Current Fellows

×

Bat-Erdene Batbileg '23

Bat-Erdene Batbileg, from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, began piano studies at the Mongolian State Conservatory; then studied in Italy at the United World College College of the Adriatic in Duino, and completed a BM at G. Tartini Conservatory of Music in Trieste and a MM at the J. Tomadini Conservatory in Udine. He later taught at the Mongolian State Conservatory and took part in international competitions, winning first prize at the 2011 Milosz Magin International Competition in Paris and the 2013 Villa de Madrid Competition in Spain, and 4th place in the Concorso Pianistico di Premio Venezia. He took part in the 2015 Frydryk Chopin competition in Warsaw, the 2017 Japan Piano Open and the 2018 Malta International Competition. In addition to solo performances, he has appeared with the Mongolian State Philharmonic and at festivals in Beijing. He is an active collaborative pianist, appearing with singers in competitions and at special events including President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Mongolia in 2019. After completing the Collaborative Piano Fellowship program in 2023, he is now continuing his studies in collaborative piano through the Advanced Performance Studies Program. 

×

Viktoria Sarkadi '24

Viktoria Sarkadi is a Hungarian collaborative pianist and music educator. She has earned her bachelor’s and master’s degree in performance at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. After graduating, Viktoria went on to become Graduate Studio Assistant - Collaborative Pianist at The University of Edinburgh, where she was later offered the position of Staff Pianist for the university’s undergraduate course in music.

As a chamber musician, Viktoria has had the opportunity to learn from internationally recognized artists such as Kim Kashkashian and Ferenc Rados, and has performed in venues across Europe and the United Kingdom, like Casa da Musica in Porto, the Palace of Arts in Budapest, or the Usher Hall in Edinburgh. She is an active performer appearing in competitions alongside singers and string players, as well as in special events. Such events have included a celebratory concert for Classic FM’s 25th anniversary in the presence of HRH Prince Charles, and Members of the Parliament's visit to The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
As part of a cello - piano duo, she has worked with Live Music Now, a charity organization aiming to bring live music to unusual venues, to people of vulnerable groups, including people in hospitals, hospices, care homes. Making classical music accessible and available in non-traditional settings has become an important aspect of her career.

Passionate about collaborative music making, she is co-artistic director and regular chamber music coach of the Allegro Summer School in Hungary, an annual short course aiming to introduce the early experiences of chamber music to children aged 9-18 through string - piano duos and larger ensembles. Viktoria is currently in her first year as Collaborative Piano Fellow at Bard Conservatory.

×

Nomin Samdan '24

Born into a family of musicians, Nomin Samdan made her first public appearance at the age of 7 in her native Mongolia. Since then she has performed as a recitalist and chamber musician in Russia, Italy, Slovenia, Shanghai, France, US, Austria, Lithuania and Mexico. She has won top prizes from piano competitions in Mongolia, Russia, France and Spain. Ms. Samdan started her education at the Mongolian Music and Dance College where she studied with Prof. Zanaa Gombojav. She later received an International Baccalaureate diploma, after attending the United World College of the Adriatic in Italy. There she had the privilege of studying with Alberto Miodini and Igor Cognolato as well as being coached by the prestigious Trio di Trieste and the Trio di Parma.

In 2008, Ms. Samdan has entered the Boston Conservatory under the guidance of world renowned pianist and pedagogue YaFei Chuang and has received her Bachelor’s Degree (summa cum laude) in 2012 and in 2014 she has completed her Graduate Performance Diploma studies. And in 2017, Nomin received her Master’s Degree in Collaborative piano from Boston University. 

In 2013, Ms. Samdan was invited to “Vivace Vilnius International Music Festival” in Lithuania to perform with faculty and students and in 2014 she was a guest artist in Leon Chamber Music Festival in Mexico. Nomin now works at Mongolian State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet as a pianist, and is a faculty member of the piano and chamber music departments of Mongolian State Conservatory.

