Lucas began his piano journey at the tender age of five. However, Lucas did not embark on systematic piano learning until he grew to the age of eight when he discovered Chopin's Nocturne in C-sharp minor, a piece that would captivate his heart and mind for years to come. This was the turning point in his musical life, as he began to ardently adore Chopin's works. His ambitions beg the need for a more systematic approach to his music study, which resulted in a more serious turn in 2022 when he was taken under the wing of the accomplished pianist and instructor, Prof. Glenn Riddle.Under Prof. Riddle's expert guidance, Lucas completed his journey from AMEB Grade 6 to AMEB Grade 8 with outstanding A+ grades in just five months and is currently working towards the AmusA exam this year. His rapid progress is a testament to his inherent talent, unflagging determination, and the strong mentorship he received. He’s also been accepted as a rare Year 6 schooler into the Music Academy in Camberwell Grammar School (normally Year 7 and upwards).Heavily inspired by Lang Lang and Yuja Wang, Lucas would love to become a world-class pianist when he grows up. But Lucas's talents are not confined to the piano. He also has a love for playing the cello, showcasing his versatile and profound musical understanding. He started cello study in 2021 and is now playing Grade 8/AmusA level pieces.Lucas started competing in various Eisteddfods and achieved great results from 2023. He also actively participates in school-oriented music ensembles, quartets, and orchestra, as well as externally in the MCYAA 2023 and the highest Bishop orchestra as 2nd desk cellist in the State Music Camp 2024. In addition to his musical abilities, Lucas is a State-level swimmer in the butterfly stroke and also loves reading and math studies.

Elizabeth Levine is 11 years old and lives in New York, NY, where she studies piano with Yukimi Song. Elizabeth is a top prizewinner of over 20 international competitions including the following: AADGT Album of the Young Gifted Performers (Gold Medal); American Protégé; Elite International (Golden Star Award and perfect score); Chopin International Piano Competition Hartford; Franz Liszt Center International; Henle International Piano Competition; Piano League Piano Star International (Silver Medal in Grand Final); Piano Teachers Congress of New York’s Honors Program; Young Pianist Competition of New Jersey; and Young Soloist International (Grand Prize Finalist). Elizabeth has performed at both Weill Hall and Zankel Hall, for a total of twelve performances at Carnegie Hall. She had her orchestral debut in June 2023, performing a piano concerto with the Somerset Symphony Orchestra. Elizabeth enjoys performing chamber music with The Chamber Music Center of New York and in a summer chamber music program coached by Mannes School of Music faculty and New York Philharmonic musicians (summers 2023 and 2024). Elizabeth was invited to perform a concert and take master classes at the XXIX International Piano Festival “Chopin Summer” in Busko Zdrój, Poland in July 2024. She will also participate in the 2024 International Summer Academy at Mozarteum University in Salzburg, Austria.

Elizabeth designed two flags that were displayed at Rockefeller Center as part of art exhibitions sourced from international competitions. She also designed a stamp that was selected to be mailed to 20 million families in Easterseals’ 2024 campaign to raise funds to support individuals with disabilities. Elizabeth was featured on The Today Show to discuss her artistic inspiration in April 2022. Elizabeth is a member of the Asphalt Green girls U13 travel soccer team.

Avery Armstrong has studied at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Pre- College Division since the ago of six, where she began with Annamarie McCarthy and currently studies with Dr. Chia-Lin Yang. She has participated in numerous international competitions and recitals, including: ·First Prize 2024 Aloha International Piano Competition ·Second Prize in 2024 International Grande Music Competition ·Grand Prize in the 2023 American Soloist International Music Competition ·Grand Prize in 2023 Young Soloist International Music Competition ·Concerto Prize winner in 2023 The Central Oregon Symphony Young Artist Competition ·First Prize in the 2023 KAMSA Competition ·First Prize in the 2022 Chicago International Music Competition ·First Prize in 2022 United States International Music  Competition ·First Prize in 2022 International New Star Piano Competition ·Grand Prize in 2022 Prodigy International Music Competition ·Grand Prize in 2022 New York Laureate International Music Competition ·Grand Prize in 2022 New York International Young Musician Competition ·First Prize and Judge Distinguished Award in 2022 American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition She has performed in many world-renowned venues, including multiple performances at New York’s Carnegie Hall and at various charity events. In her free time, she enjoys reading, biology, and volunteering at her local animal rescue.

