Pianist Taige Wang, 16, among winners of the 2026 Young Concert Artists auditions
The 16-year-old American pianist joins the Young Concert Artists roster, and Chinese pianist Jack Gao receives a Laureate Prize.
Young Concert Artists (YCA) in New York has named American pianist Taige Wang, 16, as one of the winners of its 2026 Susan Wadsworth International Auditions. YCA announced the results on November 9, 2026. The final round was held at Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center in New York City.
The other winners are Canadian soprano Bridget Esler and the Dōnum String Quartet from South Korea, which becomes YCA’s 2026 Ensemble-in-Residence. According to YCA, the winners were chosen from more than 150 applicants.
The jury also gave Laureate Prizes to Chinese pianist Jack Gao, 22, Chinese violinist Tianyou Ma and Canadian violist Emad Zolfaghari. Each Laureate Prize is a $5,000 career development grant and an invitation to return to the semi-final round of a future audition cycle.
New roster artists receive a three-year artist management contract, YCA-presented debut recitals in New York City and Washington, D.C., a commercially produced album and ongoing mentorship. Pianist Inon Barnatan was among the jury members.
Wang won gold medals at the Piano Star International Competition, presented by Piano League, in 2020 and 2021.
Source: Young Concert Artists
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