dropping performances. It’s a musical reverie to attend Ms. Poghosyan’s performances.”

Read the review in The Armenian Weekly here.

Stanley Hyun studies at MSM Precollege with Kayoung An. Stanley has performed at Weill Recital Hall, Zankel Hall and Merkin Concert Hall.

At the Canadian International Music Competition, he earned the highest score as an Absolute Platinum Medalist (scores of 99% to 98%) in the Young Artist (age 12-19) category.

Stanley has also earned first prize at Elite Music Competition, Crescendo International Music Competition and Golden Classical Music Awards International Competition.

The CIMC is an online international music competition in classical, jazz, pop, and contemporary music categories.

Learn more about the competition here.
Watch Stanley’s competition entry here.

Yi Xiang (BM ’16) has been named Co-Principal Flute at the China NCPA Orchestra, the resident orchestra of the China National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing.

Yi Xiang has also released an album of flute and harp music with the respected China Record Cooperation, sponsored by the NFA career enhancement fund.

The National Flute Association will feature Yi’s achievements in an upcoming issue of Flutist Quarterly.

Yi studied at MSM with Woodwinds Chair Linda Chesis.

The University of Arkansas has been awarded a $45,000 research grant from the National Endowment for the Arts that will support researchers Jake Hertzog (MM’ 16) (in photo on left) and Justin R. Hunter in the Department of Music.

They are examining the importance of collegiate jazz programs to the jazz ecosystems in three U.S. cities — Kansas City, Missouri; Portland, Oregon; and Atlanta, Georgia.

Each of these cities represents areas that have varied and expansive jazz scenes and music ecosystems beyond collegiate jazz programs that act as sources, anchors and hubs.

“We are thrilled to receive support from the NEA on this project — right now is a pivotal time for higher education, the music industry and the evolving and important work on musical and cultural placemaking,” Hertzog says.

Learn more here.

Pianist, Precollege faculty member, and MSM alumna Kariné Poghosyan (MM ’05, DMA ’07) will perform a concert in honor of the 100th anniversary of the premiere of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue on February 14 at 8 PM at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. Presented by The Permanent Mission of the Republic of Armenia to the United Nations, the concert will also feature works by Alberto Ginastera, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Tania León, and Arno Babajanian.

Rhapsody in Blue is to me one of those iconic works that speaks to absolutely everyone,” says Poghosyan. “It is a stellar example of what Gershwin was aiming for with his compositions – erasing boundaries between different genres and styles of music. Therefore, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of its premiere, I have created a program that highlights that magical combination of classical, jazz and Latin elements, alongside works by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Alberto Ginastera and Tania Leon, with a bit of my Armenian roots sprinkled in through virtuosic selections by Arno Babajanian.”

Learn more about the concert and purchase tickets here.

Eugene Drucker — violinist, author, educator, composer, founding member of the Emerson String Quartet, and MSM violin faculty member — has been named Artistic Director of The Berkshire Bach Society (BBS). The 34-year-old arts organization presents live performances of Baroque music by world-class musicians in the Berkshires and surrounding areas.

Mr. Drucker is a longtime member of the Berkshire Bach Ensemble and director of the BBS Bach at New Year’s concert series. As Artistic Director of the BBS, he will help spearhead new programming and performance opportunities.

The appointment comes following the retirement of the Emerson String Quartet, which Mr. Drucker co-founded 47 years ago. Over the course of its existence, the Emerson earned nine Grammy Awards, three Gramophone Awards, the Avery Fisher Prize, and Musical America’s “Ensemble of the Year” award.

MSM alumni soprano Jouelle Roberson (PS ’22) who studied at MSM with Cynthia Hoffman, and bass Edwin Jhamaal Davis (MM ’17) who studied with Mark Oswald, are among the eight finalists for the 2024 Houston Grand Opera (HGO) Concert of Arias: the 36th Annual Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers. It will be presented live from the Wortham Theater Center in Houston on February 2, 2024, at 7 p.m. CT. 

HGO holds the international competition each year to identify the most promising emerging artists in opera, each a potential candidate for the company’s prestigious training program for young artists, the Sarah and Ernest Butler Houston Grand Opera Studio. The eight finalists spend the week leading up to the Concert of Arias learning more about HGO and working with its music staff. At the event, each will perform two arias, competing for prizes including the $10,000 purse for first place.  