Growing up in great Richmond area of Virginia, Stephen S. Chen is currently studyingunder Dr. Yinfei Wang to pursue his pianist dream. Stephen won many competitions crossinginternational, state, and district levels. He was placed 1st in V International Chopin Competitionin Vienna, XV Savshinsky International Music Competition, OPUS Music Competition,American Protégé International Competition, Stockholm Tenth International Music Competition,Carles & Sofia International Piano Competition, Vienna Virtuoso International Competition,Charleston International Competition, Elite International Music Competition, InternationalYouth Music Competition, and American Music Talent Competition. He also received differentprizes from San Francisco International Piano Competition, International Young Artist PianoCompetition, Enkor International Music Competition, Feurich International Competition, ArtcialInternational Piano Competition, the Pacific International Piano Competition, InternationalGrande Music Competition, and Bradshaw & Buono Piano Competition.He won first place in the VMTA (Virginia Music Teacher Association) State Auditions in2022, second in 2021 and third in 2023. Additionally, he won first place in RMTA (RichmondMusic Teacher Association) Central Virginia District Auditions in consecutive years (2021-2024), the Bach Competition, and the Sonata Competition. Stephen received the Student of theYear 2022 Achievement Award and the 2023 Summer Music Camp Scholarship from RMTA.Stephen achieved his Carnegie Hall and Ehrbar Saal Vienna performance debuts in 2023.He was invited to perform at Washington International Piano Festival 2023 and 2024. He hadmasterclasses with Professor Vladimir Kharin (University of Music and Performance Arts,Vienna), and Daniel Adam Maltz (Fortepianist based in Vienna). Stephen regularly performs as avolunteer at great Richmond area retirement centers. Besides playing piano, Stephen lovesreading and math. He received the grand award (99%) from the John Hopkins University Centerfor Talented Youth Testing in 2020.

Lindsay Tao was Born in San Jose, CA in 2013. She started to learn pianowith Ms. Le Yu when she was five and currently studies with Mr. OryShihor. She showed her talent in the following years and has won manyawards. At the age of 6, Lindsay was invited to perform at Carnegie Hall.Her dream is to become a pianist who could inspire others with the powerof music. Recently, she was been selected as Juniors Performers inPianoTexas Festival. As a Concerto Competition Winner in 2024PianoTexas, she made herdebut with the renowned Fort Worth SymphonyOrchestra and conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoyaperforming BeethovenPiano Concerto No. 3 at Fort Worth, Texas. She won the First Place StateFinal at the 2024 MTAC Piano Concerto competition; First Place at 2024CAPMT Honors Competition .In 2023, She won a 2nd prize award of1500€ at the 30th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition forChildren and Young in Szafarnia, Poland; First Place State Final at the 2023MTAC Piano Concerto and Solo competition; First prize at 10th EnkorInternational Piano Competition; First Place at the XIV ChopinInternational Piano Competition Hartford Young Talents category; FirstPlace, Best Outstanding Gold Medalists and Scholarship for Master ClassWinners in 31st USOPEN Showcase piano solo competition.Among her previous honors were First prizes in these competitions: 2021New Star piano competition; 2021 3rd WPTA Singapore InternationalPiano Competition; 2020 USA Steinway Piano Competition regionals;
2020 American Protégé International Music Competition of RomanticMusic and chosen only one Judges’ Award Winner.Lindsay has studied in master classes with world-class pianists Arie Vardi,Enrico Elisi, Meng-Chieh Liu, Tamás Ungár, Steven Spooner, JohnOwings, and Igor Resnianski.Apart from music, she enjoys writing, reading, swimming, and traveling.

Yuze (George) Ni, born in April 2013 in China, began his piano studies at age six. He moved
to Vancouver in 2022, where he continued his musical development under the tutelage of
the concert pianist Eva Yulin Shen. George's accomplishments recently include winning
second prize at the 2024 Gustav Mahler Institute Prague Piano Competition, first prize at
the 2024 Vivace International Piano Competition 2024 North American Final, first prize at
the SSP Sea to Sky International Music Festival by Steinway, and the gold prize at the 2024
Berlioz International Music Competition. 2023, he participated in the Casalmaggiore
International Music Festival in Italy and took masterclass under professor Lee Kumsing.

