WINNERS
2024-2025 Young Artist Competition Winners
(Headshot updates coming soon!)
Liam Thomas — Instrumentalist, Prodigy
A native of Southern California, Liam Thomas, age 12, is a student of the esteemed Ms. Joan Kwuon at the Colburn School in Los Angeles, CA. Liam performs with the Los Angeles Youth Philharmonic Orchestra’s first violin section at Walt Disney Concert Hall, Thayer Hall (Colburn School), and in the community. He is the soloist for the “Vivaldi Project” of the LAYPO, where he will perform each of the Four Seasons across four concerts. He is also in the Honors Chamber program of the Ed and Mari Edelman Chamber Music Institute at the Colburn School.
Liam has participated in summer programs including Montecito International Music Festival and California Orchestra Institute Summer Festival, and won 1st Prize in the CalASTA-Los Angeles Bowed Strings competition (2024), Liana Cohen Competition (1st Prize and Grand Prize, 2024), and Vienna Grand Prize Virtuoso Competition (2024), among many others.
Liam has performed in more than 30 churches and senior care facilities, as well as made numerous appearances in live television programs on LLBN TV. In 2023, he performed in an Arts Festival celebrating the city of Loma Linda, CA and was the featured artist in a Benefit Concert for the Loma Linda Children’s Hospital.
Liam enjoys composing and arranging music for string groups and performing with his younger brother and sister. He loves reading, history, and drawing, and aspires to become a professional classical violinist.
Minji Choi — Instrumentalist, Artiste
Minji Choi, a student of Chloe Chiu, is a 15-year-old violinist who aspires to share her passion and connect with the audience through music. She has played for many renowned violinists and has previously appeared as a soloist with orchestras including the Bellflower Symphony and the Sierra Vista Chamber Orchestra, as well as the Southern California Philharmonic in its 2022-23 season. She has received awards including the 2025 YoungArts Winner, Young Artist Award at the Singapore Violin Festival, honorable mention in The Music Center’s Spotlight Competition, and firsts from the Music Teachers National Association California State Competition, American String Teachers Association Bowed String Solo Competition, and the California Association of Professional Music Teachers Concerto Competition, where she also received the overall grand prize titled the Andrys Basten Award. Choi has participated in the Chamber Music OC Pre-College Program, Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra, and served as the concertmaster of the Pacific Symphony Santiago Strings.
Choi is an active volunteer and performer at Smile Train OC, where she performs in its annual concerts to fundraise for children born with clefts. She is also a regional director of Back to Bach and the Doremi Project, where she teaches about classical music and violin to young children. Also part of the Clexical as its ambassador, Choi reaches out to present contemporary composers and aims to share their story and music. Choi has attended summer festivals and programs such as the Encore Chamber Music Institute Summer Academy, Online Solo Strings Intensive, Yellow Barn Young Artists Program, and National Youth Orchestra 2.
Minji loves to write, learn about history, and search for good eateries with her friends and family.
Jiahe Zhang — Instrumentalist, Virtuoso
Chinese cellist Jiahe Zhang, 19, began piano at the age of 4 and began studying the cello at age 8 under Professor Xiaoming Zhang. At 14, she was admitted to the Central Conservatory of Music Middle School, and at 16, was accepted into the Colburn Music Academy and subsequently the Colburn Conservatory of Music for her undergraduate studies with a full scholarship. She is currently a sophomore working with the distinguished cellist and educator, Professor Clive Greensmith.
In 2022, she performed Tchaikovsky’s Pezzo Capriccioso with the Southwest German Chamber Orchestra at the final concert of the Rutesheim Cello Academy. In 2024, she became the top scholarship recipient at the Radolfzell International Music Festival Summer Academy in Germany. Additionally, in 2022, she was invited to give a solo recital at the Dvořák Museum in Prague, Czech Republic. She has performed at Colburn Chamber Music Society concerts, sharing the stage with trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth and violinist Jennifer Koh. In 2023, she was awarded a full scholarship to attend the Toronto Summer Music Festival, where she performed at the University of Toronto’s music hall. Professor Joe Cole, Head of Strings at the Royal Academy of Music, remarked after hearing her performance: “A supremely confident performance, full of energy and sharp articulation, demonstrating soloistic confidence, with impressive technical command and captivating spirit.”
Antonio Lin — Vocalist, Prodigy
Antonio is a sixth-grader studying voice privately with Mrs. Kathleen Martin, Mr. John Henri, Mrs. Vera Calábria, and Mr. Bill Vendice. Antonio also sings with The All-American Boys Chorus (TAABC) under the direction of Mr. Wesley Martin. Before joining TAABC in 2022, Antonio spent three years in the South Coast Children’s Chorus (SCCC) under the direction of Mr. Jerome Healy, Mrs. Susan Gerling, and Ms. Amanda Salcedo. Antonio has been studying piano with Ms. Chizuko Asada since he was five.
Antonio sang two duets with Ms. Sarah Brightman in three of her 2024 “A Christmas Symphony” concerts, including the grand finale at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Antonio performed as a leading male vocalist in The Legends, a musical composed and conducted by Mr. Bin He, at the Segerstrom Hall in October 2024.
