FIRST AGE CATEGORY (THROUGH 9)

Second Prize: Josephine Chan
Second Prize: Josephine Chou
Third Prize: Clara Galant
Honorable Mention: Sunny Kim
Honorable Mention: Wilson Chen


SECOND AGE CATEGORY (10-12)

First Prize: Chloe Ma
Second Prize: Cameron Akioka
Third Prize: Bryan Chang
Honorable Mention: Andrew Lin


THIRD AGE CATEGORY (13-15)

First Prize: Hanson Tam
Second Prize: Misha Galant
Third Prize: Nigel Zhang
Honorable Mention: Eric Chen
Honorable Mention: Heather Hsun Chang

Bio:

Cameron Akioka is a 12-year-old sixth grader at Jordan Middle School in Palo Alto and has been studying piano with Olya Katsman for 1 ½ years. For the 2011-12 season, she was named winner of the Menuhin-Dowling competition, selected to perform at the Junior Bach Festival, winner in the MTAC Solo competition Division 1 and completed her Level 7 Certificate of Merit. Prior to moving to the Bay Area, Cami studied with Hyeja Chong Ganahl in Southern California. She was a Branch winner for the Bach Festival 2008 and 2009 and was a winner in the Regional competition in 2010. She was a prize-winner of the CAMPT Sonata/Sonatina competition, selected as a Junior Rising Star for the Peninsula Committee for the LA Philharmonic Music Fair in 2008 and was awarded first (’10) and second (’09) place the MTAC Scholarship Competition in the Junior Division. Along with her love of music, she is an avid soccer player and enjoys art, reading and animals.

Josephine Chan is 9 years old and is studying piano with Meikui Matsushima at San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She was selected to perform in 2011 Junior Bach Festival. She has participated in master classes with Mack McCray and Corey McVicar. Josephine is a third grader at Stratford School and enjoys classical music, reading and art.

Bryan Chang, age 10, is a 5th grade graduate at El Carmelo Elementary in Palo Alto. Bryan began studYing the piano at age four with Heidi Hau, a faculty member of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Since 2007, he began his piano training with acclaimed pianist Robert Schwartz. Bryan showed his interests in composition at a fairly young age. He also has his composition study at the SFCM in the Prep Division. Bryan won honorable mention in the First Age Category of the Chopin SF Competition last year. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, playing chess, and creating LEGO robotics.

Heather Chang, 13, is currently at JLS Middle School in Palo Alto, California, and a scholarship student of Mack McCray in the Preparatory Division of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She has won prizes in the Pacific Music Society Competition, the San Francisco Chopin Competition, and the Kawai Piano Competition, Taiwan Regional. Heather’s art work has been exhibited in an art gallery since 2007.

Eric Chen is an 8th grader at Albany Middle School. He is a student of Annie Nalezny. Eric has participated in master classes with Reah Sadowsky, Paul Hersh, Ory Shihor, Jean-David Coen, Gabriel Kwok and Hershey Felder. Eric has earned many awards including Junior Bach, Mondavi Young Artist Competition Semi-final, the Menuhin/Dowling Competition for the Young Musicians, US Open Music Competition-Showcase Piano Solo and MTAC Branch and State Convention Honors. This year Eric achieved the MTAC Certificate of Merit Level 9 and performed Chopin, Nocturne in C sharp minor op. 27 No.1 at the Certificate of Merit Honors Festival. This summer, Eric will be attending the 2012 Colburn Academy Piano Festival in Los Angeles. Wilson Chen, age eight, is a second grader at Milpitas Christian School. He has been studying with Peyhwan Kuan for a little over three years. At the 2012 US Open Music Competition, Wilson is the third place winner in the category of the the Treasury of Classical-Senior; he also was the third place winner of the US Open Music Competition for Treasury of Baroque-Intermediate in 2011. Wilson was the District II winner for the CAPMT Honors Audition in 2010 for the age group 7 and under. Beside piano, he enjoys playing cello, reading, drawing, playing badminton, and Lego.

Wilson Chen, age eight, is a second grader at Milpitas Christian School. He has been studying with Peyhwan Kuan for a little over three years. At the 2012 US Open Music Competition, Wilson is the third place winner in the category of the the Treasury of Classical-Senior; he also was the third place winner of the US Open Music Competition for Treasury of Baroque-Intermediate in 2011. Wilson was the District II winner for the CAPMT Honors Audition in 2010 for the age group 7 and under. Beside piano, he enjoys playing cello, reading, drawing, playing badminton, and Lego.

