ASEF Junior Fellow Enters His Final Year at Berklee College of Music in Boston

Jakob Kobal, an ASEF Fellowship recipient, has successfully completed his 6th semester at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston and is now entering his final year of study. Over the past year, he has gained numerous valuable experiences, collaborated on various projects, and performed in concerts, further solidifying his musical journey.

Among his most notable achievements in the past year are:

• May 2024: Performance with the Boston Civic Symphony Orchestra, where he played the piece Azul by Argentine composer Osvaldo Golijov. He also had the privilege of performing alongside internationally renowned cellist Allison Eldredge. More details about the concert can be found on the Boston Civic Symphony.
• November 2024: Performance at the “Classical with a Twist” concert, again featuring Allison Eldredge and other top musicians. More about the event is available on Newton Culture.
• Additionally, in the fall of 2024, Jakob founded and formed a quintet focusing on the music of Astor Piazzolla in both its original and reimagined arrangements. Jakob was responsible for creating the program, gathering the sheet music, partially arranging the pieces, and presenting the idea to the Berklee “Ensemble” department, which accepted and included the project in the curriculum. With the support of his mentor Anastassiya Petrova, they successfully developed a challenging program, which has already been performed twice. The quintet also had the honor of hosting Grammy Award-winning guest mentor Claudia Ragazzi. You can watch a short promotional video here.

Jakob’s year has been filled with challenges and successes, contributing to his growth and progress on his musical journey. We are proud of his remarkable achievements as an ASEF Fellowship recipient and look forward to seeing what his final year at Berklee will bring.