Morningside Music Bridge class

For our 26th annual summer program this year, Morningside Music Bridge has selected 65 outstanding musicians, aged 12 to 18, from 11 countries. Representing the highest international standards of excellence, the young violinists, violists, cellists, and pianists will receive full scholarships for a month of intensive training. This year, over 350 musicians applied to the program from 24 countries where each applicant was reviewed by a distinguished panel of faculty members, representing a spectrum of international musical careers and backgrounds. The 65 students selected are from Argentina, Austria, Canada, China, Colombia, Israel, Poland, South Korea, Taiwan, the United States, and Zimbabwe.

Held from July 7 to 30, our music training program will be held in person at the New England Conservatory in Boston, MA, United States and will also feature the Emerging Artist Recital series presenting the students and several Artists in Residence concerts with notable performers from around the globe. We believe that music should have no walls, only bridges, and by offering this barrier-free and diverse program to our students these past two plus decades, we have helped train the next generation of great classical artists. Every year I am inspired as I witness connections being formed by students and faculty members from around the world.

The primary objectives of Morningside Music Bridge programs are:

• to identify and promote outstanding young artists;
• create enhanced educational and performance opportunities;
• create enhanced professional development opportunities for music educators;
• promote inter-cultural understanding and mutual respect among all participants;
• expand community and corporate-based support for cultural interaction in the participating countries;
• develop long-term partnerships between classical music communities internationally;
• and build a bridge of understanding and creativity that spans the world.

Practice session

We bring together some of the world’s most respected performing artists and teachers to guide, nurture, and inspire. Our program is well known for sparking teacher-young artist mentorships that span years and continents. Guest faculty for 2022 will include pianists Arie Vardi and HaeSun Paik, violinists Midori and Daniel Stabrawa, cellists Laurence Lesser and Andres Diaz, and violists Steve Tenenbom and Roberto Diaz. Renowned musicians including violinists Noah Bendix-Balgley and Robin Wilson, pianists Krzysztof Jablonski and Antonio Pompa-Baldi, violist Atar Arad and cellist Wei Yu will perform.

Over the past two decades, more than 1,000 young artists have benefited from the full-scholarship music experience we offer. Alumni perform on the world’s major concert stages, record for industry-leading labels, and have leadership roles in the world’s major artistic organizations. Alumni include pianists Yuja Wang and Jan Lisiecki; violinists Ning Feng, Nikki and Timothy Chooi; cellist Arnold Choi and Maciej Kułakowski; and violist Teng Li and Diyang Mei.

Performance at the Morningside Music Bridge Summer Program

“I have gained much musical knowledge during my time at Morningside Music Bridge and I also learned that music can bring people together without any boundaries. Some of the fellow students I met during my summers with the program have become my lifelong friends and now colleagues too. I am forever grateful for that,” said Earl Lee, a Morningside Music Bridge alumni and current Assistant Conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra who has recently been awarded the prestigious 2022 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award.

All recitals and concerts are free and open to the public. For further information, please visit https://mmb.international/ .

By Paul Dornian, Executive Director of Morningside Music Bridge

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