2025 Competitors

Olivia Ajero

Olivia Ajero, a 16-year-old pianist from Nacogdoches, Texas, began piano lessons with her father, Mario Ajero. She continued piano studies with Minhae Lee at Stephen F. Austin State University and Linda Parr at SFA Music Preparatory. This fall, Olivia will begin as a Classical Piano Performance Major student at Interlochen Arts Academy studying with Christopher Goodpasture. Olivia recently won first place in the Texas Music Teachers Association Piano Concerto Performance Contest in Houston and won first prize in the Steinway & Sons Junior Piano Competition in Dallas. She was also featured on the NPR program “From The Top” and its accompanying Daily Joy video series. Olivia attended the Luzerne Music Center in New York to study with Emiko Edwards. Her outstanding performance in the junior concerto competition earned her the opportunity to be a featured soloist with the LMC Orchestra. She also attended the Brevard Music Center in North Carolina, where she studied with piano faculty including Michael Chertock and Norman Krieger. Olivia has collaborated with various string players at the Cremona International Music Academy in Italy and the Luzerne Music Center. In Nacogdoches, she served as a member of The Caddo Piano Trio, mentored by Jennifer Dalmas and Evgeny Raychev.

Yiming Chang

Yiming William Chang is currently a senior at Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Natick, Massachusetts, studying under Alexander Korsantia at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School. He has attended Piano Summer at New Paltz on a full scholarship, working with renowned artists including Vladimir Feltsman, Haesun Paik, Stanislav Ioudenitch, Mikhail Voskresensky, Eteri Andjaparidze, and Robert Hamilton. He is also a scholar of the Amalfi Coast Piano Festival in Italy, where he benefits from the mentorship of Jerome Lowenthal, James Giles, Marina Lomazov, and others. Chang recently received guidance from legendary pedagogue Wha Kyung Byun, who highly commended his musicality, and was one of four talented high schoolers selected to perform for Marc-André Hamelin in a masterclass on stage at Boston Symphony Hall, as part of the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Beethoven & Romanticism Festival. Chang is a prize-winner of the Wiesbaden International Piano Competition in Germany, Boston Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition, and Yamaha Asia Music Scholarship Competition, among others. Passionate about chamber music, he has performed widely across Massachusetts with his peers, including appearances at Calderwood Hall in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Chang serves the community as a member of the “Arts & Community Service” organization at Walnut Hill, bringing music to elementary schools, senior community centers, churches, and nursing homes.

Yunen Gu

Yunen Gu, a 14-year-old Canadian piano student, began his musical journey at age four. He currently studies under Dr. Michael Berkovsky at the Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists at The Royal Conservatory of Music. Yunen has achieved notable success in various competitions, including being a semifinalist at the 2025 Aarhus International Piano Competition and the 2025 Canadian Chopin Piano Competition, and a finalist at the 2024 Kaufman Music Center International Youth Piano Competition. He received second prize in the 2024 WPTA Spain International Piano Competition, first place in the 2023 OMFA Ontario Provincial Finals, second place in the 2023 Canadian Music Competition, a gold medal in the 9th GOCAA International Competition, a Gold Star in the Music and Stars Awards Competition, and second prize in the Napolinova 3rd World Piano Competition. He has participated in masterclasses with esteemed artists such as Prof. Dan Zhaoyi, Prof. Marilyn Engle, Prof. John Perry, Dr. Ronan O’Hora, and Mr. Charles Richard-Hamelin. Yunen has performed in prestigious venues including Walter Hall (Toronto), Merkin Hall (New York), Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, Salle Henri-Gagnon (Université Laval), Bandeen Hall (Bishop’s University), and Lille Sal in Musikhuset Aarhus. Aspiring to become a concert pianist, Yunen is dedicated to sharing his passion for music globally. Beyond the piano, he enjoys composing, mathematics, writing, reading, speedcubing, and table tennis.

Dayou Kim

Born in 2009, Dayou Kim began piano studies at the age of six and currently studies with Dr. Michael Berkovsky at The Taylor Academy of the Royal Conservatory of Music on a full scholarship. She has appeared as a soloist with the Glenn Gould Orchestra, Orchestra Toronto, Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra, Seohan String Orchestra, and others. She was featured in The Globe and Mail following her performance of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 with the GGS Faculty Orchestra at Koerner Hall during the celebration of the new Steinway from Hamburg. Dayou has performed at major festivals, including the Rockport Chamber Music Festival, Toronto Summer Music, and Vaughan International Music Festival. She has received top prizes at a number of national and international competitions, notably the Taylor Academy Concerto Competition, Colburn Piano Seminar Competition, Vancouver International Music Competition, Clara Schumann International Competition, and Osaka International Music Competition. Over the past few years, she participated with scholarships in the Colburn Piano Seminar, Bowdoin International Music Festival, Chopin Frost Academy and Festival in Miami, and Morningside Music Bridge at the New England Conservatory from 2022 to 2025.