Antonio won first place in Classical Voice and Musical Theater at VO-CAL 2024, second place in Musical Theater at NATS SEP Los Angeles, 2024, and nine other vocal awards between 2021 and 2023. In addition to performing, Antonio enjoys playing with his brother, playing tennis, and learning math.
Lavinia Watkins — Vocalist, Artiste
Mezzo-soprano, Lavinia Watkins, is a junior at the Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) in the Classical Voice Conservatory. She studies with mezzo-soprano, Milena Kitic, and with vocal coach, Dr. Cheryl Lyn Fielding. Lavinia has been singing with the National Children’s Chorus (NCC) LA chapter for over 10 years, and has studied with Dr. Pamela Blackstone since age 7. She is a Vocal Fellow with the National Children’s Chorus, and has traveled the world performing at venues including the Musikverein (Vienna), Carnegie Hall (New York City), Disney Hall (Los Angeles), Suntory Hall (Tokyo), and even a performance for peace at the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) with other children from both South and North Korea. She sang on the NCC’s holiday album, Illumine, with the London Symphony Orchestra, recorded at Abbey Road Studios, London, which currently has over 500,000 streams.
Lavinia has won many vocal awards and commendations, and plans to pursue a career as a professional opera singer. When not singing (which is rare!), she volunteers her summers as a cast member for Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach, and works at the Sawdust Art Festival. She also loves the ocean and is passionate about marine conservation. She would like to thank all of her teachers at OCSA, with a special thanks to Dr. David Clemenson.
Zachary Mascarinas — Vocalist, Virtuoso
Zachary Mascarinas is third-year B.M in Opera Performance from the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music. A passionate performer, he has showcased his talent with institutions including CSULB Opera Institute and Chicago Summer Opera. His operatic roles include “Harashta” in The Cunning Little Vixen, “Dr. Falke” in Die Fledermaus, and “Mr. Gedge” in Albert Herring with Chicago Summer Opera in 2024. Zach is currently preparing the role of “Papageno” in Die Zauberflöte for a performance with the CSULB Opera Institute in Spring 2025. As a professional operatic baritone, Zach has graced the stage with Pacific Opera Project in Madame Butterfly, and is set to collaborate with Lyric Opera of Orange County in their production of The Mighty Casey. Beyond performance, he is a dedicated educator, teaching voice and piano at the Huntington Beach School of Music, and serves as the bass section leader for the Los Altos United Methodist Sanctuary Choir.
Outside of his professional endeavors, Zach finds joy in the simple pleasures of life. An avid jazz enthusiast, he enjoys the music of artists like Laufey, Grentperez, Miles Davis, and Chet Baker. He loves spending time at the beach, embracing the calming ocean air and scenic views, and unwinds by watching cute Guinea pig videos.
Sherlock Luan — Pianist, Prodigy
Sherlock Luan, age eight, is a third-grade student at Vista Verde K-8 School. He began studying piano at the age of six and is currently under the tutelage of Professor Ethan Dong at Opus119 School of Music. Music has become a central part of Sherlock’s life, and he has developed a passion for composition and chamber music. Remarkably, he has composed more than 50 pieces, demonstrating his creativity and dedication to his art. Sherlock is excitedly preparing for his concerto debut with the SoCalPhil, a significant milestone in his musical journey.
Outside of music, Sherlock enjoys swimming with his brother, exploring creative writing, and traveling with his family, which enriches his artistic and personal growth.
Xiaowei (Steven) Zhao — Pianist, Artiste
Xiaowei (Steven) Zhao is a junior International Baccalaureate (IB) student at Trabuco Hills High School. He is under the tutelage of Angela Leu and Professor Kirill Gliadkovsky at Saddleback College. Steven has been studying piano since he was six and has loved performing ever since. Prior to the honor of winning the SoCalPhil Young Artists Solo Competition, he received a gold medal in the Southern California Junior Bach Festival in 2022, first place in Music Teacher’s Association of California (MTAC) State Concerto Competition in 2023, and second and third place in MTAC Solo competition and Pacific Star International Piano Competition, respectively. In the summer of 2024, he attended the prestigious Juilliard Summer Piano program and received guidance from respected faculty members such as Emanuel Ax and Orli Shaham.
Steven also loves to paint in his free time and is on the Varsity Lacrosse team in his high school.
Ulises Reyes — Pianist, Virtuoso
Ulises Reyes, age 18, is currently a first-year student at University of California, Irvine, studying piano performance and playing trombone in UCI’s symphony orchestra. With a family history of making music, his father began teaching him piano at the age of 6. Starting in middle school, Ulises had no formal teacher and began to teach himself new pieces on the piano. Fortunately, in the summer of 2022, he found teacher Charles Hansen, who was willing to help him improve his technique and interpretation. Ulises is currently studying with Bella Tseng and Dr. Lorna Griffitt and placed first in the Music Teacher’s Association of California (MTAC) Irvine Branch competition. He also performed the first movement of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 with his high school, Oxford Academy, during his senior year.
WINNERS
2023-2024 Young Artist Competition Winners
(Headshot updates coming soon!)
