Arizona Musicfest Scholarship

Lillie Harper is an 18 year old violist from Arizona. She began studying the viola at the age of 9 under Karen Bea, a violist of the Phoenix Symphony. She started her orchestra career with the Phoenix Youth Symphony Orchestras at the age of 10, recently serving as principal violist in the Symphony Orchestra. In January 2024, she placed third in the Phoenix Youth Symphony Orchestras’ Young Musicians Competition. Lillie will be continuing her studies in Viola Performance at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre, and Dance.

Lillie has played in the Arizona All-Region and State Orchestras throughout high school, where she was principal for regionals in her junior and senior years. She has also been to prestigious summer festivals including the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America, performing at Carnegie Hall and traveling to South America. She also participated in the Boston University Tanglewood Institute Young Artists Orchestra, serving as principal for Mahler’s 6th Symphony. She will be attending the Bowdoin International Music Festival this summer.

Abraham Kim (18) started studying the cello when he was 12 years old through SOUNDS Academy and has been studying the cello with Jamie Kellogg since 2019. As a soloist, Abraham has earned several First prize awards and recognitions including the Mozart International Competition in Korea, Irvine Conservatory International Music Competition, New York International Young Musician Competition, MTNA Arizona State Strings Competition Senior Division, Arizona International Music Competition Grand Prize Winner, OPUS National Competition Strings Category V, and the Arizona Musicfest Young Musicians Competition. Abraham was also the Jean and Robert Frankeberger Grand Prize Winner at PYSO’s 63rd Young Musicians Concerto Competition where he played Elgar’s Cello Concerto with the Phoenix Symphony as the winner. Most recently, he was awarded as the Gold Prize Winner of the 2025 Dorothy Vanek Youth Concerto Competition, where he was given the opportunity to perform at the final concert of the Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra playing Dvorak’s Cello Concerto.

Abraham has attended several music festivals, including the YOLA National Festival in Los Angeles for three years since 2020. In 2022, YOLA National Festival performed at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, where he was a principal cellist and soloist for highly distinguished conductor, Gustavo Dudamel. He also participated in programs like the Arizona Piano Institute Summer Festival, AMEA All-State Festival, and the Red Rocks Music Festival. In the 2023 Honor Performance Series, he was chosen as a Symphony Orchestra member and performed at Carnegie Hall in New York, where Abraham was the principal cellist. He also participated in the Boston University Tanglewood Institute with a full scholarship in 2023. In the summer of 2024, Abraham attended the Hilton Head Chamber Music Institute and Meadowmount School of Music.

Abraham has also been given the opportunity to play for esteemed musicians like Johannes Moser, Joseph Johnson, Peter Eom, Hans Jorgen Jensen, Brannon Cho,  Jonathan Dormand, Norman Fischer, Max Geissler, Patrice Jackson, Hyun Min Lee, Owen Young, Thomas Landschoot, and Shmuel Ashkenasi. Abraham has been a member of Phoenix Youth Symphony Orchestra since 2019 and he is the principal cellist. He is also an active volunteer at SOUNDS Academy as a TA for other students. Abraham also has found a love for conducting and he wishes to be an established cellist and a skilled conductor. Abraham will attend the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University on a full-ride scholarship to pursue a bachelor’s degree in cello performance and a concentration on conducting.

Abraham Kim (18) started studying the cello when he was 12 years old through SOUNDS Academy and has been studying the cello with Jamie Kellogg since 2019. As a soloist, Abraham has earned several First prize awards and recognitions including the Mozart International Competition in Korea, Irvine Conservatory International Music Competition, New York International Young Musician Competition, MTNA Arizona State Strings Competition Senior Division, Arizona International Music Competition Grand Prize Winner, OPUS National Competition Strings Category V, and the Arizona Musicfest Young Musicians Competition. Abraham was also the Jean and Robert Frankeberger Grand Prize Winner at PYSO’s 63rd Young Musicians Concerto Competition where he played Elgar’s Cello Concerto with the Phoenix Symphony as the winner. Most recently, he was awarded as the Gold Prize Winner of the 2025 Dorothy Vanek Youth Concerto Competition, where he was given the opportunity to perform at the final concert of the Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra playing Dvorak’s Cello Concerto.

Abraham has attended several music festivals, including the YOLA National Festival in Los Angeles for three years since 2020. In 2022, YOLA National Festival performed at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, where he was a principal cellist and soloist for highly distinguished conductor, Gustavo Dudamel. He also participated in programs like the Arizona Piano Institute Summer Festival, AMEA All-State Festival, and the Red Rocks Music Festival. In the 2023 Honor Performance Series, he was chosen as a Symphony Orchestra member and performed at Carnegie Hall in New York, where Abraham was the principal cellist. He also participated in the Boston University Tanglewood Institute with a full scholarship in 2023. In the summer of 2024, Abraham attended the Hilton Head Chamber Music Institute and Meadowmount School of Music.

