KU graduate is first Jayhawk named finalist for Fellowship for New Americans
LAWRENCE — University of Kansas alumna Isabel Keleti is the first-ever KU graduate to be named a finalist for a highly competitive national fellowship that provides merit-based funding for new Americans, immigrants and children of immigrants who are poised to make significant contributions to U.S. culture.

Selected from a nationwide pool of more than 2,600 applicants, Keleti is one of 77 finalists to interview for the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans, after which 30 recipients will be selected this spring.
Fellows are granted up to $90,000 in funding for one to two years of graduate study in any field and in any advanced degree-granting program in the United States. They join a lifelong network of distinguished fellows across various fields.
A Leawood native and Blue Valley North High School graduate, Keleti earned a bachelor’s degree in piano performance from KU in 2017, having studied with Jack Winerock, professor emeritus of music. Following KU, Keleti earned a master’s degree in piano performance from the Mannes School of Music–The New School, studying with Vladimir Valjarević in New York City.
A dedicated pianist and educator, Keleti has won numerous international piano competitions and has performed at prestigious venues around the world, including Carnegie Hall, Bohemian National Hall, Xi’an Concert Hall and the Lied Center of Kansas.
Beyond her performance career, Keleti is passionate about Czech music and culture, earning recognition with the 2024 Gold Crystal Heart Award for significant contributions to Czech culture in New York City. She was also a Fulbright Scholar in the Czech Republic, where she studied with Professor Jan Jiraský at the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts in Brno.
The daughter of parents from Slovakia and Belgium, Keleti grew up surrounded by the European music and traditions shared by her parents, which inspired her dedication to classical music and its role in preserving cultural identity.
“The support and kindness of my mentors in Kansas, particularly my piano teacher, Dr. Winerock, has always given me a sense of possibility and hope that I hope to pay forward in my musical and educational pursuits,” Keleti said.
In addition to lecturing on piano pedagogy and earning recognition for teaching, Keleti maintains a private studio of piano students, many of whom have achieved competition success.
As a musician-owner of Groupmuse, she fosters community through salon-style house concerts, connecting musicians, hosts and audiences. Her love of house concerts was born in Kansas.
“I’ve carried this sense of connection through music with me everywhere I’ve lived,” she said. “I'm passionate about making classical music more accessible and welcoming, and I’m deeply grateful for the communities I’ve found that are centered around music.”
Erin Wolfram, associate director for the Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships at KU, said it had been a joy getting to know Keleti as she prepares for her finalist interviews.
“The fact that Isabel is the first Jayhawk — and first Kansan — to be named a Soros Scholarship finalist is a testament to how competitive this award is,” Wolfram said. “Her résumé and accomplishments are quite impressive, and this honor is extremely well deserved.”
Since 1998, the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans has awarded 805 fellows from 103 countries more than $80 million to pursue the graduate degrees of their choosing, which have ranged from screenwriting to medicine to law.