Success Stories

MSM faculty member and alumnus Tommy Mesa (DMA ‘23) is a 2025 Avery Fisher Career Grant Award Recipient, and is currently featured on the Great Performances: Taking Note, a PBS digital series spotlighting rising instrumentalists who have received career grants from the Avery Fisher Artist Program. Each year, the Program awards up to five Career Grant Awards to talented instrumentalists and/or chamber ensembles with great potential for major careers.

The second season of the program showcases the Viano Quartet, violinist Joshua Brown, and cellist Tommy Mesa. The series features both performances and interviews with awardees sharing past and present inspirations, training and goals.

Watch an excerpt from the program here.

The American Composers Orchestra (ACO), the Sphinx Organization, and Concert Artists Guild have commissioned los quetzales—a brand new viola concerto written by Michael Frazier. On October 22, this new work will be brought to life by soloist and MSM faculty member Jordan Bak and the Eastman School Symphony Orchestra at the Eastman School of Music, and will be conducted by frequent MSM guest conductor Joshua Gersen.

More about Jordan Bak here.

MSM violin faculty member Lucie Robert is featured in the prestigious The Strad magazine giving advice from her perspective as a frequent judge on how to navigate competitions, offering “sage advice to young string players planning to step onto the competition path.”

Read the article here.

MSM piano doctoral degree student Annie Yu Cao (MM ‘24) this summer founded and directed the inaugural Pacific Opus Music Festival in her hometown of Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada.

Featured at the event were three distinguished MSM faculty members, Jeffrey Cohen (in photo on right) with whom Annie studies at MSM, Lucie Robert (second from right), and Olga Kern (second from left) who joined the festival’s faculty. They pose in the photo above with Annie Yu Cao, on left.

Learn more about the festival here.

Held biennially in Sion, Switzerland, the Tibor Varga International Violin Competition is dedicated to discovering and promoting new talented artists of all nationalities. Open to international violinists aged up to 30, the competition was held in Switzerland from August 22–30, 2025.

In the photo above, MSM Strings faculty member and violinist Lucie Robert (sixth person from the left) poses with other members of the jury of this prestigious competition.

The finals named three winners who preformed their chosen concerti with the South Czech Philharmonic Orchestra with Mo Valentin Uryupin. The competition consisted of four rounds including a chamber music section culminating with the finals with Orchestra.

Lucie Robert was also the jury representative for the competition during an interview with Television Suisse Romande.

More information on the competition here.

Violinist Risa Hokamura (BM ‘24, MM ‘26), a second year master’s student of Lucie Robert and Koichiro Harada, as well as a Young Concert Artist, has been named Career Grant Winner of Charlotte White’s Salon de Virtuosi 2025 in New York.

The Salon has discovered and supported an outstanding array of superb young artists through generous grants and unforgettable concerts at some of New York’s most exclusive and beautiful venues, including the consulates in New York City of many countries from around the world.

Past winners include musicians such as Gil Shaham, The St. Lawrence String Quartet, and Lang Lang.

At the age of 10, Risa Hokamura began capturing top prizes in competitions in Japan. She won the 2018 International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, and First Prize in the 2018 Young Concert Artists International Auditions at the age of 17.

More about Risa Hokamura here.

MSM classical composition alumnus David Handler (BM ‘04), a contemporary composer and violinist, is featured this week in Entrepreneur magazine, talking about his successful and highly respected NYC music venue (Le) Poisson Rouge in Greenwich Village “a place to experience music unlike any other in New York City”, which he started in 2008 with another MSM alumnus Justin Kantor (BM ‘02), who studied classical cello at MSM.

Read the interview here.

MSM student Siyi Li, a violinist from China who studies at MSM with Lucie Robert, won second prize with the “Violin and Soul” Salon Music Violin Competition 2025 in Vienna on June 30, part of the AMADEUS Festival Vienna. In addition Siyi Li won the audience prize.

Siyi Li was the resident artist of the Public Performing Space at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing during the 2023-2024 season. After receiving his B.M. Degree from the Central Conservatory of Music, Li has performed in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Tokyo, Kyoto, and Seoul.

In 2019, Li won First Place in the China-Korea International Violin Competition, as well as Second Place in both the Swiss International Music Competition and Global Music Competition in the US.

Learn more about the festival here.

Violinist SoHyun Ko (BM ’27) a student at MSM of Pinchas Zukerman and Patty Kopec, was selected from 107 applicants to participate in the Paganini Competition (Premio Paganini). Only 24 individuals were chosen to take part in the competition; the first prize winner will receive €30.000, a series of engagements at many prestigious concert venues both national and international, and, for the first time, a recording contract with the Platoon label.