Ivy Wang, 12 years old, student of Prof. Ning An, is a junior at Miller Middle School in San Jose,California. She has been studying piano from 4 and half years old and previously studied withProf. Hans Boepple. She is also a member of the California Music Prep Chamber musicProgram with Cellist Jonathan Koh in the Bay Area. She is a prize winner of the Pacific MusicalSociety&Foundation Competition, Steinway Regional Competition, MTAC Solo& ConcertoRegional Competition, Piano League Piano Star Competition, CAPMT Concerto andContemporary Competition, Marilyn Mindell Piano Competition, Aloha International PianoCompetition, The KAMSA Competition, Bellagrande International Competition, Junior BachFestival Honor Performance Selection and perform with Old First Concerts. Ivy attended JohnPerry Academy, Chicago International Music Festival, San Jose International Piano CompetitionIntensive Summer Program, and Aloha Piano International Festival. Ivy has had the honor toparticipate in masterclasses with AlanChow, Antonio Pompa-Baldi, Ann Schein, John Perry, JonNakamatsu, Kevin Kenner and Meng-Chieh Liu. Outside of music, Ivy loves math, reading,drawing, traveling, playing with her younger sister and friends.

Jeremy Liu, 13, is a 7th grader at Gregory Middle School in Naperville. He has learned piano with Mrs. Sueanne Metz for 6 years.Under the help and guidance of his teacher, Jeremy won many local competitions. He was the first-place and best Korean interpretation winner of the Sejong Music Competition for 2018, 2019, and 2021. He won first place in the Confucius Competition for 2019 and 2024. He was the first-place winner of the Music Teacher Nation Association (MTNA) Illinois Competition (Junior Division) in both 2022 and 2023, and he won first-place in the 2021 and 2023 ISMTA Competition.Jeremy has also won a lot of international piano competitions. He was the winner of the Pacific International Piano Competition, the Quebec Music Competition, and the Odin International Music Competition. He also won first place in both the solo and concerto divisions of the Carmel Klavier International Competition in 2022. In the summer of 2023, he had the honor of performing with the orchestra in Perugia, Italy. In the school's music programs, Jeremy is a cello player in the orchestra and a keyboard player in the jazz band.In addition to music, Jeremy also enjoys sports. His favorite sports are snowboarding and tennis.

Carl Rubly13 years old / Houston TX “I enjoy piano because I have an emotional connection to it. Piano helps me to fantasize and imagine things. I was always drawn to this wonderful instrument because of the magic sounds it produced. These sounds affect me deeply: sometimes they make me want to fly, sometimes they make me feel sad, and sometimes I just want to dance and sing when I hear the piano. Piano sounds have different colors, shapes, and speeds. They move in amazing ways. These sounds are not only audible, but we can see them with our minds and feel them with our hearts. I love sharing music with people around me. When I play piano, I hope that everyone can experience the feelings that music creates inside me.”Carl started playing piano at the age of four, nurtured by the guidance of his mother and grandmother, who were instrumental in igniting his passion for music. As he grew, so did his love for music, which has flourished over the years. By the age of nine, Carl has performed in renowned venues such as Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall and won numerous accolades both nationally and internationally. Carl won first places in the Golden Classical Music International Piano Competition in 2019; London Grand Prize Virtuoso International Music Competition in 2020; the Rochelle Liebling Kahan Competition for Child Piano Prodigies in 2021; IMTA piano competition in 2022 and 2023; KMTA’s Jazz Festival in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023; the University of Houston Forum of Young Artists in 2022; Critique’s Corner in 2022; KMTA’s Sonatina Festival in 2020 and 2022; the Blinn College Piano Competition in 2023; Thirteen International Chopin Youth Competition in 2023; and North Texas Young Artist Piano Competition in 2024. He also received second place in the Texas Music Teachers’ Association (TMTA) competition in 2024.Carl is currently studying piano with Richard Marshall at the Shepherd School of Music’s Prep Program at Rice University. Whenever Carl has an opportunity, he enjoys performing at senior facilities in Houston. Beyond his musical achievements, Carl has a variety of interests. He is an avid reader, chess player, and enjoys activities such as ping pong, swimming, and fishing.Carl possesses a compassionate and kind nature, evident from his election as the leader of the school community service committee, where he actively contributes to making a positive impact in his community.

