The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS), the world’s preeminent chamber music producer and presenter, announces the twelve individual artists and one ensemble selected for the 2027-2030 Bowers Program, a highly competitive three-season residency in which participants perform, tour and teach alongside CMS artists. The Bowers Program reflects CMS’s unparalleled support and development of chamber music artists and the art of chamber music. 

This year’s participants in The Bowers Program were chosen from an international pool of 192 individual candidates and 17 ensemble candidates through competitive auditions. The twelve individual artists and one ensemble, who hail from six countries (including the USA), range in age from 24 to 32 and are award winners and recipients of some of the world’s most prestigious classical music honors for young musicians, including the Avery Fisher Career Grant, Young Concert Artists International Auditions, Queen Elisabeth Competition, and the Banff International String Quartet Competition, among others. These artists - two pianists, four violinists, a violist, two cellists, a double bassist, a clarinetist, a percussionist, and a string quartet - have been chosen to participate in The Bowers Program to focus their careers on chamber music performed at the highest level.

The Bowers Program has proven to be a springboard for many of today's most successful chamber music artists, and it provides CMS with the next generation of artists. Approximately fifty percent of the current roster at CMS is composed of Bowers alumni, the current Bowers cohort, and incoming members of the program, who perform as equal colleagues alongside CMS artists of all generations. Bowers Program artists are integrated into every facet of CMS activities for a three-season term, performing on CMS’s New York stages as well as in cities across the US and abroad alongside established CMS artists; program participants also appear as part of CMS education and community engagement programs.

The Bowers Program jury, composed of CMS artists and distinguished artistic administrators, is headed by CMS Artistic Directors David Finckel and Wu Han, who personally oversee the CMS activities of all Bowers artists for the duration of their residencies.

“We could not be more excited to welcome this extraordinary group of Bowers Program artists into the CMS family,” said CMS Artistic Directors David Finckel and Wu Han. “In keeping with our criteria for selection, each brings something unique and magical in their musicianship and personality. Even among the violinists, four distinct voices will add a rich dimension to the fabric of our sound. They come from far and wide, and also from right here at home, contributing to the musical melting pot that is so essential to CMS. Our listeners can look forward to making friends with 16 of the world’s most gifted musicians.”

Current Bowers fellow, violinist Julian Rhee, said, “The beauty of CMS is that you build an understanding and trust with the other players over time. Some of my most treasured friendships are people I’ve met here. In the Bowers Program, you are learning from incredible musicians while also clarifying your own artistry. You invite each other to collaborate, you are inspired to start your own projects, and you get to perform with artists whom you both admire and respect. The network and experiences have proven invaluable.”

“Applying to the Bowers Program was one of the wisest decisions I’ve made in my career,” said violinist Richard Lin(Bowers Artist, 2020–2024). “Joining CMS, meeting all these great musicians, and receiving mentorship from David and Wu Han and the senior musicians has been life-changing for me. After performing with so many excellent artists in New York and other cities, encountering diverse styles and new composers along the way, my mind and musical interpretations have opened so much.”

The Bowers Program began as “CMS Two” in 1994 and was renamed after Ann S. Bowers in 2018, in recognition of her leadership donation to CMS to secure the development of the next generation of outstanding young musicians. Over the course of its history, 105 individual artists and 13 ensembles have completed the program, many of whom have gone on to become the world's leading classical musicians, including Hilary Hahn, Inon Barnatan, Alisa Weilerstein, Anthony McGill, and the Miró, Escher, and Danish String Quartets, among many others. 

A list of Bowers/CMS Two alumni can be found here.  

Short Bios of the 2027-2030 Bowers Program Class:

Winner of the 2023 Young Concert Artists Susan Wadsworth International Auditions, cellist James Baik is a YCA Jacobs Fellow and is managed worldwide by Young Concert Artists. Recent performances include those with the Colburn Orchestra at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, Brevard Music Center, the Riverside Symphony, and the Mobile Symphony. This season, he will debut with the Greenwich Symphony, the Loudoun Symphony Orchestra, and the Kansas City Symphony. An active chamber musician, James is a member of the Galvin Cello Quartet. Recent chamber music performances include the Ravinia Festival, Rockport Chamber Music Festival, Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival, and Newport Classical. Baik holds a bachelor’s degree from the Colburn Conservatory of Music and is currently pursuing an Artist Diploma with Clive Greensmith. He currently plays on a G. B. Guadagnini cello on generous loan.

