Maggie Bai, Piano | 2025-2026 YA Concerto Competition Winner

Maggie Bai, 14, is a rising freshman in the Nobles and Greenough High School. She started taking piano lessons at the age of four and is a pianist of extraordinary promise. She currently studies with Angel Ramon Rivera and Kanako Nishikawa. Maggie is enrolled at the New England Conservatory (NEC) and is a selected member of the Chamber Music Intensive Performance Seminar (CHIPS). She studies chamber music with Laura Blustein, Sammy Andonian, and Peter Zazofsky. Maggie's musical achievements include First Prize in the Steinway Society Piano Competition, the International Young Artists Competition (NLPA), the XV Chopin International Piano Competition, the Michael H. Welles Wellesley Symphony Young Soloist Competition, and the New England Philharmonic Young Artists Competition. She has also won prizes at the Concord Orchestra Young Artists Concerto Competition, and the Brockton Symphony Orchestra Youth Concerto Competition. She is honored to have performed in Jordan Hall; Boston NEC, Concord Center, Carnegie Hall; New York, Ganz Hall; Roosevelt University, Liszt’s house; Weimar, and the Schumann Museum; Leipzig. Maggie’s passion for music extends beyond concerts and competitions. In addition to piano, she enjoys singing in musicals and studying Bel canto. She is an avid accompanist for multiple choirs and often volunteers at service events, sharing her musical talents with the community.

Gabriel Jojatu, Cello | 2025-2026 YA Concerto Competition Runner Up

Gabriel began studying piano at age 6 and cello at age 7. He began advancing rapidly on the cello and it became his main instrument soon after. At age 8 he entered New England Conservatory Preparatory School to study cello performance, chamber music and orchestra. At NEC he is part of the prestigious CHIPS (Chamber Music Intensive Performance Seminar) program which gives him opportunities to perform in Jordan Hall and have masterclasses with renowned teachers and artists. As part of the CHIPS program, Gabriel’s trio was chosen to play in the NEC 75th anniversary gala in November 2025. At the same gala, Gabriel was also selected as principal cellist of the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra’s concert.

In the summer of 2025 Gabriel made his solo with an orchestra debut, performing Polonaise de Concert by Popper with the Longwood Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Ronald Feldman, at the Esplanade Hatch Shell in Boston. In January 2026 Gabriel will perform Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme with the Wellesley Symphony Orchestra. In the fall of 2024, Gabriel won second prize in the NEC Prep concerto competition, performing Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 1. 

Gabriel is part of a musical family, with both mother and father being members of The Boston Symphony Orchestra, and his older sister at Glenn Gould School of The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, Canada. Together they play in different group combinations and perform recitals.

Gabriel’s current cello teachers are Luis Claret and Ronald Lowry. Past teachers included Nancy Hair, Laura Blustein, Mihail Jojatu.

Philip Jeong, Cello | 2025-2026 YA Concerto Competition Runner Up

Sixteen-year-old cellist Philip Jeong is recognized as one of the most compelling young artists of his generation, admired for his expressive sound, mature musical voice, and poised stage presence. Philip began his cello studies at the age of nine, and just three years later made his solo debut at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, an achievement that launched his rapidly expanding musical career.

Since then, Philip has performed as soloist with the Lowell Philharmonic Orchestra, Alpharetta Symphony Orchestra, and Gwinnett County Youth Symphony Orchestra, earning each opportunity through concerto competition wins. His artistry has also brought him to Morgan Concert Hall at Kennesaw State University as winner of both the MTNA Senior String Competition and MTNA Junior String Competition. He was additionally featured as an invited Atlanta Young Artist in the Emory Chamber Music Society of Atlanta Family Concert, held at Carlos Museum Ackerman Hall at Emory University.

Philip currently studies with Ms. Ji Young Lee and Dr. James Kim, and previously trained under Mr. Lluís Claret and Dr. Jesús Castro-Balbi. His musical development has further been shaped by participation in world-renowned programs including the Heifetz Institute Summer Program and the Music@Menlo Chamber Music Festival and Institute, where he has worked closely with distinguished faculty and young musicians from across the globe.

A passionate chamber musician, Philip has been featured in the celebrated “CelloMania” concert series at both the Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival’s 41st Season and the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival.

Beyond his solo and chamber engagements, Philip serves as principal cellist at Phillips Academy Andover, where he is valued for his leadership, humility, and commitment to musical excellence.