Meet Our 2026 Young Artists
Violinist Shang-Ting Chang was born in Taoyuan City, Taiwan. She is currently a doctoral student at Stony Brook University, where she studies violin with Philip Setzer, Arnaud Sussmann, and Hagai Shaham. She previously studied with Eugene Drucker at the Manhattan School of Music and with Shih-Kai Lin at Taipei National University of the Arts.
An active orchestral and chamber musician, Shang-Ting has performed at festivals including the Aspen Music Festival, National Orchestral Institute and Festival, and Taipei Music Academy and Festival. Her honors include First Prize in the National Student Chamber Music Competition, Second Prize in the 15th Violin Competition of the Academy of Taiwan Strings, and the Lillian Fuchs Competition for Chamber Music Piano Trio.
Shang-Ting Chang
Bianca Ciubancan is currently enrolled in the five-year dual degree program between Harvard College and the New England Conservatory, studying under the guidance of Paul Biss. She is concertmaster of the Harvard RadcliCe Orchestra, and most recently won the Bach Society Orchestra concerto competition.
Prior to beginning her undergraduate studies, she served as concertmaster of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra for five years, in addition, winning their concerto competition to perform solo with both the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra and Northwest Symphony Orchestra. She has performed on WFMT’s Introductions and multiple times on NPR’s From the Top, both in Beverly Hills and virtual performances. She has participated in many competitions, having garnered top prizes in the DePaul National Concerto Competition, Walgreens National Concerto Competition, and YoungArts National Competition. She was a prizewinner at the Kloster Schöntal International Violin Competition and the Cooper International Violin Competition, where she received the Special Prize for Best Bach, in addition to winning first prize at the International Grumiaux Violin Competition.
Bianca Ciubancan
Amy Goto
Cellist Amy Goto, born in South Carolina, is currently pursuing a Master of Music degree at the Yale School of Music under the guidance of Paul Watkins, after earning her bachelor’s degree with honors at the Conservatoire de Paris (CNSMDP). At Yale, she was recently named winner of the 2026 Woolsey Hall Concerto Competition.
Amy received the AENA Special Prize (Second Prize) at the 2022 Pablo Casals International Award and the Prize for Best Performance of the Commissioned Work at the 2025 Dr. Luis Sigall International Competition. In 2022, she attended the Verbier Festival Academy as a soloist and was also the youngest member of Gautier Capuçon’s Classe d’Excellence de Violoncelle at the Fondation Louis Vuitton from 2020 to 2022.
She performs on a c. 1750 cello by Ferdinando Alberti, generously loaned by Christophe Landon, and is endorsed by Thomastik-Infeld Vienna.
Lazar Kaminsky
Boston based cellist Lazar Kaminsky has performed around the world as a chamber/orchestral musician and soloist. Lazar holds the position of principal cellist of the Symphony Pro Musica Orchestra, conducted by Mark Churchill, and has served as guest principal cellist of the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra. Some of Lazar’s most notable awards include first prize and special prize at the International New York Solo Competition, and grand prize at the Fidelity Investments Young Artist Competition. Some of his major solo appearances include performances of Elgar's Cello Concerto with the Concord Orchestra, Saint-Saens' Cello Concerto No. 1 with the AIMS Festival Orchestra, and a performance of Tchaikovsky's Pezzo Capriccioso with the Boston Pops.
In 2024 he attended and performed at the Sitka International Cello Seminar and Festival in Sitka, Alaska, directed by cellist Zuill Bailey, as a student fellow. Lazar's previous teachers include Nancy Hair and Lluis Claret. He currently studies at the New England Conservatory with Professor Julie Albers.
Bryce Burgess
Bryce Burgess is a violist originally from Seattle, currently completing his second year Bachelors in viola performance at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, studying with Atar Arad. He has performed as the principal violist of the University Orchestra at IU, and has appeared in numerous summer festivals, including the Heifetz Institute and the Bowdoin International Music Festival.
Ho Fei Ng
Ho Fei Ng is a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate in viola at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, studying with Ivo Jan Van der Werff. He is on staff as a teacher of record and teaches music theory to Rice students. Before his Doctoral studies, he studied with George Taylor at the Eastman School of Music and with Carol Rodland at The Juilliard School. Alongside his studies, he is actively involved in contemporary composition projects and performances, including appearances at Lincoln Center's David Rubenstein Atrium and the Wortham Theatre at Rice. He held principal positions in ensembles including The Juilliard Orchestra, the Rice Chamber Symphony, Symphony in C (NJ), and the Seocho Philharmonia. He has participated in summer festivals such as Bowdoin, Chautauqua, Music Academy of the West, and Sarasota. He was awarded the Robert Oppelt Prize at Eastman for outstanding achievement among violists.
Elizabeth Low
Belarusian-Singaporean pianist Elizabeth Low holds a Master of Music from Northwestern University Bienen School of Music and Bachelor of Music from the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music in Singapore. Her mentors include Christopher Harding, James Giles and Thomas Hecht. She has also participated in masterclasses by renowned pianists such as Jeremy Denk, Stephen Kovacevich, Maria Pires and Jerome Lowenthal.
While in high-school, Elizabeth was accepted into a notable youth programme, the Young Artist Programme for talented young musicians, in the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of music (YSTCM). Her passion for the piano has earned her several awards in reputable competitions. In 2024 she won the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Young Artist Piano Competition East Central Division. She also emerged 2nd in the Thaivu-Isaak Piano Competition 2024 where she was nominated by the piano faculty of the Bienen at Northwestern University.
