Concerts > Young Artists Concert > 2007-08

Young Artists Concert

This concert, on March 16, 2008, features carefully selected, exceptional young performers, many from the Bay Area. Each has won in prestigious local or national piano competitions. This concert is eagerly anticipated by many Bay Area families and Steinway Society friends who all agree: performances by these dedicated, enthusiastic, and tremendously talented up-and-coming young musicians can be every bit as spine-tingling and memorable in their own way as performances by our more seasoned artists.

Alex Chien

Alex Chien was born in 1998. At age of four, he started taking piano lessons with Ms. Kai Chi Zhu. Ever since, playing piano has become an important part of his daily life. Alex made his first TV appearance when he performed in the “Maestro Darrell's Music Workshop” TV Program in 2003. In 2004 and 2005, he won first place awards at the Young Musician Award of the Music Teachers' Association of California. Alex received first place awards and the best Chinese Music performance awards in the Chinese Music Teachers' Association of North California Youth Music Competition in 2004 and 2007. Alex competed in the 7th and the 8th International Russian Piano Competition, winning second prize awards in the Young Musician category. Alex has won numerous awards in the U.S. Open Music Competition, including a first place award in the piano concerto competition and first and second place awards in many solo categories. He was also selected as the Gold of Golden Medalists to perform in the Gold Medalist Showcase Recitals two years in a row. In addition, Alex won the first- place award in the “Kids Play the Darndest Things!” piano competition and the first place award in the “Technic is Fun” piano competition in 2006. In 2007, Alex played at Carnegie Hall as a winner of the American Fine Arts Festival. Alex recently performed in master classes by Jon Nakamatsu and by Antonio Pompa-Baldi. In 2008, Alex won the 2008 Menuhin-Dowling Young Musicians Award, the Nafisa Taghioff Prize in the Fremont Symphony's 2008 Young Artist Competition, and he is also selected to perform in 2008 Junior Bach Festival.

Alex attends the Harker School in San Jose, California. He enjoys playing with his little brother and, in addition to music, he loves writing and math. Alex aspires to be a professional musician or a writer.

Travis Chen

Travis Chen is a 6th grader in The Harker School. He participated in the Junior Bach Festival in Berkeley in 2007, earned first prize in the junior string category of Music Teacher's Association of California Competition in 2007, as well as first prize in the junior string category of Chinese Music Teacher's Association of California Competition in 2006. In March 2007, he performed with the Fremont Symphony in their Children's Concert series featuring Young Artist Competition winners. He also performed for the Fremont Symphony Orchestra President's Reception. Travis attended the Steinway Society's 2007 Midsummer Music Youth Camp.

Travis is a student of Studio of Sieun Lin. In his spare time, he enjoys chess, basketball, soccer and video games.

Laney Huang

Laney Huang is a 6th grader at Peterson Middle School. At age five, she began studying piano with Jennifer Hu, and continued her study with Mr. Daniel Cheng a year later. In 2004, she won the first prize at the Good Samaritan U.M. Church Children Music Competition, first place in CMTANC Piano Competition Group B and best performer on Chinese Music. In 2005, she won the first prize of The Amaden School Competition, Group D. She received honorable mention in the 2006 Yehudi Menuhin-Helen Dowlin Piano Competition. She earned second place in the 2007 CMTANC Piano Competition Group C.

In the summer of 2006, Laney attended the Steinway Society's Midsummer Music Youth Camp. In the camp, she became even more passionate about music. She enjoys playing piano because it allows her time to relax and to enjoy the wonderful beauty of music. An honor student, she likes swimming and reading because both allow her to have some time to herself.

Hilda Huang

Pianist Hilda Huang, age 11, is a scholarship student of John McCarthy in the Preparatory Division at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and studies harpsichord with Corey Jamason. A student in the Music@Menlo chamber music program during the past two summers, she was the youngest pianist enrolled and one of only four pianists accepted after international auditions. Hilda also attended the International Institute for Young Musicians at the University of Kansas last summer. She performed in Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall as first prizewinner of the 2007 Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition. Hilda has also received first prize in the 2006 San Francisco Chopin Competition and has appeared as a soloist at the Carmel Bach Festival.

