Grantee Database

Riki BENEDICTO

Country / Region:
• Philippines

• 2026
• Theater
• Philippines to United States

To investigate process-led and collaborative practices among independent, conceptual, and experimental theater-makers. Benedicto will immerse himself in artist-run spaces and collectives whose work expands authorship, reimagines performance-making, and develops new work. Through rehearsals, classes, and conversations with directors, performers, designers, and artistic leaders, he will observe how ideas, collaborative methods, and emerging concepts take form within an evolving creative relationship. Following the fellowship, Benedicto plans to contribute to a more connected and critically engaged network across the regions where he is actively working.

Brian BERINO

• 2026
• Music
• Philippines to United States

To commence the Master of Music in Piano Performance program at James Madison University. Immersing himself in the United States’ classical music scene, Berino aims to further develop his artistry and career as a pianist and gain insights and experiences that he can bring back to support the growth of classical music in the Philippines. Berino obtained a Bachelor of Music majoring in Piano at the University of the Philippines's College of Music. Upon graduation, Berino was presented the Dean’s Award for distinguished service for his efforts in representing the Philippines in music competitions abroad. He is currently active as a performer, having been regularly featured on the Double Pentagon concert series in both solo recitals and ensemble performances.

Dr. Gargi BHARADWAJ

• 2026
• Theater
• India to United States

To study the work of independent women theater makers in New York engaged in solo theater productions. Baradwaj will identify and engage with women solo performers, including those from the Indian diasporic community, to understand performance practices that facilitate experimental and intuitive play as well as the economics of solo work, its affective and labor dimensions, and the shifting networks through which this form circulates. In addition to these conversations, Baradwaj will observe performances, visit venues, and conduct archival research into curatorial practices and models of patronage. As a performance scholar whose work is informed by cultural policy, she hopes to articulate an alternate cross-cultural genealogy of women solo performers whose work responds to today’s ecological, financial, political and democratic crises.

Yen Tzu CHANG

• 2026
• Visual Art
• Taiwan to United States

To explore advanced sound synthesis techniques, AI applications in sound creation, and connections between ecology and sound art. Chang’s fellowship will focus on exchanges with peer professionals, immersion in New York’s sound art scene, and fieldwork documenting urban soundscapes. She aims to meet with sound artists, curators, and art and technology institutions to better understand how New York’s artists create in such a diverse, urbanized environment, the issues they address, and how sound artists intervene in public spaces. Engaging with biologists and environmental researchers and documenting local soundscapes, Chang seeks to explore urban animal conditions and sound as ecological documentation. She hopes the fellowship will yield new perspectives for her practice, bring Taiwanese ecological concerns and sonic aesthetics into global dialogue, and foster cross-border connections.

Chien-Wei WU

Country / Region:
• Taiwan

• 2026
• Dance
• Taiwan to Hong Kong

To research the lives and artistic practices of choreographers Lai Hoi Ning and Mui Cheuk-yin (ACC 1989) and related temporal shifts in the ecology of Hong Kong’s performing arts sector. Wu’s research will focus on Lai Hoi Ning and Mui Cheuk-yin (ACC 1989) whose creations and artistic practices are deeply intertwined with Hong Kong’s history, reflect the essence of contemporary Hong Kong, and probe existential conditions faced by individuals and communities in response to their social environments. Through interviews, observations, and research into their works, Wu hopes to gain insights into how these artists perceive Hong Kong through their memories and creations.

• 2019
• Dance
• Taiwan to United States

to explore the contemporary dance scene of New York City and its development in reference to the other art forms

CHAN Ching Wei Trevor

• 2026
• Music
• Hong Kong to United States

To travel to Colorado to attend workshops at the Aspen Music Festival and School in Summer 2026. Chan was selected for the Lady Fung Music Fellowship to attend workshops at the internationally acclaimed Aspen Music Festival and School. Chan is a final-year student and principal cellist of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts’ Symphony Orchestra. He also performs with the Hong Kong Sinfonietta and Opera Hong Kong. Chan’s participation in the Aspen program offers opportunities to learn from fellow cellists, develop his international network, and further improve his performance practice, as well as expand his ability to collaborate with other talents.

