Leland Ko ’15 Prep, ’24 AD and Keila Wakao ’24 Prep, ’28 Receive 2026 Avery Fisher Career Grants
Congratulations to Leland Ko ’15 Prep, ’24 AD and Keila Wakao ’24 Prep, ’28, who have been named recipients of the 2026 Avery Fisher Career Grants.
Ko and Wakao will be honored this evening during a ceremony and performance at WQXR’s Jerome L. Greene Performance Space in New York City. Each recipient receives a $25,000 award to support career advancement, along with unrestricted use of the recording of their performance at the ceremonial event.
Both artists have strong ties to NEC. Ko attended NEC’s Preparatory School and later earned his Artist Diploma at NEC. Wakao also studied at NEC Prep and is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Music degree at NEC. Their recognition continues NEC’s long tradition of affiliation with Avery Fisher Career Grant recipients.
Established in 1974 by the late Avery Fisher as part of a major gift to Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Avery Fisher Artist Program supports outstanding young classical musicians at pivotal stages in their careers.
Cellist Leland Philip Ko has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician across the United States and internationally. He is a first-prize winner of the Concours Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, the Concert Artists Guild Louis and Susan Meisel Competition, and the Walter W. Naumburg International Cello Competition.
Highlights of his 2025–2026 season include debuts with the Orchestre Symphonique de Sherbrooke and the DuPage Symphony, as well as performances at Caramoor, Merkin Hall, and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.
Violinist Keila Wakao has quickly emerged as one of the leading young artists of her generation. She made her Boston Symphony Orchestra debut in September 2024 under Andris Nelsons and was invited to perform at the unveiling of a sculpture of Seiji Ozawa at Tanglewood in July 2025.
In November 2025, Wakao premiered Bobby Ge’s Violin Concerto with the Albany Symphony, and in January 2026, she recorded her debut album, scheduled for release later this year by Octavia Records. This summer, she will make her Tanglewood Music Festival debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, performing Barber’s Violin Concerto.