Abraham has also been given the opportunity to play for esteemed musicians like Johannes Moser, Joseph Johnson, Peter Eom, Hans Jorgen Jensen, Brannon Cho,  Jonathan Dormand, Norman Fischer, Max Geissler, Patrice Jackson, Hyun Min Lee, Owen Young, Thomas Landschoot, and Shmuel Ashkenasi. Abraham has been a member of Phoenix Youth Symphony Orchestra since 2019 and he is the principal cellist. He is also an active volunteer at SOUNDS Academy as a TA for other students. Abraham also has found a love for conducting and he wishes to be an established cellist and a skilled conductor. Abraham will attend the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University on a full-ride scholarship to pursue a bachelor’s degree in cello performance and a concentration on conducting.

Lillie Harper is an 18 year old violist from Arizona. She began studying the viola at the age of 9 under Karen Bea, a violist of the Phoenix Symphony. She started her orchestra career with the Phoenix Youth Symphony Orchestras at the age of 10, recently serving as principal violist in the Symphony Orchestra. In January 2024, she placed third in the Phoenix Youth Symphony Orchestras’ Young Musicians Competition. Lillie will be continuing her studies in Viola Performance at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre, and Dance.

Lillie has played in the Arizona All-Region and State Orchestras throughout high school, where she was principal for regionals in her junior and senior years. She has also been to prestigious summer festivals including the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America, performing at Carnegie Hall and traveling to South America. She also participated in the Boston University Tanglewood Institute Young Artists Orchestra, serving as principal for Mahler’s 6th Symphony. She will be attending the Bowdoin International Music Festival this summer.

Campbell Stewart, 19, is a rising sophomore at the Manhattan School of Music. He has played percussion for nine years and is currently studying with Chris Lamb, Principal Percussionist of the New York Philharmonic; Duncan Patton, former Principal Timpanist of the Metropolitan Opera; and She-e Wu. In New York, Campbell serves as Principal Timpanist of the Camerata Notturna Orchestra and has collaborated with various composers to premiere new works for orchestra and solo percussion. While at MSM, Campbell was invited to New World Center in Miami to compete in the National YoungArts competition, where he won with distinction. He also competed in the National Modern Snare Drum Competition at the Cleveland Institute of Music where he placed second in his division.

Previously, Campbell was Principal Percussionist of both the Tucson Philharmonia Youth Orchestra and the Arizona All-State Orchestra. He has won gold medals in every concerto competition in Arizona and has appeared as a soloist with each ensemble.

For the past two summers, Campbell performed as Principal Percussionist and Timpanist with the National Youth Orchestra, appearing at venues including Carnegie Hall, the Gran Teatro del Cibao in the Dominican Republic, and concert halls across South America. This summer, he is a fellow at Texas Music Festival, playing under world-renowned conductors and performing chamber music with his peers.

Campbell looks forward to completing his education at the Manhattan School of Music and pursuing a career as a professional percussionist and educator.

Steven Zhang began studying violin at the age of 13 and viola at the age of 17. He currently studies violin with Jing Zeng, violinist of the Phoenix Symphony, and viola with Susanne Rothaar. Previously, he studied violin for two years with Joy Pan. This fall, Steven will attend The Juilliard School, where he will study viola with Molly Carr.

As a violist, Steven placed first in the State Viola Competition of Arizona and won top prizes in the Arizona Musicfest Young Musicians Strings, Harp, & Guitar Division III Competition and the Phoenix Youth Symphony Young Musicians Concerto Competition Senior Division. He has worked with distinguished professors such as Jeffrey Irvine, Steven Tenenbom, James Dunham, Wenting Kang, Tatjana Masurenko, Masao Kawasaki, Likuo Chang, Toby Appel, Peter Slowik, Victoria Chiang, Helen Callus, Lisa Boyko, and Caroline Coade. He has also played in masterclasses for the esteemed Orion Quartet and Harlem Quartet.

As a violinist, Steven has served as principal second violin and assistant concertmaster of the Phoenix Youth Symphony Orchestra, and concertmaster of the Metropolitan Youth Symphony. He has played violin in the AMEA Regionals and All-State Orchestras for three years and held the position of assistant concertmaster in the All-State Orchestra.

Steven has participated in the Philadelphia International Music Festival and Tetra Chamber Music Institute as a violinist; in the summer of 2025, he will attend Interlochen Arts Camp on a full scholarship as a violist.

