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Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach
Announces Second Class of Rising Artists

(Palm Beach, FL) — The Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach (CMSPB) announces its 2026 class of Rising Artists. Following auditions this fall, violinists Bobby Boogyeom Park and Gabrielle Després, violist Katie Liu, and cellist Sydney Lee were chosen to join the second season of the intensive chamber music program in Palm Beach January 4-11, 2026.  The week will culminate with a concert on January 10 at 7pm at Norton Museum located at 1450 S Dixie Hwy West Palm Beach, FL 33401.

The CMSPB Rising Artists Program provides intensive performance, career, and education/community engagement development opportunities for exceptionally talented emerging professional and conservatory-level musicians. The program embraces a collaborative environment where rising artists create and learn with established leaders and musicians who have made a significant impact in the chamber music field. At the culmination of the week-long program, the Rising Artists will present a concert of chamber music alongside Director and Violinist Arnaud Sussmann and Guest Co-Director and Cellist Eddie Arron. For more information, please visit www.cmspb.org/rising-artists

“The Rising Artists Program continues to be one of the most inspiring parts of my work with CMSPB,” said Artistic Director Arnaud Sussmann. “We are thrilled to welcome this new class of outstanding young musicians to Palm Beach – artists whose diversity of experience and shared dedication to collaboration embody the very essence of chamber music. I look forward to witnessing their growth and the joy they will bring to audiences here in our community.”

“The success of last year’s Rising Artists program confirmed that this initiative has become a cornerstone of CMSPB’s mission,” said Interim Executive Director Amy Lam. “Through Arnaud and Eddie’s leadership and our team’s commitment, these young artists are expanding their artistic voices and connecting with audiences in meaningful ways. It’s gratifying to see our board and donors recognize how vital this work is to the future of chamber music.”

The 2026 Class of Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach Rising Artists

Violinist Bobby Boogyeom Park is in his second year at The Juilliard School, where he studies with Itzhak Perlman and Catherine Cho as a Kovner Fellow. Before entering college, he spent seven formative years in the Juilliard Pre-College Division.

Bobby has appeared as a guest soloist at international venues and festivals, including the Shanghai International Arts Festival at the Oriental Art Center. He won first prize at both the 2016 International Russian Rotary Music Competition in Moscow and the 2019 Juilliard Pre-College Concerto Competition. At 15, he earned the bronze medal at the 2021 Stulberg International String Competition. In 2022, he performed alongside Maxim Vengerov and five other Juilliard Pre-College students in a special collaboration with the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.

An active participant in elite summer programs, Bobby has attended the Perlman Music Program (2022–24) and taken part in festivals such as the Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival and the NUME Festival. Most recently, he participated in the 2025 Kronberg Academy Violin Masterclasses, working closely with Mihaela Martin.

Violinist Gabrielle Després has emerged as one of Canada’s most compelling young artists, performing across North America and Europe to critical acclaim. As a recent finalist of the 2025 Sibelius International Violin Competition, she was also first-prize winner of the Irving M. Klein International String Competition and the Juilliard Concerto Competition, and a top prize recipient at the Michael Hill, Elmar Oliveira, and Washington International Violin Competitions. She has garnered major honors including the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Emerging Artist Award, Verbier Academy’s Prix Reyl, and Juilliard’s distinguished William Schuman Prize. In 2020, CBC recognized her artistry by naming her to its list of 30 Canadian Classical Musicians Under 30.

As a soloist, Gabrielle has appeared 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 CMS of Lincoln Center’s Meet the Music series. Committed to using music as a force for connection, Gabrielle has served as a Gluck Community Engagement Fellow at Juilliard, creating interactive programs for hospitals and nursing homes throughout New York City, and collaborates with Project: Music Heals Us, teaching and performing for incarcerated individuals in California. 

Gabrielle 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.

Katie Liu joined the Seattle Symphony in September of 2024 as their Associate Principal Viola. She switched to the viola in her senior year at Princeton University, where she concentrated in Operations Research and Financial Engineering and minored in Computer Science and Musical Performance. She has had prior corporate working experience in asset management and fintech consulting and started pursuing viola as the winner of the Princeton University Concerto Competition in her junior year; as a soloist, she has performed with the Princeton University Orchestra and Colburn Orchestra. After graduating from Princeton, she received her Master of Music degree at the Colburn School under the tutelage of Paul Coletti and Teng Li, where she was also the principal violist of the American Youth Symphony.