The 58th Premio Paganini International Violin Competition will be held in Genoa, Italy, from October 14 –26, 2025.

Learn more about the competition here.
Learn more about Sohyun Ko here.

MSM Artist Diploma alumnus Itamar Zorman (AD ’10) appointment as Associate Professor of Music in Violin at The Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University Bloomington is effective on August 1. He was a 2013 recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant and silver medalist of the 2011 Tchaikovsky International Violin Competition.

Itamar performed as a soloist with such orchestras as the Mariinsky Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic, New World Symphony, KBS Symphony Seoul, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, and German Radio Philharmonic, among others. At MSM, he was a student of Sylvia Rosenberg.

Read more about the appointment in The Strad here.
Learn more about Itamar Zorman here.

Award-winning composer and violist Jessica Meyer has been commissioned by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra to write a composition for their orchestra. The world premiere will be held on October 25 at Carnegie Hall.

Jessica’s works have been performed in venues from the Kennedy Center to Carnegie Hall, by musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic, and by orchestras around the country. Upcoming premieres include a work for MET Opera tenor Paul Appleby and the Claremont Trio, a viola and piano work commissioned by Juilliard Pre-college, a new orchestral piece “Turbulent Flames” to be performed by a consortium of orchestras across the United States.

The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra is offering free tickets to all concerts in its 2025-26 season including the Carnegie Hall concert on October 25 featuring the premiere of Jessica’s commission. Visit the Orchestra’s website for more information here.

Learn more about Jessica Meyer here.

MSM violin faculty member Lucie Robert has been named president of the jury of the newly launched 2025 Bogotá International Violin Competition that will be taking place in Colombia from October 31 to November 7 at the Auditorio Fabio Lozano and the Teatro Mayor Julio Mario Santo Domingo. The competition is open to violinists of all nationalities up to the age of 30 as of May 31, 2025.

The Bogotá International Violin Competition aims to promote excellence in violin performance, and position Bogotá as a leading classical music hub in Latin America; it also hopes to inspire the young people of Bogotá’s “Vamos a la Filarmónica” programs.

Lucie Robert has also been named president of the International Jury for Violin 2026 of the Concours International de Montréal, a prestigious competition where the international elite of the new generation of classical musicians compete.

Learn more about the Bogotá International Violin Competition here.
Learn more about the Concours International de Montréal here.

Koshiro Takeuchi, a student at MSM of Koichiro Harada and Lucie Robert, won first place with a 6,000-euro prize in the Ion Voicu International Violin Competition in Bucharest on April 12.

Pictured above: Koshiro Takeuchi (fourth from right) and Lucie Robert (center).

The Ion Voicu International Violin Competition is open to violinists of all nationalities and is organized by the Ion Voicu Cultural Association. The competition took place April 7-12, 2025, at the National University of Music in Bucharest, with the finals held in the Grand Hall of the Romanian Athenaeum. The finalists were accompanied by the George Enescu Philharmonic under the baton of Maestro Gabriel Bebeșelea.

Learn about the winners here.
Learn more about the competition here.

Dr. Christopher Jenkins (PC ‘04) has been named the new dean of Lawrence University’s Conservatory of Music in Appleton, Wisconsin. Writes the University in a post announcing the news: “In this role, Jenkins will oversee all aspects of Lawrence’s music degree programs and contribute significantly to the university’s academic mission. Reporting directly to the provost, Lawrence’s chief academic officer, he will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of the institution.”

“We are delighted to welcome Chris to Lawrence,” said Provost and Dean of Faculty Peter Blitstein. “Chris is deeply qualified to lead the Conservatory. His vision and expertise will enrich the experiences of our students, faculty, and the broader community.”

Learn more here.

Cellist and MSM alumnus Tommy Mesa (DMA ‘23), who recently joined MSM’s College faculty, has been named one of three recipients of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grants awarded for 2025. Tommy Mesa is an acclaimed performer, recording artist, and educator.

The Avery Fisher Artist Program was created by the late Avery Fisher as a gift to Lincoln Center in 1974. The program’s Avery Fisher Career Grants support exceptional instrumentalists and chamber groups who are citizens or permanent residents of the U.S.

In addition to receiving $25,000 for career advancement, the winners will get unrestricted use of a professional recording of their performances at the award ceremony, and a custom-designed rosette as a symbol of the Career Grant.

The awards ceremony on March 18 will be streamed live at 6 PM EST on the Violin Channel.

More information here.

Chantal Poulin and Shira Gilbert, the Executive and Artistic Directors of the Concours International de Montréal, have announced that Lucie Robert will be President of the International Jury for Violin 2026.

The Concours musical international de Montréal (CMIM) is a prestigious competition where the international elite of the new generation of classical musicians compete.