Tony Kim began studying the piano with Dr. Yali Luo at the age of 10 and the cello with Jan Simiz, assistant principal of the Phoenix Symphony, at age 11. He has won first prize in the Steinway Avanti Junior Piano Competition, Arizona Musicfest Young Musicians Competition, OPUS Competition, Tone X Galaxie Y Music International Competition, Charleston International Music Competition, and Vivo International Music Competition. He also received first place for both the 2021 and 2022 Arizona MTNA State Competition Senior Piano Division.

An avid cellist, Tony has also received top prizes at numerous string competitions, including the Arizona Strings Teachers Association Competition, Arizona Musicfest Young Musicians Competition, Phoenix Youth Symphony Young Musicians Competition, Bellegrande International Music Competition, and OPUS Competition. He has held principal position multiple times in the AMEA Regionals and All-State Orchestra as well.

An active performer, Tony has performed in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Parker Concert Hall, and the Musical Instrument Museum. Some of the summer programs he has attended include the Heifetz International Music Institute, Bowdoin International Music Festival, ENCORE Chamber Music Institute, and Vivace International Music Festival. Over the years, he has had the privilege to study with Hans Jensen, David Ying, Yeesun Kim, Norman Krieger, and Robert Hamilton and play in masterclasses for Zlatomir Fung, Natasha Brofsky, Colin Carr, and Jeffrey Solow.

Tony currently attends Vanderbilt University where he is pursuing a double major in molecular and cellular biology and cello performance under Felix Wang. He enjoys actively performing in chamber ensembles and has served as principal cellist in the Vanderbilt University Orchestra at the Blair School of Music.

Since the age of four, violinist Jonathan Okseniuk has been performing as a soloist. At the age of five he made his orchestral debut with the Suprima Chamber Orchestra. Other solo appearances include performances with Arizona Musicfest Festival Orchestra, The Phoenix Symphony, West Valley Symphony, Chandler Symphony Orchestra, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra, Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra, St. Petersburg String Quartet, and an engagement at the Mesa Arts Center.

As a competitor, Jonathan has placed first in many national and local competitions. Most recently, he placed first in the Senior Division of the 2023 Dorothy Vanek Youth Concerto Competition. He was named first place laureate in the Junior Division of the 2022 Sphinx Competition, national winner in the 2022 Music Teachers National Association Senior String Competition, first in the Phoenix Youth Symphony Young Musicians Concerto Competition Senior Division and the Arizona Musicfest String Competition Division II. In 2021, Jonathan placed first in the Arizona Musicfest Young Musicians String, Harp, and Guitar Division II Competition, the Chandler Symphony Orchestra Youth Competition, and the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition.

In 2023, Jonathan was accepted into the Curtis Institute of Music and is studying under Midori Goto. Over the past fourteen years, since the age of three, he has been a student of Jing Zeng. He has also worked with distinguished teachers such as Jan Sloman, Miriam Fried, Noah Bendix-Balgley, Peter Oundjian and William van der Sloot and with esteemed chamber groups like the Dover Quartet and members of the Manhattan Chamber Players.

Jonathan has participated in summer programs such as Morningside Music Bridge, Heifetz International Music Institute, and Chamber Music Northwest Young Artist Institute. In the summer of 2024, Jonathan is conducting in Vienna, competing in Dallas for the International Violin Competition and joining the Center Stage Strings in Michigan for both solo and chamber experiences.

Kaelan James started playing clarinet at age 9, and since moving to Arizona in 2018, he studied with Dr. Stefanie Gardner. As a soloist, Kaelan has been acknowledged as Best in Class twice in the Arizona Music Educators Association Solo & Ensemble Competition. He also placed in the 2022 Arizona Musicfest Competition, the 2021 Bellagrande International Competition, and the 2021 International Clarinet Association Clareidoscope Contest.

Kaelan held principal positions at the Youth Symphony of the Southwest and the Phoenix Youth Symphony Orchestra, as well as playing in Arizona All State Honor Bands and Orchestras all four years of high school.

Kaelan was also active as a chamber musician, performing with a variety of groups including the Scottsdale Community College Wind Septet and Sextet, Glendale Community College Bass Clarinet Choir, and Music Enrichment Foundation Wind Quintet, all while co-founding a reed trio at Arizona School for the Arts.

Kaelan presently attends Stanford University where he is pursuing a double major in mechanical engineering and clarinet performance under Mark Bradenburg. Alongside performing regularly with the Stanford Philharmonia, he serves as artistic director and composing member for Stanford Taiko.

