Events

Willan Academy of Music Marks 10th Anniversary with “Joyful Decade” Concert at Merkin Hall

Music Observer Contributor

May 9, 2026

Ten years ago, Kenji Haba, the Director of Willan Academy of Music, had a vision: a music school that felt less like an institution and more like a community. This Saturday, that vision takes center stage, and Maestro Gregory Singer and the Manhattan Symphonie will be there to crown it.

On May 9th at 2:00 PM, Willan Academy of Music celebrates its 10th Anniversary with Joyful Decade, a concert at Merkin Hall, Kaufman Music Center on the Upper West Side. The afternoon program brings together students past and present, faculty, and guest artists for a single milestone performance.

Over the past decade, Willan Academy has grown into a music school in NYC where students as young as four begin a journey rooted in one simple belief: that music is something to love, not just to learn. Built around the Suzuki method and individualized curriculum, the school has supported students from their earliest notes through high school auditions and beyond. Lessons take place both in students’ homes across Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens, and online for families further afield.

Saturday’s program puts that belief on display, as young soloists share the stage alongside alumni, adult learners, and faculty, a living portrait of everything this community has become. The afternoon goes further than student showcases. Maestro Singer will conduct members of the Manhattan Symphonie, a chamber orchestra uniting string, wind, and keyboard players from across the city, alongside select Willan musicians in the world premieres of his newest compositions, including Summer Days and Sasha. Brand new works, written and now ready to be heard for the very first time, will close the first half.

The second half is equally rich. Willan’s faculty perform classical works and jazz standards with warmth and artistry. The a cappella group Dischord from UPenn makes a guest appearance. The afternoon closes with a Graduate Spotlight and Legacy Award Ceremony, a personal tribute to two graduating students, honoring the musicians they have grown into within this community. The ceremony marks the close of one chapter and the start of the next. Each honoree carries years of practice and performance into whatever comes after. From a four-year-old’s first notes on a concert stage to world premieres conducted by Maestro Singer, this is what ten years of nurturing a genuine love for music looks like.