Washington Musical Pathways Initiative

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Washington Musical Pathways Initiative

Building pathways for the next generation of classical musicians.

05/07/2026

WMPI at Equity Arc's 2026 National Pathways Festival! 🎶🎻🥁🪈📯

We celebrate the WMPI Artists who joined 71 Pathways fellows across the U.S. in Tysons, VA to take part in an inspiring weekend filled with rehearsals, student-led activities, meaningful conversations, and a powerful culminating concert featuring the Pathways Orchestra and Wind Symphony. A special shoutout to Jane Morrison (viola) for representing student voices on the fellow panel! We were so happy to reconnect with alumnus, Austin Adaranijo, as he wraps his sophomore year at Juilliard.

Students had the incredible opportunity to visit the U.S. Supreme Court and engage in an inspiring conversation with Justice Sonia Sotomayor — an unforgettable experience that highlighted the importance of leadership, perseverance, and using your voice and your art with purpose.

We are deeply grateful to our students’ families, dedicated faculty, and mentors who support our Artists every step of the way — helping provide not only exceptional musical training, but also experiences that build lasting friendships, community, and a sense of belonging. The festival also brought together pre-college and collegiate administrators, faculty, and supporters, who make the work we do possible. A big thank you to Equity Arc and their incredible faculty and staff for their mentorship, inspiration, and commitment to the next generation of musicians.

Congratulations to Bright Wang (violin), Chloe Robertson (bassoon), Collyn Wilcher (percussion), Ishaan Banerjee (cello), Jane Morrison (viola), Philip Weeks (viola), Zoie Chu (cello), and alumnus Austin Adaranijo (French Horn, ’24, Juilliard School)!✨🎶👏

Levine Music DC Youth Orchestra Program National Symphony Orchestra

04/18/2026

WMPI cellists Andrew, Avril, Ishaan, and Zoie took the stage this past month for an inspiring masterclass with Rachel Young, performing works by Elgar, Boccherini, Shostakovich, and Bloch. ✨ We had a truly inspiring time at the cello master class with Rachel Young! 🎻⁠
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Levine alumna and National Symphony Orchestra cellist Rachel Young returned to lead a dynamic session featuring talented cellists from Levine’s Washington Musical Pathways Initiative. The class was filled with thoughtful music-making, growth, and collaboration, as students refined their artistry and learned from her expertise.⁠
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A special thank you to pianist Irina Kats for her partnership and guidance throughout the session.⁠
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Thank you to everyone who helped make this master class such a meaningful and inspiring experience ✨

03/17/2026

Celebrating Levine WMPI student Chloe Robertson and Honors pianist Neel Perdue! 🏆✨ Congratulations to Neel Perdue, piano student of Martin Labazevitch, and Chloe Robertson, bassoon student of Jimmy Ren, for their extraordinary performances as Grand Prize Winners of the 2026 Cogen Concerto Competition! 🎶🏆⁠
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Selected from among the first-place division winners, Neel and Chloe earned the distinguished opportunity to perform with an orchestra at Levine’s 50th Anniversary Student Showcase on May 30, an honor recognizing their exceptional artistry and achievement.⁠
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Join us in celebrating Neel and Chloe on this remarkable milestone, and don’t miss the chance to see them perform at the Student Showcase. ✨

03/06/2026

Congratulations to WMPI bassoonists Chloe and Oscar! We can't wait to hear them on NPR's From the Top this spring - stay tuned! • We’re thrilled to celebrate two of our WMPI students, Chloe Robertson and Oscar Machado Moron, as 2026 Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Scholars! ✨⁠
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Each year, From the Top selects about 20 exceptional pre-collegiate musicians for this prestigious award. Recipients participate in From the Top’s Learning and Media Lab, completing a 6-week remote program, designing a community engagement project, and recording their appearance for the NPR broadcast and podcast.⁠
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Learn more and see the full list of award recipients at the link in our bio.

📸Jorge Amaya Photography

DC Youth Orchestra Program National Symphony Orchestra National Symphony Orchestra Musicians

12/10/2025

Join us tomorrow, Thursday, December 11 at 6 pm at Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage as our WMPI Artists perform an exciting program featuring works by Pius Cheung, Weber, Francoeur, Hailstork, Bartók, Paganini, and Wynton Marsalis! 🎻🥁🎶

Attend this performance in-person by reserving complimentary tickets with the link in our bio, or enjoy the performance via livestream with the link at showtime.

