Honorable Mention

Johannes Gray
(Gilda Barston and Hans Jensen)
Wilmette, IL

Christine Lee
(Alison Wells)
Dublin, OH

Honorable Mention

Josiah Yoo
(Gilda Barston)
Northbrook, IL

Johannes Gray
(Gilda Barston and Hans Jensen)
Wilmette, IL

Nathan Noh, sixteen years old, is a junior at Adlai E. Stevenson High School. Nathan has been studying piano and music theory under the guidance of Brenda Huang since he was seven years old. Nathan started out this year as the Alternate Finalist in the Piano Arts National Biennial Piano Competition and Music Festival where he was the youngest contestant. Other achievements in 2008 include 1st place at the CAMTA Roberta Savler Competition Level D, finalist in the West Suburban High School Concerto Competition, and receiving the highest level certification in ISMTA’s Achievement in Music program.

In 2007, Nathan received 1st place in the senior division at the Confucius Competition. He was a finalist in both the Intermediate and Senior Divisions of Society of American Musicians Competition that year and was the alternate in the MTNA Junior Competition in 2006. Other honors include 1st place in the North Shore Music Teacher Association Piano Competition, 1st place in the Northwest Student Teacher Music Association Awards Competition, and third place in the Illinois state level ISMTA competition.

Nathan performed in the 2007-2008 Young Steinway Concert Series and performed a solo recital at Nichols Hall in Evanston this summer.

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Christina Yeji Yoon began playing piano while in Korea at the age of six. Currently studying with Micah Yui at the Music Institute of Chicago, she has won various awards in the Geneva competitions and is now a junior at Vernon Hills High School.

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Kim Seung-Joon, born in 1994, started playing the piano at the age of five. When he was 3, he impressed many teachers and families around him by quickly imitating various melodies. This young obscure talent was brought to his first piano lesson, where he was taught under the instruction of Kwag Jin-Young.

Seung-Joon took his instrument with much ease, while he swoops through the Suzuki Method with great enthusiasm and excitement. He could memorize easily and naturally, which led him to learn various repertoires.

Only in a couple of years later, he won a number of national competitions, including Eumak Chunchoo competition with an exceptional mark. These victories inspired him to focus and study more intensely.

Seung-Joon currently studies with Kang Choong-Mo and Kwag Jin-Young and hopes to be a great concert pianist, and have the envy among all of his friends. He moved to the United States last year to become better pianist. He studied with Emilio Del Rosario, and he is currently studying with Micah Yui at MIC.

Accolades History
Teenager piano competition 1st place
Eumak Chunchoo piano competition 1st place
2000, 2001 Hankookilbo piano competition Gold prize
Seoul National University of Education piano Competition 1st place
The Music Association of Korea piano competition 1st place
Korea Baptist Theological University piano competition 1st place
Joongdoilbo piano competition Gold prize
Donga Music Publisher piano competition 2nd place
6th International Chopin Piano Competition in Asia bronze prize
Samick piano competition second place
The music education News piano competition 1st place
2008 MTNA Illinois Competition (Junior Division) Honorable Mention
2008 Midwest Young Artist Competition (Junior Division) piano competition winner

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Ten-year-old Ryan Jannak-Huang has been studying piano with his aunt, Brenda Huang, for 5 years. Ryan was a first place winner of the Confucius Music Festival for both the youth (2007) and junior (2008) divisions. He has also been awarded first prize winner at the Society of American Musicians Competition (2008) and the NSMTA Piano Competition (2006). This year, Ryan was a selected winner in the Fifth Annual DePaul Concerto Festival for Young Performers and played with Oistrach Symphony Orchestra. Ryan is currently a fifth grader at Pleasant Hill Elementary School in Palatine.

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George Hyun is a sophomore at New Trier High School. He is a member of the Magical Strings of Youth and has performed in Australia, Austria, S. Korea, France, Italy, the Vatican (for Pope Benedict), Lincoln Center, and most recently in Prague. At Prague castle, he was soloist in a ceremony for Prince Lobkowicz and Josef Suk. George attended the Music Academy at Schloss Ort, Masterclasses at Chateau Champs sur Marne, Music in the Mountains, Aspen Music Festival and Summit Music Festivals. He has won awards at Musichorale, Chinese Fine Arts Society Confucius Competition, and Trinity Music Competitions. He also enjoys reading, swimming, and snowboarding.

George is a student of Betty Haag-Kuhnke.

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Lydia G. Umlauf, 16, is a scholarship recipient and member of the Music Institute of Chicago’s Academy program for gifted pre-college musicians where she studies privately with MIC artist faculty member Desiree Ruhstrat.  Lydia is in the 11th grade in the Umlauf Homeschool. She took violin lessons for 11 years from Tamara Ringas, Chesterton, IN, before she joined MIC where she is now studying with Ms. Ruhstrat.  Lydia has also had 8 years of piano lessons with Mrs. Bethyne Emery of Chesterton and Mrs. Esta Rosario of Valparaiso.

