Anne Liu - Conrad Bruderer First Prize in Piano and the Aspen Award
Young Steinway Artist Anne Liu has stunned audiences with her sensitive tones, virtuosity, and coloristic ranges. Liu, a student at The Juilliard School under the guidance of Dr. Yoheved Kaplinsky and Professor Hung-Kuan Chen, and an academic student at Columbia University, was named a 2019 Presidential Scholar in the Arts, and has been honored by the President of the United States of America at the White House and the Secretary of Education at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium.
In recent years, Liu has won numerous prestigious competitions and awards around the world. In 2018, she was one of the two musicians in the nation to win the 2018 Davidson Fellow Scholarship along with Presidential Recognition. That same year, Liu was also named as a 2018 National YoungArts Finalist Winner and received U.S. Congressional recognition for this honor. Liu also won the Grand Prize and Full Scholarship to the 2019 Aspen Music Festival and School at the 2018 Musical Merit Competition. She gave a successful performance at Harris Concert Hall in Aspen, which was broadcasted live on Colorado Public Radio.
In addition, Liu is a top prize winner in the Young Musicians Foundation David Weiss Memorial Scholarship, the 8th Bosendorfer and Yamaha USAsu International Piano Competition and the most outstanding performance of a composition by a Russian composer, the Los Angeles International Young Musician Competition, the Los Angeles International Liszt Competition and a special prize for overall best performance of “Opera Paraphrase or Transcription” in all categories, the H.B. Goodlin Scholarship Competitions and the Grossmont Music Competition etc.
Liu has performed extensively in the U.S., China and Italy. Liu has performed in John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Carnegie Hall in NYC, Steinway Hall NYC, Harris Concert Hall in Aspen, San Diego Symphony Copley Hall, New World Center in Miami, Auer Hall in Indiana , Katzin Concert Hall in Arizona, Ningbo Concert Hall in China.​ After making her concerto debut at the age of 12 playing Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 2 with the San Diego Great Orchestra, Liu has gone on to collaborate with the South Coast Symphony, the Southern California Philharmonic, and the La Jolla Symphony multiple times. She has performed with world-class musicians, such as Tony Award Winner--Mr. Christian Hoff.
Furthermore, Liu has been inspired and worked with worldly renowned musicians such as Maestro Menahem Pressler, Maestro Arie Vardi, Maestro Dmitri Bashkirov, Maestro William Grant Naboré, Maestro Stanislav Ioudenitch and Ms.Olga Kern in masterclasses.
From San Diego, California, Liu started playing the piano at the age of four. Her previous teachers include Ethan Dong and Mrs.Inessa Litvin.
Stefani Quintin - Trovillo Graham Award in Voice
Described by the Straits Times as a singer who “possesses a voice with remarkable flexibility and a truly commanding musical presence,” Stefanie Quintin-Avila’s repertoire ranges from Renaissance to contemporary music – including world premieres.
She attended the Vielklang Akademie für Alte Musik in Tübingen, Germany, and studied with early music specialists - lutenist Lee Santana and soprano Sybilla Rubens. She also collaborated and performed with classical guitarist Carsten Linck, specializing in the performance of English ayres and German Lied.
As a proponent of contemporary music, she frequently collaborates with young composers and continues to explore the capabilities of the human voice. She is a member of the Ripieno Ensemble PH; a Pierrot ensemble based in Manila, dedicated to the promotion and performance of contemporary music in the Philippines and in Southeast Asia.
Stefanie has performed as a soloist in various international festivals such as the Asia-Europe New Music Festival (Vietnam); Yilan International Arts Festival (Taiwan); soundSCAPE Festival (Italy); Baroque Festival (Singapore), and many others. She has been featured in concerts/performances with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, Asia Traditional Orchestra, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Bach Choir and Orchestra, and the Hong Kong New Music Ensemble.
She graduated with a degree in Vocal Pedagogy and Vocal Performance from the University of the Philippines College of Music where she studied under Prof. Fides Cuyugan-Asensio and Rica Nepomuceno. She also received vocal training under the tutelage of Ena Aldecoa, Arthur Espiritu, and Christopher Arceo. Stefanie is currently a graduate student at the University of California San Diego, focusing on contemporary music performance, under the tutelage of Prof. Susan Narucki.
