Marilyn Gans is a composer, pianist, and violinist. Pursuing her performance studies, she has been a member of the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra’s first violin section for three years, during which she was selected to perform in the 2024 Ravinia El Sistema rehearsals under the baton of conductor Gustavo Dudamel. She also served as principal violinist in her orchestra’s honors string quartet, the Hanson String Quartet, receiving instruction from musicians such as the ATLYS String Quartet, Youming Chen, Max Raimi, and Addison Teng.
As a pianist, Marilyn has toured throughout Italy with the Music Institute of Chicago, performing an array of chamber works and solo repertoire. Through Wheaton College’s CSA Honors Piano Trio, Marilyn has performed chamber works of all eras and participated in musical initiatives such as the NIU Chamber Music Camp and the Tutti Music Camp. She has had the privilege of receiving coachings from pianists such as Winston Choi and Karin Redekopp Edwards at Wheaton College, and was the recipient of the second-place award in the 2025 Berkley-Pendell Piano Competition, performing repertoire by Chopin and Mozart.
As a young composer, Marilyn received both bronze and gold medals consecutively in the National Carol Klose Composition Competition, was a selected finalist in the National Young Composers Challenge based in Orlando, Florida, and received two silver medals in the 2024–2025 Illinois Music Teachers Association composition competition season. Throughout high school, Marilyn has received music lessons from composer, lecturer, and performer Jim Kendros, further inspiring her to pursue composition in college.
