MingHuan Violinist

Happy Commencement Day! Roosevelt University’s Commencement Ceremony is a celebration of our students’ hard work and determination. To all of our CCPA graduates, we cannot express just how proud we are of your incredible achievement. Graduations are distinct landmarks in our lives, and we are profoundly honored to be a part of your story. What happens next is yet unwritten, and that’s an exciting gift - an adventure! You have grown as artists, humans, and performers. Your education is something that is built into you now, and it will be a resource to you in all of your future endeavors. As you begin this next chapter, one thing is certain: you are ready. You’ve demonstrated that over your time here, and you have the backing of this community of educators. Go forth bravely, rely on your training, and continue to be good people, making this world a kinder, more beautiful place. We cannot wait to see what you will do next. 💚 To the CCPA community, if you can’t attend the 2PM ceremony in person, the livestream of the Commencement Ceremony can be found at the link in our bio. CCPA graduates will also be commencing with Roosevelt’s College of Humanities, Education and Social Science. Congratulations to all of Roosevelt University’s graduates and cheers to the Class of 2026! #Roosevelt2026 #ccpa

Congratulations to Beatrice Valenzuela @beatricelavioloniste for winning the 2026 ISMTA E-Competition Non-Piano Junior Division. At New Music School, Beatrice is a violin student of Desirée Ruhstrat and in the House of Beethoven (Level 3-College Preparatory). Additionally she studies voice with Scott Ramsay @scottramsing and theory with Gonzalo Garrido-Lecca @gonzalogarridolecca Beatrice is a member of CMPI @chimusicpathway and CYSO @chiyso and a student at New Trier High School @newtrier203 #violinist #chicago #classicalmusic #violin newmusicschool

Experience three extraordinary days of piano prowess on display. The 2026 @honens Festival takes over Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre, this September. 🎹 Each evening includes a pre-concert chat at 6:00 pm followed by the show at 7:00 pm. Here’s what to check out: 🎹 September 10 — Dialogues with the Piano: Winston Choi, Jon Kimura Parker (@jonkimuraparker ), and Carter Johnson (@carter_m_johnson ) share the stage with their own past selves using Steinway Spirio player piano technology. 🎹 September 11 — Reverberations: Chopin Reframed: 2025 Honens Gold Laureate Élisabeth Pion (@elisabeth.pion ) brings a bold reimagining of Chopin's Études Op. 25. 🐘 September 12 at 10:30 am — Storytellers: Babar the Elephant: A family-friendly morning concert bringing Babar to life through music and storytelling. 🎹 September 12 — Echoes in Motion: A journey across centuries of dance forms with Winston Choi, Carter Johnson, Jon Kimura Parker, and MingHuan Xu (@allthings.strings ). 🔗 Get your tickets at the link in our bio. #NationalMusicCentre #StudioBell #Honens #HonensFestival #ClassicalMusic #YYCEvents #PianoMusic

Congratulations to New Music School students selected to perform in this Spring Showcase Recital based on their Spring juries and accolades during the spring semester. Join us this Sunday, May 3 at 5pm for an afternoon of great performances celebrating these outstanding young musicians. ELENA BAI, violin (s/o Emily Fischer), FELIX CALEGARI, voice (s/o Scott Ramsay), ZOIE GOSIENE, violin (s/o Yuriy Geyer), ANNIKKI JURVA, flute (s/o Steve Yepez), ELI KRAMER, guitar (s/o Casey Nielsen), ARINAV KUTTY, violin (s/o MingHuan Xu), PENELOPE MENDEZ, piano (s/o Jeffrey Panko), DANIEL RAZMINIA, piano (s/o Jeffrey Panko & Mary Sauer), JONATHAN TRUONG, piano (s/o Winston Choi & Wenting Shi), WAVERLEY VAN BUSKIRK, viola (s/o Timothy Hager), ANDREW VELLEUER, cello (s/o David Cunliffe), REAGAN YOUNG, piano (s/o Matthew Lorenz), REBECCA ZHAO, piano (s/o Jeffrey Panko), KEN GALLWAS, piano - for winning the piano division of the DePaul National Concerto Competition for Young Performers (s/o Jeffrey Panko & Mary Sauer), LEO MA, violin - for winning the 2026 Chicago Youth Symphony Philharmonic Orchestra Concerto Competition (s/o MingHuan Xu), MIKA MATSUYAMA, piano - for winning a Gold Medal at the 2026 CAMTA Sonata Festival (s/o Jeffrey Panko, coached by Sean Bennett), ANIKA SADANAND, piano - for winning a Gold Medal at the 2026 CAMTA Sonata Festival (s/o Jeffrey Panko), CONSTANTINE WANG, piano - for winning a Gold Medal at the 2026 CAMTA Sonata Festival (s/o Winston Choi & Jeffrey Panko), and NOEMI CIBOROWSKI, piano - for winning a Gold Medal at the 2026 CAMTA Sonata Festival (s/o Clinton Velman). Congratulations to the Honorable Mention students based on the jury performances in the Spring Semester listed in the bio above. #piano #violín #flute #guitar cello

Recently, Phil Setzer from the internationally acclaimed Emerson String Quartet, Professor of Violin at Stony Brook University and Artistic Director at Cleveland Institute of Music lead Upper Strings @chicagocollegeofperformingarts for the CCPA’s weekly Friday Performance Class Joined with Mr. Brandon Vamos leading Lower Strings Class Brandon Vamos is Professor of Cello at Indiana University, a member of the acclaimed Pacifica String Quartet, and son of legendary King Roland and Queen Almita Vamos Great Job Performers Please Enjoy these Pictures!