Other achievements include winning the Farwell Award of the Musicians Club of Women Award Competition in Chicago (2025), YSTCM concerto competition (2019) and in the same year a 2nd prize in the Indonesia International piano competition. Elizabeth is currently pursuing her Doctorate degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy at the University of Michigan with a full-tuition fellowship and graduate assistantship. Other than playing the piano, Elizabeth is also a semi-professional photographer, piano technology enthusiast and loves to paint.
Owen Dodd
American pianist and composer Owen Dodds leads a diverse and stimulating musical life, driven by his desire to share the music he enjoys. A native of North Carolina, Owen currently resides in New York City, where he performs as classical soloist, chamber musician, song writer, and composer. He has recently appeared in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Steinway Hall, Lincoln Center’s Clark Studio Theatre, and Rockwood Music Hall.
Owen’s recent highlights included a performance of Bartok’s 3rd Piano with the Stony Brook Symphony Orchestra conducted by Xian Zhang, a performance of John Cage’s Credo in US with percussionist Eduardo Leandro, and an all Vaughan Williams program featuring University of North Carolina School of the Arts faculty members Paul Sharpe, Brooks Whitehouse, Jordan Bak, and Glenn Siebert.
Owen currently works as a member of the artist staff at Manhattan School of Music and as a member of the piano faculty at Hoff Barthelson Music School. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Stony Brook University under the guidance of Gilbert Kalish.
Marco Gialluca
Marco Gialluca began studying the violin at the age of six in his hometown of Pescara, later refining his skills with J. Hamza and M. Rogliano in L’Aquila. He continued his studies at the “Incontri col Maestro” Academy in Imola in the violin class of Prof. Oleksandr Semchuk and Ksenia Milas, while also earning his diploma as a private candidate from the “B. Maderna” Conservatory in Cesena with highest honors, distinction, and special mention. He subsequently completed a Master of Music and the Konzertexamen under the guidance of Prof. Marco Rizzi at the Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Mannheim. He is currently furthering his studies at the Universität der Künste in Berlin.
His musical training has been enriched through participation in numerous masterclasses with internationally renowned musicians. He has studied with Ana Chumachenco (Kronberg Academy Violin Masterclasses), Kolja Blacher and members of the Berliner Philharmoniker (Villars Music Institute), and Nora Chastain (Weimarer Meisterkurse). He has also taken part in the Zermatt Music Festival, working with members of the Berliner Philharmoniker, as well as the Davos Festival Academy and the Mahler Academy Festival in Bolzano. Further significant experiences include masterclasses with B. Belkin, P. Amoyal, R. Allifranchini, N. Benedetti, S. Tchakerian, S. Gazeau, K. Wegrzyn, T. Lark, and A. Kavafian.
From 2021 to 2023, Marco was a member of the WDR Sinfonieorchester Academy in Cologne, where he participated in symphonic concerts and educational projects, regularly collaborating with orchestra members and taking part in recordings and tours. In 2023, he was engaged with the same orchestra. Since 2024, he has been performing with the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker (in collaboration with Deutsche Oper am Rhein). He also collaborates with the Kammerakademie Potsdam, the WDR Sinfonieorchester, the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Aurora Orchestra (London), and the Orchestre de Radio France.
His artistic career includes important awards in national and international competitions. He was a winner of the prestigious “Rassegna Migliori Diplomati dei Conservatori e degli Istituti Musicali d’Italia,” for which he recorded a CD released with the magazine Suonare News. He won First Prize at the International Competition “Giovani Musicisti – Città di Treviso” and was the only Italian finalist at the “Young Talents & Orchestra” Competition. He received special prizes at the “Odessa International Violin Competition” and the “Coop Music Awards” (in duo with pianist Annalisa Orlando), and was a semifinalist at the “Schoenfeld International String Competition” in Harbin, China.
Marco has performed as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player in some of the most prestigious concert halls in Europe and worldwide, including the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Royal Albert Hall in London, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, the Kölner Philharmonie, the Shanghai Oriental Art Center, and the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing. As a soloist, he has performed with orchestras such as the WDR Sinfonieorchester and the Kurpfälzisches Kammerorchester, performing Mozart concertos. He gave a recital at the Società del Quartetto di Milano and has collaborated with the Accademia dei Cameristi in Bari, performing extensively in trio, quartet, and quintet formations. He has also appeared at important cultural institutions, including the Italian Cultural Institutes in Paris and Stuttgart, and in prestigious theaters such as the Teatro Comunale di Ferrara, the Auditorium “Manzoni” in Bologna, and the Teatro Alighieri in Ravenna. He has taken part in major festivals such as the Lucca Classica Music Festival, the Mantova Chamber Music Festival, and the MUN Festival in Pesaro, collaborating with internationally renowned artists and further enriching his artistic experience.
Da Young (Rachel) Lim
Violinist Da Young (Rachel) Lim is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Stony Brook University under the tutelage of Jennifer Frautschi and Philip Setzer, where she is the recipient of a full-tuition scholarship. As a chamber music enthusiast, she is a founding member of the Varick Trio, formed in 2024, which presents programs throughout Long Island with a focus on storytelling, healing, and cross-cultural engagement. Rachel has appeared as a soloist with the Allentown, Ambler, and Temple University Symphony Orchestras and has served as concertmaster of the New England Conservatory Symphony and Philharmonia orchestras, as well as principal second violinist of the Stony Brook Chamber Orchestra. She has participated in festivals including Fontainebleau in France, Green Mountain Chamber Music, Tanglewood, Yellow Barn, and Music@Menlo. Born in South Korea, she immigrated to the United States at age twelve and holds degrees from Yale University and New England Conservatory.