Welcome to Young Musicians of Westchester’s 4th season of free public concerts. Our musicians are current music conservatory students and recent graduates, all outstanding artists embarking on professional careers. Many of our musicians are working on or have attained graduate degrees from leading music schools. Many have participated in international competitions. We look forward to seeing old friends and welcoming new attendees at our free community concerts.
Concert Season 2026 - 2027
Queens College Baroque Ensemble with harpsichordist Hsiu-Tzu Ryan
Sunday, October 11, 2026 / 3:00 pm
Asbury Crestwood United Methodist Church 167 Scarsdale Road / Tuckahoe, NY
The Ensemble will bring a program of Germanic Baroque masterpieces including a concerto by C.P.E. Bach to our first concert at Asbury.
The Queens College Baroque Ensemble, based at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College, brings together undergraduate and graduate performers, Doctoral students from the CUNY Graduate Center, and distinguished guest artists. Directed by Masayuki Maki, a specialist in historical keyboard instruments, chamber music, and historically informed performance practice, the Ensemble is dedicated to exploring early music through scholarship, creativity, and vibrant performance. The Ensemble was selected to participate this year at the Young Performers Festival of the Early Music America Summit in Seattle.
This concert is supported by the Rudyard and Emanuella Reimss Memorial Fund
Hsiu-Tzu Ryan, harpsichord
Wednesday, October 14, 2026 / 12:10 pm
Downtown Music at Grace
Grace Episcopal Church 33 Church Street / White Plains, NY
Hsiu-Tzu Ryan will bring a program of Bach – including a portion of his Goldberg Variations – Scarlatti, and other Baroque masters to Grace Church.
New York-born Taiwanese harpsichordist Hsiu-Tzu maintains an active international career, performing regularly across Europe and Asia. A graduate of the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris and Queens College, City University of New York, she collaborates with leading figures in early music. Hsiu-Tzu was recently chosen as the solo harpsichordist of Belgian ensemble La Petite Bande for its recording and international tour of J.S. Bach's harpsichord concertos. In addition, Hsiu-Tzu established the first music studio in Taiwan to promote the performance of early music utilizing historical instruments.
The Kwintet
Saturday, October 17, 2026 / 2:00 pm
White Plains Public Library 100 Martine Avenue / White Plains, NY
The Kwintet will perform jazz standards including pieces by Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk
A group of five jazz musicians who attend the Conservatory of Music at SUNY Purchase. With a common goal - to connect and create with each other. The Kwintet pursues spontaneity and group improvisation, inviting audiences to witness and contribute to their creative process. The work of Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk serve as an inspiration for the band. The Kwintet brings music to New York City, Westchester County, Hudson Valley, and beyond.
For more information regarding The Kwintet upcoming shows or recordings, sign up to their newsletter, please visit lukeseto.com.
Brielle Perez, piano I Ruth Stokes, cello I Adam Jackson, piano
Sunday, October 18, 2026 / 2:00 pm
New Rochelle Public Library One Library Plaza / New Rochelle, NY
Three gifted young musicians will perform at New Rochelle Library, playing compositions by Bach, Brahms, Ravel and Chopin.
Pianist Brielle Perez graduated with her Master’s degree in Piano Performance from The Juilliard School, where she is now a teaching assistant. Brielle has played across the United States, Europe, and Asia, including a performance on WQXR’s Young Artists Showcase. Last year, Brielle won first prize in the Juilliard Scholarship Competition. This past summer, Brielle taught at the Vienna Piano Summer School in Austria and attended Aspen Music Festival. Brielle also performs as a chamber musician, a keyboardist for a Grammy-nominated rock group and accompanies musical theater and Broadway singers.
Ruth Stokes is a NYC-based performing and teaching artist. Ruth performs widely as a solo and chamber musician and is the principal cellist for Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra where she will perform the Schumann Cello Concerto this season. She also organizes a series of biweekly chamber music concerts in West Harlem. She completed her Master’s degree in performance at Penn State University, her Bachelor’s degree is from Frost School of Music at the University of Miami and is completing a Performance Diploma at the Mannes School of Music.
Adam Jackson was born in the UK and began piano studies at the Hoff-Barthelson Music School in Scarsdale, NY after moving with his family to the US in 2010. Having completed his undergraduate degree, Jackson is pursuing his Master’s degree at Juilliard. Adam won 1st place in the Dallas International Piano Competition, where he returned in 2025 to perform with the Dallas Chamber Symphony. Last year Adam attended the Tianjin Juilliard Piano Festival, where he was selected to perform with the Shanghai Quartet at the festival’s closing concert. Most recently, Adam was featured on WQXR’s “Young Artists Showcase” and performed in NPR’s “Tiny Desk Concert” series.
