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4th annual Young Artists Competition

Winners

 

Prizewinners in the Fourth Annual Mondavi Center
Young Artists Competition have been announced!

Contestant Biographies

Alex Chien, age 10, started taking piano lessons when he was four years old. He has performed in many musical events, including the Junior Bach Festival, the Steinway Society Young Artists Concert, Listening Hours at San Jose State University, Pacific Music Society Christmas Gala, Beshoff Mercedes-Benz Concert and the Piano Fantasia Concert honoring Robert and Margaret Mondavi at Pacific Union Colleage. In 2008, he won the first place award and the “Most Promising Young Talent” special award in the 9th International Russian Piano Competition in the Young Musician category, the first place award in 2008 MTAC Piano Concerto Competition (Division I), the Menuhin-Dowling Young Musicians Award, the James Denver Gary Piano Award in Pacific Music Society Annual Competition and the Nafisa Taghioff Prize in the Fremont Symphony's Young Artist Competition.  Alex was also the first place award winner at the 2008 U.S. Open Music Competition in the piano concerto and solo categories, and he was selected as the Gold of Golden Medalists in the Gold Medalist Showcase Recitals. Last year, Alex performed in master classes by Lang Lang, Jon Nakamatsu, Antonio Pompa-Baldi, Ruth Slenczynska and Pascal Nemirovski.  Alex attends the Harker School in San Jose. In addition to music, he loves writing and computers.

Hugo Kitano is an eighth grader at the San Francisco Day School.  He began his piano studies at the age of six and since 2005 he has studied with Dr. William Wellborn at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.  Since 2006, Hugo has won numerous awards at local and international competitions, including first prizes of San Francisco Chopin Competition for Young Pianists, the San Francisco Music Teachers Association of California competition, Young Artists Competition at Mondavi Center in UC Davis, and the grand prize at 2008 “Kids Play the Darndest Things!” competition presented by Pro Arte Symphony.  In 2008, he received second prizes at the Bradshaw & Buono International piano competition, Pacific Musical Society competition, and the International Russian Music Piano Competition, and fourth prize in the International Chopin Piano Competition in ASIA held in Tokyo.  In May 2008, Hugo performed at Carnegie Hall as a winner of both solo and duo division of American Fine Arts Festival.

Eunice S. J. Kim, age 12, began cello studies at age of five and is currently a student of Sieun Lin at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.  She has won numerous awards, including the 2006 Grand Prize in the Silicon Valley Youth Music Solo String Competition and the 2008 Grand Prize Award of the Pacific Musical Society Junior Solo String Competition. Eunice is also an active ensemble player. In the summers of 2007 and 2008, she participated in the Music@Menlo Chamber Music Festival where she participated in master classes with cellist Lawrence Lesser and violinist Philip Setzer. She is currently a 7th grader at the Saint Andrews Episcopal Middle School. Also, she is a member of the De Anza Cupertino Aquatics Competitive Swim Team. In her spare time, she enjoys reading mysteries and listening to music.

A mixed group of talented young artists, this up-and-coming quintet has been studying and performing together under the tutelage of Igor Veligan since the summer of 2008. Kiana Okhovat, pianist, has a love and enthusiasm for the piano which she has developed through her study with Mira Veligan. The 12-year old is also a finalist in the 2009 Jammies Classical Competition. Han-ah Sumner, 13, studies cello with Julie Hochman and is a member of the Sacramento Youth Symphony’s Premier Orchestra. She is also a finalist as a pianist in the 2009 Jammies Classical Competition. Thirteen-year old Catherine Arai has been studying violin with Igor Veligan for eight years and is a member of the Sacramento Camellia Symphony Orchestra. Kiana, Han-ah, and Catherine met and first performed together through the Sacramento Youth Symphony’s Summer Chamber Music Workshops. Nikita Safonov, violinist, also studies with Mr. Veligan, and plays with a quality far and above his ten years. Maxim Veligan, the 10-year old violist of the group, also plays violin and has studied with his father for four years. The quintet recently won the MTAC Santa Clara Branch intermediate ensemble division of the VOCE music competition and performs locally for churches and other community events. The piano quintet has also been invited to perform at an upcoming Rising Stars program.

Fifteen-year-old Kevin Sun is a tenth grade student of Mira Loma High School in Sacramento. He is currently studying piano under Dr. Lorna Peters. He started piano at age five, first with Ms. Sylvia Hsieh and later with Ms. Tien Hsieh. From the age of eight, Kevin has competed annually in competitions, beginning with the U.S. Open Music Competition held in Oakland, where he won twelve gold medals in the course of five consecutive years. He went on to compete in several state competitions, winning the 2004 CAPMT Bartók and Contemporary Music Piano Competition, the 2006 MTAC State Piano Solo Competition, and the 2007 Second Annual Mondavi Center Young Artists Competition (Junior Division). Most recently, he won the University of the Pacific’s 2009 Henry & Carol Zeiter Piano Competition. He has also spent time performing, with his first recital at age eight. Kevin has aimed to benefit the community with his piano playing; thus, he has performed a public concert at the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Sacramento, a Sierra College music department benefit concert in Rocklin, and a concert in Nevada City to raise scholarship funds for the Gold Country Piano Institute. He also participates in the “Lifting Spirits with Music” program, which regularly gives student recitals in Sacramento senior residences, cancer centers, and children’s hospitals. His piano events have led him to be interviewed on Sacramento’s KXJZ: Insight and featured in the Sacramento Bee.

