On Saturday, January 31, 27 musicians embarked on an adventure to New York City. This trip was more than just a fun field trip for music students: it was the performers’ final step in a much longer journey, one containing months of dedicated and consistent practice.

The Young Artists Concert at Weill Recital Hall marked the eighth year musicians from the school have performed at Carnegie Hall, one of the most renowned performance venues in the world.

In contrast to previous years, where the audition process consisted solely of video submissions, this year introduced a live process in which performers presented five minutes of their piece in front of a panel of judges of music faculty from distinguished music schools and ensembles, including Dr. Jose Ramos Santana, head of the piano department at the Hartt School of Music; Mr. Ralph Evans, violin professor at Mannes College; and Ms. Susan Evans, former cellist at Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

On the night of the performance, the Weill Recital Hall echoed with music from across centuries, ranging from Baroque works by Johann Sebastian Bach to Romantic compositions by Franz Liszt and Felix Mendelssohn to contemporary music. Violinist Andy Zhai ’29 said, “I felt proud to be at such a prestigious venue where so many famous musicians have performed, and to have the opportunity to perform and cheer my friends on as they were on stage as well.”

The program consisted of 19 solo pieces and two pieces from the school’s chamber ensemble. Ethan Keyoung ’29, a cellist who performed in the ensemble, said, “Our ensemble would get together around two times every week for an hour after school or during an orchestra block to run through our two pieces. It was a pretty tiring process, but I enjoyed it, and it turned out to be worth it.”

Pianist Anthony Hu ’25 attended the performance. He said, “It was a diverse concert with a lot of grandeur but also a lot of delicateness; I felt so proud to see such a range of instruments represented with stunning quality.”

At the final bow of the concert, Mr. Fabio Witkowski, head of the visual and performing arts department, dedicated the concert to his wife, Dr. Gisele Witkowski, instructor in piano, to celebrate her birthday. “There is no greater gift for a teacher than to hear their hardworking students finally perform,” said Dr. Witkowski.