Stradivari Society Welcomes MIC Alumnus Sameer Agrawal, Joining Distinguished MIC Alumni

Violinist Joshua Brown has been praised by audiences and critics worldwide for his “richness of sound, elegance of reading…commitment of every moment at the service of the work…” (La Libre). Awarded a 2025 Avery Fisher Career Grant, Joshua gained international attention after winning the 2nd Prize and both Audience Awards at the 2024 Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels. Other international competition successes include the 1st Prize at the inaugural 2023 Global Music Education International Violin Competition in Beijing, China, as well as the 1st Prize and Audience Award at the 2019 International Violin Competition of Leopold Mozart in Augsburg, Germany. As the recipient of a 2025 CAG Louis and Susan Meisel Prize, Joshua is currently represented by Concert Artists Guild. Joshua is grateful to be playing an outstanding Nicolo Amati violin from Cremona, circa 1635-1640, on extended loan through the generosity of the Mary B. Galvin Foundation and the efforts of the Stradivari Society

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Recognized for her enchanting performances and exceptional bel canto-like lyricism, Indian-American violinist, Maya Anjali Buchanan, is gaining wide appeal as a dynamic young artist with extraordinary musicality. Named Yamaha’s 2020 Young Performing Artist for Classical Music/Violin she has performed on three continents garnering enthusiastic reviews. In an effort to broaden Western classical music traditions, Maya unveils the music of her heritage by presenting pieces unique to her Indian ancestry, bridging her Eastern roots with her Western classical training. Maya performs with a c. 1730 Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ through the generous efforts of the Stradivari Society of Chicago.

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Winner of the prestigious 2024 Avery Fisher Career Grant, Korean-American violinist Julian Rhee rose to international prominence following his prize-winning performances at the 2024 Queen Elisabeth International Violin Competition and Silver Medal at the 11th Quadrennial International Violin Competition of Indianapolis. He has appeared with orchestras including the Stuttgart KammerOrchester, Pacific Symphony, Oregon Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Belgian National Orchestra, Antwerp Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Richmond Symphony, and San Diego Symphony. Julian is a member of CMS’s Bowers Program and has performed at festivals including Marlboro, Rockport, Bridgehampton, Music@Menlo, and North Shore Chamber Music Festivals. He performs on the extraordinary 1699 “Lady Tennant” Antonio Stradivari violin and a Jean Pierre Marie Persoit bow, on extended loan through the generosity of the Mary B. Galvin Foundation and the Stradivari Society

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Praised by the New York Times for her “stunning” playing, Adé Williams is a renowned, award-winning concert violinist known for her vibrance and special connection to audiences. A 2023 Stradivari Society recipient, she is a highly sought-after soloist and collaborator in the US and abroad. Adé continues to frequent the world’s best concert halls, including Symphony Center in Chicago, Severance Hall in Cleveland, Merkin Hall in New York, and Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. Adé is grateful to be performing on the outstanding “Dancla” G.B. Rogeri violin, from Brescia, circa 1700, on extended loan through the generosity and efforts of the Stradivari Society.

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Praised for her “glowing sound” and “technical aplomb,” multi-award-winning artist Elisa Barston is the Seattle Symphony’s Principal Second Violin, a position she’s held since the 2006/2007 season. Previously, Barston served as Associate Concertmaster of the Saint Louis Symphony for nine seasons and was a member of the first violin section of the Cleveland Orchestra. As a soloist, Barston has performed extensively throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia, appearing with the Chicago Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Saint Louis Symphony, the Taipei Symphony and the English Chamber Orchestra, among many others. 

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Benjamin Beilman has earned international acclaim for his passionate performances and distinctive tone—The New York Times called it “muscular with a glint of violence,” while The Strad praised its “pure poetry.” Praised for his instinctive sense of form and color, he brings a balance of elegance and surprise to his playing—uncovering new depths in familiar works and expanding the violin’s expressive range through his commitment to contemporary music. Benjamin’s 2025/26 season highlights include appearances with the Minnesota Orchestra performing Szymanowski’s Violin Concerto No. 1, Dresden Philharmonic performing Mozart No. 5, Antwerp Symphony performing Saariaho’s Graal théâtre, Solistes Européens Luxembourg performing Beethoven, Nouvel Ensemble Moderne performing Berg, and the Nashville Symphony performing Britten.

