- Inspiring the next generation of musical artists around the world.
Overview
The Aspen Music Festival and School is the premier classical music festival and school in the United States, noted both for its concert programming and its musical training of young-adult music students. The Simms/Mann Family Foundation knows how important it is for young musicians to experience transformational music created by world-class teachers and peers. In 2000, the Foundation endowed a Piano Chair at the Aspen Music Festival and School. The Chair is awarded to a member of the Aspen piano faculty for special recognition of teaching prominence. This gift also supports 2 Aspen Music Festival and School piano students annually.
Desired Impact
The Simms/Mann Family Foundation gift helps the Aspen Music Festival and School attract the best and brightest musicians from around the globe. For over 2 decades, the Foundation has given over 50 young musicians the opportunity to attend the Aspen Music Festival and School. These students enjoy 8 weeks of intensive study with 120 artist-faculty representing renowned music schools, conservatories, and professional orchestras. During this time, students play alongside the great concertmasters and principals of orchestras, learn from accomplished artists, and attend performances from more than 100 guest artists.
Recent Piano Fellows
Yuval Chen
2023-2025 Piano Fellow
Yuval Chen is a pianist known for emotionally rich, imaginative performances. A graduate of Juilliard’s BM and MM programs, he is currently completing the Artist Diploma at Juilliard under Yoheved Kaplinsky. He has performed...
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Bella Lei
2025 Piano Fellow
Bella Lei, a ten-year-old pianist from Macau, is a student at Mannes School of Music Prep in New York. Praised by Sergei Babayan for playing “with so many colors and so intelligently already,” Bella has won top prizes at the...
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Taige Wang
2024-2025 Piano Fellow
14-year-old Taige Wang, a Young Steinway Artist and a young scholar of the LLIMF, studies piano at The Juilliard School. Taige has won numerous piano competitions, including the YAMAHA Piano-E and Rosalyn Tureck International...
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Chenxi Chu
2024 Piano Fellow
Chu Chenxi, born January 2009 in Shanghai. His piano journey began at four-and-a-half, under Guo Ge, a German-trained pianist. By September 2019, Chu entered grade 5 at the Primary School Affiliated to Shanghai Conservatory of...
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Yufei Cathy Chen
2023 Piano Fellow
Yufei Cathy Chen, 16 years old, started to study piano with her mother at the age of 5. In 2018 she was admitted to the Juilliard School, where she studied with Professor Matti Raekallio. She is now studying with Dr. Yoheved...
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Anwen Deng
2023 Piano Fellow
Fourteen-year-old pianist Anwen Deng was born in Brisbane, Australia. She began her piano study at the age of three and was accepted into the Juilliard School pre-college program at the age of six. Anwen is the recipient of top...
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Daniela Liebman
2023 Piano Fellow
Mexican pianist Daniela Liebman currently studies with Julian Martin and Veda Kaplinsky at the Juilliard School. Her most recent engagements include soloing with the Orquesta Sinfónica del Sodrey in Montevideo, Uruguay, and the...
View BioPast Piano Fellows
Michael Shinn
2004
Liany Farinas
2004
Yuan Tian
2005
PuoChi Huang
2005
Jose Menor
2006; 2007
Esther Shin
2006; 2007
Dariya Bukhartseva
2008
Daniel Walden
2008
Steven Lin
2009; 2010
Hanbo Liu
2009; 2010
Silvan Negrutiu
2011
Hyun Jung Kim
2012
Amanda Gessler
2012
Hyung-Do Kim
2013
Carmen Knoll
2013
Taek Gi Lee
2014
Tsotne Tsotskhalashivili
2014
Qixuan Fan
2015
Jiacheng Xiong
2015; 2016
Dongxu Jin
2016; 2017
Jonathan Heifetz
2017
Elliot Wuu
2018
Eyul Esme Bolucek
2018
Micah McLaurin
2018
Harmony Zhu
2017; 2018; 2019
Yuval Hen
2019
Daniela Liebman
2019; 2021
David JeongMin Kim
2021
Umi Garrett
2021
Youlan Ji
2022
Jiacheng Xiong
2022
Endowed chairholders
Ann Schein
Johns Hopkins Peabody Institute
Yoheved (“Veda”) Kaplinsky
The Juilliard School
John O’Conor
Belvedere College
Choong Mo Kang
The Juilliard School
Richard Aaron
The Juilliard School
Gabriel Chodos
New England Conservatory
John Perry
University of Southern California
I’m so excited and honored to learn from Professor Kaplinsky and the many incredible musicians both in my studio and throughout the entire community here.”