Ihot Sinlay CIHEK

• 2026
• Theater
• Taiwan to United States

To examine the dramaturgy of identity in New York’s theater ecosystem. Ihot Sinlay Cihek proposes a fellowship focused on dismantling and reimagining the dramaturgy of equitable collaboration between indigenous and settler artists within a globalized creative environment. Over the six-month fellowship, she will conduct institutional research, visit vanguard experimental venues, and engage in dialogues with playwrights, directors, and dramaturgs whose work actively navigates complex racial and ethnic politics. Ihot Sinlay Cihek hopes the fellowship will help her develop a transnational comparative framework for future decolonial theatre-making while at the same time seeding a vital, reciprocal knowledge transfer between Taiwan’s Indigenous performing arts community and New York’s vanguard theatre scene, establishing new global models for creative alliance.

Alain DE ASIS

• 2026
• Music
• Philippines to United States

To pursue a MA in Music at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, currently in his second and final year, focusing on the technical aspects of playing the violin, studying the piano, music theory, and music history. De Asis is pursuing an MA in Music (Violin Performance) at the Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University. Currently in his second and final year, his dissertation recital will consist of music composed during the romantic and contemporary eras while his final output is a one-hour performance recital consisting of pieces in collaboration with his instrument teachers. De Asis hopes this fellowship will help enrich his musical journey and add to his credibility as a teacher and musician, furthering his intention to contribute to the advancement of violin playing in the Philippines.

• 2025
• Music
• Philippines to United States

To pursue a MA in Music at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, focusing on the technical aspects of playing the violin, studying the piano, music theory, and music history.

TAKIDO Dorita

• 2026
• Visual Art
• Japan to United States

To research interconnected environmental challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss, and practices of environmental care and coexistence in New York. Takido will conduct research through dialogues, interviews, and visits with communities that connect nature and art, including museums, community gardens, urban agriculture, bio-labs, and environmentally oriented art projects, while participating in citizen-led initiatives that pursue holistic approaches to ecology and sustainability. Through conversations with artists, researchers, local residents, and participants in educational programs, she will examine the structures of these practices and modes of access, and reflect on them in relation to the situation in Japan.

Jose Marie Paraiso ESERJOSE

• 2026
• Music
• Philippines to United States

To commence the Master of Music in Historical Performance program at the Juilliard School. As a Historical Performance major, Eserjose will have the opportunity to join Juilliard 415, the school’s premier baroque ensemble, receive specialized coaching, and participate in master classes. These experiences will equip him with the essential tools to contribute meaningfully to the field and to promote and establish the first historical performance ensemble in the Philippines. Eserjose completed his Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance at the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music under a full scholarship from the Original Pilipino Performing Arts Foundation. He is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Violin Performance at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University.

Gerhub Ngo

• 2026
• Architecture
• Mongolia to United States

To deepen mutual understanding of Mongolian nomadic worldviews through a scholarly exchange with the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Environmental Building + Design (CEBD). Gerhub proposes an architectural exchange focused on Mongolian ger (nomadic felt dwellings), mobility, seasonal settlement patterns, and the ways by which nomadic practices shape cultural and ecological knowledge. Architectural scholars, students, and professionals from Mongolia and the U.S. will participate in seminars and workshops, engage in dialogues around their respective architectural practices and cultural frameworks and traditions, and visit indigenous communities, design laboratories, and local organizations working on sustainable and climate-responsive built environments. Gerhub hopes the exchange will deepen participants’ understanding of architectural traditions, cultural values, and climate resilience, build cross-border relationships, and enhance their development of future educational programs.

Abhishek GOSWAMI

• 2026
• Theater
• India to United States

To explore how pedagogical drama informs educators’ professional development and creative learning in schools. Goswami will engage with institutions and practitioners in New York who employ drama as a transformative pedagogical tool, including Lincoln Center Education, New York University’s Program in Educational Theatre, and The New Victory Theater, as well as community-based art educators working in diverse cultural and socio-economic contexts. Through exchanges with these institutions and communities, Goswami will study how drama processes, including role play, image theatre, and ensemble building, can help teachers develop creative confidence, critical thinking, and emotional literacy. He further hopes to share insights from his own work and experience in India, where theater has been used to empower teachers and youth in multilingual, multicultural environments.