Josephine Chou is a 3rd grader at Argonaut Elementary School in Saratoga. She is currently studying with Professor Hans Boepple at Santa Clara University. She started piano when she was 4 years old. Josephine has won numerous awards including 1st alternate in the MTAC Concerto Competition, 2nd alternate in MTAC Piano Solo Competition and 1st alternate in the CAPMT Honors Audition. Josephine enjoys reading, drawing, knitting, rollerblading, and ice skating, but she enjoys playing piano the most, and Chopin is one of her favorite composers.

Clara Galant, 8, is a 2nd grader at Bunker Elementary School in Newark. She has been studying piano with her mother, Olya Katsman, for the past two years. Recently, she performed in the Jr. Bach Festival in Berkeley, and was awarded both second prize and the contemporary music award in the East Bay Music Festival. Clara is also very active in sports as a member of the Gold Star rhythmic gymnastics team in Mountain View and as a swimmer on the Newark Bluefins swim team.

Misha Galant, 14, is an 8th grader at Newark Junior High School in Newark. He began piano lessons at the age of six with his mother and current teacher, Olya Katsman. Among his accomplishments are first prizes in the Menuhin-Dowling Young Pianist’s Competition, the CAPMT Bartok and Contemporary Music competition, the CAPMT Honors Auditions and northern division concerto competition, and the East Bay Music Festival. In 2010, he was the state winner in the MTAC concerto competition and, as the winner of the Oakland East Bay Symphony concerto competition, he performed the Chopin Concerto no. 1 with the orchestra last year. He has also performed in the Junior Bach Festival in Berkeley and, when he was eight years old, he gave the premier of William Bolcom’s “Monster Pieces” at the MTAC convention. He is indebted to Sharon Mann of the San Francisco Conservatory for her invaluable and inspirational coaching.

Sunny Kim is 7 years old and in the 3rd grade. Sunny won 3rdplace at the Korea Times Young Artist Piano Competition in Los Angeles at the age of 6. At the age of 7, Sunny won 3 International Piano Competitions and performed at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. Sunny is a student at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Preparatory Division, his current teacher is Jerri Witt. Sunny enjoys composing his own music and regularlyparticipates at a local fencing club.

Chloe Ma is an eleven-year old, 6th grade homeschooler. She started piano at age 4 and her current piano teacher is Mr. Mark Anderson. She has won prizes at US Open Music Competition, East Bay Piano Competition, Pacific Musical Society, Bradshaw & Buono Piano Competition and participated at Junior Bach Festival 2009 and 2011 in Berkeley. She's also the winner in the Oakland East Bay Symphony Concerto Competition and will be playing with the Orchestra on July 3rd this year. She also participated in the documentary film “Miracle In a Box” by John Korty. Chloe enjoys readings, learning Chinese Kung Fu, and studying the nature.

Hanson Tam is a freshman at Menlo School in Atherton. He is a student of Dr. William Wellborn at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Preparatory Division. He was a top prize winner in the International Russian Music Piano Competition, the San Francisco Chopin Competition for Young Pianists, the Menuhin-Dowling Competition for Young Musicians, the Marilyn Mindell Piano Competition, the Pacific Musical Society Competition and the California Association of Professional Music Teachers Honors Audition state competition. He made his Carnegie Hall (Weill Hall) debut in 2010 as a winner of the American Fine Arts Festival. He was selected to perform in the Junior Bach Festival, the Steinway Society of the Bay Area Concert, Concerts at the Presidio, and the Franz Liszt 200th Anniversary Gala Concert. Hanson is the pianist of the award-winning Mondo Trio that has appeared on the National Public Radio program "From the Top". In the past three summers Hanson attended the Austrian International Piano Seminar & Festival. As the first prize winner of the Festival competition, he performed the entire Mozart Piano Concerto No. 21 with the Wiener Neustadt Instrumentalisten chamber orchestra last August. He has participated in charity events including the benefit concerts for Szechuan Earthquake Relief and Haiti Earthquake Relief.

Nigel Zhang, age fifteen, is a freshman at Lowell High School in San Francisco. He started playing piano at age six and is currently a student of Dr. William Wellborn at the SFCM Prep Division. In 2010 and 2011, he won second place in the Early Advanced category in the MTAC SF Branch Competition. Nigel performed in many recitals including MTAC Branch Recitals and MTAC State Conventions. In January 2011, Nigel participated in the Lang Lang101 Pianist Workshop in San Francisco. He has also attended and performed at the International Piano Seminar in Ebenfurth, Austria last year. In his spare time, Nigel enjoys biking, swimming, and doing competitive math.