“I am deeply honoured to serve as President of the International Jury for Violin 2026. It is with great pleasure that I will welcome the selected violinists to my hometown of Montreal. Their participation in this major competition will undoubtedly represent a meaningful milestone in their musical careers,” said Lucie Robert in a statement. “I look forward to being together with my colleagues on the jury and with the Montreal public to discover these young musicians, and to be moved and transported by their artistry.”

Learn about Lucie Robert here.
Learn about the Concours International de Montréal here.

The Only Girl in the Orchestra won the Oscar at the Academy Awards on March 2 for Best Documentary Short Film.

The documentary tells the story of former MSM bass faculty member Orin O’Brien who, in 1966, was the first woman to be hired in the then 125-year history of the New York Philharmonic. The documentary is by Orin’s niece, Emmy-award-winning producer/ director Molly O’Brien.

Portions of the documentary were filmed at MSM’s Neidorff-Karpati Hall with recording assistance provided by MSM sound engineers.

For more about the documentary, click here.

MSM classical violin alumna Jihye Sung (BM ’14, MM ’16) was named Associate Concertmaster of the Bozeman Symphony. She joined the Symphony in 2022 as a section violinist, also at times serving as Principal Second Violinist, and as guest Associate Concertmaster.

Jihye also performs regularly with the Montana Chamber Music Society and the String Orchestra of the Rockies and has taught violin, viola, and chamber music at Montana State University. She also has performed as a soloist with the Seoul Symphony Orchestra, Seoul Strings, and the Korean and American Youth Orchestra.

To read more about Jihye and her appointment, click here.

Violinist Risa Hokamura (BM ‘24), a first year master’s student of Lucie Robert and Koichiro Harada as well as a Young Concert Artist, will be performing the Six Eugene Ysaye Sonatas for Solo Violin op 27 on March 7, 2025 at the Kioi Hall in Tokyo.

Risa Hokamura had her recital debut with Young Concert Artists at the Kaufman Center’s Merkin Hall in New York City on February 8, 2023 and at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater in Washington, D.C. on March 23, 2023.

At the age of 10, Risa Hokamura began to capture top prizes in competitions in Japan. She won the 2018 International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, and First Prize in the 2018 Young Concert Artists International Auditions at the age of 17.

More about Risa Hokamura here.

The Netflix documentary The Only Girl in the Orchestra tells the story of former MSM bass faculty member Orin O’Brien who, in 1966, was the first woman to be hired in the then 125-year history of the New York Philharmonic.

Portions of the documentary were filmed at MSM’s Neidorff-Karpati Hall with recording assistance provided by MSM sound engineers.

The documentary is by Orin’s niece, Emmy-award-winning producer/director Molly O’Brien.
Learn more here.

The Canadian-American violinist Christina Bouey (MM ’11, PS ’12, PS ’13) has joined the Albany Symphony as its new Concertmaster Lifetime Chair. At MSM, Christina studied with the Orchestral Performance Program.

Christina most recently won first prize at the Waldo Mayo Violin Competition and had her concerto debut at Carnegie Hall. She has also won top prizes at the Vietnam International Chamber Competition, Schoenfeld International String Competition, Fischoff Competition, and the Osaka International Chamber Competition.

Christina serves as concertmaster of the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra and has performed as a soloist with the Greenwich Symphony, Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, Salina Symphony, River Cities Symphony, Symphony of the Mountains, Tonkünstler Ensemble, Metro Chamber Orchestra, and the Bergen Symphony, among others.

Learn more here.

The influential strings music magazine The Strad is featuring an interview with MSM viola faculty member Jessica Meyer in the December issue of the publication and online:

“The award-winning composer and violist Jessica Meyer is an unclassifiable phenomenon even in today’s genre-defying contemporary music sphere. Meyer has been carving a unique space through her extraordinary blend of creativity, charisma, technical mastery, educational work and innovation, all in service of an urge to share ideas and build musical communities.”

Read the article here.

A finalist of the 2024 Susan Wadsworth International Auditions is current MSM violin student Koshiro Takeuchi (BM ’28) who studies at MSM with Lucie Robert and Koichiro Harada. Semi finalists from MSM are current flute student Blue Shelton (BM ‘25) who studies with Marya Martin, and Shelén Hughes (BM ‘18, MM ‘20) who studied with Ashley Putnam at MSM.

Anchored by Young Concert Artists founder Susan Wadsworth and YCA President Daniel Kellogg, the jury (in photo above) for the semi-final and final rounds included pianists Inon Barnatan and Angela Cheng, violist Nokuthula Ngwenyama, violinists Barry Shiffman and Pamela Frank, flutist Marya Martin, soprano and MSM alumna Dawn Upshaw, and conductor Constantine Orbelian; along with Cristina Rocca, VP of Artistic Planning at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Donald Palumbo, Chorus Master at the Metropolitan Opera; and Abhijit Sengupta, Director of Artistic Planning at Carnegie Hall.

