2023 IGNITE AMBASSADORS
Edric Zhang
Young Artist President 2023
Edric Zhang is a 10th-grade student at Stratford Preparatory Blackford of California. He studied piano at age 5. In 2021, Edric won First Prize at Great Composers Competition, Silver award at The 3rd WPTA Singapore International Piano Competition, and Third Place at 2021 American Classical Young Musician Award. His prior honors include First Place prize at American Protege International Music Talent Competition Fall 2019 and Third Place at 2020 US New Star Piano Competition. He was also selected to perform in Carnegie Hall in 2019. Besides playing piano, Edric loves swimming and badminton.
Lindsay Tao
Lindsay Tao was Born in San Jose, CA in 2013. At the age of 5, Lindsay started to learn piano and currently studies with Ory Shihor. She showed her talent in the following years and has won many awards. At the age of 6, Lindsay was invited to perform at Carnegie Hall. More importantly, she loves to share her music with others and spread the joy of music. Her dream is to become a pianist who can inspire others with the power of music. In 2023, she won a 2nd prize award of 1500€ at the 30th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition for Children and Young in Szafarnia, Poland(Group 1); she won 1st place in State Final at the MTAC Piano Concerto and Solo competition; she won First Place in the XIV Chopin International Piano Competition Hartford Young Talents category; First Place, Best Outstanding Gold Medalists and Scholarship for Master Class Winners in 31st USOPEN Showcase piano solo competition. Among her previous honors were Top prizes in these competitions: First place at 2021 New Star piano competition; Grade 8, Distinction (145/150) Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) 2021when she was 7; Gold Award at 2021 3rd WPTA Singapore International Piano Competition. First Place, in USA Steinway Piano Competition regionals, 2020; First place at the 2020 American Protégé International Music Competition of Romantic Music and chosen only one Judges’ Award Winner; First place at the 2020 Great Composers Competition in the Art of Piano; First place and been chosen Exceptional Young Musician Special Prize at the 2020 Golden Classical International Competition; First place and Exceptional Yong Musician Special Prize at the 2020 Grand Prize Virtuoso Competition; International Open Music Competition 2020; Besides playing piano, Lindsay is also good at drawing and Guzheng. Among her other interests
are writing and swimming.
Yuhan Zhang
Yuhan Zhang, aged 6, lives in the Bay Area of California. She began playing the piano when she was three years old and started composing music at the age of six. She was invited to perform on stage at Carnegie Hall when she was four years old. Currently, she is studying with a professor at the Central Music School of the Russian Moscow State Conservatory.
Yuhan won the First Prize and Exceptional Yong Musician Special Prize at the London "Ground Prize Virtuoso" International Music Competition in 2021, when she was 3 years old. In the same year, she also won First Prize and Exceptional Young Talent Special Prize Winner at the Golden Classical Music Awards International Competition.
In 2023, Yuhan completed her first chamber work composition for piano and strings. In this piece, her passion for baroque and classical music is evident, which is a result of her dedication to studying piano.
Beside playing piano, Yuhan enjoys various aspects of school life. She likes spending time with her friends, swimming, reading, and participating in science experiments. She has a curious mind and loves exploring different subjects.
Ziyou Yan
Ziyou Yan, Age 9, Lives in the Bay Area of Califonia, and started playing piano since 4 and a half.
Ziyou Participated in and won many international and national piano competitions since she was 5 years old. She was the winner of the 2023 Tkaczewski Piano Competition, the top winner of the International BTHVN Wien Competition 2022, the Artcial Piano Competition and Festival, Show Case Piano Solo Preparatory Group in the United States Open Music Competition. She also won the first prize of the Vivaldi Music Competition 2022. In 2021, Ziyou won the top prize of the Vivace International Piano Competition, 2021 International New Star Piano Competition, WPTA China-North America International Piano Competition, Show Case Piano Solo Preparatory Group in the United States Open Music Competition, also won the scholarship of the competition. In 2020, Ziyou was the winner of the Bay Area Piano Competition. Besides playing Piano, Ziyou loves all kinds of music. She also loves dancing, reading, swimming and traveling.
Ethelyn Liu
At the age of 8, Ethelyn Liu is already making waves in the world of classical piano. She began her journey 3 years ago and found a great passion for piano.
Ethelyn's musical prowess has earned her top honors, including the prestigious first prize in the 2023 American Protégé International Piano & Strings Competition, and the first prize in the 2023 San Francisco Artciál piano competition regional round. These accomplishments highlight her exceptional talent and dedication to her craft.