Equally at home as a solo pianist, collaborator, and composer, Charles Berofsky has participated in various festivals in the US and Europe, including the Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival, Music Academy of the West, Lieven International Piano Foundation, IMS Prussia Cove, and Taos School of Music. He was also a featured guest artist at the 2026 Richard Luby International Violin Symposium. He recently performed with the symphony orchestras of Málaga and Segovia in Spain, and has given recitals at Schloss Nymphenburg in Munich and Temple Emanu-El of New York. Berofsky performs as a guest artist with the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players, and is the pianist of Trio Sponte, Trio Monacum, and the Berofsky Piano Quartet. A prizewinner at major international piano competitions, he also won concerto competitions at the Eastman School of Music and New England Conservatory. He is currently pursuing his doctoral studies at the Juilliard School, studying with Robert McDonald. 

Violinist Joshua Brown gained international attention after winning the second prize and both audience awards at the 2024 Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, and was awarded a 2025 Avery Fisher Career Grant. As the recipient of a 2025 Louis and Susan Meisel Prize, Joshua is currently represented by Concert Artists Guild. Since his debut with the Cleveland Orchestra, he has performed regularly with orchestras around the world, including the Munich Radio Orchestra, MDR Sinfonieorchester, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Slovak Philharmonic, East Coast Chamber Orchestra, Belgian National Orchestra, and Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège. He studied under Donald Weilerstein as part of New England Conservatory’s Institute for Concert Artists, and under Almita and Roland Vamos at the Music Institute of Chicago. Joshua is grateful to be playing an outstanding Nicolò Amati violin, c. 1635–40, on extended loan through the generosity of the Mary B. Galvin Foundation and the Stradivari Society.

Recognized very young as a prodigious talent, percussionist Jessie Meng-Chieh Chiang first made her mark by winning the Taiwan National Marimba Competition. She later went on to the United States to continue her studies with the internationally recognized pedagogue Robert van Sice at the Yale School of Music, and at the Peabody Institute. Along with her numerous solo concerts, she is an accomplished chamber musician. She has performed throughout the United States with The Percussion Collective alongside some of today’s leading names in percussion. Her young career has included touring internationally with the Yale Percussion Group in China and Spain. Her artistry is thoughtful and engaging, paired with a natural stage presence that has established her as an emerging voice on the marimba. 

Double bassist Will Duerden rose to prominence after reaching the strings category final of the 2018 BBC Young Musician of the Year competition. A winner at the 2023 Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT) International Auditions, he was subsequently nominated as a Classic FM Rising Star in 2024 and announced as a Borletti-Buitoni Fellowship artist. Performance highlights this season include his debut at St. George’s Bristol and performances at the North Norfolk Music and Buxton International Festivals, as well as at Wigmore Hall, Neuland Kammermusikfestival, and Barber Institute of Fine Arts in Birmingham. He has also regularly performed as Principal Bass with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Aurora Orchestra, John Wilson’s Sinfonia of London, Amsterdam Sinfonietta, and the Royal Northern Sinfonia, which he joins as Principal Bass during the 2025–26 season. Other appearances include the Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, and Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra.

Violist Brian Isaacs gained international recognition as winner of the First Prize (ex aequo, ie, one of two First Prize winners) of the 2025 Concours de Genève . He has received additional top prizes at major international viola competitions, as well as honors from the Verbier Festival Academy and Yale University. Born and raised in New York City, Brian attended LaGuardia High School and Yale University, where he studied with Ettore Causa and earned degrees in sociology and music. He completed his Konzertexamen (Artist Diploma) at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts under Tabea Zimmermann, with whom he continues to study at the Kronberg Academy. From 2023 to 2025, he was a member of the Karajan Academy of the Berliner Philharmoniker, performing regularly in the orchestra’s viola section and touring with them throughout Europe and the US. As a soloist, he has appeared with orchestras including the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Philharmonisches Orchester Gießen, and Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin. 

Chinese-American cellist Haddon Kay is one of the rising stars of his generation, recognized for his genuine expressivity and musical eloquence. Haddon first gained international recognition as a top prize winner at the 2024 George Enescu International Cello Competition. A dedicated chamber musician, Haddon is a founding member of the Galvin Cello Quartet, formed in 2021 at the Bienen School of Music, which won Concert Artists Guild’s 2022 Victor Elmaleh Competition and the silver medal at the 2021 Fischoff Competition. He has performed at festivals including Music@Menlo, Bravo!Vail, and Rockport Music Festival. Born and raised in the Chicago area, Haddon is a graduate of Northwestern University and is currently pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Northwestern, continuing his studies under the tutelage of Hans Jorgen Jensen.

Clarinetist Han Kim was appointed by Gustavo Dudamel as the Principal Clarinet of Opéra National de Paris, serving as the first and only Asian principal in the orchestra’s 350-year history. Since his debut at age 11, Kim has performed with leading orchestras such as the LA and Seoul Philharmonics and the SWR, Finnish Radio, and KBS symphonies, under the baton of renowned conductors such as Marek Janowski, Manfred Honeck, and Hannu Lintu. An enthusiastic chamber musician, he has performed at the Heidelberg Spring Music Festival, Pablo Casals Festival, and Tongyeong International Music Festival. Kim consistently collaborates with contemporary composers; highlights include the West Coast premiere of Unsuk Chin’s Clarinet Concerto and Brett Dean’s Ariel’s Music. In 2021, he was selected as the Artist-in-Residence at Kumho Art Hall in Korea. Kim completed his studies with honors at Musikhochschule Lübeck with Sabine Meyer.

