Jisoo Kim (BUTI’16, CFA’30)

DMA Violin Performance

Jisoo Kim is a dedicated violinist and educator currently pursuing her Doctor of Musical Arts at Boston University under esteemed professor Bayla Keyes. She previously earned her Master of Music from the New England Conservatory and her Bachelor of Music from the Cleveland Institute of Music, studying with professors Nicholas Kitchen and Ilya Kaler. Born in South Korea, she has been recognized with numerous awards, including first prize at the Musical Club of Hartford Competition and top prizes in several national competitions in Korea, such as the Haneum Philharmonic Competition.

As a performer, Jisoo is actively engaged in both orchestral and chamber music. She recently has performed in the Boston Chamber Symphony and has served in concertmaster and principal roles in various orchestras. From 2021 to 2023, she was a contract member of the Canton Symphony Orchestra, gaining extensive experience in the professional orchestral field. She has also performed in NEC Chamber Music Gala at Jordan Hall under the guidance of the renowned Borromeo Quartet. She also engaged in community performance and musical storytelling fellowships at NEC, bringing music to audiences across a wide range of venues and sharing her passion with the community.

Freya Downey (CFA’26)

DMA Viola Performance

Violist Freya Downey seeks to advocate for mindfulness, accessibility, and creativity in classical music through classical performance, improvisation, and composition. Her most recent performances include a solo recital entitled “All is Well,” a faculty recital at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and solo improvisations at the Transporter Series in Boston, MA. 

Freya was awarded the Graduate Arts Research Grant from the Boston University Office of the Arts (formerly Boston University Arts Initiative) for her composition, Presence in Sound, a Deep Listening and improvisation based viola concerto, intended to invite musicians and audience members alike to engage in listening as a form of creativity. Her work as a soloist was featured in Project Pause: 4 recitals in 8 months, founded in Oklahoma, to explore connective performances and expand awareness of her instrument as a soloist voice in a format that is welcoming and accessible for all. 

As a chamber musician, she has appeared at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall alongside the Fest Quartet as the winner of Baylor University’s Semper Pro Musica Chamber Music Competition. Additionally, she was also the founding violist of the Claeys Undergraduate String Quartet at the University of Oklahoma. Freya is currently a Doctorate of Musical Arts candidate in Viola Performance from Boston University and holds degrees from Baylor University and the University of Oklahoma. Her primary instructors include Michelle LaCourse, Kathryn Steely, and Mark Neumann.

Yifang Xu (CFA’29)

DMA Collaborative Piano

Yifang Xu is a collaborative pianist based in Boston, currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Collaborative Piano at Boston University with Shiela Kibbe. She received her Master of Music in Collaborative Piano from the Cleveland Institute of Music, studying with Anita Pontremoli, where she was awarded the 2024 Cleveland Heights Alumni Chapter of Mu Phi Epsilon Rosa Lobe Award, recognizing the highest level of artistic achievement in the collaborative piano department. She earned her Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.

She has participated in masterclasses with Warren Jones, Jonathan Feldman, and Klaus Mäkelä, and has appeared as a collaborative artist at the 2022 Art Song Festival in Cleveland and the Music Academy of the West in 2024 and 2025. Yifang has extensive experience in instrumental and vocal collaboration, performing regularly in recitals, studio classes, and juries. She has worked with orchestras and opera ensembles as both pianist and celesta player, supporting rehearsals, coaching, and staged productions. In addition to her collaborative work, she has received multiple first prizes in piano solo competitions.

Andy OuYang (CFA’29)

DMA Violin Performance

Andy OuYang is a versatile violinist whose performances have carried him across concert stages throughout the United States and Taiwan. His musical journey has led him to celebrated festivals including Festival Napa Valley, the Miami Music Festival, the International Music Festival of the Adriatic, Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, and the Eastern Music Festival. Embracing both classical tradition and contemporary creativity, Andy appeared in the premiere tour of David Winkler’s Trio Concertante for the Long Island Concert Orchestra’s chamber music series and gave the world premiere of Peyton Miller’s Sonata for Violin and Piano at Yale University, a work dedicated to him by the composer. He recently appeared as a soloist with the Siung-Song Orchestra and has also been featured in multiple recitals with acclaimed pianist Chiao-Han Liao at Taiwan’s National Recital Hall.

In 2024, Andy served on the jury of the Excellence Music Open Competition of Taiwan. He was invited to perform at the 2019 Tibor Varga International Violin Competition and has appeared in masterclasses for Augustin Hadelich, James Ehnes, and Anne-Sophie Mutter. Guided by mentors Wu Hung, Simin Ganatra, I-Hao Lee, and Tai Murray, Andy earned his Master of Music degree from Yale University and is currently pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts at Boston University under the tutelage of Peter Zazofsky.

Ethan McGrath (CFA’29)

DMA Collaborative Piano

Ethan McGrath is a composer, pianist, and organist based in Boston. He holds a BM in Composition from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, an MM in Choral Studies from the University of Cambridge, and is presently working on his DMA in Collaborative Piano at Boston University. As a pianist, Ethan has served on the staff of the summer festival AIMS in Graz, Austria, and he maintains an active schedule of performances. For his compositions, Ethan has received awards from the Instytut Musica Sacra (Poland), Alfred Music, and the Southeastern Composers League, as well as commissions from the American Choral Directors Association, the New Consort, and the Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge. A selection of his works is in print with such publishers as Oxford University Press, Schott Music, and Beckenhorst Press.