The cohort of concert artists, which includes Queen Elisabeth Competition prizewinner Joshua Brown, receive individually tailored mentorship and professional development
New England Conservatory’s (NEC) Institute for Concert Artists (ICA), which launched at the beginning of the 2024-25 academic year, has announced its new class of four current students that will enjoy ’a transformative experience for artists of extraordinary talent who are on the threshold of major performing careers’.
The ICA is a programme that offers individually tailored mentorship, professional-development tools, connections and performance opportunities, plus a full-tuition scholarship and stipend, to prepare young musicians for a career on the global stage.
Among this year’s cohort is violinist Joshua Brown, who will earn his artist diploma from NEC in 2026 under Don Weilerstein. He graduated with a bachelor’s in 2022 and a master’s in 2024 from NEC.
Brown received an Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2025. He has enjoyed competition success, including second prize and both audience awards at the 2024 Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, first prize at the 2023 Global Music Education International Violin Competition in Beijing, as well as the first prize and audience award at the 2019 International Violin Competition of Leopold Mozart in Augsburg, Germany.
The other musicians are pianist Yunchan Lim and soprano Dani Jingdan Zhang, who will also earn their artist diplomas in 2026, as well as pianist Clayton Stephenson, who will earn his artist diploma in 2027.
The NEC concert artists will receive mentorship from the Institute’s Advisory Council. These include musician and administrator Robert Ainsley, pianist Leif Ove Andsnes, countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, violinist Hilary Hahn, clarinettist Anthony McGill, singer-songwriter Aoife O’Donovan and industry leader Abhijit Sengupta.
’We are honoured to bring together some of today’s most visionary artistic leaders – luminaries whose ideals embody excellence, curiosity, and integrity, said Gloria Chien, pianist and ICA advisor.
’Their insight and partnership play a vital role in shaping the future of the ICA and supporting the artistic growth of our concert artists.’
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