Natalie Xu — Instrumentalist, Prodigy
Natalie Xu is a seventh-grader at the Orange County School of the Arts, studying in the Violin Studio of Mori & Park. She has won competitions including Opus Music National Competition, Music Teacher Association of California (MTAC) - VOCE Solo Competition State Final, Bellflower Concerto Competition, and the American String Teacher Association (ASTA) - California Solo Competition State Final. She has performed as soloist with the Orchestra Collective of Orange County and the Bellflower Symphony Orchestra, and has been featured on the From the Top NPR radio show.
James Birch — Instrumentalist, Artiste
James Birch is a Kohl Scholar at the Colburn Music Academy, studying under Robert Lipsett. James made his orchestral solo debut at age twelve, performing Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 3 with the Reddam Philharmonic Orchestra. He has also played solos with Los Angeles Virtuosi Orchestra, MUSE/IQUE, and San Fernando Valley Symphony Orchestra. He has given recitals at St. Mary’s Perivale UK, and Salon De Virtuosi (NY). He has received scholarships and awards including Aspen Music Festival’s New Horizons Fellowship, Arkady Fomin Scholarship Opportunity Award, full scholarships for the Sounding Point Academy, Music Works Chamber Summer Camp, and the Perlman Music Program. He has won competitions including the 2020 London Grand Prize Virtuoso International Music Competition, 2022 ISA Young Musician of the Year, the New Talent Award at the 2021 British International Youth Music Competition & Festival, and the Hattori Foundation Junior Award Winner for 2022.
Esme Arias-Kim — Instrumentalist, Virtuoso
Esme Arias- Kim, an 18 year old high school senior, is a Kohl Scholar at the Colburn Music Academy under the instruction of Robert Lipsett. She has placed first in numerous young artist competitions including Vancouver Symphony and Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and has won awards from the Stulberg International String Competition, Sphinx Competition, Southern California Philharmonic, New York International Artist Association, and many others. Esme made her solo orchestral debut at the age of ten with the Oistrakh Symphony and has since appeared as soloist with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Arts Orchestra, and Ottawa Chamber Orchestra, among many others. She looks forward to performing as soloist with the Vancouver Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Northwest Indiana Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, and New Philharmonic this season.
Esme has performed solo recitals at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall (NY), Peninsula Music Festival (WI), Chicago Cultural Center (IL), 92Y New York (NY), and Musikferien at Starnberger See (GER), and has been featured in radio performances on Chicago’s classical WFMT’s Introductions and NPR’s From the Top. She is playing on a violin by Alfredo Contino 1920, courtesy of Guarneri Hall NFP and Darnton & Hersh Fine Violins, Chicago.
Outside of music, Esme enjoys listening to true crime podcasts, visual art, cooking, and writing.
Wenlan Jackson — Instrumentalist, Virtuoso
Born in New York City, violinist Wenlan Jackson has performed on stages across the United States and Europe. Her recent engagements include solo performances with the Burbank Philharmonic, San Fernando Valley Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Santa Monica, and Colburn Baroque Ensemble. She has won the Mika Hasler Competition, Hennings-Fischer Young Artist Competition, Colburn Music Academy Concerto Competition, and others. In 2023, Wenlan performed the violin solo in The Storm by composer Kitt Wakeley on his album, “An Adoption Story” alongside the London Symphony Orchestra, which won a Grammy Award.
Wenlan is persuing her Bachelor of Music degree under the tutelage of Robert Lipsett at the Colburn Conservatory of Music. She is deeply engaged in Colburn’s Center for Innovation and Community Impact by teaching violin to underprivileged children. Her vast musical accomplishments include being named Young Artist In-Residence at Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel, participating in the International Holland Music Sessions and the Aspen Music Festival, and serving as Associate Concertmaster of the New York Strings Orchestra.
Emma Chi-Sing — Vocalist, Prodigy
Emma Chi-Sing is honored to be singing alongside the Southern California Philharmonic. A classically trained singer, dancer, and actor, Emma has been training and competing in classical music over the last five years. Most recently, Emma competed at the National Association of Teachers Singing, and won first place in the SoCalPhil Young Artists Solo Competition. She is currently in the seventh grade at St. Edward the Confessor Parish School in Dana Point.
Estella (Sky) Keyoung — Vocalist, Artiste
Estella Sky Keyoung attends the Classical Voice Conservatory at the Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) where she studies with Kathleen Martin. Sky has won multiple vocal competitions including NATS Los Angeles, American Protegé, South Coast Singers Stars of Tomorrow, and has placed in NATS Cal-Western Regional, SFCM’s Schmidt Vocal Competition, and the CS Music Top 6 National Finalists. Operatic roles include Rosalinda in Strauss’ Die Fledermaus and Madam Zilberklang in Mozart’s Der Schauspieldirektor. Sky has a passion for climate literacy and is the founder of ClimateLitNow, a non-profit organization dedicated to climate education for students.
Eliza Tait — Vocalist, Artiste
Eliza Tait studies voice at the conservatory of Orange County School of the Arts, where she plans to graduate in 2025. Though she is interested in several genres of music, her primary focus is on Musical Theater and Classical Voice. Eliza has won or has been finalist in several state, regional and national vocal competitions. She has been part of several youth productions and aspires toward a professional musical career.