Hilda is in 7th grade at Jordan Middle School in Palo Alto. Other than playing piano, Hilda enjoys swimming and watching the Food Channel.

Mindy Chen

Eleven year-old Mindy Chen, currently a scholarship student from the Preparatory Division of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, was born in Santa Clara, California. She started playing the violin at the age of four and has been studying with Mr. Li Lin at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, for six years. Recently, she won first place in the Youth Category in the 1st Stradivarius International Violin Competition. She has won numerous awards, including the Oakland East Bay Young Artist Concerto Competition, the Palo Alto Philharmonic Concerto Competition, the Junior Solo String Competition of VOCE (Vocalists, Orchestral Instrumentalists, Chamber music, Ensembles) by Music Teachers' Association of California, and the James Denver Gary Instrumental Award of the Pacific Musical Society.

Mindy attended the Steinway Society's 2007 Midsummer Music Youth Camp. She has also aired on the National Public Radio show “From the Top” and has appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Besides playing the violin, Mindy has many other interests, including reading fantasy books, singing, playing the piano, watching TV and playing computer games.

Jordan Ferrer

Jordan Ferrer is a 15-year-old sophomore at Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose. He has been studying piano since the age of five and has been a student of Nancy Daggett Jensen for the past eight years. He has achieved the Advanced level of the MTAC's Certificate of Merit and has played in numerous state conventions and honors recitals. More recently, Jordan won first place in the 2007 US Open Music Competition (advanced classical division). He went on to win a Gold medal at the Prize Winners' Awards Concert and was chosen to perform at the Gold Medalist Showcase Concert. In addition, he won first place in both the Russian and Classical divisions in the Pro Arte Symphony Orchestra's competition, “Kids Play the Darndest Things,” as well as winning the Lilian Bauer Cox Audience Favorite Award. Jordan has played in many master classes with legendary pianists including Garrick Ohlsson, Jon Nakamatsu and Madame Ruth Slenczynska.
He volunteers weekly at Lytton Gardens in Palo Alto, a residential facility for senior citizens and disabled adults, by bringing music to the residents and the staff. He has also provided music for school and church events. Jordan's personal belief - “To those much is given, much is expected” - is the driving force behind his desire to share his love of music. His other interests include baseball, basketball, and hip-hop dancing.

Angela Hwang

Angela Hwang, age seventeen, is a student of Professor Hans Boepple. She is the winner of The 2008 Young Pianist's Beethoven Competition. In 2007, she received the Music Teachers' Association of California Panel Honors and 1st place at the MTAC State Concerto Division III. She was honored with Steinway Society Award and made her debut with the California Youth Symphony in their 2007-2008 season. Angela was the winner of the San Jose Youth Symphony Young Artist Competition and served as a featured soloist. Some of her awards include 2nd place at the Marilyn Mindell Piano Competition and 2nd place at the MTAC Solo Division II. She has also received first prizes at the Chinese Music Teachers' Association of Northern California Competition in 2005, the Almaden Music School Piano Competition in 2005, and the MTAC Solo Division I in 2001. Angela was the 2nd place winner of the CMTANC Competition in 2003 and the MTAC Concerto Division I in 2002. She received 3rd prize at the International Russian Music Competition in 2003, and was the winner of the Menuhin-Dowling Young Musicians Award in 2001. This past summer Angela attended California Summer Music, a chamber music camp.

Angela is currently a junior at Saratoga High School in Saratoga, California.

Emeline Oliphant

Emeline Oliphant, age seventeen, graduated from Fort Bragg High School in 2007 where she studied with Paula Butler. She has been playing the piano since age six. She won the CAPMT honors auditions for her district in 2003 and 2007 and from 1998-2006 has annually received a superior rating in the CAPMT level based auditions. Emeline enjoys performing in various recitals such as the Two-Piano concert and the Mendocino Music Festival. She is currently a student of Gwendolyn Mok and is in the Bachelor of Music Program at San Jose State University . In addition to playing the piano, Emeline loves sports such as soccer and track, the beach, and cooking.