14-year-old Weston Mizumoto, a native of Orange County, California, had delighted his “fan club” on many occasions during his childhood stints performing at Main Street Disneyland with ragtime pianist Mr. Rod Miller.  Then, through inspiration gained while attending the 12th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Texas, Weston began to build his classical repertoire and started to win prizes at numerous piano competitions including 1st at the 2007 California International Young Artist Competition MusicFest, 2nd place in the 2007 Virginia Waring International Concerto Competition, 1st place in the Glendale Piano Competition, and 1st place in the 2007 Emerging Artist Piano Competition, and others.  Weston has enjoyed giving many performances including for the patients and staff of the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, and in China as part of a cultural exchange program at the Beijing Central Conservatory concert hall.  He was invited to perform at the Paramount Pictures Studios in Hollywood as part of a benefit/celebration event for child cancer survivors in June of 2008. Most recently, he has performed Liszt Concerto #2 with the Culver City Symphony Orchestra directed by Maestro Frank Fetta.  Weston is a 9th grader at the Orange County High School of the Arts and is a member of the National Junior Honor Society.  Weston receives musical guidance and inspiration through his instructor and mentor, Dr. Anna Grinberg of Glendale, California. 

Rieko Tshuchida was born 1994 in Japan. She listened to her big sister Mayumi’s classical piano music as a baby; Mayumi’s piano playing was her lullaby. She began studying piano at the age of 3 with Ankie Foell in Madison, WI, and she made her first public performance that same year, playing "Fur Elise" by Beethoven. In 1999 her family relocated to San Francisco to enable her to advance her piano studies at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music; where she was a student of Machiko Kobialka and is presently a student of John McCarthy. Rieko’s numerous honors and awards include the Junior Division Piano Prize in the 2007 Mondavi Center Young Artists Competition, the first-of-its-kind “Classical Star Search” competition, a production of San Francisco Classical 102.1 KDFC; the San Francisco Chopin Competition, the Ross McKee Foundation Piano Competition and the International Chopin Piano Competition of Asia.  Rieko has appeared on National Public Radio's "From the Top" on national radio and television broadcasts.

Evin Blomberg, age 14, began her music studies when she was about two and a half years old. Previously, Evin was a member of the El Camino Youth Symphony, and has performed with ECYS as a soloist five times since the age of seven. In 2004, she was chosen as a winner to perform for the East Mountains Artists Series in New Mexico. She also participated in the ECYS Senior Symphony performance tour of Central Europe the summer of 2005. In the 2007-2008 season, Evin was awarded Grand Prize for the Middle School Division at the Korea Times Youth Music Competition, as well as Overall Grand Prize at the Silicon Valley Korean-American Alliance Youth Music Competition. In addition, she won the 2008 Menuhin-Dowling Young Artists Competition in her category, and performed at the winners’ recital. Evin also performed as a soloist for the 2008 Junior Bach Festival. In May 2008, she was chosen as a winner to perform for the American Fine Arts Festival at Carnegie Hall (Weill Recital Hall) in New York. Evin has also performed in recitals and concerts held by the Steinway Society, including the “Young Music AllStars” recital, and the 2008-2009 Young Artists Concert. Currently, Evin is a student of Davis Law at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (Preparatory Division), and also works with Alexander Barantschik, Concertmaster of the San Francisco Symphony. Along with performing as a soloist, Evin enjoys playing violin duets with her sister, Yale.

Duo Doori-Moa (Michelle Lee, violin and Taeho Oh, cello) toured Europe last summer with the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra, and participated in the Muju Festival and Academy in Korea where they played in both the Festival Orchestra and as an invited duo.  The Duo is coached by Jonathan Koh at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Michelle Lee, age 15, has been playing the violin since the age of four, and her violin teachers are Ian Swensen and Ju-Yi Peng.  Michelle first performed as a soloist at the age of eight, and was recently the winner of the Oakland East Bay Symphony Young Artist Competition and the Livermore-Amador Symphony Competition for Young Musicians.  She also performed in 2008 at Carnegie Hall as a member of the New York String Orchestra.  Michelle is Concertmaster of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra, and a scholarship student at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Prep Division.  She is currently a sophomore at Dublin High School.

Taeho Oh is currently a senior at Homestead High School.  He began playing the cello at the age of five under Ms. Kyeong Hwa Kim and is currently a member of the San Francisco Youth Orchestra.  Taeho was the winner of the Taghioff Prize in the Fremont Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition.  As a participant of various tours, Taeho has played in world class venues such as Carnegie Hall, Disney Hall, and the Berlin Philharmonie.  He volunteers at school and in the community through various benefit concerts, most recently staging a Life benefit concert with proceeds going to the Korean American Adoptee Adoptive Family Network.

Yelena Dyachek, age 17, was born in Ukraine and sang her first solo at the age of three in a local church. At the age of five, she began studying violin, piano, music theory, and choir. At nine, Yelena and her mother moved to the United States, and began studying voice with Alina Ilchuk when she was eleven years old. Some of Yelena’s major performances include: the SJNATS Student Auditions (2008, second place), Asya Pleskach Memorial Scholarship Competition (2008, second place), and Classical Singer First Round Competition (2009, first place).
Yelena is a member of Oak Ridge High School Chamber and A Cappella choirs. Last Fall she appeared as a soloist at the El Dorado Union High School District Choral Festival. Yelena wishes to pursue her musical education, emphasizing vocal performance, at the collegiate level.