Lurdes Zapata — Vocalist, Virtuoso
Lurdes Zapata recently graduated from CSULB’s Bob Cole Conservatory of Music with a BM in Opera Performance. She has won classical voice competitions including NATS Cal-Western Regional and the Redlands Bowl Young Artist Competition. She has performed internationally in Austria, Italy, and Slovenia. Operatic roles include Novice in Puccini’s Suor Angelica and Adele in Strauss’ Die Fledermaus. She has performed with LA Opera as a supernumerary in Grabriela Lena Frank’s El Ultimo Sueño de Frida y Diego, and will be joining LA Opera again this May and June in Puccini’s Turandot.
Everett Leigh — Pianist, Prodigy
13 year-old Everett Leigh has been studying with Professor Ethan Dongs since the age of nine. He has performed at venues including Carnegie Hall (NY), Disney Hall (CA), Soka Performing Arts Center (CA), and Nixon Library (CA). Everett has received awards in over 45 international competitions, and has been appointed as the first and only Junior Piano Soloist by the United Nations.
In addition to his remarkable musical achievements, Everett distinguishes himself as a leader of Opus music foundation, a champion swimmer, holder of a Taekwondo Black Belt, an expert in Pokémon lore, and a seasoned globetrotter.
Alyssa Snow — Pianist, Artiste
Alyssa Snow is an 11th grader at Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA). She has been studying piano since the age of five with Ms. Mie Shirai. Alyssa has won awards from the American Virtuoso International Music Competition, Southern California Junior Bach Festival, and Elite Music Competition, among many others. She made her orchestral debut performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 in D Minor as a soloist with the North Torrance Youth Chamber Orchestra in 2018, and continues to perform a soloist with orchestras. She has presented solo recitals at Carnegie Hall in New York, and currently serves as the President of the Music Student’s Service League, a community outreach organization of the Music Teacher’s Association of California.
Outside of playing piano, Alyssa loves to sing and dance, and enjoys listening to K-Pop. Her favorite way of spending her spare time is shopping with her friends and playing with her four cats.
WINNERS
2022-2023 Young Artist Competition Winners
Minji Choi — Instrumentalist, Prodigy
Starting violin at the age of 6, Minji Choi is a 13 year old violinist studying under Chloe Chiu. She has earned the Young Artist Award in Singapore Violin Festival and first place in American String Teachers Association (ASTA) where she went up to the State round. She also won first prizes at Southwestern Youth Music Festival, Golden Classical Music Awards International Competition, ‘Salzburg’ Grand Prize Virtuoso International Music Competition, and other local competitions. Minji participates in Chamber Music OC where she plays with her trio, and she is the current concertmaster for Sierra Vista Middle School Chamber Orchestra. She is the concertmaster for Pacific Symphony Santiago Strings, and got chosen as a member of the Pacific Symphony Santiago Quartet. Aside from dedicating her time playing violin, Minji likes to spend time with her family and friends, play the guitar, sing, read, and learn about history.
Juhan Tony Lee — Instrumentalist, Prodigy
Juhan Lee (Tony) is 11 years old and has been studying trumpet since the age of eight. At the 2020 6th New York International Music Concours, he was awarded both first place and the grand prize. At the 2020 Manhattan International Music Competition, he again achieved first place, and won the Exceptional Young Talent Special Prize. He won first place at the 2021 New York Masters International Competition and was the 2021 Visiting Artist at Seoul International S&C Rising Star Concert in Seoul. He also participated in the ITG (International Trumpet Guild) conference in 2022 and was awarded a special award at the lowest age of the competition. In the summer of 2022, Tony was at Interlochen Summer Arts Camp, and played principal trumpet for the junior band. He also played principal trumpet for JCM (Junior Chamber Music) in Irvine, CA since 2021. Tony has been the principal trumpet for the San Diego Youth Symphony (SDYS) since 2022 and has recently played at the Carnegie Hall (New York) in December 2022. He has also won the Bellflower Symphony Young Artist Concerto Competition and performed with the Bellflower Symphony Orchestra in April of 2023. His current mentor is Matthew Kim, an international trumpeter.
Esme Arias-Kim — Instrumentalist, Artiste
Esme, 17, made her solo orchestral debut at 10 with the Oistrakh Symphony and has since then continued to make solo performances with the Buffalo Philharmonic, Fairbanks Symphony, Sinfonia da Camera, Kishwaukee, MYA, Fox Valley, Chicago Arts, Ottawa Chamber, Lincolnwood Chamber, Accademia d’Archi Arrigoni and the Civic (of Chicago) orchestras as well as solo recitals at The Peninsula Music Festival, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Chicago Cultural Center, 92Y New York, Musikferien am Starnberger See, Germany, and Palácio Foz, Portugal. She has also been featured several times on WFMT’s “Introductions” as well NPR’s “From the Top”. First place awards include Walgreens National, International Young Artist, Fox Valley, Sphinx, Enkor International, New York International Artist Association, Sejong, Confucius, DePaul Concerto Festival, Illinois MTNA Competition and most recently the ASTA, Arthur D. Montzka, Musicians Club of Women, Minnesota Orchestra’s and the Southern California Philharmonic concerto competitions. She has had Masterclasses with Hilary Hahn, Midori Goto, Julia Fischer, Ian Swensen, Vadim Gluzman, Kirill Troussov, Noah Bendix-Balgley, Paul Huang, Grigory Kalinovsky, Mihaela Martin and Ilya Kaler. She has upcoming concerto performances with the Northwest Indiana Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Southern California Philharmonic, Civic Orchestra and the Chicago Arts Orchestra. Esme is currently studying with Robert Lipsett. Previous teachers include Almita Vamos and Betty Haag-Kuhnke.”Esme is performing on a violin by Alfredo Contino 1920, courtesy of Guarneri Hall NFP and Darnton & Hersh Fine Violins, Chicago.