A native of Flagstaff, Tanner Dodt is studying at the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California, under the instruction of Kevin Fitz-Gerald. He is also pursuing a minor in computer programming at USC. In high school, Tanner studied with Fei Xu and performed as part of the MusicaNova Orchestra Young Artists Series, Orchestra of Northern Arizona, and in numerous solo recitals. In the fall of 2022, Tanner won 2nd place in Division IV of the Los Angeles International Liszt Competition. In the summer of 2023, he participated in the Academie Internationale de Musique music festival and academy in Paris and the Euro Music Festival and Academy in Szczecin, Poland, where he gave numerous solo performances and worked with renowned faculty from around the world. In the fall of 2023, Tanner was awarded as the alternate in the MTNA Arizona Competition and tied for 2nd place in Category H of the Arizona International Music Competition. In the summer of 2024, Tanner returned to the Euro Music Festival and Academy and participated in the Amalfi Coast Music and Arts Festival in Maiori, Italy. In his time away from playing the piano himself, Tanner enjoys teaching piano lessons to his sixteen students.

In the summer of 2025, he is participating in the Brevard Piano Institute and the Vivace International Music Festival, both in North Carolina. An avid collaborator, Tanner has received two Thornton School of Music Keyboard Ensemble Awards for his collaborations at USC in 2024 and 2025. In his time away from playing the piano himself, Tanner enjoys teaching piano lessons to his sixteen students.

Sharon Hui currently studies with Dr. Jennifer Hayghe in pursuit of a BM in Piano Performance at the University of Colorado Boulder. She is an instructor at their Youth Piano Program for private lessons and group classes, President of the CU Boulder Collegiate Chapter of MTNA, and is seeking her Music Theory and Music Technology Certificates while working as a recording technician at the College of Music. She has also earned an Associate Diploma in Piano Performance (ARSM) from the Royal Schools of Music.

Sharon’s appearance with the Musica Nova Orchestra in 2021, performing Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in G minor, marked her concerto debut as the first-prize winner of the 2019 Arizona Piano Institute Festival Concerto Competition. In recent summers, she has attended the Brevard Music Center Summer Festival, the Wild Plums Recording Retreat, and the Brancaleoni International Music Festival. Last spring, alongside her colleagues, she presented research at the 2024 MTNA National Conference in Atlanta.

As part of the Hidden Voices project in the American Research Center at CU Boulder, Sharon has recorded and featured works by underrepresented composers. She also continues to enjoy performing collaboratively, and looks forward to her senior recital in Fall of 2024.

Leo Kubota started studying the cello with Professor Thomas Landschoot when he was 10 years old. He is currently studying with Professor Paul Watkins in the five-year Bachelor of Arts/Master of Music program at Yale University.

Most recently, Leo was a semi-finalist at the Leos Janacek International Cello competition where he was awarded for the best performance of the Kodaly Capriccio. As a soloist, Leo has performed with the Phoenix Symphony, the Montecito International Festival Orchestra, and the FOOSA Philharmonic after winning their respective concerto competitions. He recently was one of seven national finalists in the MTNA National Senior String Competition. He has also won top prizes at National YoungArts Competition, Phoenix Youth Symphony Concerto Competition, and Arizona Cello Society Competition, among others. Leo has twice earned First Prize at the Arizona Musicfest Young Musicians Competitions, both as a soloist and as a member of The Kubota Duo, a violin and cello duo with his sister Rina.

He has attended several music festivals, including Bowdoin International Music Festival, Vivace-e! Matera, Cincinnati Young Artists, Meadowmount School of Music, and Madeline Island Chamber Music. He has also been given the opportunity to play in masterclasses for Edward Arron, Natasha Brofsky, Lynn Harrell, Hans Jensen, Christine Lamprea, Trio Solisti, and David Ying.

Before starting the cello, Leo played piano for 5 years.  He won several awards, including First Prize and the Emily Butcher Outstanding Performance Award in the Young Artist Piano Competition and an Honorable Mention at the Russian Music International Piano Competition in San Jose, CA. His former teachers include Dr. Alex Zheng, Dr. Yali Luo, and Ms. Manuela Pagano.

Besides music, he finds joy in nature. He enjoys building and maintaining ecosystems full of aquatic plants and breeds dwarf shrimp in them— it has been one of his most rewarding hobbies over the past years.

Percussionist Eddie Virtgaym is a performer and advocate of all styles of music. He regularly performs classical music and jazz in small and large ensembles across the Valley. He is a collaborator at heart, always seeking avenues to create music with peers.

