3.13.23 | Virtual Event

Junior Division

1st Place: Kwanyun Loo, Cello

2nd Place: Clara Chen, Piano

3rd Place: Aurelia Faidley-Solars, Cello

Senior Division

1st Place: Brianna Kim, Cello

2nd Place: Sunjoo Lucas Park, Viola

3rd Place: Shaw Edwards, Cello

Final Round Judges: Michael Katz, Spencer Myer, Danbi Um

Congratulations to the Winners!

Junior DivisionWinners
Ages 11 - 14

1st Prize
Kwanyun Loo, Cello

Kwanyun Loo (13), an eighth grader at Rosa International Middle School, began cello lessons at  4. A student of Amy Barston, his other cello teachers would include Clancy Newman, Alex  Veltman and Gloria DePasquale. Kwanyun made his solo orchestra debut with the Ambler Symphony Orchestra at 11 as a winner of the Elmer and Louise Menges Scholarship, and has  achieved success in other competitions, most recently, by the Main Line Symphony Orchestra, Old York Road Symphony Orchestra, and MTNA (Pennsylvania). Kwanyun performed in  masterclasses with Sheku Kanneh-Mason, David Geber, Raman Ramakrishnan, and the Takács Quartet, and in many concerts at the Heifetz Institute 2022 and 2023 Summer Programs. Kwanyun regularly performs as a member of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra and Settlement Music School’s Trowbridge Advanced Study Quartet. He is a proud member of the PMAY Artists’  Initiative since 2021.

2nd Prize
Clara Chen, Piano

Clara Chen, age 14, is a 9th grader at The Baldwin School. She currently studies piano with Amy Yang of The Curtis Institute of Music and previously with the late Joy Kiszely at The Main Line Conservatory of Music. Clara was the 2nd place winner as a member of the Braval Trio in the Junior Chamber Music Division at the 2023 Tri-County Concerts Youth Festival, as well as the 2nd place winner in the Junior Piano Division in 2022 of the same competition. She has also been a Gold Star Winner of the 2021 Elite International Music Competition and a top prize winner of the 2020 and 2022 PhMTA Auditioned recital, and made her Carnegie Weill Hall debut as part of the Dr. Andor & Joy Kiszely Carnegie Hall recital in May 2022. Clara currently stands as the 2023-2024 class officer position of Treasurer, and earned an auditioned spot on the highly regarded Baldwin B-Flats, an award-winning a cappella group which tours and competes in many international events. This past summer, in addition to competitive swimming, she attended the Lyra Young Artist Performance Program in Hudson Valley, NY. Clara was recently awarded First Prize for the 2023 Jr. Peace & Music Ambassador Competition, and currently spends her Saturdays at Temple Prep’s Center for Gifted Young Musicians.

3rd Prize
Aurelia Faidley-Solars, Cello

Aurelia Faidley is a 14-year old American cellist who has garnered international attention as a young concert artist. Aurelia currently studies at the Juilliard School of Music and is the recipient of The Jacobs Scholarship of Music. She is also a 2023-2024 From the Top Fellow and will be featured on show 441. She is a very proud member of the Beare’s International Violin Society. 

Aurelia made her orchestra debut with the Amati Orchestra in Lausanne, Switzerland, receiving nine curtain calls for her performance of Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C Major. She has also performed with the New Hampshire Philharmonic, the Fox Valley Symphony in Chicago, the Ashland Symphony Orchestra in Ohio, the Sempre Musick Symphony in Boston, the Metropolitan Symphony of New York, the Montgomery Symphony in Ohio, the NJ Virtuosi Sinfonietta in New Jersey, and the Manhattan Sinfonietta. As a soloist, Aurelia has appeared in Prague, Vienna, Budapest, and London. 

