Success Stories

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 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.

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.

Church Street School for Music and Art’s Director of Programs and longtime faculty member Dr. Tereza Lee (BM ’05, MM ’07, PS ’10, DMA ’20) will be honored at the school’s upcoming annual gala, “THE EVENT,” on Monday, March 9, at the Roxy Hotel in Manhattan’s Tribeca area.

Born in Brazil to parents displaced by the Korean War, Lee grew up undocumented and impoverished in inner-city Chicago. After earning a full scholarship to the Merit School of Music as a teenager, she won notable regional competitions but was initially barred from college due to her status. With the advocacy of Merit Director Ann Monaco and Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, Lee became the namesake of the “Tereza Lee Bill,”  which enabled her to attend college (at MSM) and later informed the DREAM Act. Dr. Lee is now an esteemed musician, educator, and immigration activist, as well as a U.S. Citizen and mother of three.

Click here to view the event flyer and to learn more about Dr. Lee.

MSM classical composition alumnus and software engineer Luis Andrei Cobo (BM ’94, MM ’96) has developed an application, called “Nerves of Steel: Focus Trainer,” for the purpose of preparing its users for the distractions that inevitably transpire during performances and auditions.

The app simulates multiple types of distractions, and of variable frequency. The app has two modes: Practice Mode adds controlled, randomized distractions so users can recover quickly, while Performance Mode creates a virtual concert space where users can run their performance program in a realistic, audience-like environment, before hitting the stage.

Click here to learn more about Nerves of Steel.
Click here to learn more about Luis.

The American Academy of Arts and Letters has given awards to 20 recipients of its 2026 Awards in Music to honor both established and emerging composers. The 300 members of Arts and Letters nominate candidates for awards, and a rotating committee of composer members selects the winners.

MSM Classical Composition faculty member Ashkan Behzadi (in photo on left), along with three other musicians, have each received an Arts and Letters Award of $10,000. The award acknowledges composers who have arrived at their own voice, and an additional $10,000 grant is given to each winner to be used toward a recording of one work.

MSM alumnus Rand Steiger (BM ’80) (in photo on right) received the Otto and Catherine Brunson Luening Award of $20,000 each for two composers who have not yet been accorded due recognition.

For more information on the American Academy of Arts and Letters, please visit this link.

MSM Vocal Arts alumni Shelén Hughes Camacho (BM ’18, MM ’20), soprano (in photo on right), and Haolun Zhang (MM ’24), countertenor (on left) have advanced to the semi-finals of the respected The Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, which take place on March 15.

The competition discovers promising young opera singers and helps boost their careers; some of today’s greatest singers got their start with it.

Learn more here.

MSM alumnus and baritone Kyle Miller (MM ’07) will be performing the role of Papageno in The Magic Flute taking place at LA Opera from May 30 to June 21, 2026.

More about Kyle Miller here.

MSM Trustee and classical piano alumnus Dr. Scott Dunn (MM ’97) released two albums in January. The first was Scott Dunn: Hollywood Film Music, Vol 1, released on January 16 on the Platoon label, and features music Scott and the Scott Dunn Orchestra performed recently in their Hollywood Modernists program at The Wallis Beverly Hills. The album was recorded in October 2024 at Air Studios in London, with Scott and the Britten Sinfonia performing  his arrangements and original scores of  some of the finest Hollywood film music.

On January 23, a second album was released, featuring Scott on solo piano, performing his own arrangements for much of the same repertoire of the symphonic recording.

On January 17 at The Wallis Beverly Hills, the Scott Dunn Orchestra performed the music of iconic films of the ’70s such as Star Wars, The Godfather (I & II), Chinatown, The Sting, Diamonds are Forever, Chinatown, Taxi Driver, and Murder on the Orient Express.

For more information visit Scott’s website here.

Lecolion Washington (MM ’01) is the Executive Director of the Community Music Center of Boston. Writes Musical America: “With over 20 years as a performing bassoonist, 15 years as a music professor, and 10 years as an arts administrator, Lecolion Washington has been ‘paying it forward’ at the helm of the century-old Community Music Center of Boston. CMCB reports impacting over 3,000 students from pre-school to seniors every week — the largest external arts education provider to the Boston Public Schools.”