Praised for his exquisite sound and expressive artistry, violinist Tianyou Ma is a top prize winner at the Sendai International, Singapore International, Lillian and Maurice Barbash Bach, and Menuhin International violin competitions. Tianyou has appeared as soloist with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra, and has collaborated with renowned chamber ensembles such as the Dover Quartet and the Rosamunde Quartet. He has appeared at prestigious festivals including Music@Menlo, Four Seasons Workshop, Music from Angel Fire, and Verbier Festival Academy. Tianyou is currently pursuing the Artistic Diploma program at the Juilliard School under the tutelage of Catherine Cho. He completed his master’s degree at Juilliard as a Kovner Fellowship recipient, where he was awarded the William Schuman Prize for outstanding leadership. Tianyou previously studied at the Curtis Institute of Music with Pamela Frank and Shmuel Ashkenasi.

Praised for her artistry and “rare grace” (Classical Voice North America), violinist Clara Neubauer was a recipient of the Peter Mennin Prize for Outstanding Achievement and Leadership in Music from the Juilliard School and the Ana Chumachenco Award from the Kronberg Academy. Recent appearances include the Caramoor Center, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Rome Chamber Music Festival, and an international tour with Musicians from Marlboro. Since making her solo debut at age ten with the National Repertory Orchestra, she has appeared as soloist with ensembles across the US and Europe. A recipient of the Kovner Fellowship, Clara studied at the Juilliard School with Li Lin, Itzhak Perlman, and Catherine Cho. She served as concertmaster of the Juilliard Orchestra, including in a performance conducted by Gustavo Dudamel. Beginning this fall, she will attend the Kronberg Academy as a student of Mihaela Martin. 

Violinist Oliver Neubauer is the First Prize winner of the 2023 Young Concert Artists International Auditions. A 2025 laureate of the Fondation Gautier Capuçon and a student of Mihaela Martin at the Kronberg Academy, he is a graduate of the Juilliard School, where he studied with Li Lin, Itzhak Perlman, and Donald Weilerstein as a Kovner Fellow. He has appeared as soloist with orchestras including the Brevard, Delaware, Westchester, and Springfield Symphonies and the National Repertory Orchestra, and received the Prix de l’APCAV at the Verbier Festival. Recent seasons have included recital debuts at Carnegie’s Weill Hall (as recipient of the Gerschen Cohen Award), Merkin Hall, the Morgan Library, the Kennedy Center, and chamber music appearances at Wigmore Hall, Carnegie’s Zankel Hall, and Alice Tully Hall. He performs on the 1727 “Milstein” Guarneri del Gesù violin, on loan from the Ryuji Ueno Foundation and Rare Violins in Consortium.

Chelsea Wang, called an “excellent young pianist,” by The New York Times, has performed in venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Konzerthaus Berlin, Seoul Arts Center, and Taipei National Concert Hall. She has received awards at the Seoul International, Washington International, and New York International piano competitions. Ms. Wang made her orchestral debut at age six and has since collaborated with the Fort Worth Symphony, Des Moines Symphony, New Orleans Civic Symphony, and musicians from the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and New York Philharmonic. She serves on the faculty of the Music@Menlo Chamber Music Institute’s Young Performers Program and is an alum of Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect. Ms. Wang holds degrees from the Curtis Institute of Music, where she was awarded the Rachmaninoff Prize, and the Peabody Conservatory, where she was one of the last students of Leon Fleisher. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Northwestern University.

  Since their inception in 2016, the American-Canadian-Taiwanese Callisto Quartet has garnered top prizes in nearly every major international chamber music competition, including Grand Prize at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and Second Prize at the Banff International String Quartet Competition, alongside prizes at the Bordeaux, Melbourne, and Wigmore Hall Competitions. They have been praised for their “tremendous variety of color” (The Strad) and “cohesion and intonation one might expect from an ensemble twice their age” (Third Coast Review), the quartet maintains a busy touring schedule, regularly performing across Europe, Central America, and North America in venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Kaufman Music Center, and at premier music festivals including Ravinia, La Jolla Summerfest, and Prussia Cove. Passionate educators, they have taught at leading universities and festivals, and have held residencies at Rice, Yale, Caramoor, and the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel.

For more information about the Bowers Program, visit https://www.chambermusicsociety.org/about-us/people/the-bowers-program