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Rowan Collins and Travis Yoon

Overview

Rowan Collins became Travis Yoon’s mentor during his first semester at Juilliard and remained one of his close friends and musical collaborators. She recognized his musical ability early, made room for him in her own practice schedule, and worked with him on bowings, tempos, and arrangements. After Travis’s death, she was among the musicians who recorded his arrangements as a gift to his family.

Musical Mentorship

Travis entered Juilliard in fall 2023, two years after Rowan. Rowan stayed late to work with him, rearranged her own practice schedule, and sat with him on residence-hall couches discussing bowings and tempos. Their collaboration included arrangement development and ensemble performance.

Both musicians had encountered gendered assumptions about the violin from opposite directions. Rowan had been told that the instrument did not belong to her category, while Travis had been told that he did not belong in its space. The shared experience shaped a connection that neither needed to articulate in full.

December 2024

When Travis was absent from Meredith Willson Residence Hall for four days in December 2024, Rowan waited without knowing whether he was alive. After the four days, she confronted Ezra with the only information she needed: “Is he alive.” Tyler held Rowan in the residence-hall corridor when she finally broke down under the strain of waiting.

Main article: Travis Yoon’s Four-Day Absence (December 2024) - Event

Funeral and New York Memorial

After Travis’s death, Ezra paid for Rowan and Tyler to fly from New York to Evanston for the funeral. Rowan and Tyler later joined Travis’s theory study group in participating in the New York City memorial after Ezra asked Travis’s friends to take part.

Main article: Funeral and Memorials for Travis Yoon (2025)

Posthumous Recording

Travis composed and arranged ‘’이어받은 선율’‘, and Ezra served as his notation scribe during treatment before coordinating the posthumous release through the Fifth Bar Collective. Rowan’s role was distinct: she performed on the recording of Travis’s arrangements as a gift to the Yoon family.

Relationships Friendships Juilliard Travis Yoon