2026 Winners Biographies

Leo Zhang, age 9, is a student at John Muir CLIP Elementary School. He began his violin studies at age 3 under the guidance of his mother, later continuing his training with Amy Wen, and is currently under the instruction of Zhao Wei. Leo has distinguished himself in numerous violin competitions. He was awarded First Place in the Chinese Music Award at the 2023 U.S. International Music Competition (USIMC). In 2025, he received First Place in both the Young Artist Award and the Special Theme Award (J. S. Bach) at the same competition. In addition to his musical pursuits, Leo demonstrates a strong interest in mathematics and actively participates in academic competitions. He also enjoys playing tennis and golf. Furthermore, he has a keen interest in travel and has visited more than 20 countries.

Katherine Jang, age 13, began playing the violin at age 6 and currently studies with Zhao Wei. She has received awards in the Elite International Music Competition, the KAMSA Competition, and the 2021 Vivo Competition, where she was selected as a “Judge’s Pick.”  She joined the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra in Fall 2021 and in June 2022, was selected as one of the soloists to perform with the Sinfonia Orchestra under the direction of Benjamin Simon after winning its concerto competition. She was awarded first prize in the 2023 Pacific Musical Society Competition and the 2024 USIMC Competition. In 2025, she received third prize in the Pacific Musical Society Competition. In Fall 2025 she joined the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra.

J. S. Bach, Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Minor: I. Adagio

L. van Beethoven, Romance No. 2 in F Major

P. de Sarasate, “Zigeunerweisen”

E.T. Zwilich, Episodes for Violin and Piano: 1. Arioso

A native of Southern California, Liam Thomas (13) has been playing the violin since age 2 ½. As a student of Joan Kwuon at the Colburn School, Liam has enjoyed excellent instruction and artistic development. He has previously been taught by Cecilia Coo, Aimee Kreston and Miclen LaiPang, and performed in masterclasses for Sergiu Schwartz, Martin Beaver, Martin Chalifour and Ayke Agus among others. Liam was a semifinalist in the 2026 Sphinx Competition, and his chamber trio was a semifinalist group in the Coltman Competition.

A strong believer in the power of music to enrich communities, Liam has been featured in various benefit concerts, regional churches, senior care facilities and live television and radio programs. He enjoys composing and arranging music for string groups and aspires to become a professional classical violinist to share the joy of music with people all over the world.

Vivi Kuo (13) started violin lessons at 6. She attended the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra (2021-2023) and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Pre-College Division (2022-2024) for two years each. Now she studies with William Barbini, Kineko Okumura and Eddie Yeh, and follows Romanian violinist Silvia Marcovici through summer masterclasses in Europe. Vivi has received prizes from KAMSA, USOMC, YTSMC, and the Pacific Musical Society, and performed in the 2025 Junior Bach Festival. She also had the honor of playing at the Mozarteum University’s Solitär Hall as a class winner and won her concerto debut opportunity with the Master Orchestra in Brescia, Italy last summer.

Minji Choi is a 16 year-old violinist studying under Professor Margaret Batjer at the Colburn Music Academy, where she serves as the concertmaster of the Colburn Music Academy’s conductorless chamber orchestra, Virtuosi. She has also received guidance from renowned violinists including Donald Weilerstein, Stefan Jackiw, Yoojin Jang, Jessica Lee, Jinjoo Cho, Paul Kantor, Qian Zhou, Blake Pouliot, and Bing Wang through masterclasses and lessons. Since making her debut at age 13, Minji has constantly made appearances as a soloist with orchestras. She was also named a 2025 and 2026 National YoungArts Winner in Classical Music, and the 2025 Grand Prize Finalist in classical music at The Music Center’s Annual Spotlight Competition. A past participant in festivals like Yellow Barn Young Artists Program, Bowdoin International Music Festival, and the National Youth Orchestra 2, Minji will attend Encore Summer Academy and Morningside Music Bridge this summer as a full-scholarship recipient.

