Young Artists Concert

Anna Boonyanit is ten years old and currently a fifth grade student at Stratford School in San Jose. She started her piano lesson with Mrs. Regina Roper in 2003 and has studied with Mrs. Lena Grozman since 2007. In 2007 she was selected as the youngest to perform her own composed piece at the MTAC State Convention Composers Today Recitals. In 2008 she won 3 first places at the US Open Music Competition (Showcase Solo Elementary, Solo 4B, and 4C) and was selected as one of the top gold medalists to perform at the Gold Medalists Showcase Concert. She was also selected to perform at the Steinway Society Mid-Summer Youth Music Camp Honors Recitals. In the same year she won first alternate at the CAPMT Bartok and Contemporary Competition (Elementary Level). In 2009 she won first place at the Menuhin-Dowling Competition for Young Musicians (Age 9-10), second place at the US Open Music Competition (Showcase Solo Junior), second place at the Pacific Musical Society Annual Competition (Categories A1 and A2), and second place at the International Russian Music Piano Competition (Young Musicians). Last May she was selected for a Master Class with Jon Nakamatsu and received the following comment: "Anna is an extremely talented student who plays with an abandon uncommon for kids her age". Later, she was selected to perform at the Pacific Musical Society Centennial Celebration Concert at Chateau Carolands. In her spare time from study and practicing piano she also enjoys doing gymnastics and using computer.

Kevin Chen, age 15, is a tenth grade student at Monta Vista High School in Cupertino, California. Kevin began his piano lessons at the age of 4 with Doris Lin and is currently studying piano with Jinye Wang. He was a winner of the 2009 MTAC concerto competition and 2nd place of the 2009 CMTANC Young Music Competition. He was also a finalist in the Marilyn Mendell Piano Competition in 2010. Kevin has achieved the Advanced level in Certificate of Merit of California.

Kevin has also played the violin since the age of 5. He was a winner of the 2002 Youth Music Competition of CMTANC and a winner of the 2005 PACO Concerto Competition. Kevin is currently a principal violinist of Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra.
Kevin was featured in the San Jose Mercury News for his performance in the From Mozart to Muthanna piano concert in May of 2008. In addition, he was invited to perform at the History of Piano Music in America benefit concert organized by the Steinway Society and City of San Jose’s Art Express outreach program. Kevin has performed in numerous charity fundraising concerts for organizations such as National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, the Hurricane Katrina Relief, and the Christmas Dinners for the Homeless in the San Jose Area.

Stella Chen, seventeen-year old violinist, has been described by Mr. Itzhak Perlman as “not only musical but has the stamp of an artist that is unusual at any age”, and her performance with the Welsh National Symphony Orchestra was chronicled by the Strad magazine as having a “warm sound” and “long musical lines”. She was also noted in the Wall Street Journal as a “rising star to watch”. Her achievements include being the youngest ever prizewinner at the Yehudi Menuhin International Competition in its entirety of 25 years and 1st at the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Bronislaw Kaper Awards. She also won the American String Teachers Association’s State Branch and Grand Prize Plumb Scholarship of the Music Teachers Assocation of California's VOCE at the age of ten. She has performed with the London Chamber Orchestra, the Welsh National Symphony Orchestra, and members of St. Martin in the Fields. In addition, she was invited to perform at the San Francisco’s Groundbreaking Ceremony as well as in the Kennedy Center and on the radio show From the Top. During the year, Stella studies at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music under Li Lin with the Marilyn Jo Wood Scholarship. She has spent the past three summers at the Perlman Music Program, and has participated in master classes with artists such as Itzhak Perlman, Robert Mann, Michael Tilson Thomas, Midori, and Ian Swensen. This past February, she was invited by Mr. Perlman to be the guest soloist for "An Evening with Itzhak Perlman" in Napa Valley. In her spare time, she enjoys reading classics, dancing, as well as exploring new varieties of music.

Travis Chen, 13 years old, is a student of Sieun Lin. His achievements include being the recipient of the 2009 James Denver Gary Instrumental Award from the Pacific Musical Society as well as the winner of the 2009 Menuhin-Dowling Competition for Young Musicians. In March 2007, he performed with the Fremont Symphony in their Children’s Concert series featuring Young Artist Competition winners. He was subsequently invited to perform for the Fremont Symphony Orchestra President’s Reception. Travis' other accomplishments include winning 1st place and best Chinese piece award in the 2007 and 2009 Music Teacher’s Association of California Competition as well as winning first prize in the Music Teacher’s Association of California's VOCE in 2006. He was also chosen to be participant of the Junior Bach Festival concert series in years 2007 and 2009. Travis was also announced as an ECYS concerto competition winner.