Currently, Ethelyn is on a quest to master the works of Beethoven, dedicating herself to building the power and precision for his timeless compositions. She is also diligently working on perfecting her finger techniques, with a particular focus on mastering the intricate Chopin Etudes. She is mesmerized by the emotional melody of the exquisite and tender pieces of Chopin's Nocturnes.
Apart from the classical piano pieces, Ethelyn also enjoys playing other piano pieces such as the ones from movies or TV shows, e.g. he played One Summer’s Day (OST of Movie Spirited Away by Joe Hisashi) on her first debut.
Selena Zhang
​Shuangjunya(Selena) Zhang, an 11-year-old young pianist from Millbrae, California, stands out as a multiple international music award winner who has been invited to perform in world-famous concert halls. Selena's original nature is intensely drawn to music, her sunny disposition, passionate spirit, and curious mindset always shine through in her melodies. Driven by the profound impact and the immense power of music, Selena seeks to intertwine her musical talent with a heart full of compassion and a sense of social responsibility. Just this past June, Selena held her first solo concert to benefit a good cause, a gesture that earned her President’s Volunteer Service Award. She cherishes the opportunity to perform across diverse venues, connect with fellow young pianist prodigies, and offer audiences an enriching musical experience.
Layla Guan
Layla Guan, who is currently 9 years old, lives in California, USA. She started to learn piano around 2 years ago, and she loves playing piano a lot.
In 2022, She won First Place Winner (Young Musicians Category) of the American Protégé International Piano & Strings Competition 2022, and also FIRST PRIZE + EXCEPTIONAL YOUNG TALENT Special Prize Winner of the 2022 "Golden Classical Music Awards" International Competition. Both the competitions invited her to The Carnegie Hall, In New York.
She was the winner of the 2022 Artcial International Piano Festival & competition, and East Bay Music Festival Piano Competition 2022, and 2022 International New Star Piano Competition.
In 2023, She won FIRST PRIZE + EXCEPTIONAL YOUNG TALENT Special Prize Winner of the 2023 "Golden Classical Music Awards" International Competition, She also won Artciál International Piano Competition FIRST place in the San Francisco region, third place in the final round competition. She won third place in the US Open music competition showcase. Moreover, she was the winner of the Paderewski International Piano Competition.
Besides playing piano, Layla loves Ballet, swimming, and Art.
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Brandon Yang
Brandon Yang, an 11-year-old residing in Fremont, California, embarked on his piano journey at the age of six, igniting a deep passion for music. He finds joy in playing the piano as a means of self-expression and a way to connect with family, friends and community. Brandon's musical prowess has earned him the First Place Winner in the Spring 2023 American Protégé International Music Talent Competition, with the prestigious honor of performing at Carnegie Hall. Additionally, he has been awarded 4th Place in the 2020 Open Solo Music Competition, showcasing his remarkable musical talent and dedication. His musical preferences lean toward the works of Frederic Chopin and Ludwig van Beethoven.
Beyond the world of music, Brandon enthusiastically embraces other interests, including basketball and Chinese Martial Arts. As a valued team member of the Legend Kung Fu Academy, he has won numerous KungFu competition prizes.
Mingkai Guo
​Mingkai, age 11, is currently a sixth grader who lives in Los Altos, CA. He started to learn piano when he was five years old. He has been immensely fascinated by this musical wonderland ever since.
Mingkai has achieved his ABRSM Grade 8 Certificate and won quite a few international prizes such as: 1st Prize & Exceptional Young Talent Special Prize in London “Grand Prize Virtuoso” International Music Competition; 2nd Prize in American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition; 1st Prize & Exceptional Young Talent Special Prize in New York Golden Classical Music Awards International Competition. He has been invited to perform at Carnegie Hall twice and to perform at the Royal Albert Hall once. His piano learning journey has also been enriched by various Master Classes.
Besides playing piano, Mingkai plays golf and goes swimming, enjoys reading and debating, and wires his beloved robots in his leisure time. During holidays, he roams around the North America Continent in his Airstream.
Zhaohan Gong
Zhaohan Gong, a vibrant 6th grader, was born and raised in the sunny state of California. His journey into the world of music began at the tender age of 6 when he first embarked on his piano lessons. Since then, the piano has evolved into an integral and cherished part of his daily life.
Zhaohan's musical influences are as diverse as they are inspiring, with his heart resonating most deeply with the compositions of renowned pianists such as Liszt and Chopin. Beyond the realm of classical music, he finds joy in the melodies of Jay Chou and occasionally delights in playing some of Jay Chou's popular songs on the piano.