Cara Wang, age 16, studies cello with Amos Yang, having begun her cello journey at age 4 with Alan Yang. She has received top honors from competitions including Pacific Musical Society and Foundation, Khuner Young Artist, U.S. Open Music, U.S. International Music, Korean-American Music Supporters, Diablo Valley College Young Artist, CalASTA Strings State, Prodigy International Music, Houston International Music, and American Protégé International Concerto Competitions. Cara has performed as a soloist with Livermore-Amador Symphony, Central Oregon Symphony, Castro Valley Orchestra, Symphony Parnassus, and Prometheus Symphony Orchestra. A dedicated collaborator, she was principal cellist of SFCM Pre-College String Orchestra and now performs with Young Chamber Musicians and San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. Cara has attended the Bowdoin International Music Festival, Encore Summer Chamber Music Institute, and Meadowmount School of Music. Deeply grateful to the teachers who have guided her, Cara finds joy in nurturing young cellists within her community.

14 year-old cellist Daniel Wang is an emerging talent, praised by critics as having a musical depth beyond his years. He won the Gustav Mahler Competition, earning the Director’s Award and the Prize for Best Interpretation of a Work by Haydn. His accolades also include First Prize awards at the American Virtuoso International Music Competition, the Malopolska International Music Competition, and the Burlingame Music Club Competition. In his 2025-2026 season, Daniel has performed concertos with the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, Ningbo Symphony Orchestra, Cambrian Symphony, and Symphony Parnassus. Selected by Maestro Long Yu as the youngest artist for "Project Spring Bird," he opened the season with a recital at the Beijing International Music Festival. He has also been featured on The Violin Channel and NPR’s From the Top. Daniel studies with Richard Aaron at SFCM’s Pre-College Academy, and has received guidance from artists including Jian Wang, Johannes Moser, and Zlatomir Fung.

Jamie Cheung is a junior at Henry M. Gunn High School, where he is the principal violist of the Chamber Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra. He has been playing the viola for 5 years and studies with Madeline Prager. Since 2023, he has been a violist of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. Jamie won 2nd prize at the ENKOR Competition and KAMSA Competition in 2024. He was invited to perform in the annual Junior Bach Festival in 2025 and 2026. In 2026, he won 1st prize at the NCVS Young Violist’s Competition, as well as 3rd place in the Pacific Musical Competition. Jamie is an active chamber musician, frequently performing for charitable causes with the Aeolian Piano Quartet, which he co-founded with fellow students. His hobbies include competing in science olympiad tournaments, cross country running, and orchestral conducting.

Owen Zhuang began studying piano at the age of four and has trained with Hans Boepple, Lena Grozman, and his current instructor, John McCarthy. In 2024, he was admitted to the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Pre-College, where he continues to develop his musical artistry. Owen has received top prizes in competitions including the Chicago International Music Competition, Hartford International Chopin Competition, USOMC Showcase Solo Competition, CAPMT Contemporary and Honors Competitions, IPPA National Piano Competition, and the USIMC Young Artist Piano Solo, where he also received the Chinese Music Award. Beyond piano, Owen has been playing the violin since 2022 and currently serves as Concertmaster of the Camerata Orchestra in the Golden State Youth Orchestra. Outside of music, he enjoys skiing, swimming, and traveling. He has competed in Far West Alpine Ski Races and swims with the DACA swim team.

Nine-year-old Maggie Wu is a dedicated pianist and visual artist from San Jose, California. Currently studying with Hans Boepple, Maggie has captured top prizes at numerous prestigious events, including First Place at 2026 CAPMT and USOMC Concerto Competitions, 2025 Glory Piano Competition and Great Composers Competition Series, Gold at the 6th WPTA Singapore International Piano Competition, Second Place at the 2025 ENKOR International and Bay Area Piano Competitions. She made her festival debut at the prestigious 2024 PianoTexas International Piano Festival Junior Recital and performed in masterclasses with Harold Martina and Dr. Igor Resnianski. Beyond the keyboard, Maggie is a nationally recognized visual artist whose work was selected for the CelebratingArt National Top Ten. She also won top national honors in the Federal Junior Duck Stamp and Songbird National Drawing Contests, alongside being a three-time Champion of the 99 Ranch Market Mother’s Day Drawing Contest.

Caden started learning the piano at the age of four, and has studied under Ms. Min Chao and Mr. John McCarthy. He attended masterclasses with Bronislawa Kawalla, Victor Rosenbaum, Teppo Koivisto, Dr. Kate Lee, Jeremy Wong, and Avery Gagliano. Since 2022, Caden has particpated in numerous online and in-person piano competitions. As a result, Caden has performed publicly at the Warsaw National Philharmonic Concert Hall in Warsaw and the NOSPR Concert Hall in Katowice, Poland, the Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels, the Royal Albert Hall in London, and the Carnegie Hall in New York. He also performed piano concertos with the Warsaw Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, the Symphony Orchestra of the Zabrze Philharmonic, and the Warsaw Impressione Orchestra in Poland.