Rubi Lee — Instrumentalist, Artiste
Rubi Lee (16) is a 10th grader at Orange County School of Art. She started her violin when she was 8. Since then, she is very active musician. Rubi is the member of Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra, quartet, All-State Symphony Orchestra, Piano Trio at Junior Chamber Music and Christian Youth String Ensemble.
Rubi has received many prizes in numerous competitions. Awards include: SoCal Philharmonic Concerto Competition, Young artist winner (2022); American String Teacher’s Association, State winner (2022); OCSA concerto competition, Winner(2022); Concerto Competition of California Association of Professional Music Teachers, First Place(2022); American Protege International Concerto competition, First place(2021). She has appeared on NPR’s radio program From The Top show 413 in 2022.
Rubi performed 3 times at Carnegie Hall, and she will join the National Youth Orchestra – USA and tour North America this summer 2023. Beside Music, she loves to eat yummy food and enjoys running.
Charlotte Collins-Williams — Vocalist, Prodigy
Charlotte Collins-Williams has the music in her. The 13-year-old award-winning vocalist and pianist comes from a long line of musicians. Her great grandmother was a music teacher and her great grandfather, a successful trumpet player and composer whose work infused the soundtracks of films produced by the Indian film industry.
Charlotte herself began formal singing lessons a mere four years ago at the age of nine, studying with European operatic leading lady, Kathleen Martin. Under Kathleen’s tutelage, Charlotte has received top honors in both classical and musical theatre performance. In addition to taking first place in the category of Prodigy Vocal in SoCalPhil’s 2022 Young Artist Competition (leading to the 2023 performance), Charlotte has placed at three NATS competitions, including Los Angeles and Cal-Western, and state-wide, at VO-CAL.
And although her love of music, evident even as an infant, may be fueled by the guiding influence of genetics, Charlotte remains proportionately dedicated to her academic studies, her coaching sessions with Vera Calábria and Bill Vendice, her OC GRIT teammates (with whom she trains and competes in cross country and track), her family, and last, but certainly not least, her Cockapoo, Harrison. The honor student with music in her DNA simply wouldn’t have it any other way.
Grace Huynh — Vocalist, Artiste
Grace is a senior at the Orange County High School of the Arts in the Classical Voice Conservatory. One of the highlights of her senior year was going to Chicago for the 2022 CS Music Vocal Convention and Competition. Another core experience was being selected to sing a solo at the Musco Center of the Arts as a participant in the Chapman University Choral Camp 2022. Grace is also active in theater, playing roles such as Tessie in “Annie”, and Flounder in “The Little Mermaid”. She loves being in Leadership; hosting events for students at school as well as helping out in her community.
Elizabeth Solis — Vocalist, Virtuoso
Elizabeth Solis, Soprano from Redlands, California currently resides in Long Beach, California where she attends the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music, CSULB. The 21-year-old currently studies classical voice under the direction of Dr. Jennifer Sung and previously studied under the direction of Dr. Alexander Hahn, Director of Vocal Studies at CSULB. This year, Elizabeth was classically trained in Trossingen, Germany, as part of the CSU Summer Arts: Romantic Lied in Germany Program. She has been cast in works of The Redland’s Inland Opera, The Bob Cole Conservatory of Music Opera Program, and will soon appear as ‘Almirena’ in Handel’s ‘Rinaldo’ along with singing in the chorus of Bizet’s Carmen, both in partnership with Chicago Summer Opera. The Soprano plans to chase her artistic endeavors far past undergraduate studies, in hopes of an operatic future.
Jessica Gui — Pianist, Prodigy
Jessica is 12 years old, and she has been learning piano for 6 years. Her current teacher is Dr. Rixiang Huang. Jessica enjoys playing piano and has won many awards including 2022 US New Star Competition 2nd Prize, 2022 Pacific Stars International Piano Competition Bronze Prize, 2022 American Protégé International Piano Competition 1st Place, 2021 Satori Piano Competition 1st Place and many more. She also got invited to play in the Carnegie Hall. Other than playing piano, Jessica enjoys reading and singing.
Lucie Kim — Pianist, Artiste
Lucie, age 16, is an eleventh grader at the Orange County School of the Arts. Lucie began taking piano lessons at age six and currently studies with Ariel Yang at Opus 119 School of Music.
