New Music School

Congratulations to Constantine Wang (13) for being one of three winners of the Gold Award in the 2026 Singapore Raffles International Music Festival Competition Youth Category Piano Solo Online Competition.

Constantine will be performing Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 8 “Pathétique” in C Minor, Op. 13 on June 6 at PianoForte Chicago. Tickets in Bio.

Constantine is a student of Winston Choi and Jeffrey Panko at New Music School. He has recently won First Prize in the Junior Category of the American Protégé International Piano & Strings Competition 2026 and will be performing in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in June. Additionally, as the winner of the GOLD HANDS of the Carles and Sofia Piano Competition, he has been invited to perform in Spain this summer. He also recently performed in the Intermediate Piano Master Class with Nancy O’Neill Breth at the 2026 MTNA National Conference.

Meet Zarin Mehta
LEARNING 
Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54: 3. Allegro vivace 
FOR
IN Curriculum — Concerto Class is an advanced, tuition-based program at New Music School for serious young musicians studying concerto repertoire. Through mentorship and conductor review, selected students perform with a chamber orchestra in Ganz Hall at Roosevelt University. The program is offered every three years.

ABOUT
Zarin Mehta is a classical pianist recognized for his refined, architectural style of playing and emotional depth. He has appeared on national and international stages as both soloist and chamber musician, performing standard repertoire alongside his own compositions and transcriptions. Notable performances include opening the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Tchaikovsky Spectacular Concert at the Ravinia Festival with a solo recital in 2023 and giving the North American premiere of Augusta Read Thomas’s Amalgam in a live broadcast on WFMT Chicago Classical Radio. He has also performed concerti under the direction of Vladimir Kulenovic, Conner Gray Covington, Mina Zikri, and Francesco D’Ovidio.
Zarin has earned top prizes at the MTNA National Senior Piano Division, the Kaufman Music Center International Youth Piano Competition, the DePaul University Concerto Competition, and the Claudette Sorel Piano Competition.
He previously studied piano in the New Music School’s Pre-Conservatory Program and composition at the Music Institute of Chicago. His principal teachers have included Winston Choi, Jeffrey Panko, Mary Sauer, Sean Bennett, and Matthew Hagle. He currently studies with Minsoo Sohn at the New England Conservatory while pursuing undergraduate degrees in Applied Mathematics and Economics at Harvard University, and continues his artistic mentorship with Jeffrey Panko and Winston Choi. He has also participated in master classes with Boris Berman, Michelle Cann, Antonio Pompa-Baldi, and Orli Shaham throughout Europe.

Meet Drake Wunderlich 
LEARNING Chopin’s  Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 11: 1. Allegro maestoso
FOR 
IN Curriculum — Concerto Class is an advanced, tuition-based program at New Music School for serious young musicians studying concerto repertoire. Through mentorship and conductor review, selected students perform with a chamber orchestra in Ganz Hall at Roosevelt University. The program is offered every three years.

ABOUT
Drake Wunderlich is an eighth-grade student at Whitney M. Young Academic Center in Chicago. He began studying violin at age five and piano at age six. In 2024, he joined the New Music School, where he studies piano with Jeffrey Panko and Sean Bennett and has performed in showcase recitals and masterclass series.
A member of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras since 2018, Drake has served as Concertmaster for four seasons. He currently performs with CYSO’s flagship Symphony Orchestra, including its 2025 tour of Spain, and appeared at Lollapalooza as Assistant Concertmaster. In 2026, he was also featured as a pianist at the CYSO Gala.
Drake is a prize winner in numerous local and national competitions on both violin and piano, including First Place in the 2025 Sinfonia Bel Canto Concerto Competition and Honorable Mention in the Junior Division of the 2025 O’Malley National Concerto Competition, both in piano. In addition to his instrumental performances, he performed the title role in the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s production of Fiddler on the Roof and has also appeared in productions of Aida and Fidelio.
Outside of music, Drake enjoys animals, history, and sports, and competes in regattas with the Chicago Yacht Club.
 

Meet Mika Matsuyama 
LEARNING Saint-Saens’ Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 22: 1. Andante sostenuto 
FOR 
IN Curriculum — Concerto Class is an advanced, tuition-based program at New Music School for serious young musicians studying concerto repertoire. Through mentorship and conductor review, selected students perform with a chamber orchestra in Ganz Hall at Roosevelt University. The program is offered every three years.
 
