Zola Saadi-Klein (age 22), is an Iranian-American genderfluid composer, vocalist, and artist from Los Angeles, California. For much of their work they draw inspiration from their Persian and European heritage, exploring the cross-cultural bonds of music from the West and of the lands around the Mediterranean Sea. As a member of the Oberlin Buddhist Fellowship (OBF), the practice of mindfulness and concentration meditation deeply influences their musical life. They often collaborate with like-minded creatives at Oberlin, and in the world at large, most recently with artist, violist, singer and mathematician Illana McNamara, I Have Been a Stranger in a Strange Land (2023), and vocalist and poet, Molly Chun, Songs for Those Who Came Before (2024). Zola is currently studying at Oberlin Conservatory.

Jordan Millar (age 18), from Brooklyn, New York, began composing in the New York Philharmonic Very Young Composers Program. Her piece “Boogie Down Uptown” was performed by the Philharmonic, profiled in The New York Times, and awarded the 2019 ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composers Award. Jordan has written for the New World Symphony, And Play Duo, Chromic Duo, Mivos, Argus Quartet, O Kwarteto, Intersection Music, Face the Music, International Contemporary Ensemble, and Opera Italiana. Accolades include Mata Jr., Bespoken, New York Youth Symphony, New Music Initiative for Black Voices and a 2022 ASCAP Award for Masquerade. Jordan is entering her first year at Columbia University.

Jack Gjaja (age 19) is a composer and pianist from New York City. Their works include pieces for small chamber ensembles, solos, and electronic soundscapes. They draw inspiration from the subway, trees, poetry, and dizziness. Recently, Jack explored composing for voice in a commission for contralto with Intersection for LISTEN, and a trio for the Wildflower Composers Festival. They have studied composition and piano with Mary Kouyoumdjian, David Bird, Tamar Muskal, Elena Leonova, and Adrienne Kim. Jack has performed in Montreal, Rovinj, Cremona, Bennington, and New York. They look forward to joining Kaufman’s Face the Music Program in the fall.

Azalea Twining (age 19) is a soprano and composer. Recent projects include “Echo” for solo flute commissioned by Intersection, The Red House for saxophone quartet commissioned by Second Stage and Composers Now, and Evelyn: Four Bodies One Life, a dance opera created and performed by her family. Azalea studied voice with Eileen Clark from 2014-2023 and attended the WNO Opera Institute, Eastman Summer Classical Studies program, and NYU MPAP Summer Classical Voice Intensive. Azalea is a music major at Columbia University where she studies voice with Josephine Mongiardo-Cooper and is a member of the early-music choral ensemble, Collegium Musicum. She has premiered works by Elizabeth Hoffman and Cecilia Olszewski and performed at The Washington Square Contemporary Music Society, SEAMUS Festival, and MATA Festival. Azalea hopes to foster a career as a composer/performer.

Alisha Heng (age 22) is a composer and multidisciplinary artist from New York City. Her works have been performed by Ensemble Lemniscate, baritone Christopher Herbert, and violinist Barbora Kolářová. Alisha’s passion for composition stems from both her instrumental study and a fascination to create works that provoke the mind—seeking to explore the relationships between music, art, and literature. She is also an avid filmmaker and writer. Alisha currently studies composition at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins.

Sage Shurman (age 19) is a composer, orchestrator, and multimedia artist from Los Angeles, California. She is an ASCAP Morton Gould winner, a John Green Prize winner, and a YoungArts winner. She has been commissioned nationally by groups like Hub New Music, the Taos Chamber Music Group, and ChamberQUEER. In addition, Sage’s work has been premiered by the LA Phil String Orchestra, the Southeast Symphony, Sandbox Percussion, and the Thalea Quartet. Sage is currently at Harvard University studying neuroscience and music. At Harvard she has orchestrated and music directed two new musicals and has exhibited a dance performance space with motion triggered audio.

Olivia Bennett (age 23) is a composer and gardener from Southwest Missouri. Olivia received her bachelor’s degree in music composition from Rice University, where she studied with Pierre Jalbert, Richard Lavenda, Kurt Stallmann, and Karim Al-Zand. Olivia has been an active composer for 14 years, attending festivals such as the Lucerne Festival in Switzerland and hearing her music performed by ensembles around the world. She is currently working as an Administrative Apprentice at Juilliard and enjoys the NYC culture. She has a passion for the outdoors and has worked in multiple farms and gardens. Olivia loves the ability to be both an artist and a gardener!

Madeline Clara Cheng (age 21) is a Bay Area-based artist studying composition, business law, and music industry as a Presidential Scholar at the University of Southern California. A 2023 YoungArts Award Winner, she has been commissioned by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s May Festival, Ensemble for These Times, the UUCWC Crossing Chorale, and recently Hearing in Color and La Caccina as their 2024-25 Young Composer-in-Residence. Her compositions have been performed at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and Norway’s Bergen International Festival, and by ensembles such as the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and the International Contemporary Ensemble. Madeline also enjoys designing escape rooms, music directing, and playing saxophone and piano—sometimes simultaneously.