15-year-old Flutist and Composer Nikka Gershman Makes History as the Youngest Ever Kovner Fellow Welcomed by The Juilliard School

NEW YORK, NY, APRIL 13th — Nikka Gershman, a 15-year-old California native, received an acceptance letter to Juilliard, one of the most prestigious music schools in the world. Gershman was named a 2023 Kovner Fellow – the highest-level recognition of exceptionally gifted musicians at Juilliard.

Gershman is the daughter of Zhenya Gershman and Evan Pepper, whose families immigrated from Eastern Europe to America in search of freedom and a better future for their children. Described as “without question one of the finest and most dedicated young flute soloists and composers” by Mike Green, the President of the Grammy Foundation, Gershman earned this award after winning numerous competitions and awards. She was the only flutist selected out of 13 winners internationally by the Classicalia Global PBS Televised Competition to perform as a soloist with the Győr Philharmonic in the Vienna Konzerthaus. Gershman is a recipient of the Sir James Galway “Outstanding Junior Performer” Award and the Career Grant from the Salon de Virtuosi. In 2022, NPR’s From the Top featured Gershman’s performance and original composition. Haynes Flutes selected Gershman to represent them as their youngest ever Young Artist. She graduated the Colburn Music Academy as a Thibaudet Scholar.

At Juilliard, Gershman will be joining the studio of legendary flutist Carol Wincenc, who has appeared as a soloist with such ensembles as the Chicago, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Detroit, and London symphonies, the BBC, Warsaw, and Buffalo Philharmonics, as well as the Los Angeles, Stuttgart, and Saint Paul Chamber Orchestras. Wincenc changed the face of the flute repertoire with an extraordinary list of commissions, including pieces by Christopher Rouse, Joan Tower, Lukas Foss, Paul Schoenfield, Yuko Uebayashi, and Jennifer Higdon.

The Kovner Fellowship is granted to admitted Juilliard students who exhibit the highest level of artistic achievement, and who also demonstrate great potential to be future leaders in the arts. The Fellows receive a full-tuition scholarship, room and board, and additional living expenses for the entire duration of the Bachelor of Music program. In addition to this extraordinary financial support, the Fellows become part of a community with access to enhanced programming and additional opportunities, including career development, networking, and mentoring.

Learn more about the Kovner Fellowship by clicking here…