Young Concert Artists (YCA) Announces Finalists for 2026 Susan Wadsworth International Auditions
12 Finalists Comprising Eight Instrumentalists, Two Singers, and Two Chamber Ensembles Will Compete for a Place on the YCA Roster
Press Photos Available Here
New York, N.Y. (Nov. 7, 2026) – Acclaimed for its commitment to identifying and investing in early-career musicians of “staggering talent” (Gramophone), Young Concert Artists (YCA) has announced the finalists in the 2026 Susan Wadsworth International Auditions. Following the semi-final round held Nov. 4–6, 2026 at Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center in New York City, 12 artists/chamber ensembles have been selected from 36 semi-finalists to advance to the final round.
The finalists are as follows: Bridget Esler, soprano; Emad Zolfaghari, viola; Gabrielle Després, violin; Dōnum Quartet; Jialin Yao, piano; John Dawson, percussion/marimba; Kerrigan Bigelow, soprano; Nadja Dornik, harp; Taige Wang, piano; Tianyou Ma, violin; Yang (Jack) Gao, piano; and Quartet Integra.
The final round will be held on Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026 at Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center, beginning at 10 a.m. The final auditions are free and open to the public and will be streamed live by The Violin Channel. The jury will select three to four winners to join the YCA roster either as soloists or as YCA’s Ensemble-in-Residence, as well as up to three additional finalists to receive a Laureate Prize, which includes $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, Nov. 9, 2026, followed by a Winners Concert at 7 p.m. that evening at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Room and streamed live by The Violin Channel. The Final Auditions and Winners Concert are generously endowed by Lucy S. Rhame.
“These Auditions represent the heart and soul of YCA,” says YCA President Daniel Kellogg*, himself a former YCA Composer-in-Residence in 2002. “For more than 65 years, YCA has discovered over 350 extraordinary young classical musicians, giving them the support they need to begin remarkable careers. We are grateful to this year’s applicants for their superb music-making and members of our esteemed jury who have had to make some difficult decisions.”
Anchored by Kellogg, the jury for the semi-final and final rounds also includes YCA Founder Susan Wadsworth, pianist Inon Barnatan, clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein*, San Diego Symphony President and CEO Martha Gilmer, conductor Jane Glover, violist Hsin-Yun Huang*, violinist Nicholas Kitchen*, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts Associate Director for Classical Programming Erin Norton, cellist Paul Watkins, and soprano Christine Goerke. (Goerke has graciously stepped in for mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves who had to regretfully withdraw due to personal reasons.) 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.
With lead support from Joan** and Irwin Jacobs, the YCA Fellowship offers artists selected through YCA's famously rigorous audition process a holistic system of support and opportunities, helping launch their careers in transformative ways. It includes comprehensive artist management, performance opportunities at top venues around the globe, and YCA-presented debut recitals in New York City and Washington, D.C., as well as ongoing mentorship by YCA leadership and alumni; a commercially-produced album with professional-grade video content; training in education and community engagement projects; individual brand development which includes a photoshoot guided by a top-tier creative director and stylist; special projects such as commissions, multi-media collaborations, and more.
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. Altogether, their collective accomplishments encompass 42 Avery Fisher Career Grants, 34 Grammy Awards, 26 Gramophone Awards, and a Pulitzer Prize.
*YCA alum **in memoriam
2026 Final Auditions: Nov. 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. An updated schedule is available at yca.org/auditions.
Winners Announced: Nov. 9, 2026
2026 Winners Concert: Nov. 9, 2026 at 7 p.m. streamed live from Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Room, on The Violin Channel. For more information, click here.
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