Aurelia is a prizewinner in numerous competitions, including the Fox Valley  Concerto Competition in Chicago, the Ambler Symphony Concerto Competition in  Philadelphia, the Hill Concerto Competition in NYC, the Sound Symphony Concerto  Competition in New York, the Vienna International Music Competition, the CelloWorld Concerto Competition in Vienna, the Petrichor Competition, the Birmingham  International Competition in London. She is the youngest prizewinner in the history of The Ronald Sachs International Competition, as well as the three-time New Eastern regionals winner for the Music Teachers’ National Association. She was also awarded the prestigious Aaron Rosand Memorial Prize and is the 2023 Menges Scholarship recipient. Aurelia is the youngest finalist in the history for the Artist Presentation Society and was the only student featured in a solo performance celebrating the 130th Anniversary of the New World Symphony, a joint project between the United States and The Czech Republic. Aurelia was the 2023 soloist chosen for the “Young Artists  Performers” series in South Carolina, and has toured throughout the northeastern and southeastern United States. 

Aurelia currently studies with Fred Sherry. Her major pedagogical influences include Diego Garcia, her very first teacher, and Hans Jorgen Jensen, her long-time teacher and  mentor. She has studied with or appeared in masterclasses with Laurence Lesser,  Richard Aaron, Darrett Adkins, Brannon Cho, Phillipe Muller, David Finckel, Ralph Kirschbaum, Amit Peled, Stephen Doane, Rosemary Elliot, Peter Stumpf, Jean-Michel  Fonteneau, Clive Greensmith, Matt Haimovitz, Zvi Plesser, Tomasz Strahl, Andres Diaz, Lluis Claret, and Tao Ni, and Pablo Ferrandez. Other major influences include John Henry Crawford and Zlatomir Fung. In the summer of 2023, Aurelia attended Morningside Music Bridge. In 2022, she attended the Meadowmount School of Music, and in 2021, she was the youngest student in the main program of the Heifetz International Music Institute. 

Besides cello, Aurelia is a dedicated ballet dancer, studying in the Pre-Professional division at the School of American Ballet. She has performed featured roles in the New York City Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” and “A Midsummer’s Night Dream”. In 2023, she attended the Royal Ballet School’s Summer Intensive Program in London. She loves art of all kinds, singing, and animals. In 2023, Aurelia became a Congressional Award winner for visual arts. She owns a 2- year old crested gecko named “Autumn”

Senior DivisionWinners
Ages 15 - 18

1st Prize
Brianna Kim, Cello

Brianna Kim is truly passionate about music and loves playing the cello. Brianna started learning the piano at the age of five and completed six grades of the ABRSM exams successfully. She later switched her interest to the cello at the age of 10.  She has been playing the cello since then and she is in her 6th year of studying the cello. She currently studies with Kyung-Ah Lee. 

Brianna has won numerous awards from competitions including the 2nd prize in Solo Senior Division, 10th Camerata Artists International Competition in 2024, the winner of Repertory String Concerto Competition, at Manhattan School of Music Precollege, 2022, 1st prize in New York Artists International Competition, 2022, and was offered a prestigious full scholarship to Interlochen Orchestra to advanced string quartet for 2023 summer program.  She attended Heifetz International Music Summer, Junior Program in 2023, Boston University Tanglewood Institute Summer Program in 2022, and New England Conservatory Summer Orchestra Institute Program in 2021.  At these programs, she studied with Andrea Mark, Eunghee Cho, Mihail Jojatu, Robert Mayes, and Aristides Rivas.  Additionally, Brianna performed in master classes led by Peter Stumpf, Allison Aldridge, and Allan Harris.

Besides playing the cello, Brianna enjoys instructing Taekwondo as a 3rd degree black belt holder.  She is a recipient of Gold President’s volunteer service awards for four consecutive years for her leadership skills in Taekwondo by instructing, participating in many community/public demonstrations, leading Taekwondo student groups, and sharing her cello music with seniors at various senior centers in the state. She loves painting and photography.

Brianna is a 10th grader, 15 years old, enrolled in the Academy of Holy Angels in Demarest, NJ.

