Violist David Kim (International Program ’04, Winter Residency artist ’06) had his Wigmore Hall debut in London in October 2007. As a recent recipient of a Fulbright grant, David is currently studying in Switzerland with Nobuko Imai at the Conservatoire de Musique de Genève.

As part of the First Prize that Bella Hristova (International Program ’06) won at the prestigious 2007 Michael Hill International Violin Competition in New Zealand, she will record a CD on the Naxos label and will return to New Zealand in 2008 for a concert tour. This past summer, Bella attended the Steans Institute at the Ravinia Festival, and her quartet participated in the Young Artist Program at Music from Angel Fire in New Mexico.

The Moët Trio (International Program ’06, Winter Residency artists ’07) recently began a two-year residency at New England Conservatory’s Professional Piano Trio Training Program. As part of the residency, the trio will perform in Boston’s Jordan Hall in 2008. This past summer, the Moët Trio participated in the Perlman Music Program’s Chamber Music Workshop. Yuri Namkung, violinist of the trio, returned to Music@Menlo this past summer to serve as a faculty member for the Chamber Music Institute. Yuri has also collaborated throughout the year with other musicians, including fellow Music@Menlo artists Nicholas Canellakis, Gloria Chien, and Anthony McGill. Recent chamber music engagements for Yuri have included a recital with Orion Weiss in Seattle in February, a performance with the Lyric Chamber Music Society in New York in March, a performance at Bargemusic in July, and a performance at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall in September.

David Requiro (International Program ’05, Winter Residency artist ’06) was a top-prize winner at the first Gaspar Cassado International Violoncello Competition in Hachioji, Japan. He performed as a soloist with the Tokyo Philharmonic and also received the award for best performance of the works of Gaspar Cassado. David is also a performer with the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players, based in New York City.

Cellist Ani Kalayjian (International Program ’03) won the Anglo-Czechoslovak Trust competition in Prague, where she was also granted the Bohuslav Martinu Foundation Prize in November 2006. Ani’s recent concerts have included her Weill Recital Hall debut at Carnegie Hall, American String Project at Seattle’s Benaroya Hall, and Open Chamber Music at Prussia Cove in England. Upcoming engagements include solo recitals at Dartmouth University, Andover Library in Massachusetts, Puffin Cultural Forum in New Jersey, Trinity Church in New York City, and solo and chamber music concerts in Holland and Finland in spring 2008.

Jennifer Caine (International Program ’07) started a position this past September as resident violinist at the Icicle Creek Music Center in Leavenworth, Washington, and as violinist of the Icicle Creek Piano Trio, also in residence there. In October 2007, Jennifer performed a recital with the pianist in her trio at the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C.

Pianist Young-Ah Tak (International Program ’03) recently gave solo recitals in New York, Baltimore, and Seoul, and performed a chamber music concert at the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater. In September 2007, Young-Ah became a faculty member of the Peabody Institute Preparatory Division.

Pianist Ching-Wen Hsiao (International Program ’05) is currently assistant professor of piano at Southeastern University in Florida. This past August, she taught and performed at the International Music Festival in Viana do Castelo in Portugal. In September 2007, Ching-Wen gave a recital at the National Concert Hall in Taiwan as part of the Rising Star Award that she received from the Taiwanese government in 2006. She performed the Prokofiev Piano Concerto no. 1 with the New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra at Symphony Space in New York in November 2007.

Violist Wei-Yang Andy Lin (International Program ’07) will be performing in chamber music concerts this fall with Itzhak Perlman at Princeton University and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Andy performed with the International Sejong Soloists in October 2007.

Young Performers Artists

Hilda Huang (Young Performers Program ’06 and ’07) was invited to perform in the Young Artists Concert at the Steinway Society of the Bay Area in March 2008 at San Jose’s Le Petit Trianon Theatre. Hilda is also currently working on an all-Bach solo concert in which she will perform on both the piano and harpsichord. Her goal for this concert, slated to take place at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in March 2008, is to promote the learning of Bach’s music among young musicians.

Steuart Pincombe (Young Performers Program ’04) performed Ignatius for solo cello by Marcelle Pierson at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., as part of the Center’s Conservatory Project in May 2007. Steuart is currently a junior at Oberlin Conservatory, where he is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in modern cello and preparing to start a master’s degree in baroque cello/viola da gamba.

Cellist Ben Larsen (Young Performers Program ’04) will be joining the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong for concerts in Hong Kong and Italy in November and December 2007. Ben is currently a junior at the Manhattan School of Music, where he studies with Julia Lichten.

Violinist Laura Keller (Young Performers Program ’06) is in her second year of studying with Miriam Fried at the New England Conservatory. This past summer, she studied at the Aspen Music Festival with Paul Kantor and played in the first violin section of the Aspen Music Festival Orchestra. In May 2007, she performed a solo recital at Dillingham Hall in Honolulu to a sold-out audience.

Violinist Mary Keller (Young Performers Program ’06) won the Honolulu Symphony Hawaii Youth Concerto and performed the Saint-Saëns Violin Concerto No. 3 with with the symphony in March 2007. She also won the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Hawaii State Junior Strings Competition and went on to win the Southeast Regional Competition, followed by the MTNA Finals in Toronto in March 2007. In February 2007, Mary won first place in the O’ahu Arts Center Mozart Competition.

Violinist Heejung Chung (Young Performers Program ’06 and ’07) was accepted into the first violin section of Marin Symphony Youth Orchestra. Heejung was told by the youth orchestra’s artistic director, George Thomson, that he had never accepted a nine-year-old into the youth orchestra before!

Cellist Will Chow (Young Performers Program ’06 and ’07) recently performed at the California Music Education Association Annual Conference in Sacramento as a winner in the American String Teachers Association California State Solo Competition. He won the 2008 Y.E.S. Foundation Stewart Brady Competition and received a Lawrence Bedini Scholarship. Will Chow also won the Peninsula Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition and will perform the Lalo Cello Concerto with the orchestra in June of 2008.

Subsequent to her experience at Music@Menlo this past summer, cellist Ila Shon (Young Performers Program ’07), a fifth grade student at the Nueva School, was accepted as a preparatory student at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Cellist Spencer Kim (Young Performers Program ’05 and ’06) performed the Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland as a winner in the junior division of the Oakland East Bay Symphony Concerto Competition.

Violinist Michael Waarts (Young Performers Program ’06 and ’07) was the only performer selected to appear in the thirty-eighth annual Santa Clara County Teacher Recognition ceremony in September 2007, representing the county’s thirty-two school districts.

Violinist Stephen Waarts (Young Performers Program ’06 and ’07) recently won grand prize in the Junior Division of the 2007-08 Young Artist Competition at the Mondavi Center for the Arts at University of California at Davis, first place in the 2008 Young Artist Competition of Diablo Symphony Orchestra, and a Margaret Brady Study Grant in the 2008 Stewart Brady Competition for strings. Stephen Waarts also played in a master class given by baroque violinist Elizabeth Blumenstock as part of the 2008 Junior Bach Festival and was interviewed in Capital Public Radio Insight in 2008.

Cellist Isabel Lau (Young Performers Program ’05) recently performed in South Korea at the Fourth International Great Mountains Music Festival and School where she also participated in master classes and lessons with Aldo Parisot. Isabel also recently performed the Elgar Cello Concerto at California Summer Music and at a public concert in Carmel. Isabel served as assistant principal cellist in the Peninsula Youth Orchestra fall concert.