
The grants, which include a $25,000 cash prize, are decided by a selection committee that reads like a veritable who’s who of performing-arts professionals in the U.S. – including the leaders of the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Boston Symphony, pianist Emanuel Ax, and cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
Previous winners include such classical-music household names as violinists Hilary Hahn and Joshua Bell, pianist Yuja Wang, and clarinetist Richard Stoltzman.
The honors for Wong and Fung bring the number of Heifetz Institute alums to win Avery Fisher grants to five, joining previous winners Itamar Zorman (2013), Alexi Kenney (2016) and Chad Hoopes (2017).