More information here.

MSM faculty member pianist Elio Villafranca will be the headlining musician and a lecturer at the University of Arkansas‘s annual symposium dedicated to educating and exposing the community to the music contributions of Black Americans. The 11th annual conference will be held Jan. 31 to Feb. 4.

The theme for the 2024 symposium, “Celebrating Afro-Caribbean Music,” explores the rich culture of the Caribbean nations and their contributions to music genres ranging from reggae and salsa to merengue, calypso and more. Throughout the symposium, there will be lectures that support the theme exploring the ways in which Afro-Caribbean music relates to the experiences of Black musicians as well as social movements.

On Feb 2, Elio Villafranca will deliver a lecture on “The Music of the Afro Diaspora in the Caribbean,” hold a master class, and be the featured performer at an evening concert. 

More information on the event here.

OPERA America Salutes brings together artists, producers, and champions to celebrate some of the field’s most accomplished figures. The event this year took place on January 26 in NYC and showcased performances by artists in Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, including Daniel Rich (MM ’19), in photo above.

Baltimore-born baritone Daniel Rich is in his second year in the Met program. During the 2023–24 season at the Met, he is appearing as Pâris in Roméo et Juliette and as Chester in Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones.

OPERA America leads and serves the entire opera community, supporting the creation, presentation, and enjoyment of opera. Founded in 1970, the organization has a membership that includes over 600 opera companies, educational institutions, affiliated businesses, and other entities.

More about Daniel Rich at the Met here.

More about OPERA America and the gala event here.

Photo by MSM President James Gandre

Nicolas Gonzalez, Assistant Vice President for Strategic Innovation and Special Initiatives at the Manhattan School of Music, spoke to host Aaron Dworkin about his responsibilities at MSM related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as the importance of empathy in empowering students.

Arts Engines is a program on YouTube that explores issues related to arts education and management.

Listen to the program here.

MSM alumni Simone Dinnerstein (PC ’89) (in photo on left) and Alexa Smith (MM ’10) will be hosting episodes of the influential program Young Artists Showcase on WQXR radio — New York City’s public radio classical music station — as part of a team of four new regular hosts of the program. They are replacing beloved Bob Sherman who retired as host and recently passed away.

Young Artists Showcase is an important platform for showcasing young classical and jazz talent.

Read interviews with Simone and Alexa published by WQXR here.

MSM faculty member Andrew Gerle is a composer/lyricist, librettist, pianist and author whose most recent production Whisper Darkly, set at the height of Prohibition in 1928, is “the world’s first eclectro-swing musical,” he says, an immersive theatre experience that follows the lives of three women living their lives on their own terms. The music and lyrics are by Andrew Gerle; the book and concept is by librettist DJ Salisbury.

The video teaser for the production was recorded in The Back Room, one of the last Prohibition era speakeasies still operating in NYC.

For more on the musical and to see both the production and recording teaser, visit the production’s website here.

Learn more about Andrew Gerle here.

MSM Precollege student William Lauricella is making his professional debut performing Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor with the Schenectady-Saratoga Symphony Orchestra (SSSO) at the historic Proctors Theatre on January 21.

William is a senior at the Bethlehem Central High School in Delmar, New York, just south of Albany. He performed the work with the Empire State Youth Orchestra’s (ESYO) concert in October.  He won the ESYO’s 2023 Lois Lyman Concerto Competition and the SSSO’s 2018 Parillo Piano Competition.

At MSM, where William studies with Inesa Sinkevych, he won a recent Precollege Concerto Competition.

Learn more about William here.

On the Emmy Awards broadcast on January 15 during the In Memoriam segment, singer, pianist and composer Charlie Puth (PC ’10) performed his hit song See You Again, and closed with a moving rendition of the theme song from the TV program Friends in honor of one of its actors, the late Matthew Perry, bringing tears to the eyes of many in the audience.

Charlie Puth was asked to perform on the broadcast after producers saw a viral video of him performing the songs during a concert in Melbourne, Australia shortly after Matthew Perry’s death.

Watch a news report about his Emmys performance here.