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Violinist Lauren Kim studied with Almita Vamos and Injoo Choi during her time at the MIC Academy. She  is a former Stradivari Society recipient of a three-quarter-size violin by Giorgio Serafin, Venice, c. 1745. Lauren has performed in master classes for Miriam Fried, Midori Goto, Martin Beaver, Stephen Rose, Sibbi Bernhardsson, Rachel Barton Pine, and Francisco Fullana. She made her orchestral debut at the age of twelve with the Oistrakh Symphony and has performed with the Youth Symphony of DuPage in 2021, as well as the Schaumburg Youth Symphony Orchestra in 2023. She has received first place in numerous competitions, including winning the overall junior division at the Walgreen National Concerto Competition in 2021, receiving third grand prize in the rising star category at the Chicago International Music Competition in 2022, and have been chosen as the First Prize Winner of the "Berlin" Grand Prize Virtuoso in 2025.

Recognized for intense, commanding performances, delivered with dazzling virtuosity and technical assurance, Grammy Award-winning violinist Jennifer Koh is a forward-thinking artist dedicated to exploring a broad and eclectic repertoire. She has expanded the contemporary violin repertoire through a wide range of commissioning projects and has premiered more than 100 works written especially for her. Her quest for the new and unusual, sense of endless curiosity, and ability to lead and inspire a host of multidisciplinary collaborators, truly set her apart.

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Sang Mee Lee currently serves as the String Department Chair at the Music Institute of Chicago.  has appeared with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Korean Broadcasting Orchestra, and the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra. Her solo performances and recitals have been heard in the United States, Europe, and the Far East. One very interesting fact about Ms. Lee is that she was the youngest artist to appear on Chicago's Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert series, and has performed on the Ravinia Festival's Rising Stars series as well. Her many awards include First Prize of the Tibor Varga international Violin Competition, Leopold Mozart International Violin Competition, Irving M. Klien International String Auditions, Seventeen Magazine/General Motors Concerto Competition, William C. Byrd Competition, and the Stulberg International Strings Competition.

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The acclaimed American concert violinist Rachel Barton Pine thrills international audiences with her dazzling technique and lustrous tone. With an infectious joy in music-making and a passion for connecting historical research to performance, Pine transforms audiences’ experiences of classical music. She is a leading interpreter of the great classical masterworks and of important contemporary music. Pine performs with the world’s foremost orchestras, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Camerata Salzburg, and the Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, Baltimore, Detroit, and Vienna Symphony Orchestras. 

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Conrad Tao is a pianist and composer celebrated for his boundary-defying artistry as well as his powerful performances of traditional repertoire. Described by New York Magazine as “the kind of musician who is shaping the future of classical music,” and praised by The New York Times for his “probing intellect and open-hearted vision,” Tao appears regularly as a soloist with leading orchestras and at major venues across the world. Tao is also a cross-genre performer whose recent collaborators include dancer Caleb Teicher, vocalist Charmaine Lee, artist Avram Finkelstein, choreographer Miguel Gutierrez and The Westerlies. He is also a member of the Junction Trio alongside Stefan Jackiw and Jay Campbell. Tao is a recipient of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, the Gilmore Young Artist Award, and a New York Dance and Performance “Bessie” Award for his collaboration with Caleb Teicher on More Forever. 

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Wendy Warner has become one of the world’s leading cellists. The New York Times reported, “Warner’s expressive playing and glowing tone were everywhere a pleasure.” The Chicago Tribune wrote, “If there was a truly prodigious performance during the evening, this was it,” while Strings has hailed her “youthful, surging playing, natural stage presence and almost frightening technique.”  Warner soared to international attention in 1990, winning the top prize at the 4th International Rostropovich Competition in Paris at age 18. Audiences have watched Warner perform on prestigious stages including New York’s Carnegie Hall, Symphony Hall in Boston, Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles, Paris’ Salle Pleyel, and Berlin’s Philharmonie. 

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