In addition to his musical pursuits, Zhaohan has been an active member of his school band since the 4th grade, where he passionately plays the clarinet, harmonizing his talents in both classical and contemporary genres.
When he's not immersed in the world of music, Zhaohan explores his creative side through drawing, displays his athleticism on the tennis court, and nurtures his inner engineer by constructing robots in his leisure time.
Aaron Zhang
Aaron Zhang was born in San Jose, California 2011, and now is a grade 7 middle school student. Aaron started to play piano when he was 6 years old. Since then, playing piano has become one of his top hobbies. Aaron passed ABRSM’s grade 8 with distinction in 2022. He also had several musical competition awards including second place in the American Protégé International Music Talent Competition Fall 2021 (Protégé2021 --- Youth solo Piano), third place in the United States Open Music Competition 2022 (USMOC2022 --- Youth solo Piano), third place in Concours International de Musique de Chambre 2022 by International Association of Professional Music Teachers (IAPMT2022 --- Romantic & Impressionism Category), third place of United States Open Music Competition 2023 (USMOC2023 --- Showcase Piano Solo Junior).
Yao Shi
Yao Shi lives in Danville, California with his Mom, Dad, and baby brother Max, and currently a 7th-grade student at Charlotte Wood Middle School. As a young kid, Yao stood out as an avid reader, always exploring the realms of English and Chinese literature. At the age of seven, a spark to music ignited, and he started to embark his journey in learning piano. With the new discovery that Music is a universal means that transcends language boundaries and connects people on a different level, Yao poured his heart and soul in his daily interaction with music since then. During the challenging times of the Covid-19 pandemic, when piano lessons were halted, Yao continued to immerse himself into music, and more importantly, resorting to music to uplift his and his family's spirit, to connect with the world at the moments of isolation.
Post Covid, Yao resumed his formal piano training by studying with Ms. Lynn Ye, who has been a true inspiration and helped him tremendously in improving his craft. Yao's passion to music, dedication to perfection, and natural talent has earned him honors including First Prize winner of the 2022 North California Young Talents Music Competition, and First Prize winner of the 2023 Golden Classical Music Awards International Competition. Yao has been invited to perform on the stage of Carnegie Hall in Spring 2024.
Nathan Zhang
Nathan Zhang, age 11, and currently a sixth grader at the Harker School. He started piano learning when he was four. Nathan has been truly inspired to play the instrument after going to multiple world-class pianists' concerts in the San Francisco Bay area since he turned 7 years old. As an accomplished local player, Nathan was the winner of various local and international competitions, including top prizes at: Encore Young Artist Music Competition in the US, 2021, 1st prize; US International Open Music Competition 2022, the young prodigy - 2nd prize; The Great Composer Competition– the Art of Piano, 2022, 1st prize; North California Young Talents Competition, 2022 –1st prize; The Birmingham International Music Competition – 2nd prize; Golden Classical Music Awards" International Competition – 1st prize, and Exceptional Young Talent Prize; US Music Open Competition – Showcase Solo, 2023 – 2nd prize; International Mozart Competition Vienna, 2023 – 2nd prize; London Classical Music Competition, 2023 – 3rd prize
Nathan has been taking various master classes from time to time since 2021 and had his debut performance at Carnegie Hall this summer. He is enthusiastic about many other performing arts activities such as drama, musical theater plays, and hip-hop dance. He plays tennis and volleyball in his leisure time and loves reading and debating. His dream is to share the beauty of the music and to bring joy through his playing with audiences around the world.
Aditya Subramanian
​Aditya Subramanian is a 10th-grade student at Stratford Preparatory Blackford in San Jose, California. He has studied the piano since the age of 5. In 2023 so far, he has received second place at the US Open Music Competition - Treasury of Romantic Composers category. His favorite composers are Chopin, Liszt, and Rachmaninoff. Outside of piano, Aditya likes computer science, playing and watching basketball, and politics.
Evelyn Wang
Evelyn Wang is 9 years old. Her musical journey commenced at the age of four, when she embarked on the path of mastering the piano. Evelyn's passion for learning and playing the piano leads her to participate in prestigious competitions. In a remarkable achievement, Evelyn won the 2022 First Prize along with the Exceptional Young Talent Special Prize at the prestigious "Golden Classical Music Awards" International Competition. In the same year, she passed ABRSM Grade 8 with distinction. Her talent also shone brightly in 2021 when she received Honorable Mention awards in the 2021 US New Star Competition By Composer. Back in 2020, Evelyn won an American Protege medal in the United States Open Music Competition. Evelyn's interests extend beyond the ivory keys of the piano. She also enjoys skiing, reading, and swimming.