Andrew Yin, 13, began studying piano at age 5 and is currently an 8th grader at Basis Independent Silicon Valley School. Over the years, he has earned numerous accolades in prestigious competitions. In 2026, Andrew won First Prize at the KAMSA Competition. In 2025, he was the youngest finalist at the Emory University Young Artist Piano Competition, earned First Alternate in the California MTNA Competition, and won the Golden State Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition (18 and under). He also received a full scholarship to Music@Menlo. Earlier achievements include First Prize at the Luzerne Music Center Concerto Competition (2023), Grand Prix at the XIII Chopin International Piano Competition Hartford (2022), and First Place at the Chicago International Music Competition (2021). Andrew has performed at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and twice at the Junior Bach Festival. Beyond piano, Andrew enjoys clarinet, reading, math, chess, soccer, swimming, and playing for the AFC soccer team.

Ellie began studying piano at the age of seven during the pandemic. At age ten, Ellie was admitted to the Pre-College Division of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she continues her studies under Dr. Chia-Lin Yang. Ellie is a prize winner in many competitions, including First Prize at KAMSA, the US Open Piano Competition (Showcase Category), and the New Star International Music Competition, as well as Top Prize at USIMC and the Silicon Valley Open Doors International Piano Competition. As the First Prize winner of the Yen Liang Young Artist Concerto Competition, she will perform in three concerts with the Diablo Symphony Orchestra this March. She is also one of four pianists selected worldwide to participate in the 2026 Young Performers Program at Music@Menlo with a full fellowship. Beyond piano, Ellie enjoys playing badminton, creating art, composing music, photography, traveling, and reading.

Amber is 13 years old and currently studies piano with Kaichi Zhu in San Jose. She has been learning piano for seven years, and has earned first prize in numerous competitions, including the U.S. New Star Music Competition, where she also received the Top Performer Award, as well as the USIMC, KAMSA Competition, and Gavilan College Competition. She is a regular gold medalist at the USOMC, earning multiple Outstanding Gold Medalist distinctions, and was the regional winner of the 2026 CAPMT Honors Competition. She was also a winner of the concerto competition at the Texas State International Piano Festival and made her first orchestral debut at age 12 with the Seocho Philharmonia in South Korea. Amber has participated in masterclasses with renowned artists including Meng-Chieh Liu, Armen Babakhanian, Victor Rosenbaum, Róża Kostrzewska Yoder, and many others. Apart from music, she enjoys volunteering to bring music to seniors, as well as playing tennis and crocheting.

Sora Corro, 16, is a sophomore in the Center of Creative Arts program at Irvington High School, Fremont. She began piano at age 2, and has been studying with Professor Sandra Shen since 2023. She has won first place in the Pacific Music Society Competition, Ross Mckee Piano Competition - also featured in the Independent Coast Observe (ICO) article as a laureate, Marilyn Mindell Piano Competition, CAMPT State Honors competition, and was a recipient of the National Chopin Foundation Scholarship for 2025-2026. In 2023, she performed Kabalevsky’s piano concerto with the Urbana-Pop Orchestra. As the first place winner of the South Valley Symphony, California Youth Symphony, and the Santa Clarita Symphony Concerto Competition, Sora will perform all 3 movements of Grieg’s Piano Concerto throughout 2026. She has attended Piano Texas, Music@Menlo and the Juilliard’s Summer Music Program. Besides piano, she plays soccer and enjoys learning new languages.

Peter Parra, 15, is a sophomore at Mountain View High School, and studies piano with Professor Corey McVicar at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Pre-College. A 2022–24 Young Scholar of the Lang Lang International Music Foundation, he is a 2025–26 US Chopin Foundation Scholar, a 2025-26 NPR From the Top Fellow, and a 2025 Laureate of the Ross McKee Foundation Piano Competition. Peter has performed across the US, Europe, and Asia, with features on WQED, IPR, and NPR. He has attended prestigious summer programs including Aspen, Frost Chopin Academy, Music@Menlo, and Cleveland Piano Institute. A prizewinner in numerous competitions, including First Places in SF Chopin Competition, SVODIPC, CAPMT State Final, US Open, Marilyn Mindell, Elevato and Chicago International, he directs the Back-to-Bach Project, CA Mountain-View-Los-Altos Region and regularly performs at UCSF Children’s Hospital Family House. Besides piano, he’s a nationally-ranked competitive junior ballroom dancer and STEM enthusiast.

