ANNUAL HONORS RECITAL
Saturday, May 9, 2026
8:00 pm
Center for the Arts Concert Hall
PROGRAM
Welcome Dr. Linda Apple Monson, Director
Keyboard Sonata in C major, K.159
Shuying Zhou, piano
Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757)
Les Folies d’Espagne
Marin Marais
Variation I (1656-1728)
Variation II
Variation VII
Variation XI
Variation XII
Variation XIV
Variation XVII
Variation XVIII
Variation XIX
Variation XXIV
Annie Li, flute
English Suite No. 2 in A minor, BWV 807
Johann Sebastian Bach
I. Prélude (1685-1750)
Suyuan Carrasco, violin
Raven Wilson, marimba
Étude Op. 25, No. 5 in E minor
Congkai Wang, piano
Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)
Serenade No. XII
Vincent Persichetti
I. Intrada (1915-1987)
II. Arietta
IV. Capriccio
V. Intermezzo
VI. Marcia
Carson Ross, tuba
Sonata in G minor, L. 140
Claude Debussy II. Intermède. Fantasque et léger (1862-1918)
Youngbin Ko, violin
Kai Shi, piano
Clouds Florence Price (1887-1953)
Jiayi Chen, piano
Élégie Jules Massenet (1842-1912)
Kaylee Cobb, voice
Kai Shi, piano
Sinfonietta Op. 49
Nikolai Kapustin I. Overture. (1937-2020)
Kai Shi, piano
Ying Yang, piano
MEET THE PERFORMERS
Suyuan Carrasco, a native of New York City, is a senior at the Dewberry School of Music, pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance under Prof. June Huang with a minor in string pedagogy. Elected as Student Representative during both her junior and senior years, she has earned several honors, including serving as a Music Ambassador, serving as the Mason Symphony Orchestra concertmaster, winning the 2026 Dewberry School of Music Concerto Competition, and receiving the Monson and Grace Aitel Scholarships. In 2022, she was awarded a travel grant from OSCAR to assist in a presentation at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago. She was rewarded this same grant in 2026 to serve as an assistant presenter at the American String Teacher’s Association Conference in San Francisco. Passionate about music education, Suyuan enjoys teaching children and believes in music’s power to connect people across backgrounds.
Jiayi Chen is a first-year Doctor of Musical Arts student in Piano Performance at George Mason University, where she studies with Dr. Linda Apple Monson and serves as a Collaborative Piano Graduate Assistant. She is also a signed artist with Beijing Hermiaola Culture and Media Co., Ltd. and Global Art & Culture USA Inc. She earned her Master degree from Manhattan School of Music in NYC, where she studied with Grammy-winning pianist Michelle Cann and worked as a School Paid Collaborative Pianist. She received her bachelor’s degree from Shanghai Conservatory of Music. She also has a growing online presence, with over 10k followers across various social media platforms.
Kaylee Cobb is currently in her fourth year of her undergraduate studies at George Mason University pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance. Her credits include Subdominant Chord in The Classical Style, Ensemble in Die Fledermaus, and partial roles of Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Tzeitel in The Fiddler on the Roof, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, and Dorabella in Così fan Tutte, Trios in Ricky Ian Gordon’s 27, scenes of Die Zauberflöte as Pamina, and Nella in Gianna Schicchi. Kaylee studies under Professor Jennifer Casey Cabot.
Youngbin Ko, a native of South Korea, is a freshman at the Dewberry School of Music, pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance with a minor in String Pedagogy under Professor June Huang, Director of Strings and Associate Professor at the Dewberry School of Music. She has been honored with the Monson and Grace Aitel Scholarships for her musical excellence. Building on her background in Early Childhood Education, Youngbin enjoys teaching young artists and sharing her passion for music and its expressive power.
Annie Li is a flautist from Lake Zurich, Illinois. She currently serves as principal flautist of the Mason Symphony Orchestra and is pursuing her M.M. in Flute Performance at George Mason University with Dr. Laura Kaufman-Mowry. She graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and a Bachelor of Music in Flute
Performance. She moved to Virginia to work as a software engineer at Capital One, where she continues to work full-time while attending GMU. Her previous teachers include Dr. Jonathan Keeble at UIUC and Aaron Goldman of the National Symphony Orchestra.
Carson Ross is a tuba performer and educator from Rio Rancho, New Mexico. He is a first year doctoral student at George Mason University. Being a music educator has led him to teaching elementary and middle school band at St. Marks Catholic School in Vienna, Virginia. He has also served as a teacher at honor bands and camps throughout Texas, Colorado, and New Mexico. Carson holds a Master of Music degree in Tuba Performance from Colorado State University and a Bachelor of Music degree and a Master's in Education from Abilene Christian University. His primary teacher at George Mason University is Dr. David Porter.
Kai Shi is a third-year Doctor of Musical Arts candidate in Piano Performance at George Mason University, studying with Dr. Linda Apple Monson. He serves as a Collaborative Piano Graduate Assistant and has performed at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, the Chinese Embassy Spring Festival Gala, the Grand Piano Celebration, and the 2024 and 2026 School of Music Honors Recitals. He regularly collaborates with the Mason Wind Symphony and Symphony Orchestra, and in May 2025, performed Piano Concerto in G major with the Mason Symphony Orchestra. He has participated in master classes with Christopher O’Riley, Jeffrey Siegel, Brian Ganz, and Jeremy Denk.
Congkai Wang is a first-year Doctor of Musical Arts student in Piano Performance at George Mason University, studying under Dr. Anna Balakerskaia. He began piano studies at the age of four. Wang received his Bachelor’s degree from the Sichuan Conservatory of Music and his Master’s degree from Bowling Green State University. His research interests focus on stylistic synthesis in piano repertoire, particularly the works of Nikolai Kapustin, as well as Romantic literature, including composers such as Frédéric Chopin and Alexander Scriabin.
Raven Wilson is graduating in Spring 2026 with a Bachelor of Music in Percussion Performance and is a student of Professor Jonathan Bisesi. While at George Mason, Raven has also studied with Dr. Kanako Chikami, Jonathan Rance, and Dr. Kevin McDonald. She has been involved in multiple ensembles: Mason Symphony Orchestra, Mason Symphonic Band, Mason Wind Symphony, Mason Vocal Jazz Ensemble, Mason Jazz Workshop, New Sound Collective, Percussion Ensemble, and Mason Steel Pan Ensemble, while also performing regularly with the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra and the Capital Wind Symphony. Raven is very passionate about pursuing a career in orchestral percussion and will be attending Boston Conservatory to pursue a Master of Music in Percussion Performance under the direction of percussionist Kyle Brightwell.
Ying Yang will graduate in Spring 2026 with a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance under the guidance of Dr. Linda Apple Monson. An active solo and collaborative pianist, she has performed in Mason’s Grand Piano Celebration, Arts by George Piano Showcase, Honors Recitals, opera workshops, chamber concerts, and with the Mason Wind Symphony. She has also served as a graduate teaching assistant in keyboard skills and music theory.
Shuying Zhou is a pianist currently pursuing the Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance at George Mason University, where she studies with Dr. Linda Apple Monson and serves as a Collaborative Piano Teaching Assistant. She is currently in her first year of doctoral study. She holds a Master of Music from the Manhattan School of Music and a Bachelor’s degree from the Xi’an Conservatory of Music in China. Zhou has performed internationally in Poland, Arizona, Xiamen, and Guangzhou, and participated in major festivals, including the Euro Music Festival.
George Mason University Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music
For more information and a complete listing of concerts and recitals, visit the web site at music.gmu.edu
George Mason University is a registered All-Steinway School