At Perry High School, he was a leader in his school’s Percussion Ensemble, Jazz Band, Wind Bands, Marching Band, and Indoor Percussion Ensemble. There, he also volunteered often to perform percussion with the orchestras and choirs at his school. He also played vibraphone and drumset in the Young Sounds of Arizona, the Valley’s premier youth jazz big band and combo. He has participated in percussion ensembles and jazz combos at Scottsdale Community College and Chandler-Gilbert Community College, participated in Regional and All-State Wind Bands, Orchestras, and Jazz Bands, and received Superior ratings in several Solo performance festivals. Additionally, he often performs small-group jazz with peers at restaurants in Phoenix, and even has an 80’s cover band Polybius that regularly performs at StarFighters Arcade.

In 2019, Eddie received the Arizona Percussive Arts Society Summer Camp Scholarship to attend that summer’s Juilliard Summer Percussion Seminar. There, he spent two weeks with 15 other young people who care deeply about music and artistry, studying with some of the biggest names in contemporary percussion.

He was also the president of Perry High’s Tri-M Music Honors Society, where he spearheaded the organization of the 2020 CUSD Chamber Recital, which provided high school students from around Chandler solo and ensemble performance opportunities in a friendly and supportive environment.

Eddie is grateful to have studied with valley percussionist Josh Gottry throughout high school, and will be attending the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in the fall to study with Jake Nissly, where he will continue his journey and studies of performance, collaboration, and artistry.

Gracie Potter joined the Detroit Symphony Orchestra as their new Principal Trombone after previously serving as the Acting Principal Trombone for the Richmond Symphony.

She has had the privilege of performing with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, LA Phil, San Francisco Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, and the London Symphony Orchestra.

She has performed as a soloist with the Whittier Regional Symphony and at the American Trombone Workshop with the US Army Band. Gracie will also be a guest artist at the Interlochen Low Brass Intensive this year.

Gracie won both the Frank Smith and Robert Marsteller Competitions through the International Trombone Festival. She won the Ladies Musical Club of Seattle’s Frances Walton Competition where she performed live on KING-FM Radio and toured the State of Washington with her twin brother, Caden Potter, accompanying her. While attending Music Academy in Santa Barbara, Gracie won the Keston MAX Competition, sending her to London for a 10 day residency with the LSO. She won Aspen’s Concerto Competition and performed with the Aspen Conducting Academy Orchestra and spent the last two summers as a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center.

Gracie was born in Arizona and attended the Colburn School, graduating with her Bachelors Degree in Trombone Performance, where she studied with David Rejano.

Rina Kubota is a 23-year-old violinist from Tempe, Arizona, currently pursuing her Master of Music in Violin Performance at the New England Conservatory, where she studies with Donald Weilerstein with the support of the Dean’s Scholarship. She holds a B.S. in Neuroscience with Distinction from Yale University.

Rina’s musical journey began in Arizona, where she studied with Dr. Jonathan Swartz and was active as both a soloist and chamber musician. She performed Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 1 with MusicaNova Orchestra and Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3 with the Four Seasons Orchestra after winning first prize at the Mozart & Friends Concerto Competition. With her brother Leo, she performed frequently as the Kubota Duo, winning first prize at the Arizona Musicfest Young Musicians Competition. She remains grateful to Arizona Musicfest for supporting her undergraduate studies with a scholarship and has fond memories of performing at the Young Musicians Concert at the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM).

At Yale, Rina was one of six finalists in the William Waite Concerto Competition and was selected to perform in a masterclass with Hilary Hahn. A devoted chamber musician, she played in a piano trio throughout her undergraduate years and worked as a Teaching Artist with the Music in the Schools Initiative, bringing classical music education to New Haven public schools. Now at NEC, Rina continues to explore her love of chamber music and jazz violin. Her quartet was invited to perform at the 2025 Chamber Music Gala in Jordan Hall.

Outside of music, she is currently a visiting researcher in the Jorfi Lab in the Genetics and Aging Research Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. There, she investigates the role of neuroinflammation in Alzheimer’s disease using stem cells and patient-derived immune cells to explore the complex neuroimmune interactions underlying the disease. At Yale, also conducted research on post-traumatic stress disorder in the Girgenti Lab at the Yale School of Medicine and was awarded the Yale College Dean’s Research Fellowship in 2022. She also enjoys volunteering weekly with Warm Up Boston to support people experiencing homelessness through community outreach and organizing.

Belle Wang, age 23, has won first place in numerous competitions including the ASTA State Solo Competition, the MTNA State Solo Competition, the Arizona Musicfest Musicians Competition, the American Protege International Concerto Competition, the Philadelphia International Music Festival Solo Competition and the International Grande Music Competition.

