lili m. namazi (age 18) is a composer from New Jersey interested in synthesizing disciplines and genres to explore somatic experience through their music. They have written for the International Contemporary Ensemble, Third Coast Percussion, ChamberQUEER, New York Youth Symphony, Da Capo Chamber Players, and Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra. Lili has held fellowships and partnerships with the National Youth Orchestra of the United State of America, Third Coast Percussion, Yellow Barn Young Artists Program, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and NPR’s “From the Top.” They study anthropology and music composition at Bard College and Conservatory.

Lucy Chen (age 20) is a composer, pianist, and violinist from Potomac, Maryland who is currently a sophomore at Stanford University. She has studied composition with Wang Lu and Yiming Wu and her works have been recognized in the Morton Gould Young Composer Awards, BMI Student Composer Awards, National Young Composer Challenge, and more. Lucy was a composer apprentice for Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra program, studying with Sean Shepherd to premiere an original composition at venues across North America. She has also premiered three orchestral pieces with the Maryland Classic Youth Orchestra under director Kristofer Sanz. Lucy founded the Young Artists Music Society, an organization dedicated to spreading free concerts and music resources.

Hannah Chen (age 18) is a composer and harpist from the San Francisco Bay Area and a graduate of SFCM Pre-College and Oakland School for the Arts. She is an alumna of SF Symphony Youth Orchestra, Wildflower Composers Camp, and BUTI, and was a Featured Composer at the American Harp Society’s National Conference. Hannah has worked with ensembles including Argus Quartet and International Contemporary Ensemble and she has received recognition from ASCAP, YoungArts, Bay Area Creative Foundation, Penn State Ballora Wang Awards, and more. She was recently commissioned by EXTENSITY and ARCO Collaborative. Additionally, Hannah curates concerts at senior homes across the East Bay. She is currently a first year student at the Curtis Institute of Music.

Rachel Mugemancuro (age 21) is a violinist and composer from Los Angeles, California. She has played violin for 12 years and has soloed with the Spokane Symphony and the Glendale Youth Orchestra, as well as participated in a season of NYO-USA. Rachel has been a fellow at the LA Philharmonic’s Nancy and Barry Sanders Young Composer Fellowship since 2020, writing for ensembles such as the LA Phil and Hub New Music. Rachel deeply enjoys exploring the connection between music and the natural world, often seeking inspiration from complicated topics in biology and physics. Rachel attends Duke Kunshan University.

Gabriella Cariddo (age 21) is a harpsichordist and composer from New York City interested in exploring historical performance practice and composing tonal music in the 21st century. She is a graduate of the Special Music School as well as Manhattan School of Music’s precollege program. Gabriella currently is pursuing a triple degree at Eastman School of Music and the University of Rochester in Music Theory, Religion, and German while also studying harpsichord with Edoardo Bellotti. As a composer, Gabriella aims to incorporate her knowledge of early music techniques into her original works and bring new light to ideas that have been lost to history.

Elisa Kain Johnson (age 20) is a composer, pianist, and singer-songwriter from Seattle, Washington whose music often explores elements of social justice and identity. Her music has been performed by both professional and student musicians, including the Seattle Symphony, the Thomas More University Chorale, and the ensemble loadbang. Elisa has been honored to receive awards from The American Prize, the Washington State Music Teachers Association, the National Federation of Music Clubs, and The Metropolitan Youth Orchestra of New York. A sophomore at Northwestern University, Elisa currently studies with Jay Alan Yim and is majoring in Music Composition and Biology.

Devon Lee (age 18) is a composer and bassist from New York City. They are a junior at Special Music School and the Juilliard Music Advancement Program, where they study with Daniel Felsenfeld and Huang Ruo. Devon has had their music played by organizations like the New York Philharmonic, The Juilliard School, The Knights, ChamberQUEER, and the New World Symphony, and has been featured on WQXR and in the Cincinnati Symphony May Festival. Devon loves to participate in musical communities and writes pieces that reflect how they experience the world in hopes that resonate with others. Alongside music, Devon likes to draw, knit, and crochet.

Cecelia Olszewski (age 21) is a composer, violinist and pianist from Wallingford, Pennsylvania. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Composition at the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University. Her works have been performed by members of the Philadelphia Orchestra and the International Contemporary Ensemble. Cecelia is the founder and president of Cosmia Opera Collective, a student organization providing resources for the funding, production, and performance of new operatic works by historically-marginalized composers at Northwestern University. Her one-act chamber opera, “Devoted,” premiered in March of 2024.

Alicia Erlandson (age 21) is a composer based in the Bronx, New York, originally from Detroit, Michigan. She has been a part of the Wildflower Composers Program, MATA Jr. Festival, and Great Plains Composers Workshop, studying under Flannery Cunningham, Gabrielle Herbst, and Dawn Norfleet. In 2022, her string quintet Windowpane was awarded the G. Schirmer Prize at Luna Composition Lab, and she was commissioned by the Cincinnati May Festival as part of 25 for 25: A New Time for Choral Music. She is currently pursuing a B.M. in Composition at Mannes School of Music at The New School.