Olivia Larco

Fifteen-year-old pianist Olivia Larco studies with Ick-choo Moon and formerly with Fabio Bidini, Veda Kaplinsky, and Soojin Ahn. She is a rising junior at Westridge School for Girls in Pasadena, California. In 2024, she performed with the YOLA National Festival Orchestra at Disney Hall in Los Angeles as a guest artist with Gustavo Dudamel and became the youngest winner of the Arthur Fraser International Competition, also receiving the Best Solo Piece award. She will perform Tchaikovsky’s First Concerto with the South Carolina Philharmonic during the 2025–2026 season. Olivia was a 2023 Cliburn Junior Festival Artist and collaborated with members of the Fort Worth Symphony. She won First Prize at the Colburn Piano Seminar Steinway Competition, was named a 2024 Lang Lang Scholar, and received the New Horizon Fellowship at the Aspen Summer Music Festival. She appeared on NPR’s From the Top and performed in the final episode of ABC’s Modern Family. She has studied at Aspen Music Festival since age eight and participated in numerous masterclasses. Outside of music, Olivia enjoys reading, traveling, shopping, and spending time with friends.

Samuel Lu

Samuel Lu is an American pianist born and based in Salt Lake City, Utah. He began piano at age three under the tutelage of his parents, both professors of piano at the University of Utah. Samuel was first prize winner at the 2022 MTNA National Junior Solo Piano Competition. In 2023, he earned third prize at the MTNA National Senior Piano Duet Competition and first prize at the Enkor International Music Competition. In 2024, he was awarded the Best Scriabin Prize at the Spotlight International Piano Competition, and he is a two-time YoungArts National Award winner in Classical Piano (2024, 2025). Samuel is also a distinguished Steinway Young Artist. He has performed concertos by Mozart, Beethoven, and Tchaikovsky with local orchestras. Samuel enjoys exploring modern composers such as Scriabin, Schoenberg, and Webern, and is known for programming eclectic repertoire across all time periods.

Alexander Liu

Alexander Liu, 14, is a piano student at Juilliard Pre-College under the tutelage of Professor Orli Shaham. He is a 2024–2026 Young Scholar of the Lang Lang International Music Foundation. Alexander has received top prizes in competitions including the Gold Medal at the 30th Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition, First Prize at the 2023 Philadelphia International Piano Competition, and the XIII Chopin International Piano Competition. He was also named the 2023 New York State Winner of the MTNA Competition. Alexander has performed with orchestras such as the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra USA, Sound Symphony Orchestra, Brooklyn Conservatory Community Orchestra, and Midwest Young Artists Orchestra. His appearances include major venues like Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium, Weill Recital Hall, New York Town Hall, the National Arts Club, and New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall. He has been awarded scholarships to Morningside Music Bridge (2024), the Aspen Music Festival (2025), and Musikfestspiele Saar in Germany (2025), and was invited to perform in a collaborative project at Yellow Barn (2025). Beyond performance, Alexander is passionate about music outreach and received the President’s Volunteer Service Award (Gold Level) in both 2023 and 2024.

TongTong Liu

DaTong (TongTong) Liu began his musical journey at the age of five and started formal piano studies at seven. Since age eleven, he has studied under Yien Wang. TongTong was the Georgia State Winner of the MTNA Competition in 2024, following two years as Honorable Mention in 2022 and 2023. He earned Second Alternate in the GMTA Competition in 2024 and was named Concert Recitalist in 2023. That same year, he won First Prize in the Gulf Coast Steinway Competition, which led to a performance at Carnegie Hall, and also took First Place in the Hyatt Piano Competition. His playing is recognized for expressive depth, clarity, and poetic sensitivity. TongTong is committed to a future in piano performance and enjoys drawing and reading manga in his free time.

Celicia Thendean

Celicia Thendean, 17, began piano studies at age four with her mother and Prof. Anna Poklewski, later advancing with Ilana Vered. She has performed with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Brunensis Virtuosi Orchestra, Livermore-Amador Symphony, SEEN Orchestra, Palo Alto Philharmonic (twice), and Korea Seocho Philharmonia. Celicia has earned top prizes in numerous competitions including the Piano Texas International Festival Concerto Competition, Arthur Fraser International Piano Competition, Claudette Sorel Piano Competition, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition, and Philadelphia International Music Festival. She is a three-time MTAC VOCE State Winner and was inducted into the Young Artists Guild in 2025. In 2024, she received a scholarship from the Chopin Foundation. Celicia has participated in programs such as the Juilliard Summer Program, Piano Texas, Music Fest Perugia, Southeastern Piano Festival, Philadelphia International Music Festival, Texas State International Piano Festival, and Vivace Music Festival, where she earned the Vivace Award in 2020. In addition to piano, Celicia plays cello, oboe, English horn, and clarinet, reaching MTAC Panel Honors on cello and earning the position of concertmaster for the All-Northern Honor Band on oboe.

Zhongkai Zhang

Born in Dalian, China, sixteen-year-old Zhongkai Zhang is a ninth-grade piano major at the Middle School Affiliated with the Central Conservatory of Music, studying with Professor Jin Zhang. Zhongkai has performed across China, including a 2024 concerto performance at the Two-Coast Fuzhou Young Artist Music Festival and a 2023 recital appearance in Harbin. In 2020, he performed in the “Melodies of Autumn” recital series on CCTV and was a featured soloist in a Beethoven tribute concert. His competition achievements include First Prize (Outstanding) at the 2023 Sterinborgh Cup National Youth Piano Competition, Second Prize at the Ningxia Shapotou Golden Frog International Art Festival, and First Prize at the Fourth Singapore International Music Festival in the children’s division.