This concert is being presented in support of New Rochelle ArtsFest 2026
Max Hammond, piano
Sunday, November 15, 2026 / 2:00 pm
New Rochelle Public Library One Library Plaza / New Rochelle, NY
The program will feature Beethoven’s “Hammerklavier” Sonata
California born pianist Max Hammond graduated from Yale College with a Bachelor’s degree in mathematics. While studying at the Yale School of Music Max was also managing director of Yale’s undergraduate opera company and named the most outstanding performer of Class of 2024. Max graduated from the Juilliard School with a Master’s degree and continues his work in Juilliard’s doctoral program.
Max has performed across the US, Mexico, England, Scotland, France, Austria, Italy and Spain. He made his Lincoln Center debut in Alice Tully Hall performing Schoenberg’s Piano Concerto with the Juilliard Orchestra. As an educator, Max holds workshops for students of the New York Youth Symphony and at the University of Chicago.
This concert is supported by the Rudyard and Emanuella Reimss Memorial Fund
Trio Çava
Wednesday, November 18, 2026 / 12:10 pm
Downtown Music at Grace
Grace Episcopal Church 33 Church Street / White Plains, NY
Trio Çava will perform pieces by Haydn and Mendelssohn.
Based in New York, the members of Trio Çava boast an unwavering commitment to chamber music, with appearances at Marlboro, the Ravinia Steans Music Institute, the Taos School of Music, Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival, and the Perlman Music Program. Trio members have been awarded top prizes at international competitions, and being featured on programs such as NPR’s “From The Top” and Yo-Yo Ma’s “Music Art Life”.
Violinist Yebin Yoo is emerging as one of the most compelling young voices in classical music today. By eighteen, she had swept all major national competitions in Australia. As a soloist, Yebin has performed at Carnegie Hall and at the Marlboro Music and Ravinia Festivals. Yebin is currently pursuing her doctorate of at the CUNY Graduate Center, having completed her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at the New England Conservatory.
Cellist Elena Ariza is the 2025-27 season cellist for Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect program. She received her Artist Diploma and is presently a doctoral candidate at Juilliard. Making her Carnegie Hall debut at the age of 14, Elena has since performed at the Berliner Philharmonie Grand Hall, the Royal Concertgebouw, Seiji Ozawa Hall, and Smetana Hall in Prague. She won 1st prize at the 2025 William C. Byrd Young Artist and the 2022 Gustav Mahler Prize Cello Competitions.
Lucas Amory holds a Master’s degree from the Juilliard School in Piano Performance and a Bachelor’s degree from Harvard College. Lucas is the first prize winner of the PianoArts 2024 North American and the 2022 James Yannatos Harvard Concerto Competitions. Chamber music residencies have included Marlboro, Yellowbarn, and the Ravinia Steans Music Institute. As a conductor, Lucas directed Harvard’s Bach Society Orchestra.
William Suh, cello I Anthony Ratinov, piano
Sunday, December 6, 2026 / 2:00 pm
New Rochelle Public Library One Library Plaza / New Rochelle, NY
William and Anthony completed their Masters’ degrees at Yale and are currently in Juilliard’s Artist Diploma program. They will perform music by Schumann and Brahms at New Rochelle Library.
William Suh received first prizes from the Serge & Olga Koussevitzky Artist Awards; the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, Hennings-Fischer, and the concerto competitions of The Juilliard School, Aspen Music Festival, and New England Conservatory. His festival appearances include Norfolk, Kneisel Hall, the Fellowship Program of the Bowdoin International Music Festival, and the Perlman Music Program Chamber Music Workshop.
Anthony Ratinov began his musical journey at the age of four. His first teacher was his grandmother, Edit Ratinova, who taught at Moscow's renowned Gnessin Music School for 45 years. Ratinov won 3rd Prize at the 2024 Concours Musical International de Montréal, 2nd Prize at the National U.S. Chopin Competition, and earned critical acclaim at the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw. In 2023, Ratinov won 2nd Prize at the Busoni International Piano, València Iturbi International Piano, Olga Kern International Piano Competitions. Ratinov is a Young Steinway Artist.
This concert is supported by the Rudyard and Emanuella Reimss Memorial Fund
The Bard East/West Ensemble
Saturday, February 20, 2027 / 2:00 pm
Scarsdale Public Library 54 Olmsted Road / Scarsdale, NY
The Bard East/West Ensemble is a dynamic and original music group that brings together the essence of Chinese and Western soundscapes to create a model of cross-cultural performance, combining Eastern and Western musical traditions. The Ensemble’s core members are composed of a Western string quintet and Chinese instruments including dizi, erhu, pipa, ruan, suona, guzheng and sheng, with Chinese and Western percussionists.