Lucie made her Carnegie Hall debut at age nine and has won top prizes at numerous international competitions. Lucie received First Prize at the San Jose International Piano Competition along with the “Most Promising Young Talent Award,” Gold Medal at the Southern California Junior Bach Complete Works Competition, and First Prize at the Steinway Junior Piano Competition. She is a two-time First Prize winner at the Los Angeles International Liszt Competition, where she received a special prize for the “Best Performance of Etude de Concert,” and a Silver Medalist at the quadrennial Virginia Waring International Junior Solo Competition. She has won First Prize at the Carmel Klavier International Piano Competition, First Prize at the LISMA International Music Competition, First Prize at the Four Notes International Competition, Gold Medal at the Piano Star International Competition, First Prize at the Bellagrande International Music Competition, First Prize at the Bay Area Piano Competition, and First Prize at the Orange County School of the Arts Concerto Competition, where she will perform with the OCSA Orchestra this spring. Most recently, she won First Prize in the Los Angeles Youth Philharmonic Piano Concerto Competition, where she will perform at the Walt Disney Concert Hall this summer.
At the age of 12, Lucie independently organized and performed in a full solo benefit concert for Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC). Since then, she has been actively using her passion for music by attending and performing at fundraising events to support the hospital as a CHOC ambassador. In 2019, Lucie received a special Congressional Recognition Award for her philanthropic and artistic endeavors. She gave a TEDx Talk in 2021 titled “Music Begins with a New Breath,” where she discusses how breathing affects music performance, and can influence the quality, mood and level of audience engagement.
Lucie has performed in masterclasses with world-renowned artists including Stanislav Ioudenitch, William Grant Naboré, Dang Thai Son, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, George Li, Robert Shannon, Bernadene Blaha, Angela Cheng, Alvin Chow, Haewon Song, and Dmitry Rachmanov. An avid chamber musician, Lucie is a member of JCM (Junior Chamber Music) of Orange County and was chosen as a Debut Artist of the program. In her spare time, Lucie loves to play golf with her friends and family and is a member of the Southern California PGA Junior Player’s Tour.
WINNERS
2021-2022 Young Artist Competition Winners
Aaron Liu — Instrumentalist, Prodigy
Aaron Liu is 13 years old and has been studying the violin since the age of four. Currently, he is studying with Yuki Mori and Min Jung Park. Under their guidance, he has won first prize in various competitions. Apart from playing the violin, Aaron enjoys photography, filmmaking, and spending time with his family and cats.
Minjae (Jaden) Kim — Instrumentalist, Artiste
Minjae (Jaden) Kim, a fifteen-year-old violinist, is a ninth grader at the Orange County School of the Arts. He has won solo first prize awards from VOCE, ASTA, the Satori Grand Final, and many others such as the International Cecilia Music Competition in Japan. He has also performed in Carnegie Hall at the age of 10. Jaden was selected as one of the finalists from NPR’s From the Top radio show and has played in the National Youth Orchestra in New York City. He is currently studying with Yuki Mori and Min Jung Park.
Jennifer Jo — Instrumentalist, Virtuoso
Jennifer Jo is a Korean American flutist and educator. As a soloist, Jennifer has recently won 1st Prizes in the 2021 Southern California Philharmonic Concerto Competition, 2019 San Francisco Flute Society Competition, 2019 South Carolina Flute Society Competition, the 2020 Sacramento Flute Club Competition, and the 2017 Carnegie Mellon University School of Music Concerto Competition, which allowed her to perform as a soloist with the ensemble and record a CD. She most recently won 2nd Prize in the 2022 Berkeley Piano Club Van Waynen Competition, which allowed her to give a solo recital in Berkeley. She also won top prizes in the 2016 National YoungArts Competition, the 2016 Yamaha Young Performing Artists Competition, 2021 Florida Flute Association Young Artist Competition, and the 2021 New Jersey Flute Society Young Artist Competition. Jennifer made her Carnegie Hall debut at the age of 16 after winning the American Protege International Concerto Competition. As an orchestral and chamber musician, Jennifer has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. She has received summer fellowships to perform as Principal Flute at the John F. Kennedy Center, Tanglewood Seiji Ozawa Hall, Davies Symphony Hall, Carnegie Hall, and venues in Switzerland and France. She has also performed with New York Flutists in Manhattan. Jennifer is graduating with her Master of Music degree as a student of Erin and Denis Bouriakov (Principal Flute, LA Phil) at UCLA as a full-scholarship recipient. She is also a Teaching Assistant for an undergraduate music listening course, a Gluck Fellow, and a Music Partnership Program Instructor. Jennifer earned her Bachelor’s in Flute Performance with a minor in Psychology from Carnegie Mellon University, where she graduated with University and College Honors and received the Pi Kappa Lambda Music Award. She was also a four-year recipient of the Carnegie Scholarship. Her former teachers include Alberto Almarza, Jeanne Baxtresser (Former Principal Flute, NY Phil), and Maria Tamburrino. As an educator, Jennifer maintains a private studio of more than 10 students in Los Angeles teaching students of all ages, and she is also the flute instructor at the Boys & Girls Club in Hollywood. Jennifer is also a pianist and has earned the Certificate of Merit Level 10 with State Convention Honors and prizes in the US Open Music Competition. Jennifer will be pursuing her Doctorate of Musical Arts degree at UCLA and continuing her studies with Denis & Erin Bouriakov for the next two years.