Claire Zhang, 16, is a sophomore at The Nueva School. She studies piano with Robert Schwartz at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Pre-College Division. Claire has won prizes at the Aloha International Music Competition, KAMSA Competition, ENKOR Competition, United States International Music Competition, and American Protégé Competition, where she was invited to perform at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. For the past 5 years, she has also been selected to perform in the Junior Bach Festival. She has played in masterclasses for John Perry, Sasha Starvevich, and Jean-David Coen. This past summer, Claire attended Boston University Tanglewood Institute’s Young Artists Piano Program, where she was selected to perform in a masterclass for Emanuel Ax.

Sophia Kaushik, soprano, is a junior at Sacred Heart Preparatory, Atherton. She is a Classical Voice student at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Pre-College, where she has been studying with Christine Abraham since the age of eight. Sophia is a medalist and winner of awards in regional, national, and international voice competitions. She regularly performs in vocal recitals and opera scenes productions with the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Most recently, she performed in a Soprano Ensemble role with San Francisco Lamplighters Music Theatre for the production of Gilbert & Sullivan's "The Sorcerer". Sophia is an active community member at her high school, performing as a soloist at school-wide events with choral, A cappella, and jazz ensembles, as well as at charitable concerts throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

Vocalist Andrea Yang is a junior in Crystal Springs Uplands School and has been singing for around 6 years. She attended the San Francisco Conservatory of Music precollege program from 2020-2025. She has been invited to perform in the Junior Bach Festival from 2021-2025. Additionally, she was awarded first place in the Romantic Music Category of the 2025 Charleston Music Competition as well as the 2024 San Francisco Innovative International Music Competition for classical voice. She also placed second in the American Protégé International Vocal Competition 2025 and attended the International Lyric Academy in 2023. Besides singing, Andrea enjoys baking, playing cello, and guitar.

Alex Landry is a 14-year-old composer from Round Rock, Texas. He plays euphonium in the Round Rock High School Marching Band, a semifinalist at the 2025 Bands of America Grand Nationals. He played in Walsh Middle School’s Honor Band and Premier Brass, which performed with the University of Texas Wind Symphony, the Music for All National Festival, and the TMEA Clinic/Convention. He has composed and arranged for Soaring Winds, a Walsh wind quintet, and has written and performed euphonium solos The Dark Prince and Hokken’s Return Theme at Austin-area recitals in 2025. Alex’s compositions have received multiple awards in symphony orchestra (Adrift), wind ensemble (Attack of the Demons), and chamber music (A Grand Quest). Selected awards include the MTNA National Junior Composition winner (2nd place), a National Young Composer’s Challenge national finalist, and winner of the Music Teacher Gifts competition.

Ethan Min Liao, currently a sophomore at San Francisco University High School, is a composer, pianist, and violinist. He has been studying music composition with Dwight Okamura, piano with Susan Blinderman, and violin with Junghee Lee. At the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) pre-college program, Ethan studies composition with Professor Aaron Pike and jazz performance with Terrence Brewer. Ethan’s compositions have been performed by faculty at SFCM and the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. As the winner of the Essentially Ellington composition contest, Ethan performed his original big band composition with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra at the Metropolitan Opera House. He has played string quartet and piano compositions at Carnegie Hall. Ethan is the recipient of four Downbeat Magazine awards, is a 2025-26 YoungArts winner in Jazz Composition, and is a winner of the Laureate competition for composition. He plans to continue composing and playing jazz piano.

Micah is a junior at Guilford High School. He performs on alto saxophone in the GHS Jazz Band and on clarinet in the Wind Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra. Micah has been selected to perform at the Connecticut Music Educators Association (CMEA) Regional and All-State Festival and has also performed with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Youth Big Band. In addition to performing, Micah is an active composer and arranger. He has written and arranged music for orchestra, choir, jazz ensemble, and film, exploring a range of styles and ensemble settings.