03/16/2026
Congratulations to the 2026 Chamber Music Competition Winners!! 👏🎉🎶
1st place: Spark Trio
Yifang Xu, piano
Yi Ding, saxophone
Kuanhao Xi, saxophone
Francis Poulenc — Trio for Oboe, Bassoon, and Piano, FP 43
Jun Nagao — Paganini Lost
2nd place: Aoede Quartet
Cheng-Yeh Tsou, violin
Fujia Zhang, violin
Valentina Pulido Pardo, viola
Xiezixuan Wu, cello
Ludwig van Beethoven — String Quartet in F Major, Op. 59, No. 1
3rd place: Kračić Trio
Antony Kračić, violin
Giancarlo D’Agostino, alto saxophone
Emma Tio, piano
Antony Kračić — Trio for Violin, Saxophone, and Piano
🎤 Hear from our winning groups:
“Our Spark Trio began at Boston University when we first came together to work on the Poulenc Trio. During rehearsals, the two saxophonists often shared pieces from the saxophone repertoire with the pianist, who quickly became fascinated by the instrument’s unique color and expressive sound. That curiosity eventually led us to explore more repertoire together, and we decided to learn another chamber work written specifically for saxophone and piano. We quickly discovered that we share a similar artistic vision: exploring music that goes beyond traditional classical boundaries.“
“Aoede Quartet was created in Spring 2025 with the initial goal of learning and performing Beethoven’s String Quartet, Op. 59 No. 1. To begin developing their group sound and musical connection, the Aoede Quartet first worked on Beethoven’s String Quartet, Op. 18 No. 6 and Schubert’s Quartettsatz. In Fall 2025, they began studying Beethoven’s String Quartet, Op. 59 No. 1.”
“The Karacic Trio is an undergraduate chamber group dedicated to performing original, contemporary works. After saxophonist Gian D’Agostino approached violinist and composer Antony Karacic with an idea in FitRec last year, Antony wrote a brand-new composition that was completed just as pianist Emma Tio joined this semester. The trio recently premiered the innovative piece at Gian’s recital before finally competing it at the chamber competition.”
📣 The Winners’ Concert will take place in Concert Hall on March 19 at 8pm! 🎶