Leila Woodward — Vocalist, Prodigy
Leila Woodward just turned 13 years old and is living life to the fullest. Leila’s second home has been the stage since she was five years old. She studies privately with acclaimed soprano Kathleen Martin and distinguished coaches Bill Vendice (diction) and Vera Calábria (acting). Leila also sings with the renowned Voices of Hope Children’s Choir under the direction of Sarah Grandpre. Leila performs in plays and community theater, and she was honored to play Matilda in Attic Community Theater’s 2019 production of Matilda. She has been studying piano for the past three years and enjoys performing in recitals and at local events.
In 2021, Leila began participating in vocal competitions. She placed first in classical voice and second in musical theater at NATS Los Angeles, third in classical voice at NATS Cal-Western Region, and first in musical theater at VoCal. In addition to vocal competitions, Leila co-wrote and co-directed a short film with one of her best friends and won first place in the Films for a Young Audience choice award at the 2020 MY HERO International Film Festival and won the grand prize for Artistic Elementary at the 2021 California Student Media Festival.
Outside of performing, Leila enjoys baking for her family and friends, swimming, jiu jitsu, reading and drawing. Leila is from Newport Beach and is a seventh grader at Orange County School of the Arts in the Classical Voice Conservatory.
Viveka Saravanan — Vocalist, Artiste
Viveka Saravanan is a sophomore in the Classical Voice Conservatory at the Orange County School of Arts (OCSA). A soprano, she studies voice under the expertise of Kathleen Martin at the Voice Classics studio in Laguna Niguel and has won several competitions including the Mount Saint Mary’s University (MSMU) Competition for solo voice, MTAC VOCE and NATS Cal-Western. Viveka was recently a part of the production of Magic Flute at OCSA and is extremely passionate about performing on stage. She aims to attend a four-year university for classical voice and aspires to pursue a career in classical voice performance.
Mia Baron — Vocalist, Artiste
Mia Baron is a junior at Orange County School of the Arts, (OCSA), in the Classical Voice Conservatory where she participates in Opera Scenes, Chamber Singers and Bel Canto. She studies voice privately with Kathleen Martin, William Vendice, and Vera Calabria, and is indebted to all of them for their love and expert training. She would also like to acknowledge her amazing teachers and mentors at OCSA. Honors in 2021-2022 include 1st place Voce Southern Regional, Spotlight Semi-Finalist, OC Register Young Artist of the Year Semi-Finalist in Classical Voice, 3rd place NATS Cal Western in musical theater, 3rd place NATS-SEP classical, 1st place SoCal Philharmonic Young Artists, Completion of level 10 Certificate of Merit.
Grace Hahn — Vocalist, Virtuoso
Grace Hahn is an 18-year-old Mezzo-Soprano and is finishing up her final year of High School. She has been performing since the age of six and has loved it ever since. Grace has been studying under the guidance of Kathleen Martin since her freshman year. Along with vocal competitions, she has participated in productions with LA Opera’s Summer Opera camps, 90012 Ambassador program, and Community engagement operas. Additionally, she performed in productions such as Oliver the Musical and The Little Princess in Laguna Playhouse’s Youth Theater.
Music has been a major part of Grace’s life. She is excited to have the “opera tunity” to share it with others who have a passion for the arts, whether that is alongside them onstage or performing for them.
Alisa Yunfei Huang — Pianist, Prodigy
Alisa Huang is currently eight years old and has been studying the piano for two and a half years. She has won numerous awards including the Golden Classical Music Award, from the Southwestern Youth Musical Festival (SYMF), and International New Star Piano Competition. Alisa made her solo concerto debut with the Vicente Chamber Orchestra in 2021 and was invited to perform in Carnegie Hall in New York as well as the Solitär Mozarteum in Salzburg.
Alisa currently studies under the tutelage of Ethan Dong at Opus119 School of Music and studied previously with Ana Maria Eckstein. Alisa participated in a Masterclass with pianist Alpin Hong, winner of “Concert Artist Guild” and a special lecture class on ‘Stylistics of Mozart’ with Maestro William Grant Nabore, director of International Piano Academy of Lake Como, Italy.
Alisa also plays the Cello and enjoys performing cello duets with her mother who is studying along with Alisa. One of her favorite weekend activities is organizing and participating in ‘Chamber music play dates’ with her friends. Aside from playing music, Alisa loves reading, drawing, and swimming. Her artwork has been selected for the “Young Masters Art Show” by the Assistance League of Irvine in California.
Zirang Shao — Pianist, Virtuoso
Zirang Shao is a third-year university student who has been playing the piano on and off since the age of five.
Zirang played his first recital at the age of 13 and has studied with Dr. Neil Galanter in Los Angeles for the past five years.
Zirang loves classical music and especially the music of Chopin and Beethoven. He hopes to compete further and play piano in more events.
WINNERS
2020-2021 Young Artist Competition Winners
Holly Lacey — Instrumentalist, Prodigy
Holly Lacey is in the eighth grade at South Pasadena Middle School. Currently 13 years old, Holly studies the violin with Margaret Batjer and Joanna Lee at the Colburn School in Los Angeles, CA. Holly recently won first prizes in the state-wide CAPMT contemporary music competition (2021) and the Southern California Junior Bach Festival Complete Works Audition (2019). Holly has performed as a soloist with the Los Angeles Dream Chamber Orchestra. She has also performed as soloist and served as concertmaster of the Colburn String Orchestra and the South Pasadena Middle School Advanced Orchestra.