Shortly after her debut with the Chandler Symphony as winner of the 2016 Chandler Symphony Orchestra Competition, Belle performed in national venues like Carnegie Hall and Merkin Concert Hall in New York City. In 2017 and 2019, she performed with the Phoenix Symphony as the Grand Prize winner and Clotilde Otranto winner of the Youth Musicians Competition. As a former member of the Phoenix Youth Symphony, she has been the concertmaster of Symphonette and Youth Symphony and later, the World Youth Symphony Orchestra at Interlochen Summer Arts Camp. She has also held the concertmaster and principal second roles in the USC Thornton Symphony. In addition to studying with Danwen Jiang, Professor of Violin at Arizona State University, Belle studied with Professor Margaret Batjer at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music for her undergrad. She will be continuing her education at The Juilliard School with Professor Ronald Copes beginning Fall 2025 for her masters.

Emerging oboist Alexander Mayer has appeared in concert halls around the world and now serves as Principal Oboe of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. A passionate orchestral player, he served as an acting member of the Minnesota Orchestra in 2023, and has performed with orchestras such as Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, The Metropolitan Opera, Richmond Symphony, and The Florida Orchestra. In 2023 through 2025, Mayer was a member of the Verbier Festival Orchestra, and was previously a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center and Spoleto Festival USA. In recent years he has also been a part of the New York String Orchestra Seminar, National Youth Orchestra of Canada, Sarasota Music Festival, and le Domaine Forget International Music Festival. In 2018 he participated as a member of the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America, touring across Asia under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas.

Mayer received his Master and Bachelor of Music degrees from The Juilliard School studying with Nathan Hughes, with additional studies with Elaine Douvas, Linda Strommen, and Scott Hostetler. A native of Phoenix, Arizona, Mayer previously studied with Martin Schuring and Nikolaus Flickinger, and has been supported over the years by the Arizona Musicfest Scholarship. Outside of music, he can be found hiking and exploring outdoors or enjoying strategy/puzzle games.

Claire Thai is an internationally recognized harpist, most recently having won a prestigious Anne Adams Award, Lyon and Healy Award, 1st place at the Suoni d’Arpa competition in Italy, and 1st Place at the American Harp Society National Competition. She is also an active composer and in 2021 was commissioned to write and perform her own harp concerto with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra.  Some of her most notable solo performances have included the Ginastera Harp Concerto with the Phoenix Symphony, the Mozart Flute and Harp Concerto (programmed with her own concerto) with the Tucson Symphony, and the Ravel Introduction and Allegro and Debussy Danses Sacrée et Profane with the National Repertory Orchestra.  She is similarly passionate about orchestral performance and has recently performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, was a fellow at the 2022 National Repertory Orchestra, and was a fellow at the 2021 Aspen Music Festival.  Born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, Claire began the study of the harp at age 5 and the piano at age 4. She has studied with numerous internationally recognized harpists such as Elizabeth Hainen, Nancy Allen, and Carrol McLaughlin.  She received her bachelor’s degree in Harp Performance from the Curtis Institute of Music and is currently continuing her education at Curtis with a master’s degree (anticipated 2024). Aside from music, she enjoys working with computers and playing with her three beloved Shih Tzus.
Most recently, in July , 2024, Claire won the harp position with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.

Robbie Bui is first recognized as a contemporary cellist, but his creative life stretches beyond the singular label. He is a frequent new music collaborator, a composer, a full-time nonprofit arts administrator, a portrait photographer, a collaborative pianist if you trust him, sometimes 2nd violinist in a pop gig, and even once the piccolo player in high school orchestra.

His early fascination with orchestral instruments in his youth symphony days lead him to pick up composition: he later graduated with a Bachelors of Music With Honors in Composition from New England Conservatory as a Presser Scholar and as the commencement speaker. That curiosity evolved into a deeper exploration of interpretation, culminating in a Master of Arts and Doctorate of Musical Arts in contemporary cello performance practice at University of California, San Diego. Through this mixed background, he invests consideration of music’s theoretical construction into his performance expressivity, leading to dozens of new pieces dedicated to him as a soloist and chamber musician.

Robbie currently plays in East Coast Contemporary Ensemble (ECCE), Palimpsest Ensemble, Alinéa, and anywhere and wherever he is needed throughout San Diego. Some of his favorite spaces he’s been a soloist, recitalist, guest resident, or composer include the Koussevitzky Shed, Seiji Ozawa Hall, Jordan Hall, the DiMenna Center, Conrad Prebys Music Center, McGill Schulich School of Music, Bombyx, Mandeville Auditorium, and the San Diego Public Libraries. He’s presented and been in residence at festivals such as the Darmstädter Ferienkurse, Klangspuren, Etchings Festival, Orford Music Academy Contemporary Workshop, and Vienna Summer Music Festival. Some highlights of premieres, awards, and performance mentorship includes work with ensembles such as Ensemble Dal Niente, Ensemble PHACE, JACK Quartet, NEC Contemporary Ensemble, nec[shivaree], New England Conservatory Symphony, Tempest String Quartet, Worcester Chamber Music Society, and Transient Canvas, alongside organizations like Tribeca New Music, Collage New Music, Arizona Musicfest, Phoenix Youth Symphony, and the American String Teachers Association.

