Young Concert Artists Announces 2025 Finalists

Renowned for identifying and investing in musicians of “exceptional caliber” (The New York Times), Young Concert Artists has announced 12 finalists in the 2025 Susan Wadsworth International Auditions. 37 artists from a pool of over 200 applicants performed in the semi-final round of live auditions in New York City. The 12 finalists will perform in the final round on Sunday, November 9, 2025 beginning at 10 a.m. E.T. at Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center in New York City. Watch the finals live on The Violin Channel, the YCA YouTube channel, and the YCA Facebook page.

The finalists are as follows: pianist Elias Ackerley (UK); pianist and violinist Ray Ushikubo (USA); violinists Christina Nam (USA), Hannah Tam (Hong Kong), and Claire Wells (USA); violist Samuel Rosenthal (USA); clarinetist Elad Navon (Israel); flutist Nikka Gershman (USA); saxophonist Estel Vivo Casanovas (Spain); ensembles Trio Azura (South Korea), Eris Trio (USA), and Erinys String Quartet (Greece).

YCA President Daniel Kellogg says, “The annual Susan Wadsworth International Auditions are the heart and soul of YCA. It’s an incredible feat to make it this far – these 12 finalists have shown an extraordinary level of the attributes we look for in our roster artists. We look forward to hearing their final auditions and sharing those with the world via the livestream on Sunday.”

Anchored by YCA President Daniel Kellogg, the jury for the final round also comprises YCA Founder Susan Wadsworth, pianist Anne-Marie McDermott, former Opus 3 Artists Senior Vice President Patricia Winter, violinist Chee-Yun, conductor and flutist Ransom Wilson, cellist Alban Gerhardt, violist Nokuthula Ngwenyama, conductor and composer Lucas Richman and the Metropolitan Opera’s Ken Noda, musical advisor for the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. The jury makeup of artists, managers, concert presenters, 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 Jacobs Fellowship. The final round is sponsored by the Linda & Isaac Stern Charitable Foundation.

This year’s 12 finalists will perform for the chance to join the YCA Roster as soloists or – in a new offering for ensembles – as YCA’s first-ever Ensemble-in-Residence. In another “first” this year, 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 10, 2025 followed by a Winners Concert, sponsored by Irene Roth and Vicken Poochikian, at 7:00pm ET that evening at the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse at Lincoln Center. The Winners Concert will be streamed live on The Violin Channel, the YCA YouTube channel, and the YCA Facebook page.

Named for a generous gift from Joan and Irwin Jacobs, the YCA Jacobs Fellowship offers artists selected through YCA’s famously rigorous audition process a holistic system of support and opportunities, including 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. 

The YCA Jacobs Fellowship kicks off with the 21st Century Artist Incubator, a 14-month intensive artist training program that guides artists through developing a toolkit including engagement best practices, social media and website review and development, and more. This Fellowship is recognized as the world’s most comprehensive, innovative, and well-resourced incubator for the brightest and most promising young artists, preparing these rising stars to lead the future of classical music. 

YCA Jacobs 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, Sasha Cooke, and 2025 Van Cliburn Winner Aristo Sham.