The finals took place on October 27 at Merkin Hall; a winner’s concert will be held October 28 at 7PM at Gilder Lehrman Hall at The Morgan Library & Museum in New York.

MSM alumna Melissa Westgate (MM ’98) is the Principal Cello in the Tony Award-winning production of Hell’s Kitchen on Broadway. Her previous Broadway credits include Mrs. Doubtfire, New York New York, Pal Joey, and How to Dance in Ohio.

She joined the Greenwich Symphony in 2019 and was previously the Principal Cellist of the Ridgefield Symphony and Assistant Principal of the Springfield Symphony (MA). Melissa has been a member of the New Haven Symphony and Radio City Christmas Spectacular Orchestra, as well as the Principal Cellist of the Radio City Music Hall Spring Spectacular.

Another MSM alumna, Alexa Smith (MM ’10), is a producer on Hell’s Kitchen through her work on the production at The Public Theater

Learn more about Melissa Westgate here.
Learn more about Hell’s Kitchen here.

Violinist Robert Zubrycki (MM ’86) is the concertmaster for  Once Upon a Mattress which opened on Aug 12, 2024.

Robert Zubrycki is also the concertmaster of the New York City Chamber Orchestra, a member of the Stamford Symphony Orchestra, the American Symphony Orchestra, Assistant Concertmaster of Orchestra Moderne NYC, and principal violin and frequent soloist with the Amici New York Orchestra.

A veteran of dozens of Broadway shows, Bob performs in the orchestra of Carousel, and formerly in She Loves Me and A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. He can be heard on the recent cast recordings of She Loves Me, An American in Paris, and Paint Your Wagon (violin and mandolin). He has won an Emmy Award for his musical contribution to the documentary The Curse of the Bambino.

He is currently the director for Concerts Around the Corner and the Cultural Arts Coalition in Brewster, NY.

MSM doctoral violin student William Lee was the featured violinist with the Senior Concert Orchestra of New York at Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall on September 29, performing the Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1.

The concert was conducted by MSM former faculty member David Gilbert.

William has performed as soloist with Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra and Tianjin Symphony Orchestra under the direction of maestro Muhai Tang. He has also been featured on Shanghai Television Station, Qingdao TV Station and Taiwan National Education Radio.

William is in his first year of doctoral studies at MSM, studying with Koichiro Harada and Nicholas Mann.

Learn more about William Lee here.

Violinist Xuan Yao (PPD ’25) is currently pursuing a Professional Performance Diploma at the Manhattan School of Music, studying under Koichiro Harada and Lucie Robert. Born in Changsha, China, she began violin at age five and later studied at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing.

She  is an active soloist and chamber musician, performing with the Bay-Atlantic Symphony, Capital Philharmonic of New Jersey, and Symphony in C. Xuan has been playing on a regular basis with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Princeton Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, and New Jersey Festival Orchestra.

Xuan has also participated in international festivals such as Mozarteum Salzburg, Summit Music Festival, and iPalpiti Music Festival.

An interview with MSM Strings faculty member Lucie Robert appears in the “Teaching & Playing: Techniques” section of the October edition of the respected The Strad magazine.

In the article, Lucie discusses the topic of “Playing from your heart—exploring expressive fingering.”

“Music is a language of ideas and expressive, so expressive fingering is all about our individual connection with the music we play,” she tells interviewer Naomi Yandell in the publication.

The October issue of The Strad can be found here.

In October, Jim Griffith (BM ’85) will assume the role of Executive Director of the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival in New Mexico. He is stepping down from his position as CEO and founder of the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center in Fort Myers, Florida that he founded in 1997 and grew into a multi-million dollar non-profit organization.

An accomplished violist, Jim continued to perform in Florida orchestras in addition to his work as an arts administrator.

Read more about Jim and his new position here.

MSM classical violin alumnus Alexander “Sasha” Velinzon (’93), longtime member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, has been promoted to First Associate Concertmaster as well as Concertmaster of the Boston Pops. Velinzon joined the Symphony in 2000 as a section violinist, first promoted to assistant concertmaster in 2005 and then to associate concertmaster in 2015.

From St. Petersburg, Russia, Velinzon made his New York recital debut at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and made his New York soloist debut with the Jupiter Symphony playing Paganini’s Concerto No. 1. Velinzon’s other solo engagements in the United States have included appearances with the Seattle Symphony, Absolute Ensemble, and Rondo Chamber Orchestra.

To read more about Sasha and his promotion, click here.