His artistic life spans the work both on stage and off, where he brings the same commitment and creativity to his administrative work as he does to performance. He currently serves as Patron Services and Office Manager of La Jolla Symphony and Chorus, where he previously had been the Community Engagement Manager, the assistant principal cellist, and a concert soloist. His previous administrative resume ranges from concert curation for local senior homes throughout the county, to summer audio-technology class management in various San Diego Public Libraries, from coordinating student-academic life at Boston University Tanglewood Institute, to serving as lead director of the Tuesday Night New Music series.
Beyond music, he is a professional freelance photographer specializing in creative portraiture and performance documentation. Outside of work, he learns languages, tailors thrifted clothes, cuts hair, and can make great latte art. Across music, art, and all of his daily life, he is grounded by the same principles: curiosity for the novel, dedication towards craft, and enthusiasm for trying to do a little bit of everything.

Through the financial assistance of the Arizona Musicfest scholarship, Thomas Desrosiers studied clarinet performance and music education at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music under the tutelage of world-class instructors such as Bill Jackson and Dr. Thomas Verrier. While at Vanderbilt, Thomas always had a desire to perform and teach, and found many ways to do so. For instance, via music education practicum at local elementary, middle and high schools, as well as in his own collegiate community with groups like the University Concert Band and Spirit of Gold Marching Band, Thomas had roles leading, learning, teaching, and performing.

After achieving his undergraduate Musical Arts degree, Thomas went on to pursue a masters degree in marketing at the Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management, where he worked with like-minded entrepreneurial students, and studied under masters of their own crafts, including Design Thinking pioneer Dr. David Owens and market research and analytics legend Dr. Kelly Haws. The remarkable resources at Vanderbilt University helped propel Thomas to an esteemed position as a Cloud Technical Resident at Google immediately after graduation.

Currently, Thomas works as a cybersecurity engineer at Google, where he strives to make an impact in the technical community and provide safety and security to the web and everyone who uses it. Thomas continues to hone his musical skills by being a multi-instrumentalist, playing saxophone and electric bass with friends every now and then.

Ryanne (McLaren) Molinari graduated summa cum laude with a B.M. in piano performance and an organ minor from Biola University, where she also participated in the Torrey Honors College. While at Biola, Ryanne received elite scholarships for academic merit and was named the 2018 Presser Undergraduate Music Scholar.

In 2020, Ryanne completed her M.Litt. in “Theology and the Arts” from the University of St. Andrew’s, Scotland. When the pandemic cut her time abroad short, Ryanne found work as a church organist and high school assistant choir director near her hometown of Gilbert, Arizona. In 2021, Ryanne married Billy Molinari, and the two moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where Billy serves as a pastor and Ryanne works as a collaborative pianist and traditional worship director. In March 2023, she performed as a pianist and vocalist with Chorale Midwest at Carnegie Hall.

Ryanne is also a prolific writer. Her first book, Spirit-Filled Singing: Bearing Fruit as We Worship Together, releases in November of 2025. She has also been published by The Gospel Coalition, Transpositions, Ekstasis, The Big Picture, and The Journal of the T.S. Eliot Society (UK). Ryanne is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry from Covenant Theological Seminary.

More information and samples of Ryanne’s work can be accessed at RyanneMolinari.com.

Anna Han is currently based in Germany, where she recently finished an Artist Diploma at the Barenboim-Said Akademie under the tutelage of Sir András Schiff and Schaghajegh Nostrati, and will begin studies at the Kronberg Academy in October. Highlights of the past season include engagements at the BOZAR Henry Le Boeuf Hall in Brussels, National Concert Hall of Taipei, National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying), the Classeek Showroom in Aubonne, Switzerland, St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, and the Chicago Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts series, among others. She has appeared in recitals with Steven Isserlis, Kim Kashkashian, Mon-Puo Lee, Randall Goosby, Leland Ko, and the Verona Quartet. This past year, she also won the second prize at the Naumburg International Piano Competition, and first prize at the National Federation of Music Clubs Young Artist Award. She is the newly appointed education director at the Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance in Nova Scotia, and is a faculty member at Yellow Barn’s Young Artist Program in Vermont.

With help from the AZ Musicfest Scholarship, she previously completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the Juilliard School under the tutelage of Robert McDonald, receiving the prestigious Kovner Fellowship, Juilliard Bachauer Scholarship, and William Schuman Prize; before studying with Christopher Elton at the Royal Academy of Music in London for a year. She lives to share laughter, experiences, and sometimes, good music with friends all over the world. More information is available at www.annahan.net.

