Students in New York Tri-State Are Currently Competing for a Chance to Perform at Lincoln Center

As you read this, middle and high school students across the Tri-State area are preparing for a competition at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Started in 1984 by Founding Artistic Director Charles Wadsworth, the Young Musicians Concert is the longest-standing education initiative at CMS.

The aim of the program is to nurture and celebrate the next generation of chamber musicians across the Tri-State area. Over the course of several months, students in 7th through 12th grades compete for a chance to perform on the stage of Alice Tully Hall. The first round is a virtual application, which the students submit in January. 

In the second round, students compete in the Semi-Final Regional Concerts, which take place in four locations: New York City (at LaGuardia High School), Long Island (at William A. Shine Great Neck South High School), New Jersey (at Ridgewood HighSchool), and the Hudson Valley (at Scarsdale High School). This year, these are adjudicated by pianist Sahun Sam Hong, cellist Mihai Marica, and violist En-Chi Cheng. Finalists selected from this round are then paired with coaches from CMS’s roster of musicians, who provide the students with professional insight and expertise before their final performance.

The concluding concerts, hosted by CMS Resident Lecturer and Director of Family Programs Bruce Adolphe, take place in Alice Tully Hall and the Daniel and Joanna S. Rose Studio at CMS, and—like the regional concerts—are free and open to the public. This year’s finalists will also be invited to attend an exclusive open rehearsal with the acclaimed Shanghai Quartet as they rehearse Antonín Dvořák’s String Quartet in F major, Op.96, “American”—a rare opportunity to witness a professional ensemble at work. 

Notable alumni of the program include cellist Nicholas Canellakis, who performed in the Young Musicians Concerts in 1999 and 2000, later became a member of CMS’s Bowers Program (a three-season residency for exceptional early-career musicians, then known as CMS Two), and now performs frequently with CMS in New York City and on tour. Other alumni include conductor James Gaffigan and soprano Erica Miller, who took part in the program in 1996 and 2001, respectively. 

“Playing on the Alice Tully Hall stage in high school was an incredible experience,” said Canellakis. “I particularly remember my first year—I was a freshman, playing the Barber String Quartet, and had coached with [violinist] Danny Phillips. He was the first renowned artist that I had ever really worked with. In some ways I remember the coaching more than the performance! It was very impactful as a first connection to the larger professional music world. So CMS was on my mind from a young age, and certainly it stayed in the back of my mind as I evolved my love of chamber music and made it the foundational part of my career."

Since joining CMS as a member of the Bowers Program in 2009 and subsequently becoming a regular CMS performer, Canellakis has now also coached many students in the Young Musicians Concerts. “It was very sweet to be able to come full-circle as a coach at CMS,” he said. “I always enjoy seeing the next generations of young, ambitious musicians. Being a part of that legacy and seeing it continue is always very exciting for me.” 

The competition serves students who participate in their music programs in public, private, and boarding schools, as well as homeschool programs, and it supplements school curricula that often lack chamber music components. “For 42 years, this program has complemented and supported the outstanding music education offered in schools across our region,” said Emily Harper, Director of Education and Community Engagement at CMS. “There’s a level of small-group attention that students could not practically receive in a large band or orchestra class. Chamber music teaches students to listen, lead, and take responsibility within an ensemble, and we are proud to elevate these groups within their own communities and here at Lincoln Center.”

Teachers and administrators have remarked on the growth opportunities that the program offers. “As an educator, I enjoy seeing the students self-evaluate and become more proactive with their preparation responsibilities,” said Michael Lemma, Director of Music at Bergen County Academies in New Jersey. “They also learn the art of chamber playing, especially how they communicate within the music—body language, musical inflection, etc. The program has motivated them to choose repertoire that brings individual and group musicianship to the next level. Additionally, I always enjoy witnessing the maturity of the students who are accountable for themselves and their partners through these audition and performance experiences.”

The program has even had an influence in the world of music education outside its immediate geographical area. Michael Schwartz, Department Head of Performing Arts and Director of Instrumental Music at William A. Shine Great Neck South High School, relates how his involvement with the Young Musicians Concerts helped other educators to incorporate chamber music in their curricula: “My favorite memory was being invited by CMS to sit on a panel with other music educators to create A Teacher’s Guide to Building a Chamber Music Program. After this, I was invited to join Jim Millar, a New Jersey music educator, to present on a panel called How To Build a Chamber Music Program at the All-State Winter Conference in Rochester. It was an amazing experience and showed fellow music educators the benefits of adding chamber music into their programs.”

This year’s final concerts, on May 5 and 7, 2026, will be the 42nd iteration; it is not exaggerated to say that generations of students have contributed to the program’s legacy. In that spirit, we close with a reflection from Janine Robinson, Vocal Music Director and Piano and Theory Teacher at William A. Shine Great Neck South High School, who was a student in the very first Young Musicians Concert:

“I am proud to say that I am an alum of this program from year one, 1984, when I was a junior at the Bronx High School of Science. Our music teacher, Jack Lombardi, told us of the CMS program, and we students took it from there. I remember going to the (sadly now closed) Patelson’s music store behind Carnegie Hall, and looking up chamber music for our particular group of instruments. I selected a Vivaldi piece. We were thrilled when our group was chosen to receive coaching at Lincoln Center and perform at Alice Tully Hall. Our coach, violinist Ik-Hwan Bae, was kind, helpful, and brilliant. He elevated our musicianship to a new level—we were introduced to a new world of sophistication and beauty. Working with CMS and performing in the concert was definitely the highlight of my high school years. Today, as a veteran music educator in the Great Neck Public Schools, I am thrilled to be able to continue working with CMS. The opportunity for students to work with the incredible musicians and staff of CMS is life-changing."

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