Meet the CCPA Enrollment Student Ambassador Team! As we are wrapping up the admissions cycle for the fall ’26 incoming class, we want to take a moment to highlight the stellar student ambassadors that have worked as an extension of the Enrollment office - welcoming prospective student families to campus, assisting with audition days, sharing why they made RU their home, and supporting our efforts to help CCPA thrive. 💚✨ Meet Isabella! Isabella Pantano She/Her Degree Program: BM in Viola Performance ’27 Hometown: St. Louis, MO What is your favorite spot to eat in Chicago? Ooh this is a tough question... this might be between Tilly Bagel, Cafecito, and Poke Poké. Best Chicago music or theatre venue? Symphony Center which houses the CSO! What advice would you offer new students? Explore the city and as many art forms as you can! Join as many clubs, ensembles, classes, etc. as you can, and try new things to see all that CCPA has to offer. You never know what things you may start to love within Music, Theatre, and Interdisciplinary! 💚💚💚💚 @rooseveltu #superstar #tourguide #theatreconservatory

Enjoy this preview of CCPA’s spring opera, Dialogues of the Carmelites! It runs this Friday and Saturday ONLY at @epiphanyarts201 with a 7:30pm curtain. You don’t want to miss this dramatic tale being performed by our incredible CCPA artists, under the direction of the exceptional @freerosie (stage), @danabrownpianist (music), and @ben_firer (conductor). Reserve your tickets now at the link in bio! 📸: @nataliejanetzoia

Thank you to everyone who watched my Masters Recital at Roosevelt University!! This program was so special to me, and I am so happy to have shared it with you all! Feeling so loved💙💙

post recital vibes: 💃💃💃

Join us for CCPA’s Spring Opera, Dialogues of the Carmelites, this Friday and Saturday evening! 📆 Friday and Saturday, April 24-25 🕢 7:30-10:30pm 📍 Epiphany Center for the Arts, 201 S Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL 60607 🎫 Reserve tickets at the link in bio An opera by Francis Poulenc, set to a text by Georges Bernanos and inspired by a novel of Gertrud von le Fort, Dialogues of the Carmelites unfolds as a profound three‑act drama. Angry, hungry crowds and scaffolds rise up in city squares as priests, nobles, and political prisoners face the merciless blade of the guillotine. The fearful aristocrat Blanche de la Force had hoped the convent would serve as her sanctuary. But as the Mother Superior warned her, this is a house of prayer, not of fear - and death now stands at the sisters’ doorstep. One by one, their faith will be tested. Part of Roosevelt University’s institutional mission is to promote social consciousness and action toward social justice, and these themes are reflected in the unfolding of the story. Based on historical events of the Reign of Terror during the late 18th century French Revolution, the Dialogues of the Carmelites deals with themes of identity, loyalty, political extremism, faith, heroism, morality, and more. Prepare to be stunned by the incredible work being done by the entire cast, production team, and orchestra! We hope you can make it. Reserve your ticket now at the link in bio! This production is made possible through the support of the Joe & Jane Hanauer Endowment for Performing Arts.

Welcome to the March edition of the Recital Rundown, and congratulations to these students on completing their recent recitals over March and February! Recital Rundown is a monthly feature where recent recitalists can share some images from their big day. It’s open to all students and represents a part of the vast amount of incredible recital performances that happen on campus. Featured in this month’s edition: -Adrian Mendez, jazz voice (Senior Recital, Gage Gallery) -Camille Dewey, euphonium (Senior Recital, Ganz Hall) -Isabella Daltoso, mezzo-soprano (Graduate Recital, Ganz Hall) -Joecel Mariz Orbon, flute (Non-Degree Recital, Ganz Hall) -Olivia Cernok, cello (Senior Recital, Ganz Hall) -Yuqing Zhou, piano (Graduate Recital, Ganz Hall) Your artistry makes this world a more beautiful and kind place, and we are all so proud of your achievements 💚 #RecitalRundown #rooseveltuniversity #chicagocollegeofperformingarts

Good morning, Lakers! Even though the temps continue to fluctuate, the flowers are telling us that spring is here! From the tulips downtown to the cherry blossoms in Jackson Park, hopefully you can make some time to take in a nature-break while you’re working hard near the end of the semester. We’ve got quite a lot going on this week! Hopefully you can make a performance and support your peers amidst your studies. This week, we have: -15 student recitals -the 2nd week of Orlando performances -2 CCPA String Chamber Music performances -CCPA Woodwind Chamber Music performance According to Steve Burns, the original host of Blue’s Clues, “If you use your mind and take a step at a time, you can do anything that you wanna do.” And we agree - you’re unstoppable 💚 Have a wonderful week, Lakers!