38 Early-Career Artists from 10 Countries Comprising 30 Instrumentalists, 4 Singers, and 4 Chamber Ensembles
Esteemed Jury Members Include Pianist Inon Barnatan, Clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein, San Diego Symphony President and CEO Martha Gilmer, Conductor Jane Glover, Mezzo-Soprano Denyce Graves, Violist Hsin-Yun Huang, Violinist Nicholas Kitchen, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts Administrator Erin Norton, and Cellist Paul Watkins
New York, N.Y. (Oct. 8, 2026) – Renowned for identifying and investing in musicians of "exceptional caliber" (The New York Times), Young Concert Artists (YCA) has announced the semi-finalists in the 2026 Susan Wadsworth International Auditions. Based on a preliminary round of live auditions in New York and Los Angeles, and virtual auditions via video submission, 38 artists have been selected from a pool of more than 150 applicants to advance to the semi-final round on November 4–6, 2026 at Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center in New York City.
The semi-finalists are as follows: pianists Zach Cheong, Yang (Jack) Gao, Wei Cherry Ge, Samuel Glicklich, Taige Wang, Jialin Yao; violinists Sameer Agrawal, Gabrielle Després, Yeyeong Jin, SoHyun Ko, Masha Lakisova, Tianyou Ma, Christina Nam; violists Katie Liu, Pengxi Zhu, Emad Zolfaghari; cellists Andrew Byun, Yeeun Kang, Haddon Kay, Gaeun Kim, Julia-Hyunji Lee, Olivia Marckx; clarinetist Anoush Pogossian; flutists Jonah Murphy and Rafael Mendez; guitarist Gwenyth Aggeler; harpist Nadja Dornik; oboist Omer Itzhak Posti; percussionists Meng-Chieh Chiang and John Dawson; sopranos Kerrigan Bigelow and Bridget Esler; mezzo-soprano Sophia Baete; baritone Patrick Wilhelm; string quartets Dōnum, Candide, and Integra; and the saxophone quartet Blitz.
Anchored by YCA President Daniel Kellogg*, the jury for the semi-final and final rounds also comprises YCA Founder Susan Wadsworth, pianist Inon Barnatan, clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein*, San Diego Symphony President and CEO Martha Gilmer, conductor Jane Glover, mezzo-soprano and Denyce Graves Foundation Founder Denyce Graves, violist Hsin-Yun Huang*, violinist Nicholas Kitchen*, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts Associate Director for Classical Programming Erin Norton, and cellist Paul Watkins. The jury makeup of artists, arts leaders, concert presenters, artistic planners, and conductors reflects YCA's broad connections across the classical music world, which in turn is one of the key benefits for the young artists accepted into its three-year YCA Fellowship.
This year's 38 semi-finalists will travel to New York for the two remaining rounds of auditions, performing for the chance to join the YCA Roster either as soloists or as YCA's Ensemble-in-Residence. The final round will be held on Sunday, November 8, 2026 at Merkin Hall; the finals are free and open to the public. The jury will also select up to three Laureates, who will receive $5,000 in career development grants and an invitation to compete in the semi-final round of future audition cycles. Winners and Laureate prizes will be announced on Monday, November 9, 2026 followed by a Winners Concert, at 7:00 p.m. that evening at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Room. The Final Auditions and Winners Concert are generously endowed by Lucy S. Rhame.
“Each year, the world’s most promising young musicians come to us through our rigorous auditions, and in turn, we help launch their careers in transformative ways,” says YCA President Daniel Kellogg, himself a former YCA Composer-in-Residence in 2002. “The YCA audition process is as prestigious as any of the world’s top music competitions, while representing a broader spectrum of instrumentalists, vocalists, and chamber ensembles. We reflect the future of classical music, which carries a deep commitment to prepare these musicians for long and distinguished careers.”
With lead support from Joan** and Irwin Jacobs, the YCA Fellowship offers artists selected through YCA's audition process a holistic system of support and opportunities. It includes comprehensive artist management, performance opportunities at top venues around the globe, and YCA-presented debut recitals in New York City and Washington, DC, as well as ongoing mentorship by YCA leadership and alumni; training in education and community engagement projects; individual brand development which includes a photoshoot guided by a top-tier creative director and stylist; a professional video shoot; special projects including video recordings, commissions, and collaborations.
YCA Fellows continue an illustrious legacy of YCA alumni that includes such luminaries as Emanuel Ax, Julia Bullock, Anne Akiko Meyers, Jeremy Denk, Ray Chen, Anne-Marie McDermott, Richard Goode, Dawn Upshaw, Mason Bates, Zlatomir Fung, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Kevin Puts, Pinchas Zukerman, Randall Goosby, Jennifer Johnson Cano, Sasha Cooke, and 2025 Cliburn Competition Gold Medalist Aristo Sham. YCA has launched the careers of more than 350 artists, whose collective accomplishments include 42 Avery Fisher Career Grants, 34 Grammy Awards, 26 Gramophone Awards, and a Pulitzer Prize.
*YCA alum **in memoriam
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2026 Semi-Final Auditions: November 4–6, 2026; finalists announced November 7, 2026
2026 Final Auditions: November 8, 2026, beginning at 10 a.m. at Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center, New York City – streamed live by The Violin Channel. Admission to the final auditions is free of charge and does not require a reservation.
Winners Announced: November 9, 2026
2026 Winners Concert: November 9, 2026 at 7 p.m. in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Room streamed live by The Violin Channel.
The Final Auditions and Winners Concert are generously endowed by Lucy S. Rhame.