Malvyn Lai - Fenstermaker Scholar
Malvyn Lai (17) began his piano studies at age 5 and currently studies with Prof. Ning An. At age 10, he made his orchestral debut with the Kostroma Symphony Orchestra in Russia. He has since performed with the Danube Symphony in Budapest, Hungary, Toruń Symphony Orchestra in Poland, Culver City Symphony in California, Grossmont College Symphony in San Diego, and Concert Festival Orchestra in Long Island, NY. He also received the honor of performing with the Temecula Valley Symphony three times from 2015-2017 as the winner of their Young Artist Competition.
Malvyn has won many awards and scholarships. His recent competition accomplishments include: 2021 National YoungArts Foundation Finalist and a Silver medal in Classical Music, 2021 Conrad Bruderer Award (First place , age 16-32) given by the San Diego Musical Merit Foundation with a full scholarship to the Aspen Music Festival in 2023, an acceptance to the 2022 The Morningside Music Bridge Festival with a full scholarship at New England Conservatory, Silver prize of the 5th La Palma d’oro Piano Competition in Italy (age 16-36), 2021 Arthur Fraser International Piano Competition Discretionary Award, first place of 2021 Grossmont Music Scholarship Council Competition, The Dr. Milton H. Saier, Sr. Memorial Award and the first place of the 2020 La Jolla Symphony Young Artist Competition, 2020-2022 Chopin Foundation of United States Scholarship, first place of the 2021 Southern California Philharmonic Young Artist Competition, first place of the 2020 Walgreens National Concerto Competition in piano, 2020 California Music Center Spotlight Merit Award, 2020 Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin Competition For Young Pianists, top winner of 2022 The Nextgen International Piano Competition, first place in the 2019 OC International Steinway & Sons Competition, first place in the 2019 Parness Young Artist Competition, second place in the 2019 Lee Piano Festival Competition, first place in the Southern California Regional CAPMT Concerto competition, first place in the Statewide Steinway & Sons Young Artist Piano Competition, and many other scholarships and competitions.
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Malvyn’s previous teacher was Dr. Irina Bendetsky and received master classes from Prof. Fabio Bidini, Prof. Katarzyna Popowa- ZydroÅ„, Maestro RafaÅ‚ Blechacz, Maestro Vadym Kholodenko, Prof. Balázs Szokolay, Prof. Bernd Goetzke, Prof. Robert Shannon, Prof. Robert McDonald, Prof. Marina Lomazov, Prof. Alvin Chow, Prof. Daniel Blumenthal, Prof. Valery Kuleshov, Prof. Carol Leone, and Prof. Joseph Rackers.
Besides music, he enjoys playing tennis, swimming, reading, science, and math. During COVID, Malvyn continues his performances virtually to senior retirement centers and taking part in the OCMD music school - Out of the Box virtual concert series and the Heart of a Child Benefit Concert.
Isabelle Jamois - Fenstermaker Scholar
Isabelle Jamois (20), is a sophomore flutist at the Peabody Institute and studies with renowned musician Marina Piccinini. In high school, she was principal flute of the wind symphony and held various leadership positions including section leader, woodwind captain, and drum major. She was piccoloist and principal flute of the San Diego Civic Youth Orchestra. She also participated in All State Ensembles her sophomore and junior year. Isabelle has performed extensively in the San Diego area, winning Young Artist Senior and Piccolo divisions in the San Diego Flute Guild, and performed in masterclasses for Leone Buyse, Erica Peel, Marina Piccinini, and Aaron Goldman. She is also a member of the MTAC Young Artist Guild and placed first in the 2021 Grossmont Music Scholarship Competition.
