Linda performs on Show 486.

Linda Nichvoloda (piano), 17, is a high school senior at the Academy for Mathematics, Science, and Engineering, a program within Morris Hills High School in Rockaway, New Jersey. She started learning piano at the age of five and is currently a student of Dr. Ernest Barretta within The Juilliard School Pre-College program. In 2024, Linda’s project “Novel Perspectives in Chamber Music” won Honorable Mention at the Young Musicians Innovation Challenge by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Other awards have included Honorable Mention (2021) and Second Place (2022) at the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Piano Competition, New Jersey Division, and Grand Prize awards at the Rising Talents Piano Competition, VIVO Piano Competition, and the Camerata Artists International Competition, Concerto Division.

In addition to playing piano, Linda is an avid student of physics and has dedicated her summers to this fascinating subject at programs such as Harvard Summer School, the Stanford Program for Inspiring the Next Generation of Women in Physics (SPINWIP), Columbia Engineering’s Summer High School Academic Program for Engineers (SHAPE), and the Rutgers Young Scholars Program in Discrete Mathematics. By working as an intern for Chem XAI, she has also used her advanced coding skills to apply AI technology, particularly Large Language Models (LLM), to physics-based projects and educational chatbots for students.

In her spare time Linda is a dedicated swimmer, having qualified for the NJ State Championship in 2023, 2024, and 2025 in the 500 meters freestyle. Her love of reading inspired her to become the president of her school’s book club, and her deep interest in different cultures led her to develop fluency in five languages (English, Spanish, Russian, Ukrainian, and Chinese).

Receiving the Award will make it possible for Linda to attend her first summer music program, in the upcoming summer of 2026.