Christina Sung, a pianist from Salt Lake City, Utah, has made significant achievements in national and international piano competitions. Under the guidance of Prof. Jihea Hong-Park at BYU, she has flourished as a pianist, making her orchestral debut with the Utah Symphony as a winner of the Salute to Youth Concerto Competition in 2022. Since starting the piano at the age of 8 ½, Christina has already amassed an array of competition wins. She achieved First place in the 2024 Emory University Young Artist Piano Competition and the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Southwest Division Competitions in 2023 and 2024. She also won the Grand Prize in the 2024 ENKOR International Music Competition. Christina accomplished Third place in the 2024 MTNA National Finals and was awarded the Ebony prize in the 2023 MTNA National Finals. She is also the winner of the Steinway & Sons Special Award at the Kaufman Music Center 2024 International Youth Piano Competition. Christina has consistently succeeded in First-place prizes in numerous piano competitions during 2023, including the International Keyboard Odyssiad Concerto Competition, the Paderewski International Piano Competition, the Radda Rise International Piano Competition, the Walgreens National Concerto Competition, the Medici International Music Competition, the BYU Piano Competition, the UMTA Concerto Competition, and the University of Utah Summer Arts Piano Competition, among others. Furthermore, Christina has appeared as a soloist with several orchestras, including the Utah Symphony, the American West Symphony, the Utah Philharmonic Orchestra, the Timpanogos Symphony Orchestra, the American Fork Symphony, and the Chamber Orchestra Ogden. Her performances have been broadcast on Classical 89 FM and ABC4 Television. She participated in the Southeastern Piano Festival (SEPF), the International Keyboard Odyssiad Festival (IKOF), and the Philadelphia Young Pianists' Academy (PYPA). Additionally, Christina frequently performed for Gina Bachauer's The Music in Our Schools Program and was featured as a soloist in the Gina Bachauer Collaboration Concert at the Gallivan Center. Christina received the Gold Medal of the President’s Volunteer Service Award in 2022, 2023, and 2024 in recognition of her commitment to community service through music. Besides her musical accomplishments, Christina is fluent in five languages and enjoys figure skating and swimming in her leisure time.

Kanyapat Dankul, 13 year-old pianist, is one of the most sought-after pianist of her generation in her native country, Thailand. She started playing the piano at a tender age of 4 at Yamaha Music School. At the age of 8, she is under the tutelage of Dr.Orn Porphan Banternghansa and Dr. Christopher Janwong McKiggan at Piano Academy of Bangkok.Kanyapat made her first debut as a soloist with an orchestra at the age of 11 years old playing Haydn's Piano Concerto in D major Hob.XVIII:11 with Thai Youth Orchestra at the Thai CulturalCenter (main hall). She also is often invited to perform at major venues in Thailand and abroad.In 2022, she received an invitation to perform at Carnegie Hall (Weill Hall) as first prize winner of AADGT' competition. Most recently, in April 2023, she also performed at the prestigious Esplanade Theatre, Singapore, as 'Brilliant Prize Winner' of Brilliant Talent Discovery Award'.Since Kanyapat started playing the piano, she won numerous prizes nationally and internationally.Those prizes are :Platinum prize: Canadian International music competition 2021, 1st prize winner : VII Odin Competition 2021, 1st prize winner: London Young Musician Competition SS 1 2021 plus Special Prize: Characteristic Performance ,Platinum Award: WPTA International Piano Competition Singapore 2021 ,First place winner American Protege 2022, 1st Absolute Prize with highest score Orbetello Piano Competition Italy 2022, 1st Absolute prize: Franz Liszt center piano competition 2022, Gold prize winner, Singapc Raffle Music Festival 2022 , Briliant Award , B talent award competition 2023, gold award WPIAFinland 2024

Simon Yao, age 13, is from Moorpark, California. He began playing piano at age 6 and currently studies with Jeffery Lavner, Chair of the piano department at the Colburn School in Los Angeles. Simon held his first solo concert at age 9 and made his orchestra debut at age 10. His recent accomplishments include first prize and best performance award in the 2022 Los Angeles International Liszt Competition, gold medal in the 2023 Southern California Junior Bach Festival Complete Works Audition, first place in the 2023 Southwestern Youth Music Festival, special recognition award of 2023 Colburn Piano Seminar Steinway Competition, winner of the 2024 Colburn Advanced Orchestra Concerto Competition, and second prize in the 2024 Edith Knox Performance Competition. Simon has participated in masterclasses with world-renowned pianists like Lang Lang, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and Fabio Bidini. As a member of the Arts Ed and Mari Edelman Chamber Music Institute honors program, Simon also actively engages in piano trio.