×

Ahra Oh '25

Ahra Oh was born in Seoul, South Korea, and started playing piano at age 5. She has been invited to the MusicA Braine l’Alleud and Orford Music Academy and performed at many renowned places including Lincoln Center and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York, Verrucano Mels in Switzerland, Harvard Musical Association in Boston, Youngsan Art Hall and Youngsan Grace Hall, Ewon Arts Cultural Center in Korea. She has performed as a soloist with orchestras, including Neues Zurcher Orchestra, Satu Mare State Philharmonic Orchestra and Hungarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra and also performed in Boston University’s Symphony Orchestra.

Dr. Oh has also received awards from numerous piano competitions, including East Coast International Music Competition, The Golden Key International Piano Competition, AFAF (American Fine Arts Festival) International Piano Competition, American Protege International Competition, and The Junior Korea Times Music Competition.

Dr. Oh received a Bachelor’s degree in piano performance at Sookmyung Women’s University where she studied with pianist Jung Ae Sohn. She then moved to the United States of America to pursue her master’s degree and performance diploma at Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University, where she was honored with a scholarship while studying under a guidance of Alexander Shtarkman. She moved to Boston and received a doctorate degree from Boston University under the tutelage of Gila Goldstein. With a broad passion for a collaboration, She earned another Master’s degree of a collaborative piano with a graduate fellowship in Longy School of Music of Bard College where she received a scholarship and received instruction under Eri Nakamura.

×

Gabriele Zemaityte '25

Gabriele Zemaityte was born in Vilnius, Lithuania. She started playing piano at the age of six, when she began her studies at the National M. K. Ciurlionis Art School in Vilnius. Laureate of numerous national and international piano competitions, she has taken part in master classes with such renowned performers and teachers as Dmitry Bashkirov, Stefan Vladar, Armen Babakhanian, David Breitman, Nina Seriogina, Johannes Meissl, Stephan Picard, Michel Strauss, Philippe Graffin and David Dolan among others. In 2019, Gabriele completed her Master degree at Koninklijk Conservatorium, The Hague in the class of professor Naum Grubert. Gabriele Zemaityte has performed in various festivals throughout The Netherlands including Kammermuziekfestival in The Hague, Gergiev Festival, and various venues such as De Doelen, Het Concertgebouw, Muziekgebouw Amsterdam. In 2019 Gabriele toured in China where with a chamber orchestra she performed in more than twenty different theatres all over the country. In 2021 together with American baritone Rolfe Dauz she won the 2nd prize in the Copenhagen Lied-Duo Competition. Since 2017 Gabriele was privileged to have an opportunity to practice on a Bechstein grand piano kindly loaned to her by Nationaal Muziekinstrumenten Fonds. In 2020 and 2023 she was awarded Lithuanian Council for Culture grants for commissioning and performing contemporary vocal and instrumental music. Gabriele is currently a Collaborative Piano Fellow at Bard College Conservatory of Music.

×

Pei-Hsuan Shen '25

Pianist Pei-Hsuan Shen is currently a first-year collaborative piano fellow at Bard College Conservatory of Music. She is originally from New Taipei City, Taiwan. While studying music, she discovered her passion for collaborative piano and decided to pursue a career as a collaborative pianist. She was a graduate diploma student at New England Conservatory, where she studied with Jonathan Feldman and Cameron Stowe. In 2018, She attended Bard College’s APS program on a full scholarship, studying with Frank Corliss. Previously, she earned both her bachelor’s degree in piano performance and master’s degree in collaborative piano at National Taiwan Normal University.

Pei-Hsuan expressed her strong enthusiasm for working with instrumentalists and attended Music Academy of the West in 2019 and 2022 as a collaborative piano fellow. As a solo pianist, she also participated in the 23^rd Annual Music Festival at Walnut Hill in 2014.

Pei-Hsuan demonstrates her diversity as a collaborative pianist through her performances in duo works, chamber music, contemporary music, orchestra, her roles in opera rehearsal pianist and rehearsal pianist. She was a rehearsal pianist in the conducting studios of Professor Apo Hsu and Professor Chia-Hong Liao at National Taiwan Normal University, as well as the studios of Professor Harold Farberman and Professor James Bagwell at Bard College.