As part of WPMA’s growing engagement with visiting artists and distinguished guest faculty, the academy regularly hosts masterclasses that give students direct access to world-class musicians.
These sessions offer students the opportunity to perform, observe, and learn directly from leading musicians.
WPMA hosts masterclasses as often as once or twice per month. Not every masterclass is posted here.
Keep an eye out for internal academy announcements and check our website often to stay up-to-date with all upcoming academy masterclasses.
Masterclass Program
Masterclasses provide students with a unique opportunity to learn from accomplished performers beyond their regular studio instruction. Through these sessions, students gain new perspectives on interpretation, technique, and musical expression.
Observing how artists work with repertoire solo, orchestral, or chamber, solve technical challenges, and communicate musical ideas can profoundly shape a young musician’s development.
Key learning outcomes include:
Past Distinguished Guest Artists to work with students at the academy over the years have included:
Alf Richard Kraggerud, Violin — Former Vice-Principal of Barratt Due Institute of Music and former Principal of the Razumovsky Academy in London
Ben Kim, Piano — First Prize winner of the 55th ARD Munich International Music Competition
Chloe Chua, Violin — Joint First Prize winner of the 2018 Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists
David Coucheron, Violin — Concertmaster of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra since 2010
David Fung, Piano — Laureate of the Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition and the Arthur Rubinstein Piano Master Competition
Edward Kreitman, Violin — Director of the Kreitman Suzuki Studio and Atlanta Suzuki Institute
James Dunham, Viola & Chamber Music — Professor of Viola & Co-Chair of Strings at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music
James Kim, Cello & Chamber Music — Winner of the 2006 David Popper International Cello Competition and 2012 Salon de Virtuosi’s Sony Career Grant
Kevin Lawrence, Violin — Professor of Violin and Chair of the String Department at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts
Lin Wei Sigurgeirsson, Violin — First violin of Iceland Symphony Orchestra and Chair of the Lin Yao Ji Music Foundation
Herbert Greenberg, Violin — Former Concertmaster of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Professor of Violin & Strings Chair at the Peabody Conservatory
Itamar Zorman, Violin — Winner of the 2011 International Tchaikovsky Competition and Associate Professor of Music at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music
Jay Liu, Viola — Associate Principal Viola of the San Francisco Symphony and Professor of Viola at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music
Kevin Zhu, Violin — Winner of the 2018 Paganini International Violin Competition and recipient of the 2021 Avery Fisher Career Grant
Mauricio Fuks, Violin — Professor of Violin at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and Visiting Professor at the Kronberg Academy
Nancy Zhou, Violin & Chamber Music — Winner of the 2018 Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition and Violin Faculty at Tianjin Juilliard
Nicholas Kitchen, Violin — Founding first violinist of the Borromeo String Quartet and Violin Faculty at the New England Conservatory
Peter Winograd, Violin — Member of the American String Quartet and Violin Faculty at the Manhattan School of Music
Rhonda Rider, Cello & Chamber Music — Professor of Cello at Boston Conservatory at Berklee and former member of the Naumburg Award-winning Lydian Quartet
Sara Sant’Ambrogio, Cello — Founding cellist of the Naumburg Award-winning Eroica Trio
Sergiu Schwartz, Violin — Professor of Violin at Columbus State University’s Schwob School of Music
Scott Kluksdahl, Cello — Professor of Cello at the University of South Florida and Theodore and Venette Askounes-Ashford Distinguished Scholar
Simon James, Violin — Professor of Violin at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music
Simon Zhu, Violin — Winner of the 2023 International Violin Competition “Premio Paganini”
Wei He, Violin — CEO and Artistic Director of The Tianjin Juilliard School
Xie Nan, Violin — Chairman of the Violin Department and Professor of Violin at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing
Yang Xu, Violin — First violin of The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
Yi-bing Chu, Cello — Former Professor of Cello at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and former Principal Cellist of the Basel Symphony Orchestra
Yi-Wen Jiang, Violin — Founding Violin Faculty at the Bard College Conservatory of Music and former member of the Shanghai Quartet
Zhenwei Shi, Viola — Principal Violist of Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Masterclasses are open to all WPMA students and attendance is strongly encouraged for those seeking to deepen their musical understanding and be inspired. These are rare opportunities to learn from and interact with celebrated artists up close.
Academy students may participate either as performers or observers, although students are only invited to perform if deemed ready by WPMA faculty. Both experiences, regardless of instrument, provide valuable insight into repertoire preparation, technique, and musical interpretation.
Guest Artist Masterclasses complement WPMA’s broader educational programs, including:
Students in the WPMA Pre-College Division also benefit from regular engagement with distinguished guest artists as part of their advanced training.