The Ensemble has performed in major venues on the East Coast of the United States including the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, and at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Cultural exchange and cross-cultural understanding are at the root of the Ensemble’s mission to improve US-China relations through the universal language of music.
In partnership with Scarsdale Chinese Association and Scarsdale Public Library
Lydia Saylor, soprano I Abhay Saha, piano
Sunday, March 14, 2027 / 2:00 pm
New Rochelle Public Library One Library Plaza / New Rochelle, NY
Lydia and Abhay will bring international music to New Rochelle, ranging from Aaron Copland and American Songbook to music from France, Spain and Armenia.
Lydia Saylor enjoys a career as a soloist singing oratorio, opera, contemporary, and chamber music. Operatic roles include Gretel (Humperdinck Hänsel und Gretel), Adele (J. Strauss Die Fledermaus), and Morgana (Handel Alcina). As a soloist Lydia’s performed Bach’s St. John Passion, compositions by Copland, Fauré, Mendelssohn, and Vaughan Williams. She’s performed internationally in London, The Hague, Vienna and Singapore. Lydia received her Master’s degree from the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College.
Pianist Abhay Sana is studying at the Mannes School of Music for his Master’s degree having completed an Advanced Certificate at the Copland School. Abhay works primarily in collaborative musical settings, including musical theater, opera, art song, and chamber music. He has served as Assistant Music Director at the Queens Summer Vocal Institute and as Resident Artist at Opera North New Hampshire, Lake George Music Festival, and is a staff pianist at the Copland School.
Leonard Fu, violin I Baron Fenwick, piano
Wednesday, March 31, 2027 / 12:10 pm
Downtown Music at Grace
Grace Episcopal Church 33 Church Street / White Plains, NY
Taking on new positions with the Juilliard String Quartet and American Ballet Theater,respectively, Leonard and Baron will perform an all-Beethoven program.
Violinist Leonard Fu has performed in Germany, China, Russia, the United States, Italy, and Spain. An active soloist and chamber musician, Leonard has played concerts with major orchestras including Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, NDR Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra. Leonard was a laureate of the Joseph Joachim Violin Competition and 1st prize winner at both the Ton & Erklärung and Schadt International String Competitions. With special interest in the performance of old music, Leonard dedicates time to the study of Historical Performance Practice, working with the Handel & Haydn Society and the Academy of Ancient Music Berlin. Having completed his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at New England Conservatory and pursued further studies at Juilliard, Leonard is joining the Juilliard String Quartet as second violin and the Juilliard faculty in the fall.
Pianist Baron Fenwick received his Doctorate degree from The Juilliard School and previously graduated from Mannes College of Music with his Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees. He is the winner of numerous awards, including the Silver Medal in the Sendai International Music Competition in Japan. In the fall of 2026, he will begin a position as pianist and administrator for American Ballet Theatre. Baron performs a range of repertoire, including more than 60 world premieres and four world premiere piano concertos. He has played with orchestras throughout the United States and around the world.
This concert is supported by the Rudyard and Emanuella Reimss Memorial Fund
Anoush Pogossian, clarinet I Sahana Shravan, violin I Lucas Amory, piano
Sunday, April 11, 2027 / 2:00 pm
New Rochelle Public Library One Library Plaza / New Rochelle, NY
This concert will include Armenian folk songs arranged by composition students and faculty at Juilliard.
A fellow in Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect, Armenian-American clarinetist Anoush Pogossian is pursuing her Artist Diploma at Juilliard where she received her Master’s degree. She was awarded a 2020 U.S. Presidential Medal in the Arts, featured on WQXR’s Young Artists Showcase and as part of “Komitas and Friends: Armenian Folk Music, Then and Now”, a cultural exchange project to commission, record, and perform works for clarinet based on Armenian folk songs. Anoush has performed at chamber music festivals including Yellow Barn, Skaneateles, Norfolk, Sebago-Long Lake, and Apple Hill Center, and with groups including Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Westside Chamber Players, Washington Heights Chamber Orchestra, and Riverside Symphony.