Read more here.

Operatic tenor Jonathan Tetelman (BM ’11) and jazz guitarist/NY Yankees Legend Bernie Williams (BM ‘16) headline an ambitious concert produced by All-Star Encore.

The two stars will be joined by 16 additional MSM alumni and current students in an expansive program uniting opera and jazz, music and sports, talented students and seasoned professionals.

“It’s so wonderful to see two distinguished representatives of MSM’s alumni community headlining this multi-faceted program,” says Manhattan School of Music President James Gandre, “not just because Jonathan and Bernie—and all those who will be joining them onstage—are exemplary talents, but because this very special evening will celebrate the intersection of music and sport, and the areas of skill, artistry, and determination that are common to high-achieving musicians and athletes. Of course, in Bernie Williams, the evening spotlights a pillar of excellence in both worlds.”

More info in our news release here.

On December 29 in Prague, Czech Republic, MSM alumnus Chase Park (PPD ’25; AD ’26) performed the Antonin Kraft (a contemporary of Mozart and Haydn) Cello Concerto in C Major, Op 4 with the North Czech Philharmonic Orchestra at Smetana Hall.

MSM President James Gandre met up with Chase after the performance (photo above).

MSM alumnus Seth Schultheis has won first prize at the 2025  Deutsche Telekom Beethoven Competition in Bonn.

Seth studied at the Manhattan School of Music for many years. He completed his precollege training and began his undergraduate studies under the guidance of Philip Kawin, and later completed both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees with Dr. Solomon Mikowsky. He is currently based in London.

“He is regarded as one of the most outstanding piano students to have emerged from MSM, and his recent international success is a powerful reflection of both his artistry and his training at the school,” says MSM faculty member Jiayin Li.

More about Seth Schultheis here.

In its list of “Best of the City: The 11 best things Time Out New York editors saw, ate and visited in 2025” Time Out magazine chose MSM alumna Jasmine Amy Rogers (‘19) the “Breakout Theater Star of the Year,” saying she had a “blazing star energy” playing the lead role in Boop! The Musical on Broadway for which she was nominated for Best Actress at the TONY awards.

Jasmine is currently a lead performer in the critically acclaimed Broadway revival of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee —its run has been extended to April 12, 2026. She will also be part of Oklahoma! in Concert at Carnegie Hall on January 12 with MSM alumni Jonathan Tetelman (BM ‘11) and Bernie Williams (BM ‘16.)

Read the Time Out “Best of the City” list here.
Read about the January 12 Carnegie Hall concert here.

The New York Times recently listed the New York Philharmonic musical festival Sound On as one of the “Best Classical Performances of 2025” and chose the NY Phil’s performance in January 2025 of Pierre Boulez’s Pli Selon Pli, singling out “the radiant soprano Jana McIntyre in her Philharmonic debut.” Jana McIntyre graduated with a Masters Degree from MSM’s Vocal Arts program in 2016.

Jana will be performing December 18, 19, and 20 with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Cedar Rapids Opera on January 16 and 18, and the Detroit Opera on March 1, 5 and 7.

More about Jana McIntyre here.

MSM Precollege alumnus Charlie Puth will be singing the National Anthem in the pre-game show of the Superbowl on February 8. Also performing will be Brandi Carlile and Coco Jones.

In comments on his social media platforms, Charlie Puth says “We’re putting a really special arrangement together — in D major. It’ll be one of my best vocal performances.”

More information here.

MSM alumnus Shuler Hensley (BM ‘90, HonDMA ‘14) is one of the lead actors in the critically praised musical adaptation of Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth by Obie Award-winning playwright and songwriter Ethan Lipton and two-time Tony nominee director Leigh Silverman taking place at the Public Theatre in New York. The Seat of Our Pants runs at NYC’s Public Theater through December 7.

In photo above, Shuler wears a Manhattan School of Music T-shirt posing with MSM President Jim Gandre after a performance on November 30.