ABOUT
Mika Matsuyama, 16, is a junior at Walter Payton College Prep in Chicago and studies piano with Jeffrey Panko at the New Music School. She has also worked with Mary Sauer and participated in masterclasses with Alan Chow, Stephen Osborne, and Spencer Myer.
Last summer, Mika attended the Interlochen Piano Intensive, Indiana University Piano Academy, Oberlin Piano Festival, and Chicago Chamber Music Festival, where she performed in masterclasses with Norman Krieger, Matthew Gianforte, and Carl Cranmer. She also participated in a masterclass with Stephen Osborne at the Grant Park Music Festival.
Mika has received numerous honors, including First Place in the Senior Division of the 2026 NSMTA Karen Tobias Piano Competition, Honorable Mention with Distinction at the DePaul National Concerto Competition, and Second Place at the American Protégé International Competition, through which she will perform Ravel’s Jeux d’eau at Carnegie Hall. She was also a finalist in the Sinfonietta Bel Canto and Musicians Club of Women competitions. Her repertoire includes works by Bach, Mozart, Schumann, Rachmaninov, Ravel, and Gershwin, as well as chamber music by Mozart, Grieg, and Piazzolla.
Outside of piano, Mika is an accomplished dancer. She previously trained at the Joffrey Academy and now performs with her high school’s varsity dance team, which earned first place at the UDA Regionals. She plans to study bioengineering in college.

Meet Kavya Sadanand 
LEARNING 
Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 12 in A Major, K. 414: 1. Allegro 
FOR
IN Curriculum — Concerto Class is an advanced, tuition-based program at New Music School for serious young musicians studying concerto repertoire. Through mentorship and conductor review, selected students perform with a chamber orchestra in Ganz Hall at Roosevelt University. The program is offered every three years.

ABOUT
Kavya Sadanand, 13, is a seventh-grade student at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools and studies piano with Jeffrey Panko at the New Music School in Chicago.
This performance marks Kavya’s third appearance as a piano soloist with orchestra. She previously performed the first movement of Bach’s Keyboard Concerto in F minor, BWV 1056, in 2024, followed by the third movement in 2025. Outside of music, Kavya enjoys reading, singing, and playing sports - especially soccer.

Meet Rebecca Zhao 
LEARNING
Haydn’s Piano Concerto No. 11 in D Major, Hob. XVIII: 11: 3. Rondo all’Ungarese 
FOR
IN Curriculum — Concerto Class is an advanced, tuition-based program at New Music School for serious young musicians studying concerto repertoire. Through mentorship and conductor review, selected students perform with a chamber orchestra in Ganz Hall at Roosevelt University. The program is offered every three years.

ABOUT
Rebecca Zhao, 9, is a fourth-grade student at Burley Elementary School in Chicago and studies piano with Jeffrey Panko at the New Music School, where she began her lessons in January 2025.
Rebecca has already earned recognition in several performances and competitions. She was selected for the Downers Grove Music Club Honors Recital in both 2024 and 2025 and received Second Place in the 2024 Illinois Music Association Solo Competition. At the CAMTA Sonatina Festival, she was awarded a Gold Medal and was invited to perform in the Honors Recital.
Rebecca has a natural affinity for music and often practices for extended periods on her own initiative. She is especially attuned to the expressive qualities of the repertoire and performs with a calm, poised presence beyond her years. Outside of music, Rebecca enjoys fencing, swimming, skateboarding, and snowboarding.

Meet Beatrice Valenzuela
LEARNING
Glazunov’s Violin Concerto in A Minor, Op. 82: 1. Moderato  
FOR
IN Curriculum — Concerto Class is an advanced, tuition-based program at New Music School for serious young musicians studying concerto repertoire. Through mentorship and conductor review, selected students perform with a chamber orchestra in Ganz Hall at Roosevelt University. The program is offered every three years.
 
