HAPPENING
@ New Music School
Constantine Wang — 1st Prize
Constantine Wang (13), student of Winston Choi, won First Prize in the Junior Category of the American Protégé International Piano & Strings Competition 2026. He will be performing in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in June. Additionally, as the winner of the GOLD HANDS of the Carles and Sofia Piano Competition, he has been invited to perform in Spain this summer. He also recently performed in the Intermediate Piano Master Class with Nancy O’Neill Breth at the 2026 MTNA National Conference.
Mika Matsuyama — 2nd Prize
Mika Matsuyama (16), student of Jeffrey Panko, Mary Sauer, and Sean Bennett, was awarded second prize in the American Protege competition and will perform in the coming months at Carnegie Hall. Mika also received Honorable Mention placement at the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra Stanger Concerto Competition.
Ken Gallwas — Winner
Ken Gallwas, student of Jeffrey Panko and Mary Sauer, won the piano division of the DePaul National Concerto Competition for Young Performers.
Winners perform a movement of a concerto with the Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago.
Mika Matsuyama - Honorable Mention with Distinction
Congratulations to Mika Matsuyama for receiving an Honorable Mention with Distinction at the 2026 DePaul National Concerto Competition. Mika is a House of Ravel (Level IV - Undergraduate Expectations) student, studying with artist faculty Jeffrey Panko & Mary Sauer, & artist development faculty Sean Bennett.
NMS Students at the 2026 Chicago Area Music Teacher’s Association Sonata Festival — Placements
Many NMS students received Honors at the 2026 Chicago Area Music Teacher’s Association Sonata Festival.
Kenneth Gallwas — 1st Place
KEN GALLWAS, FIRST PLACE
ROCKFORD SYMPHONY YOUTH ORCHESTRA CONCERTO COMPETITION
Congratulations to Ken for winning the RSYO Concerto Competition performing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37, III. Rondo. Allegro-Presto. Ken studies with Mary Sauer, Jeffrey Panko and Sean Bennett at NMS.
About:
Kenneth Gallwas of Chicagoland, a senior at York Community High School, has quickly emerged on the piano scene as the 3rd Place winner of the 2024 MTNA National Competition (Senior Piano Duet) with his twin brother, Joseph. An avid 17-year-old concerto and solo pianist, he has performed with the Chicago Arts Orchestra, the TIMM Ensemble Orchestra in Todi, Italy, and the SEEN Festival Orchestra under Conner Gray Covington, and earned top prizes in the DuPage, IYACC, ISMTA, Sejong, Aloha International, and other national and international competitions. Kenneth studies with Jeffrey Panko, Mary Sauer, and Sean Bennett at the New Music School in Chicago, and has performed in masterclasses with renowned pianists including Antonio Pompa-Baldi, Steven Osborne, and Joyce Yang. Also a cellist and varsity ice hockey player at York, he is a Level 4 USA Hockey referee, youth coach, sports counselor, and community musician performing at senior residences and churches in Elmhurst.
Mika Matsuyama - In Masterclass with Steven Osborne
IN Masterclass with Steven Osborne - NMS pianist Mika Matsuyama has been invited to perform in a Masterclass with pianist Steven Osborne at the Grant Park Music Festival. Mika will be performing Chopin’s 2nd Scherzo.
Steven Osborne OBE is one of Britain’s most treasured musicians with an immense depth of musicality and exceptional refinement of expression across diverse repertoire be it in Beethoven or Messiaen, Schubert or Ravel, Prokofiev or jazz improvisations. His numerous awards include The Royal Philharmonic Society Instrumentalist of the Year, two BBC Music Magazine Awards and two Gramophone Awards.
Mika is a student of Jeffrey Panko at New Music School.
Tong-Bai Deng - Winner
Tong-Bai Deng, student of Winston Choi, was named the winner of Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra’s 2025 Stanger Young Artist Competition. The announcement was made live at the conclusion of the Rising Stars of Stanger concert after he performed Sergei Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2, Movement IV. Congratulations, Tong-Bai!
Tong-Bai Deng - Finalist
Congratulations to NMS pianist Tong-Bai Deng for being selected as one of the Finalists for the 2025 Crain-Mailing Foundation CSO Young Artists Competition!
The preliminary round of the 2025 Crain-Maling Foundation CSO Young Artists Competition occurred on Jan. 18 at Symphony Center. After a day of auditions, judges selected four finalists to compete in the final round on March 22, accompanied by the Civic Orchestra, led by Jerry Hou.
The finalists are: Tong-Bai Deng, 16, Hinsdale; Joseph Gallwas, 17, Elmhurst; Jeremy Liu, 13, Naperville, and Evangeline Wang, 14, Chicago.
Along with competing in the finals, the four finalists will participate in a master class April 30 with CSO Artist-in-Residence Daniil Trifonov at Orchestra Hall (with the audience seated on the stage and on the Terrace level).
At the YAC finals, he will perform Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, IV. Allegro tempestoso.
Joseph Gallwas - Finalist
Congratulations to NMS pianist Joseph Gallwas for being selected as one of the Finalists for the 2025 Crain-Mailing Foundation CSO Young Artists Competition!
