YCA's 2023 Susan Wadsworth International Auditions Announces Winners

James Baik, Oliver Neubauer, Benett Tsai, Michael Yeung, and Ziggy & Miles will join Young Concert Artists' prestigious roster

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.

After an exciting final round of auditions on November 11 at Kaufman Music Center's Merkin Hall, the young artists that will be added to YCA's roster include:

• James Baik, cello
• Oliver Neubauer, violin
• Benett Tsai, cello
• Michael Yeung, percussion
• Ziggy & Miles, guitar duo

These artists will perform in a Winners Concert at The Morgan Library & Museum's Gilder Lehrman Hall on November 12 at 4:30 PM.

The winners receive a minimum three-year management contract, high-profile debuts, plus national and international recital and orchestra performance opportunities. Additionally, the artists 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 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.

This year's jury included 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.