2nd Prize
Sunjoo Lucas Park

Born in New York City, Sunjoo Lucas Park started playing the violin at the age of four and began his viola studies at the age of nine with Sunboon Jeong. Since then he has performed in prestigious halls such as Carnegie Hall, Bruno Walter at Lincoln Center and DiMenna Center in NYC. He won first place in the National Artist Competition, East Coast International Competition, Manhattan International Music Competition, and New York Artist International Competitions, and performed as a soloist with the New York Classical Youth Orchestra under conductor Timothy Yoonsang Cho. Lucas is a silver medalist in the International Virtuoso Competition, and bronze‐medalist in the Vancouver International Music Competition. Lucas received the New York State Senate award from Senator Toby Ann Stravisky as Grand Prize winner of National Artist Competition 2022. He served as principal violist of the New York Classical Youth Orchestra, New Jersey Regional Intermediate Orchestra, and Juilliard's Pre‐College String Orchestra. In spring of 2023, Lucas was a guest artist with his sister, invited to perform at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall.    

He is an active performer for the annual fundraising concert for sending musical instruments to children in Africa and a co‐founder and director of Project A.R.T.S. a student‐artist‐led initiative to redefine children's rights partnered with Project HOPE, and its branch “The Little Giant” which focuses on engaging with hospice patients and recreating/reflecting their stories through performance, poems, and Legacy Projects for patient families.   

In October 2023 Sunjoo was invited to perform at the reception on the occasion of the National Foundation Day of the Republic of Korea in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and performed at Carnegie Hall as a Grand Prize Winner of NY Artist International Competition.   

Recently, Sunjoo Lucas was selected as principal violist in New Jersey Regional 1 High School Orchestra as well as an assistant principal in Juilliard Pre‐College Symphony Orchestra.   

Recipient of the President’s Volunteer Service Award, Lucas is a ninth grader at the Northern Valley Regional High School of Old Tappan. Lucas currently studies with Molly Carr and Yi‐Fang

3rd Prize
Shaw Edwards, Cello

Shaw Edwards is a cello student of Clara Kim at the Juilliard School from 2020. He is a former student of Yari Bond (four years) and began cello with Serafim Smegelskiy at age five. He is a 2024 YoungArts Winner. He was a 2023 Bellagrande International Music Competition and North International Music Competition Winner as Silver Medalist (second overall) for all musicians in all categories age 18-and-under; he placed first in cello for both competitions for ages 16-18. In the 2023 Berlioz International Music Competition and 2023 Carl Reinecke Music Competition he won Absolute First Prize for Concerto and Absolute First Prize as Young Artist. In the 2023 World Exceptional Musicians Competition (22 countries), he won the Platinum Prize (top) for Concerto, Young Artist, and Post-1950 Composition; he was also given the Precision Virtuoso Special Award. He was the only cellist selected in 2024 for the Juilliard Pre-College Chamber Music Intensive. In 2022, he won First Prize in the National Symphony Orchestra SMI Concerto Competition and performed the Lalo Cello Concerto at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. He won First Prize in the 2019 Kaufman Concerto Competition and was Runner Up in 2018. He was Winner in the 2020 and 2019 VIVO International Music Competition. He took Second Prize in the 2020 Lyra Music Competition and Third Prize in 2018. He was a Semi-Finalist in the 2023 CMS of Lincoln Center Young Musicians Chamber Competition. He made his Carnegie Hall debut at age seven by placing First in the Olympic Music Competition. He was an invited performer in the Henry Schneider Scholarship Concert in 2017, 2019, and 2020. He was a member of the New York Youth Symphony Chamber Program from 2019-2021, playing in two piano trios. He was part of the Mikka Quartet from ages 8-13 and was coached by Kronos Quarter and Ethel Quartet. He performed with Kronos Quartet at Weill Recital Hall 2014. He performed over 25 concerts with the Face the Music Symphony from ages 8-13. He performed the Bach Cello Suites #1-4 at age nine at the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition. As a pianist, Shaw recorded Bach's Goldberg Variations (2017), Well-Tempered Clavier Book I (2018), French Suites (2019), English Suites (2020), Six Partitas (2021), Two-Part Inventions and Three-Part Sinfonias (2022), and Well-Tempered Clavier Book II 1-24 (2023). As a composer, his works have premiered at Goodman Recital Hall in Manhattan and Queens Museum.