Ridgefield High School senior Jeannette Kim.
Contributed photoRidgefield High School senior Jeannette Kim has been named a 2020 National YoungArts Foundation merit winner in piano.
She has been recognized for her caliber of artistic achievement and joins 686 of the nation’s most accomplished artists in the visual, literary and performing arts and was selected based on caliber of artistic achievement by an esteemed discipline-specific panel of artists through a rigorous blind adjudication process, an announcement said.
Kim has been studying piano in pre-college at Juilliard during the last four years under tutelage of Professor Julian Martin.
This year’s award winners represent the top 9.5 percent of applications across 10 artistic disciplines. YoungArts award winners gain access to one of the most prestigious programs for emerging artists in the United States in which they will have opportunities for creative and professional development throughout their entire careers. A complete list of the 2020 winners, all 15-18 years old or in grades 10-12, is available online at youngarts.org/winners.
“Every year, I am reminded that extraordinary artistry is ageless and the 2020 YoungArts award winners — all teenage artists — have done it again. This group of emerging talent represents the inspiring potential of the next generation of artists. We look forward to welcoming them to the YoungArts community of leading artists and are thrilled to support their work from this early stage and throughout their careers,” said Board Chair Sarah Arison.
As a 2020 YoungArts award winner, Kim will be invited to participate in one of the organization’s regional programs YoungArts Miami (Feb. 25-March 1), YoungArts Los Angeles (March 24-29) and YoungArts New York (April 21-26) which provide emerging artists with master classes, workshops and mentorship from leading artists in their fields.
On July 1, Kim will join the 20,000-strong YoungArts alumni community and will receive ongoing support from the organization as they continue to pursue a life in the arts. YoungArts award winners are eligible for exclusive opportunities such as fellowships, symposia and residencies in Miami, Los Angeles, New York and abroad; presentation opportunities at major institutions such as Jacob’s Pillow (Massachusetts), the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington, D.C.), New World Center (Miami), Sotheby’s (New York), The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance (Los Angeles) and the Watermill Center (New York); and the opportunity to work with directors and curators such as Derrick Adams, Deana Haggag, Bill T. Jones, Jasmine Wahi and Tony Yazbeck.
They will also have access to YoungArts Post, a custom online platform for YoungArts alumni to connect, collaborate and learn about additional opportunities such as microgrants, cash awards that support expenses related to professional or artistic development.
For more information, visit youngarts.org.