In addition to being an accomplished cellist, Travis is also a highly motivated pianist, a competitive math contestant, and a proficient debater. In his spare time, he enjoys playing basketball, soccer, chess, and video games.

Brandon Shih, age 16, and a sophomore at Monta Vista High School in Cupertino, California, began playing piano at the age of 5 and has studied in the studio of Jinye Wang since 2001. He received the 2002 CMTANC Youth Music Competition Winners Circle Award, and was a prize winner in the 2004 MTAC Concerto Competition. In 2006 he was awarded third place in the International Russian Music Piano Competition. Awards in 2007-9 include 1st place in Menuhin-Dowling Young Musicians’ Competition, Grand Champion in the 2008 Youth Focus Competition, and second place in the 2009 U.S. Open Piano Solo Competition for Showcase Solo. in 2010, he was a finalist in the Mondavi Young Artists Competition and also awarded fourth place at the Thirteenth Annual Sylvia M. Ghilglieri Piano Competition.

Along with earning many solo piano awards, Brandon also enjoys participating and playing in piano duos. For the past two years he has performed in the SFMF Annual Young Artists Piano Duo Concert. In 2009, he was awarded second place in the California State MTNA Senior Performance Competition (Senior Piano Duet Category). That same year, he was selected to perform in a master class with Anderson & Roe Piano Duo at the Portland International Piano Festival. He has been invited to perform numerous times, including at the Young Artists' Chamber Music Extravaganza presented by KPMF at the Mountain View Center for Performing Arts, the 2nd Milton & Peggy Salkind International Piano Duo Festival at the San Francisco Conservatory in July 2008, and the Rachmaninoff Festival presented by San Jose State University in December of 2008.

In addition to the prestigious music competition prizes and invitations, Brandon has also helped organize and performed in a variety of concerts to support charitable causes including one on behalf of the families of September 11th, one for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, and another for the Iraqi Youth Soccer League in May, 2008.

Hanson Tam is a seventh grader at Crocker Middle School. He began his piano studies at age five, and since 2006 has been a student of Dr. William Wellborn at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Preparatory Division. Hanson was the first prize winner at the 2008 San Francisco Chopin Competition for Young Pianists, the 2010 Menuhin-Dowling Young Artist Competition and was also a junior division winner at the 2010 Marilyn Mindell Piano Competition. Last summer he participated in the Austrian International Piano Seminar and Festival and performed several concerts in Austria. Besides piano solo, Hanson studies chamber music at the San Francisco Conservatory and plays the flute in his school band. He has performed in master classes by Melvin Chen and Gila Goldstein, and has performed in charity fundraising concerts for Szechuan Earthquake Relief and Haiti Earthquake Relief. He was the California champion for Mathfax competition in both 2007 and 2008, and represented Crocker School in MATHCOUNTS competition in 2009 and 2010. Hanson enjoys reading, biking, badminton, and skiing.

Noël is 16 years old. Noel has been playing the harp for 11 years and is currently the student of Erika Waardenburg (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) and Dan Yu (Hong Kong). When she was ten years old, she received first prize for the Bay Area Inez Stafford harp competition, level 4 (2004). Since then, she has collected numerous awards: first prize and the Grandjany prize from the Junior Division of the 16th American Harp Society National Harp Competition, first prize of Bay Area ASTA Competition, first prize from Senior Division/Instrumental Category of Pacific Music Society (2009), second prize of California Youth Symphony Young Artist Concerto Competition (2009), third prize and fifth prize from the Young Professional Division of the 18th and 17th AHS National Harp Competition, and an honorable mention award from the Junior Division of the Lily Laskine International Harp Competition (Paris, 2008). As the youngest contestant, Noel finished the 17th International Harp Contest in Israel as one of the six semi-finalists (2009). Noel has also played several concerts including two "Stars of Tomorrow" concerts (San Francisco, CA, Bloomington, IN), the Focus on Youth program of the World Harp Congress in 2005 (Dublin) and 2008 (Amsterdam), the Guest Artist Series at the University of Oregon (2009), and the concert of Pacific Music Society in the Chateau Carolands (Hillsborough, 2009). Noel had been selected to compete in Corpus Christi International Music Competition (February, 2010) and the International Harp Competition & Festival, The Netherlands (March 2010). She will be featured as a soloist in Summer Harp Camp of University Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (June, 2010). Apart from the playing harp, Noel also enjoys reading, studying architecture, and playing the Chinese violin (er-hu) and piano.