ABOUT
Beatrice Valenzuela, 14, is a rising sophomore at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois, and an accomplished Chicago-area violinist whose performances have taken her from leading youth ensembles to international stages alongside renowned artists. At New Music School, she began studying violin with Timothy Hager at the age of four and now continues her studies with Desiree Ruhstrat.
A member of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras since 2021, Beatrice performs in both the Symphony and CORE Chamber Orchestras under the direction of Allen Tinkham. She also performs cello in the New Trier Freshman Orchestra and will join the New Trier Symphony Orchestra as a violinist in her sophomore year.
Beatrice has performed throughout the United States and internationally, including appearances in Spain and Havana, where she collaborated with the Cuban American Youth Orchestra. She has also shared the stage with The Piano Guys and performed under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel at the Ravinia Festival. A 2026 semifinalist in the Junior Division of the Sphinx Competition, she will return as co-concertmaster of the Equity Arc Pathways Orchestra under Lina González-Granados and is scheduled to perform with CYSO at Lollapalooza 2026.
Since 2022, Beatrice has been a fellow of the Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative. In addition to violin, she studies vocal performance with Scott Ramsay and music theory with Gonzalo Garrido-Lecca. 
Outside of music, Beatrice enjoys horseback riding in hunter and jumper disciplines, playing tennis, and competing on the New Trier High School girls’ badminton team. She also enjoys crocheting and creating handmade gifts for family and friends.

Meet Jonathan Truong 
LEARNING 
Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 12 in A Major, K. 414: 1. Allegro 
FOR
IN Curriculum — Concerto Class is an advanced, tuition-based program at New Music School for serious young musicians studying concerto repertoire. Through mentorship and conductor review, selected students perform with a chamber orchestra in Ganz Hall at Roosevelt University. The program is offered every three years.

ABOUT
Jonathan Truong, 12, is a sixth-grade student at Science & Arts Academy in Des Plaines, Illinois, and studies piano with Wenting Shi and Winston Choi at the New Music School in Chicago.
Jonathan has received recognition in numerous competitions, including being named Early Music Winner at the 2025 O’Malley National Concerto Competition, Honorable Mention at the 2025 CSA Sinfonia Concerto Competition, First Place in the 2025 CAMTA Roberta Savler Piano Contest (Level C), Second Place at the 2025 NSMTA Piano Competition, and Third Place at the 2023 ISMTA Competition. He has also been a consistent Gold Medalist in both the NWSMTA and CAMTA Sonata–Sonatina Festivals and participated in the 2024 Suzuki Association of the Americas Conference. In addition, he was a winner and scholarship recipient of the 2025 NWSMTA Summer Camp Scholarship and the 2024 Western Springs Music Club Parello & Veverka Competition.
Jonathan has further developed his musicianship through masterclasses with distinguished artists including James Goldsworthy, Sergio Monteiro, Alan Chow, Stephen Osborne, Spencer Myer, and Antonio Pompa-Baldi. Outside of piano, he enjoys swimming, biking, playing chess, and competing on his school’s Math Team and Science Olympiad.

Meet Tong-Bai Deng 
LEARNING
Saint-Saens’ Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 22: 2. Allegro scherzando 
FOR
IN Curriculum — Concerto Class is an advanced, tuition-based program at New Music School for serious young musicians studying concerto repertoire. Through mentorship and conductor review, selected students perform with a chamber orchestra in Ganz Hall at Roosevelt University. The program is offered every three years.

ABOUT
Tong-Bai Deng, 17, is a senior at Hinsdale Central High School and studies piano with Dr. Winston Choi at the New Music School.
He has been recognized in numerous competitions, earning a Gold Medal in the Professional Young Group at the 11th GOCAA Competition and First Prize in the Professional Young Artist II category at both the 2024 and 2025 CIMC Competitions. Most recently, he received First Place at the 56th Annual Stanger Competition and was named First Alternate in the Crain-Maling Chicago Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition, where he performed the finale of Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor.
In addition to his piano studies, Tong-Bai has expanded his musical interests through conducting lessons with Dr. Maxim Kuzin and explorations in composition.

Meet Victoria Zhang 
LEARNING
Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54: 1. Allegro affettuoso 
FOR
IN Curriculum — Concerto Class is an advanced, tuition-based program at New Music School for serious young musicians studying concerto repertoire. Through mentorship and conductor review, selected students perform with a chamber orchestra in Ganz Hall at Roosevelt University. The program is offered every three years.

ABOUT
Victoria Zhang, 12, is a sixth-grade student at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools and studies piano with Wenting Shi, Winston Choi, and Yifan Liu.
A dedicated young musician, Victoria has earned top prizes in sonata festivals and the ISMTA Competition. In addition to piano, she also studies violin as a second instrument. She has further developed her musicianship through masterclasses with distinguished artists including Antonio Pompa-Baldi, Alan Chow, and Stephen Osborne.
Outside of music, Victoria is an avid swimmer and skier. She also enjoys drawing, reading, and spending time with her cat.