Bassoonist Dana Brink enjoys a varied musical life in West Virginia, where she is an Adjunct Instructor of Woodwind Pedagogy and Music Theory at West Virginia University. Passionate about chamber music, she is a co-founder of the Bridge Bassoon Duo, specializing in contemporary classical music for two bassoons, and the bassoonist and Director of Marketing and Communications for the Wild Prairie Winds, a wind quintet dedicated to promoting accessible chamber music in small communities. She also regularly performs with orchestras throughout Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Dana is dedicated to expanding the repertoire for bassoon chamber ensembles, especially by composers historically underrepresented in the Western canon. She is the creator behind the Bassoon For All YouTube channel, an archive of recordings of the many excellent works for solo and small ensemble bassoon which previously lacked high-quality, easily accessible recordings. Dana earned a master’s degree in bassoon performance from the Yale School of Music as a student of Frank Morelli and dual bachelor’s degrees in bassoon performance and political science from the Eastman School of Music/University of Rochester, where she studied with George Sakakeeny and John Hunt. Read more about her latest projects at www.brinkbassoon.com.

Violinist Jeanelle Thompson, Principal Second Violin of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, has dedicated herself to symphonic music for nearly two decades. Her commitment to orchestral performance has taken her to many of the world’s most prestigious stages including Carnegie Hall, Chicago Symphony Hall, Elbphilharmonie, Musikverein, Beijing’s National Centre for the Performing Arts, Philharmonie de Paris, Severance Hall and Suntory Hall.

Jeanelle’s love for orchestral music began at the age of 9 when she joined the community orchestra in her hometown of Safford, Arizona. Seven years later, she made her solo debut with the Phoenix Symphony. Inspired by her early experiences onstage, Jeanelle went on to earn her undergraduate degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music where she studied with William Preucil and was awarded the Dr. Jerome Gross Prize in Violin. While in school she was a member of the Canton Symphony Orchestra and attended the Aspen Music Festival, Brevard Music Center, Perlman Music Program and the Verbier Festival.

Jeanelle has since performed as a substitute with the Cleveland Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and the Minnesota Orchestra. She has appeared as guest concertmaster with the Bangor Symphony, the Brevard Music Center orchestras, the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra, the Lexington Bach Festival and the Youngstown Symphony. As a music educator, Jeanelle served on the Cleveland Institute of Music’s Preparatory Chamber Music faculty from 2018-2022 and maintains a private studio.

Eva is an artist and 3rd year PhD student in the Performance Studies and Music program at the University of Chicago. As a scholar, Eva’s work is concerned with issues of power in arts spaces, especially for performers, students, and mentees who experience forms of systemic violence. Her dissertation project explores performances of the erotic in genres considered disreputable where trans and gender nonconforming people of color contest the material conditions of sexual and racial oppression. As an artist, Eva performs as a drag priestess under the name APoliticalGirl in Chicago, Illinois. Her work has been published in Ethnomusicology Review and the Journal for Popular Music Studies.

Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Vietnamese-American pianist Karen Nguyen is recognized for her commitment to the arts as a performing artist and pedagogue. She holds a Bachelor of Music and a Master of Music degree from Arizona State University, where she studied with Brazilian pianist Caio Pagano. Karen has also studied with Portuguese pianist and pedagogue Manuela Pagano, who she credits most of her love for teaching.

Karen’s performances have delighted audiences in Portugal, England, Italy, and across the United States. Together with her husband, violinist Christiano Rodrigues, Karen maintains an active performance schedule. Recently, the Rodrigues-Nguyen Duo has appeared in performances at Washington State University, Nicholls State University, the Pelican’s Chamber Music Series, the Round Top Festival Institute Chamber Music Series, and with the MusicaNova Orchestra Chamber Players. Karen has collaborated in chamber music performances with Caio Pagano, Dennis Parker, Charles Castleman, Richard Sherman, Jonathan Gunn, and Alexander Shuhan. She has also worked with Washington State University’s Concert Choir and University Singers as their pianist. An avid advocate of new music, Karen has performed, premiered, and recorded the music of composers Rodney Rogers and James DeMars. She was also a member of the Arizona Contemporary Music Ensemble, directed by Simone Mancuso.

A passionate pedagogue, Karen taught for several years at the East Valley Yamaha Music School in Chandler, Arizona. She also serves as the Director of Online Engagement, Assistant Director of Community Engagement, and Archivist for the International Chamber Orchestra of Puerto Rico. Karen currently resides in Pullman, Washington with her husband and their two cats.