The preliminary round of the 2025 Crain-Maling Foundation CSO Young Artists Competition occurred on Jan. 18 at Symphony Center. After a day of auditions, judges selected four finalists to compete in the final round on March 22, accompanied by the Civic Orchestra, led by Jerry Hou.
The finalists are: Tong-Bai Deng, 16, Hinsdale; Joseph Gallwas, 17, Elmhurst; Jeremy Liu, 13, Naperville, and Evangeline Wang, 14, Chicago.
Along with competing in the finals, the four finalists will participate in a master class April 30 with CSO Artist-in-Residence Daniil Trifonov at Orchestra Hall (with the audience seated on the stage and on the Terrace level).
At the YAC finals, he will perform Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major, I. Andante-Allegro.
Olivia Fazio - Honorable Mention
We are thrilled for NMS violinist Olivia Fazio, student of Timothy Hager, to have received Honorable Mention in the MYAC Junior Orchestra Division of the 2025 O’Malley Foundation National Concerto Competition (formerly Walgreens).
Joseph Gallwas - Winner
Congratulations to NMS pianist Joseph Gallwas for winning the Open Senior Division of the 2025 O’Malley Foundation National Concerto Competition (formerly Walgreens).
Joseph Gallwas - Semi-Finalist
NMS Student Joseph Gallwas, pianist, has been named a Semi-Finalist for the 2025 International Young Artist Concerto Competition.
Performing: Prokofiev Piano Concerto No 3 in C Major, Op. 26: 1, Andante – Allegro
Joseph Gallwas, an avid 17-year-old concerto pianist, has performed across the US and Italy, including concerto works of Chopin’s No. 1, Rachmaninoff’s No. 3, and Shostakovich’s No. 2. His recent awards include winning the Senior Division at O’Malley Foundation National Piano Competition, first place at both the Aloha International Piano Competition and the Rockford Concerto Competition, second place in the ISMTA Senior Division, and alternative winner for the MTNA State level. Additional accolades come from the DePaul Concerto Festival, Elmhurst Stanger, DuPage Young Artists Auditions, and several other national and international competitions. As a chamber musician, his trio has excelled in the Rembrandt and Fischoff competitions. Joseph studies under Jeffrey Panko, Mary Sauer, and Sean Bennett at Chicago’s New Music School, engaging in masterclasses with luminaries like Antonio Pompa-Baldi and Steven Osborne. A junior at York Community High School in Elmhurst, Illinois, Joseph also plays violin in the school orchestra and enjoys ice hockey.
Joseph & Ken Gallwas - Live on WFMT
NMS Students Joe and Ken Gallwas aka Gallwas Twins perform LIVE on WFMT Introductions 98.7 this Saturday at 11AM. Listen live on the radio or via link in Bio. Program includes Mozart, Piazolla, Guastavino and Bach.
Both Joe and Ken are House of Ravel students at NMS and study with Jeff Panko, Mary Sauer and a student of our Artist Development program with Sean Bennett.
The Gallwas Twins, Kenneth and Joseph Gallwas, made their duet debut at Carnegie Hall at just nine years old as winners of the American Protégé Competition, and took 3rd place in the 2024 Music Teachers National Association Competition in the nationwide Senior Piano Duet category, winning 1st prize in the state and district levels. They performed at the Grant Park Festival as part of Joyce Yang’s “Play with Masters” event, and also at the Interlochen Piano Intensive Final Recital.
Beatrice Valenzuela - 3rd Place
NMS violinist, Beatrice Valenzuela (13) received 3rd place in the 2024 Sejong Music Competition - Junior Division.
Joseph & Ken Gallwas — 1st & 2nd Place
Congratulations Joseph Gallwas (@joegallwas.piano) and Ken Gallwas (@ken.gallwas) for taking first and second place at the 2024 Aloha International Piano Competition.
Joseph and Ken are House of Ravel (Level 4) students of Jeffrey Panko (@pankopiano) and Mary Sauer (@marysauerpiano) and coached by Sean Bennett (@seanbennettpianist) at @newmusicschool.
Both Joseph Gallwas and Ken Gallwas of Chicagoland are the reigning 3rd place 2024 MTNA National Champion in Senior Piano Duet, both performing at Carnegie Hall at age 9 together. Avid 16-year-old concerto pianists, they have performed in the US and Italy, including for Joe Chopin Concerto #1, Rachmaninoff Concerto #3, Shostakovich Piano Concerto #2, and for Ken, Prokofiev Concerto #1, Ravel G Major Concerto, and many others.
Both have participated in masterclasses with the esteemed pianists Antonio Pompa-Baldi (@pompabaldipiano), Steven Osborne (@stevenosbornepiano), Dang Thai Son (@dangthaison) Jon Nakamatsu (@jonnakamatsu), and Joyce Yang (@joyceyangpiano).
Zarin Mehta — 1st Place
Zarin Mehta (16) placed 1st in the 2024 Kaufman Music Center International Youth Piano Competition - Senior Division.