During her graduate years in the studio of Ettore Causa at the Yale School of Music, she was section violist at the New Haven Symphony Orchestra and was a semi-finalist at the 2024 Primrose International Viola Competition and 2023 Oskar Nedbal International Viola Competition. As a student, her festival experience included the NUME Academy, Verbier Festival Academy Soloists’ Programme, Music@Menlo’s International Program, Kronberg Academy’s Chamber Music Connects the World programme, and YellowBarn. 

An active and avid chamber musician, she was a guest artist at the North Shore Chamber Music Festival, Emerald City Music, the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players, Methow Valley Chamber Music Festival, Aspect Chamber Music series, and Music on Park Avenue and Princeton Chamber Music series with pianist Per Tengstrand.

Cellist Sydney Lee continues to captivate audiences with her refined elegance, expressive depth, and radiant sincerity. A rising force in the classical music world, she was awarded First Prize at the 2022 Washington International Competition, Second Prize at the Classic Strings International Competition, and became the inaugural recipient of Meadowmount School of Music’s prestigious $50,000 Gurrena Fellowship. 

Since her debut at age thirteen with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Sydney has appeared with the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra, New Bedford Symphony Orchestra, the New Hampshire Music Festival Orchestra, and the Avanti Orchestra at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. A passionate chamber musician, Sydney is the founder of the Galvin Cello Quartet, which has garnered international recognition after winning the Silver Medal at the 2021 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and joining the Concert Artists Guild roster as winners of the 2022 Victor Elmaleh Competition. The ensemble is now represented by Epstein Fox Performances and Dinin Arts. 

Deeply committed to arts advocacy and education, Sydney serves on the Board of Directors for the Back to Bach Project, a global initiative reaching over 70 regions and 800 members, dedicated to inspiring children through music and community engagement. As Director of Global Operations, she founded chapters in Calgary, Canada, and Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and under the mentorship of Midori, spearheaded a landmark collaboration between Play On Philly, the Curtis Institute of Music, and Back to Bach. She has also led virtual educational seminars for young audiences across the United States, Spain, and France as a Back to Bach Soloist.

A native of New York City, Sydney is a graduate of The Curtis Institute of Music and Northwestern University, where she is currently pursuing her Doctor of Musical Arts degree.

ABOUT CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY OF PALM BEACH

The Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach (CMSPB) has brought extraordinary chamber music performances and educational programming to Palm Beach County and the wider South Florida region since 2013.

Over 12 seasons CMSPB has presented over 150 artists including the Emerson and Harlem string quartets, violinist James Ehnes, pianist Inon Barnatan, and members of the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, and Philadelphia Orchestra, among many others. In 2019 CMSPB introduced frequent guest artist and acclaimed violinist Arnaud Sussmann as its Artistic Director. In his first season, Sussmann led the organization in launching virtual programming to make CMSPB available to audiences around the globe.

The Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach reaches nearly 2,000 students and young musicians each season with hands-on access to some of the finest artists and music educators in the world. Through masterclasses, in-school performances, and open rehearsals, CMSPB aims to fuel the creativity and curiosity of young people and nurture the artists of tomorrow. With support from the Goldner Educational Initiative Fund and the Kovner Foundation, the Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach frequently partners with area schools including the Dreyfoos School of the Arts, U. B. Kinsey/Palmview Elementary School of the Arts, the Conservatory School, Bak Middle School of the Arts, the Lynn Conservatory, and the UM Frost School of Music to provide access to high quality coaching and performances by CMSPB artists.

In 2022 CMSPB launched the Boscobel Chamber Music Festival in partnership with the Boscobel House and Gardens, a historic house museum located at a scenic site on the Hudson River, just one hour north of New York City. The festival programming features school and community outreach, open rehearsals, and lectures in addition to main stage concerts. The annual event has reached nearly 3,000 audience members in its first four years.