Read The New York Times review of the production here.

“At 95, David Amram Still Makes Music. And Nobody Can Put Him in a Box,” writes The New York Times.“Jazz, classical, folk, world music—for this composer, categories were never confining.”

“Amram is a composer, musician, author, conductor and boundlessly connected collaborator who has been cheerfully ignoring musical categories since the 1940s. His output includes jazz tunes, symphonies, operas, film scores, theater music, off-the-cuff talking blues and idiom-hopping folk-festival performances where he’s likely to play piano, pennywhistle and percussion.”

“Amram moved to New York City in 1955, where he was hired by (Charles) Mingus, studied composition at the Manhattan School of Music and fell in with Beat Generation writers and artists.”

Read the full article here.

On November 20, baritone Joseph Parrish, from Baltimore, and MSM alumna Shelén Hughes Camacho (MM ‘20), from Bolivia, who are partners in life, opened the season for the New York Festival of Song at the Kaufman Music Centre with the performance South America, North America, a Love Story, alongside Steven Blier and Amir Farid.

“This program is close to our hearts—it celebrates the music and poetry that shaped us, weaving together works from Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina, Appalachia, Spirituals, Bernstein, and beyond,” said Shelén told MSM President Jim Gandre before the performance. “It’s truly a journey across the Americas, full of warmth, humor, and the joy of connection through song.”

More about the performance here.

In photo above, MSM alumnus and trustee Anthony Roth Costanzo (MM ‘08) (on left) poses with (in middle) his teacher at MSM Joan Patenaude-Yarnel and MSM President Jim Gandre at the Voices of Ascension Gala on November 19.

Anthony Roth Costanzo—Countertenor and Producer; General Director and President, Opera Philadelphia; Artistic Director, SongStudio at Carnegie Hall—was honored at the evening event. One of the performers taking part was MSM faculty member and alumnus, cellist Tommy Mesa (DMA ‘17).

Learn more here.

On November 9 and 16, MSM alumna Kelly Hall-Tompkins (MM ’95, HonDMA ’17) performed the Wynton Marsalis Violin Concerto with Bnagor Symphony Orchestra (BSO) Music Director Lucas Richman and the Bangor Symphony. Before the concert, Kelly took part in a pre-concert interview with Lucas Richman and BSO Executive Director Renia Shterenberg; Kelly was interviewed by Maine Public Radio about the concert.

Kelly Hall-Tompkins will be touring with the North Netherlands Symphony in Leeuwarden, Groningen, and Utrecht from November 27 to 29.

Listen to the Maine Public Radio interview here.
Listen to the pre-concert interview here.

Classical piano alumna Isabel Dobarro (PS ’13) is the winner of a 2025 Latin Grammy award in the Best Classical Album category: Her solo album Kaleidoscope – Contemporary Piano Music By Female Composers From Around The World, was produced by Javier Monteverde and released on the Grand Piano label (Naxos subsidiary) in October 2024. Isabel studied with Solomon Mikowsky at MSM.

The 26^th Latin Grammy Awards were held on November 13 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Click here to view Kaleidoscope and to learn more about Isabel. Click here for the full list of nominees.

The premiere of a new composition by MSM Percussion alumnus James Larter (MM ‘18) Toros: Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra took place at the Sinfonia Smith Square in Westminster, London (formerly St John’s Smith Square) on November 6.

A review in musicOMH, a London-based online music magazine, called the concerto “a hugely approachable work, inspired by the paintings of Pablo Picasso and the writing of Pablo Neruda… here was a modern chamber orchestra really leaning into the idiom with joy and class…Larter’s performance, of course, was magnificent – necessarily athletic (the instruments covered at least 10 metres from end to end), it was also ferociously accurate, and full of nuance.”

“I would like to extend my warmest thanks to all those who attended the world premiere of ‘Toros’ Percussion Concerto… (and) a special thanks to City Music Foundation and donors who made this happen, and the wonderful Frederick Waxman, and Sinfonia Smith Square,” James Larter posted in a newsletter following the performance.

More about James Larter here.
Watch excerpts from the premiere here.