Violinist Sahana Shravan earned two degrees from The Juilliard School, and performs music ranging from Western classical to Carnatic and Hindustani singers, composers, and dancers. Most recently, she was a chairholder on Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s new production of The Lunchbox, an adaptation of Ritesh Batra’s 2013 film. Sahana was awarded the Gold Prize at the 2022 St. Paul String Quartet Competition, and other awards including the 2025 Van Lier Artist of Exceptional Merit, and the Joseph W. Polisi Prize. She has performed at the European American Musical Alliance in Paris, Yellowbarn, and Madeline Island String Quartet Fellowship Program. She has served in the faculty at Rocky Ridge Music’s Junior Artist Intensive, BRAVO Workshop Buffalo, and at the United Nations International School in New York.
Lucas Amory holds a Master’s degree from the Juilliard School in Piano Performance and a Bachelor’s degree from Harvard College. Lucas is the first prize winner of the PianoArts 2024 North American and the 2022 James Yannatos Harvard Concerto Competitions. Chamber music residencies have included Marlboro, Yellowbarn, and the Ravinia Steans Music Institute. As a conductor he is the current Music Director of the CHROMAS Ensemble and directed Harvard’s Bach Society Orchestra.
Rhea-Scherer Duo
Sunday, April 18, 2027 / 2:00 pm
White Plains Public Library 100 Martine Avenue / White Plains, NY
Cellist Lydia Rhea and pianist Amber Scherer will bring a program of masterpieces of cello and piano repertoire and complementary music to White Plains Library.
Formed in 2022, the Rhea-Scherer Duo prioritizes programming beyond the classical canon and has since collaborated on recordings of 20th and 21st century works. Lydia and Amber met as Master’s students at The Juilliard School. Sharing interest in the interactions between classical music and jazz, they made their first joint recording of David Baker’s Cello Sonata, a work inspired by Baker’s roots in jazz.
Lydia and Amber have worked with artists across genres, from jazz musicians to dancers. Both women care deeply about arts education. They each teach privately and work with community organizations such as the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Kaufman Center, and Brooklyn Music School.
Last year, the Duo made recital debuts in Chicago’s Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert series, New York’s THE BLANC Pulsing Sounds series, and in London at the Fidelio Cafe with a program of all-female composers. This year, they will engage in a jazz-classical fusion tour and working with more composers in the NYC area.
Jiusi Zhang, piano
Wednesday, April 21, 2027 / 12:10 pm
Downtown Music at Grace
Grace Episcopal Church
33 Church Street / White Plains, NY
The program will feature music by Beethoven and Brahms.
Chinese pianist Jiusi Zhang has made remarkable progress as he prepares for a career in piano performance. At the age of eighteen, Jiusi entered the Oberlin Conservatory, from his hometown Langfang, China, and completed his Master’s degree at the Yale School of Music. Jiusi made his orchestral debut in 2022 with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 at Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU as a winner of the PianoTexas Concerto Competition.
Recent accolades include First Prize at the 2025 Lancaster International Piano Festival Competition, Silver Medals at the 2025 Rubato International Piano and 2022 NTD International Piano Competitions, and Bronze Medal at the 2025 International Keyboard Odyssiad Festival Competition.
This concert is supported by the Rudyard and Emanuella Reimss Memorial Fund
Jiyeon Park, violin I Jiusi Zhang, piano
Sunday, May 2, 2027 / 3:00 pm
Asbury Crestwood United Methodist Church 167 Scarsdale Road / Tuckahoe, NY
Friends and partners at the Yale School of Music, Jiyeon and Jiusi will perform classical music masterworks including Franck’s Violin Sonata at Asbury Church.
Violinist Jiyeon Park recently completed her Master’s degree at the Yale School of Music. Jiyeon earned her Bachelor’s degree from Yonsei University’s School of Music. She has distinguished herself in numerous competitions, garnering First Prizes at the Music Education Newspaper Competition and the Nanpa Competition. She has also been awarded top prizes at the Music Chunchu Competition, the KCO Competition, the Strad Competition, and the Seoul Philharmonic Competition.
As a soloist, Jiyeon performed Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 4 with the Yonsei Sinfonietta, in recitals at Yale and at Taofen Concert Hall in Chengdu, China. She is also a passionate chamber musician, selected to perform at Kumho Art Hall for a New Year Concert celebrating UNESCO.
Pianist Jiusi Zhang has made remarkable progress as he prepares for a career in piano performance. At the age of eighteen, Jiusi entered the Oberlin Conservatory, from his hometown Langfang, China, and completed his Master’s degree at the Yale School of Music. Jiusi made his orchestral debut in 2022 with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 at Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU as a winner of the PianoTexas Concerto Competition. Recent accolades include First Prize at the 2025 Lancaster International Piano Festival Competition, Silver Medals at the 2025 Rubato International Piano and 2022 NTD International Piano Competitions, and Bronze Medal at the 2025 International Keyboard Odyssiad Festival Competition.