Upon her high school graduation, she attended UC Santa Barbara and studied with Jill Felber from 2019-2021. There, she played in the UC Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, flute choir, and Nunes Scholarship Woodwind Quintet. Since transferring to the Peabody Institute in the fall of 2021, Isabelle has worked closely with Aaron Goldman, Erica Peel, and Marina Piccinini. Last semester, Isabelle premiered 2 works composed by Peabody students. She also performed as part of a woodwind quintet as well as orchestral, new music, and wind ensembles. Recently, Isabelle formed a duo with guitar and will perform Piazzolla’s Histoire du Tango in Spring 2022. She looks forward to embracing new musical opportunities as they arise and making more meaningful collaborations throughout the course of her musical career.
Nathan Haghgoo
Nathan Haghgoo is a 12th grader at Canyon Crest Academy. He has played flute for 9 years, first studying with Dr. September Payne and currently with Dr. Elena Yarritu. He has won awards such as the San Diego 2016 VOCE Ensemble, 2020 San Diego VOCE Intermediate Solo Winds, and San Diego Flute Guild Spring Festival 2016 Young Artists Elementary Division. When he is not playing flute, he enjoys science.
Trevor Haumschilt
Trevor Haumschilt is a San Diego native who recently graduated with a degree in Vocal Performance at San Diego State University, studying under Laurinda Nikkel. He has been studying classical technique since the age of 17, and is known for his powerful and rich baritone voice.
Some favorites roles include Minksman in Flight, Orpheo in Euridice, and Don Hilarion in La Verbena de la Paloma. Trevor will be attending The Juilliard School in Fall 2022, to pursue a Master of Music degree in Vocal Arts and continue his blossoming professional career.
Andrew Konopak
Andrew Konopak is an apprentice artist with San Diego Opera’s Young Artist Training Program. He is a proud member of the American Guild of Musical Artists who works with both San Diego Opera and Los Angeles Opera companies. In addition to his work around San Diego and Los Angeles, he has performed around Germany and Austria.
Andrew has appeared onstage with notable artists such as Plácido Domingo, Ferruccio Furlanetto, and others. Andrew has placed and advanced in competitions such as the Los Angeles Western Regional level of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Musical Merit Foundation of San Diego, the Loren L. Zachary, and others.
Notable appearances include Gregorio in Gounod: Romeo et Juliette and All Is Calm with San Diego Opera, der Musiklehrer in Ariadne auf Naxos in Berlin, Mayor of Tijuana in San Diego City Opera’s premier of St Francis de Los Barrios, Le Philosophe in Massenet’s Chérubin, and Jesus/Bass Soloist with the Artes Vocales of Los Angeles production of Bach’s Matthäus-Passion. Andrew is a student of Enrique Toral.
Yamel Kuri
Yamel Kuri is a mexican soprano who studied Singing Degree at the Vocal Scenic Training School "Ja'sit", which collaborates with the Center of Musical Arts (CAM) of Baja California. She has taken masterclasses with coaches as Kamal Khan, Lauren Flanigan, sir Michael Parker, Fernando Landeros and more. In 2016 and 2017, she participated with the italian association "Fronteras Musicales Abiertas" (“Open musical borders”) with his musical director Francesco Grigolo in two operas of the XVIII century "Il Filosofo di Campagna" (Galuppi) as "Lesbina" and "Il Matrimonio Segreto" (Cimarosa) as "Elisetta".
She has sung with the Baja California Orchestra (OBC) the Gloria RV 589 by Antonio Vivaldi, the chapters III and VI: "Laudamus te" and "Domine Deus, rex caelestis", under the direction of Armando Pesqueira, also the chapter VII of Vivaldi's Gloria RV 588: "Domine Deus, Agnus Dei", with Pro-Música Ensenada.
In april 2019, was invited to the international event “Gala de Danza” in Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, singing "Ave Maria" by Schubert and "All I ask of you" by A. L. Webber, with mexican tenor Diego Silva. She has participated in many music festivals of the Baja, such as "Ópera en la calle" (Tijuana), "Ópera frente al Mar" (Rosarito) and "Festival de Octubre" (San Quintín, B. C.) performing roles as Zerlina (Mozart's Don Giovanni), Adina (Donizetti's Elissir d'Amore) and Lucy (Menotti's The Telephone), also singing tangos, mexican and contemporary music.
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