Reserve your tickets and tune into the livestream here:
https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/millennium-stage/2025/december/washington-musical-pathways/

Levine Music DC Youth Orchestra Program National Symphony Orchestra

11/07/2025

This past month, our WMPI Artists had an amazing workshop on practice techniques with musicians from the National Symphony Orchestra: Bob Rearden, (French horn, faculty at Peabody Institute) and Jamie Roberts (oboe, faculty at the University of Maryland).

Artists explored stretches and warm-ups, played musical examples, and learned strategies to make practice sessions more mindful, efficient, and effective. A huge thank you to the incredible NSO musicians for giving our Artists the opportunity to discover new—and tried-and-true—ways to practice with joy and purpose! 🌟

Levine Music DC Youth Orchestra Program National Symphony Orchestra Musicians

10/07/2025

Pathways students and alumni - Don't miss this incredible opportunity - Apply by October 15! 🎶🎻🪈🥁📯

06/27/2025

Our final Senior Spotlight is WMPI violinist Payton Everett, who’s headed to Spelman College as a Doris Duke Music Scholarship recipient this fall! 🎓🎻🙌

Payton is a student of Susan Katsarelis and will continue her studies with Tami Hughes at Spelman. She participated in the DC Youth Orchestra and the Philadelphia International Music Festival’s college audition prep program.

Highlights for Payton include:
★ Masterclasses with Jinwoo Lee, Rebecca Henry, Mahoko Eguchi, and Alessandra Cuffaro
★ Orchestral performances in Austria, Germany, and Czech Republic during the DCYOP summer tour

At Spelman, Payton will double major in violin and psychology with a strong interest in pursuing music therapy. We cannot wait to see you flourish in whatever the future holds for you, Payton!

📸 Jorge Amaya Photography

National Symphony Orchestra DC Youth Orchestra Program Levine Music The Kennedy Center Spelman College Spelman College Department of Music Philadelphia International Music Camp & Festival

06/26/2025

Our next Senior Spotlight is WMPI cellist and jazz pianist Kenji Yokote, who will attend the University of Michigan this fall! 🎓🎻🎹🙌

Kenji is a student of Seth Castleton (cello) and Joshua Jenkins (jazz piano) and will continue his studies with Andy Milne (jazz piano) at Michigan. He has participated in the DC Youth Orchestra, Maryland Classic Youth Orchestra, U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own” chamber music side-by-side, Sphinx Performance Academy, Interlochen Arts Camp, National Philharmonic Summer Institute, and Brevard Summer Jazz Institute.

Kenji’s musical resume includes:
★ NAACP ACT-SO Competition: 1st place in Contemporary Instrumental and 2nd place in Classical Instrumental
★ Multi-time Omega Psi Phi Talent Hunt prizewinner
★ Lead pianist of the Foundation for the Advancement of Music & Education (FAME) Jazz Band
★ Masterclasses with Benett Tsai, Danielle Cho, and Seth Parker Woods

At Michigan, Kenji will study jazz piano and neuroscience with plans to continue pursuing cello through lessons and school ensembles. Kenji is truly multitalented! Congratulations and best of luck in wherever your future takes you.

📸 Jorge Amaya Photography

National Symphony Orchestra DC Youth Orchestra Program Levine Music The Kennedy Center University of Michigan University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance The United States Army Band Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras Interlochen Center for the Arts Brevard Music Center Sphinx Organization National Philharmonic Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated NAACP FAME - Foundation for the Advancement of Music & Education, Inc.

06/23/2025

Today's Senior Spotlight is WMPI bassist Jonathan Stiff, who's headed to the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music as a double bass performance major this fall! 🎓🎻🙌

Jonathan Stiff is a student of Michael Marks and will continue his studies with Kurt Muroki and Jeffrey Turner at IU. He has participated in the DC Youth Orchestra, DCYOP's Young Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, and U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own” chamber music side-by-side.

Jonathan's artistic accolades include:
★ Performing at the Vice President Mansion as a jazz bassist with the Duke Ellington School of the Arts Jazz Combo
★ Summer training at the NSO Summer Music Institute, Sphinx Performance Academy, Interlochen Double Bass Intensive, and VIA Music Academy
★ Masterclasses and workshops with Joseph Conyers, Kayla Moffett, Juli Nickel, and Patricia Weitzel

With his great passion for classical, jazz, and all things bass, Jonathan is bound to go far. We couldn't be more proud of you!

📸 Jorge Amaya Photography

National Symphony Orchestra DC Youth Orchestra Program Levine Music The Kennedy Center Indiana University Indiana University Jacobs School of Music The United States Army Band Duke Ellington School of the Arts Interlochen Center for the Arts Summer Music Institute Sphinx Organization VIA Music Academy

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PO Box 56417
Washington D.C., DC
20040

Website

http://washingtonpathways.org/

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