Gabrielle Desprès, violin (Canada)
Després has appeared as a soloist with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic, Juilliard Orchestra, Spokane Symphony, Chamber Orchestra of Edmonton, and Peninsula Symphony, among others. A passionate chamber musician, she has performed at the Marlboro Music Festival, ChamberFest Cleveland, Music in the Vineyards, and the Edmonton Summer Solstice Music Festival, and collaborated with ensembles such as the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Meet the Music series.
Praised for her “gorgeous, rich tone” and fresh, insightful interpretations, violinist Gabrielle Després has emerged as one of Canada’s most compelling young artists, performing across North America and Europe to critical acclaim. A winner of the Irving M. Klein International String Competition and the Juilliard Concerto Competition, she is also a top prize recipient of the Michael Hill, Elmar Oliveira, and Washington International Violin Competitions. She was a 2025 Sibelius International Violin Competition finalist and has garnered major honors including the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Emerging Artist Award, the Verbier Academy’s Prix Reyl and Juilliard’s William Schuman Prize. In 2020, CBC recognized her artistry by naming her to its list of 30 Canadian Classical Musicians Under 30.
Després earned her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees at the Juilliard School as a proud recipient of the Kovner Fellowship and is now pursuing an Artist Diploma there, studying with Catherine Cho. Her formative mentors include Donald Weilerstein, Joseph Lin, Masao Kawasaki, Robert Uchida, and James Keene. Gabrielle performs on a Zosimo Bergonzi violin and Étienne Pajeot bow, graciously provided to her by CANIMEX INC., from Drummondville, Quebec, Canada.
Wanxinyi Huang, viola (China)
Wanxinyi Huang, born in Chengdu, China, is currently pursuing her Master of Musical Arts degree at the Yale School of Music under the guidance of Ettore Causa. She completed her Master of Music degree at Yale and previously earned her Bachelor’s degree from the National University of Singapore’s Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music in 2018, where she was awarded a full scholarship. Huang has performed in masterclasses with prominent musicians such as Misha Amory, Nobuko Imai, Steven Tenenbom, Hsin-Yun Huang, and Robert Diaz.
Huang was a John White Award winner in the 2025 Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition. She was also a prize winner in the Yale Woolsey Concerto Competition and will solo with the Yale Philharmonia in October 2025. She was also a semifinalist in the Klein International Competition in 2024. An accomplished chamber musician, Huang’s chamber engagements include the Ravinia Steans Institute, Gstaad String Academy, the Villars Music Academy, NUME Music Festival, Thy Chamber Music Festival and Colluvio Chamber Music Academy. She is the founder of the classical chamber group “Ensemble ClassiCORE,” which performed in The Kennedy Center and toured China in 2024.
In addition to her chamber and solo work, Huang is an active orchestral performer. In 2019, she toured Europe and China with NYO-China under conductor Ludovic Morlot. She has also performed with the Yale Philharmonia and as a guest with orchestras including the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Sichuan Symphony Orchestra, and the Sichuan City Hall Symphony Orchestra. Her performances have earned her high praise from audiences and peers alike.
Coco Mi, violin (USA)
Celebrated for her musical vitality and sensitivity, violinist Coco Mi values human connection and collaboration through music. She has won first prize at the 2025 Washington International Competition, the 2023 Juilliard Concerto Competition, the Inaugural Washington Heights Chamber Orchestra Concerto Competition, and second prize at the 2024 Koussevitzky Young Artist Awards. Currently based in New York City, Mi is excited to join Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect as a 2025-2027 Fellow. Chamber music is at the core of Mi’s musical life. She has been invited to participate in music festivals such as Kneisel Hall, the Olympic Music Festival, the Perlman Music Program, and YellowBarn. She was part of the Honors Chamber Music Program at Juilliard, and has had the privilege to learn and collaborate with esteemed artists such as Misha Amory, Krzysztof Chorzelski, Ronald Copes, Julio Elizalde, Joel Krosnick, Merry Peckham, Itzhak Perlman, and Areta Zhulla.
Mi grew up in Princeton, NJ, and started violin at the age of five. She received both her Bachelor and Master of Music from the Juilliard School, studying with Li Lin and Laurie Smukler. She was a proud recipient of the Kovner Fellowship. Mi is continuing her studies at Juilliard as part of the Artist Diploma Program under the guidance of Laurie Smukler, Donald Weilerstein, and Mark Steinberg. She performs on a violin by Carlo Bergonzi I c.1723 on generous loan from the Juilliard School.
Danqi Zeng, baroque violin (China)
Born in Guangzhou, China, Danqi Zeng is an active performer and chamber musician, specializing in both modern and baroque violin. Zeng has won multiple competitions, including the Concerto Competition at College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) in Cincinnati, the MASTA Solo Competition, the Music Teachers National Association Michigan Young Artist Competition, and the Indiana University (IU) Vivaldi Competition in 2024 on baroque violin. She was a semi-finalist at the 2023 Schoenfeld International String Competition. Most recently at IU, Zeng won both the Saint-Georges Concerto Competition on classical violin in 2024 and the Stravinsky Concerto Competition on modern violin in 2025. She performed both concerti as a soloist, with the IU Baroque/Classical Orchestra on a period instrument, and with the IU Philharmonic Orchestra on a modern violin.
Zeng has performed as a soloist with CCM Concert Orchestra, CCM Philharmonia, the Starling Orchestra, and the Guangzhou Gamut Baroque Ensemble. She served as Concertmaster of the University of Michigan University Philharmonia Orchestra and the CCM Concert Orchestra for multiple seasons. She has received scholarships to attend music festivals, including the Great Wall Festival, High Peaks Music Festival, and Bowdoin Festival, and attended the Encore Festival as a violin fellow.