Cellist Jan Nedvetsky (Photo: Renata Voci)
Cellist Jan Vargas Nedvetsky, a familiar face to WFMT, has been named one of the 2025 U.S. Presidential Scholars. He is one of only 20 students selected out of nearly 3.9 million high school graduates who earned the distinction of U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts.
Every year, the title of U.S Presidential Scholar is bestowed on a handful of promising high school graduates from across the country. The program was founded in 1964 by U.S President Lyndon B. Johnson, and was expanded to include distinctions for the Fine Arts in 1979, then Technical Education in 2015. The Scholars of the Arts are chosen across various arts disciplines ranging from classical music to dance, design, theater and jazz. In order to qualify, students must earn an exceptional score on the SAT or ACT, demonstrate academic achievements, show achievements in their selected medium, participate in the Young Arts program, and graduate high school between January and August of the given year.
It’s rare to have a Chicagoan make the cut. Among the class of 2025, Nedvetsky is the only candidate selected from the Chicago area, and the only cellist. The 18 year-old from Wilmette has been a frequent guest on Introductions, WFMT’s weekly program spotlighting talented pre-college classical musicians, appearing with chamber groups in August 2020, May 2021, and August 2022, and leading two solo recitals in January 2021 and September 2024. Nedvetsky was also part of the station’s 70th anniversary celebration, and most recently appeared performing music of Haydn, Mendelssohn, and Bartók with the Caspian Quartet.
Nedvetsky has also won numerous awards in chamber and solo competitions. He debuted at Symphony Center in 2023 with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, as a prize winner of the 2023 Crain-Maling Foundation CSO Young Artist Competition. He also appeared as soloist with the Central Organ Symphony Orchestra, won multiple years in a row at the St. Paul National String Quartet Competition, and was a finalist in the 2024 United State Marine Band Concerto Competition. A list of accomplishments can be found on Nedvetsky’s website.
Nedvetsky is a currently a freshman studying Music at Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University.
