Finalists Announced at YCA's 2023 Susan Wadsworth International Auditions

Tune in to The Violin Channel on Saturday, November 11 at 10 AM (ET) for the Final Auditions live from Merkin Hall

Established in 1961, the Young Concert Artists (YCA) Susan Wadsworth International Auditions has since provided emerging artists opportunities to connect with top industry professionals to further their music careers.

From the Auditions, the YCA adds a new group of winning artists to its roster each year. Winners receive a minimum three-year management contract, high-profile debuts, plus national and international recital and orchestra performance opportunities.

Additionally, winners will benefit from full promotional and marketing services, educational residency experience, and professional development, as well as YCA’s network of industry managers, concert presenters, top conductors, and financial supporters.

The Finals will be held on November 11 at 10:00 AM at Kaufman Music Center's Merkin Hall. The Winners Concert will then be hosted at The Morgan Library & Museum's Gilder Lehrman Hall on November 12 at 4:30 PM. All events will be streamed LIVE on The Violin Channel.

The YCA Auditions are open to instrumentalists aged 16 to 28, singers aged 20 to 30 years old, and North America-based ensembles with an average age of 28 or less. The musicians going to the finalists are:

• James Baik, cello
• Yang (Jack) Gao, piano
• Nikka Gershman, flute
• Marcel Kits, cello
• Oliver Neubauer, violin
• Samuel Rosenthal, viola
• Michael Shaham, violin
• Benett Tsai, cello
• Claire Wells, violin
• Michael Yeung, percussion
• Ziggy & Miles, guitar duo
• Callisto Quartet, string quartet

"We are immensely grateful to our highly accomplished jury for hearing both the semi-finals and final auditions this year," said President of YCA Daniel Kellogg. "The level of excellence and expertise among them sets a prime example for all of our applicants, and supports YCA's mission to find the most exceptional additions to our roster."

This year's jury includes chairman Daniel Kellogg, Susan Wadsworth, David Starobin, Anne-Marie McDermott, Michael Parloff, Soovin Kim, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Tai Murray, Clive Greensmith, Lise de la Salle, Hanako Yamaguchi, and Deborah Borda (finals only).

Previous YCA recipients include Pinchas Zukerman, Ida Kavafian, Anne Akiko Meyers, Emanuel Ax, Murray Perahia, plus VC Artists Paul Huang, Ray Chen, Stephen Warts, Zlatomir Fung, Xavier Foley, SooBeen Lee, Risa Hokamura, and Jonathan Swensen.