Yutong Sun has gained international recognition by winning major prizes at many prestigious competitions, including the 2017 Van Cliburn competition, where he was a semi-finalist. Most recently, he was awarded second prize at the 19th Paloma O’Shea Santander International Competition in Spain. He also received third prize at the 62nd International Music Competition Maria Canals in Barcelona in 2016 and first prize at the 54th International Piano Competition Prize “Jaén” in 2012.

Sun made his recital debut at age 10 in Beijing and his orchestral debut with the Orchestra of Granada in Spain at age 16. He has made appearances in major venues around the world such as Salle Cortot in Paris, Palau de la Música in Barcelona, Jordan Hall in Boston, The Bolshoi Hall in Saint Peterburg, and Warsaw Philharmonic Hall. He has been soloist with several symphony orchestras including Symphony Orchestra of Galicia, City of Granada Orchestra and RTVE Symphony Orchestra in Spain, Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, The Santander Orchestra, and the National Symphony Orchestra of Dominica Republic. In 2013, he released a recording of a recital performance on the Naxos label as part of its Laureate Series.

Currently Yutong is a student of Professors Alexander Korsantia and Dang Thai Son at New England Conservatory of Music. When not playing music, he likes to watch movies and sports.

Francisco Noya is music director of the Boston Civic Symphony, a post he assumed in 2017. His reputation for versatility and expertise in conducting both symphonic and operatic works has established him as a prominent figure in the Boston and New England music communities.

Noya’s rich conducting experience includes past positions as resident conductor of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra, music director of the New Philharmonia Orchestra and Longwood Symphony Orchestra, and conductor of the Berklee Contemporary Symphony Orchestra.

Noya’s professional journey began in Venezuela as conductor of the Youth Orchestra of Valencia, one of the original ensembles of El Sistema. He later earned advanced degrees in composition and conducting from Boston University, serving as assistant conductor for the Caracas Philharmonic and the Teatro Teresa Carreño. In the U.S., he made significant contributions as music director of the Empire State Youth Orchestra, leading the ensemble on European tours and at renowned venues such as Carnegie Hall and Tanglewood.

Noya has appeared as guest conductor with numerous orchestras, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston Pops, the Baltimore, Nashville, San Antonio, and Omaha symphonies and the Ravinia Festival Orchestra. He has also made international appearances with orchestras in Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Spain, Italy, and Russia.

Japanese-American conductor Ken Yanagisawa is the Music Director of the Boston Opera Collaborative and the Boston Annex Players, the Associate Conductor of the Boston Civic Symphony, the Assistant Conductor of the New Philharmonia Orchestra, and an Assistant Professor at Berklee College of Music. He made his Japanese debut conducting Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte with Kansai Nikikai and the Japan Century Symphony Orchestra in February 2023 and will return in Fall 2026 to conduct Mozart’s Clemenza di Tito. A 2024 Aspen Conducting Academy Fellow and James Conlon Conductor Prize recipient, Ken has previously served as a Conducting Apprentice with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and has assisted/covered the National Symphony Orchestra, Rhode Island Philharmonic, Berlin Academy of American Music, and Berlin Opernfest, among others.

Ken recently completed a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Orchestral Conducting at Boston University under the guidance of James Burton and also holds graduate degrees in conducting from the Manhattan School of Music and a B.A. in music from Yale University. Prior to Yale he attended the New England Conservatory as an Undergraduate Diploma candidate for Oboe Performance under the tutelage of John Ferrillo. His other teachers include George Manahan, William Lumpkin, Bernard Labadie, and Tatsuya Shimono. In masterclasses and festivals, he has been taught by renowned artists and pedagogues such as Robert Spano, Leonard Slatkin, Mark Stringer, Dame Jane Glover, Gerard Schwarz, and Jorma Panula. He is deeply grateful for all the excellent guidance and mentorship he has received thus far in his life as a musician.