Lyndsey Lipscomb — Instrumentalist, Artiste
Lyndsey Lipscomb is 15 years old from Orange County, California. As a member of Pacific Symphony Santiago Strings for four years, she has regularly performed at Segerstrom Concert Hall and many other venues including in Costa Rica during their international concert tour. She has also enjoyed performing solos for local senior facilities and a daycare where she has volunteered for many years.
Upon completing an Advanced Level of Certificate of Merit Program, she won the Panel Finals Award by Music Teachers’ Association of California and was selected to perform a masterclass at its State Convention. She was the winner of Southwestern Youth Music Festival and Grand Prize Virtuoso International Competition and will perform at Royal Albert Hall in London in 2022.
Erin Han — Instrumentalist, Virtuoso
Erin Han started playing the violin at the age of five. Now 19 years old, Erin has won 1st place in numerous competitions such as Bellflower Symphony Concerto Competition, South Western Youth Music Festival, Satori Competition, and California Scholarship Competition of Music Teachers Association. She was a member of the Colburn Chamber Orchestra.
Estella Sky Keyoung — Vocalist, Prodigy
Estella Sky Keyoung, age 13, is in eighth grade at Orange County School of the Arts. Since the age of four, Sky has performed in multiple musical and concert productions throughout Southern California. She fell in love with classical voice when she began studying voice with esteemed Ms. Kathleen Martin two years ago. Sky has won multiple classical and musical theatre vocal competitions, including Finalist in classical voice at the 2021 Hal Leonard National Vocal Competition, First Place in musical theatre at the 2021 National Association of Teachers of Singers’ Los Angeles Chapter, Second Place in musical theatre at 2021 National Association of Teachers of Singers’ Cal-Western Regional Conference, and Honorable Mention in musical theatre at 2020 National Association of Teachers of Singers’ Cal- Western Regional Conference.
In addition to singing, Sky has been studying the piano and violin since the age of five and has placed in several local music competitions over the years.
She was also a competitive dancer in jazz and tap. Currently, she performs in the Concert Chorus at Southern California Children’s Chorus and South Coast Repertory. FUN FACT: Sky is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and during her spare time, she enjoys Broadway tunes, hip-hop dance, calligraphy, video editing, reading dystopian novels, and analyzing Disney characters.
Daniel Dunlap — Vocalist, Artiste
Daniel Dunlap is a 17-year-old tenor and a graduating senior from Palos Verdes Peninsula High School. He has been active in the opera community for more than seven years and participates in events and programs hosted by the LA Opera, NATS, Los Angeles Children’s Chorus, and MTAC. He has also performed in prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion, and Walt Disney Hall. Daniel’s work in vocal performance consists of voice acting for Cartoon Network as well as working for the LA Opera’s production of Pelléas et Mélisande where he was going to play the role of little Ynoild. Unfortunately, the opera was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. His future plans consist of attending a four-year college and majoring in Environmental Science at the University of Vermont, while also continuing his musical education.
Malvyn Lai — Pianist, Artiste
Malvyn Lai is a 15-year-old high school sophomore from San Diego who started piano at age 5 and currently studies with Professor Ning An. At age 10, he made his orchestral debut with the Kostroma Symphony Orchestra in Russia. He has since performed with the Danube Symphony in Hungary, Toruń Symphony Orchestra in Poland, Culver City Symphony in California, Grossmont College Symphony in San Diego, Temecula Valley Symphony in California and Concert Festival Orchestra in NY. Malvyn has won many awards and scholarships; his recent competition accomplishments include the 2021 National Young Arts Foundation Finalist in Classical Music: Piano, first prize in 2021 Southern California Philharmonic Young Artist Competition, first prize in piano of the 2020 Walgreens National Concerto Competition, the Milton H. Saier. Memorial Award as the winner of the 2020 La Jolla Symphony Young Artist Competition, 2020-2021 Chopin Foundation of United States Scholarship recipient, the winner of the 2020 California Music Center Spotlight Merit Award, the OC International Steinway & Sons Competition, the Lee Piano Festival Competition, and many other scholarships and competitions. FUN FACT: I enjoy watching chess playing, especially those matches played by chess masters. I found many resemblances between chess and piano playing. Both require a high level of mental and physical strength and coordination.
WINNERS
2018-2019 Young Artist Competition Winners
Courtney Chen — Vocalist, Prodigy
Mozart - L'ho perduta "Le nozze di Figaro"
Ava Kuntz — Vocalist, Artiste
Mozart - Ach ich fühls “Die Zauberflöte”
Zoë Martinez — Vocalist, Artiste
Mozart - Welche Wonne “Die Entführung aus dem Serail”
Liana Wopschall — Vocalist, Virtuoso
Charles Gounod - “Ah Je Veux Vivre” from Roméo & Juliet
We are working on populating more of our past Young Artists based on archived programs & flyers.
If you see yourself missing, please send us an email at youngartists@socalphil.org with your bio & headshot along with proof that you are a Young Artist!
Audition for the SoCalPhil!
Interested in joining the Southern California Philharmonic? We’re always looking for passionate, dedicated musicians to grow our ensemble. Whether you’re a seasoned performer or returning to your instrument, we welcome you to audition and become part of our musical community. Let’s make great music together!