Lydia won the district and state level IMTA (Indiana Music Teachers’ Association) violin competition in Spring, 2003 and district level competition again in April, 2006.  She played in the Northwest Indiana Youth Orchestra for 7 years where she was Assistant concertmaster in 2006-07 and Concertmaster in 2007-08. Lydia has been hired by St. Joseph’s College (Rensselaer, IN) to play with their Chamber Orchestra for their spring concerts in 2006 & 2007.   With them she has performed the Mozart Requiem, a Bach Chorale and the Haydn Creation. 

Playing Saint-Saens Concerto No. 3, Lydia won the string solo category at the Bob Jones University Fine Arts Festival in October, 2006.  She also won the Northwest Indiana Youth Orchestra concerto competition and performed with them in May, 2007.  She also won the Muncie Symphony Young Artist Competition in January, 2008.  She performed the 1st Movement of the Mendelssohn Violin Concert with Muncie symphony on Friday, March 7, 2008.  Lydia has performed a Vivaldi Concerto with Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra for their Mary Hannah Children’s Concert Series.  She also performed with them at their Summer Outdoor Concert Series. In November, 2008, Lydia’s Piano trio placed 3rd in the Bob Jones University Fall Festival (Ensemble Division) playing the 1st Mov’t. of  the Brahms Piano Trio in B Major, opus 8.

Lydia attended Masterworks Music Festival for 3 summers where she was chosen to perform in Master Classes with Roger Frisch and Stephen Clapp.  She was also chosen to perform in their honors recital (2007) and was a finalist in the concerto competition (2008). In August, 2008, she was invited to Valor Summer Conservatory in Whitewater, WI to perform in a Master Class for Mr. & Mrs. David Cerone of Cleveland Institute.  Lydia has won Grand Champion in the 4-H Music Project 6 times: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2008.

Lydia has started her own studio and currently has 6 students whom she teaches weekly. Lydia plays 1st violin as a regular member of the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra, Lafayette, IN.

Lydia loves photography and art and loves visiting art museums and galleries. She also loves theater and some of the lead rolls she has played include Oliver from the musical Oliver, Polly from The Magician’s Nephew as well as being in numerous other plays. Reading is also a love of Lydia’s and her current favorite books are the Dorothy Sayers murder mysteries. Besides reading, Lydia loves writing, thinking, philosophy, Francis Schaeffer, friends, fashion, good movies, the Bible, ice skating, 4-H, being alone, walking in downtown Chicago, Lord of the Rings, C.S. Lewis, toast and scrambled eggs, drawing/painting/calligraphy, the south of England, stargazing, Facebook, and the list goes on.

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Jennifer, along with her older sister and friend, is a regular volunteer for the Fine Arts for Healing Program at Edward Hospital in Naperville, IL where her string trio routinely performs for the cancer treating patients.

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Michaela Wellems, student of Marko Dreher began her music studies at the age of four. For the past three summers she has attended the Okemo Young Artists Festival in Vermont where she studied with Marko Dreher, Almita Vamos and David Bowlin. She later attended the Astona International Summer Music Academy in Switzerland on scholarship where her teachers included Mikhail Mouller and Francis Gouton. She has placed in the Walgreens Concerto Competition, the Sejong Competition and received a scholarship from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Youth Competition. Michaela has been the Concert Mistress for the Midwest Young Artists Orchestra and is presently a member of the Chicago Youth Symphony. Currently she is a student at the Music Academy of the Music Institute of Chicago at Ravinia where she was recently a winner in the Junior Academy Concerto Competiton. A student at Daniel Wright Middle School, she loves to run cross country and play travel soccer. At home she enjoys playing with her brother and sister and raising love birds.

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Eleven-year-old violinist Adé Williams is the 2008 second place winner of the Sejong Music Competition. She is the first place winner of the 2006 Sigma Alpha Iota String Scholarship Competition, Junior Division and the 2005 Early Music Category, Walgreen’s National Concerto Competition, Junior Open Divisions.

Adé’s 2004 orchestral debut at the age of six was with the Chicago Sinfonietta as that orchestra’s youngest ever performer. In 2006, she performed as soloist with the South Side Family Chamber Orchestra, and in 2007 with the Highland Park Strings at Ravinia. Her 2006 radio debut was on WFMT’s Young Artist Showcase.

In 2004, Adé founded the chamber group SugarStrings with her cousins Mira and Ayanna. SugarStrings has appeared at numerous venues and civic and charitable events including the City of Chicago’s September 11th Annual Commemoration, Chicago Foundation for Women’s Annual Luncheon, WNBA Chicago Sky Games, Chicago Chamber Musicians’ Family Concerts, Chicago Half Marathon, Martin Luther King, Jr. Peace=2 0Weekend, 100th Anniversary Convention of the Rotary Club International, Gray’s Child Development Benefit Concert, and Multiple Sclerosis Annual Christmas Party.

Adé enjoys being home schooled, spending time with her family (especially her little brother, Jonathan), and playing various games and sports.

Adé is the Music Institute of Chicago’s first William Warfield Scholar and a member of the Academy where she studies privately with artist faculty members Almita Vamos and Marko Dreher. She has performed in master classes for concert violinists Tai Murray and Rachel Barton Pine. Adé performs on a 3/4-size violin by John Jusek, on generous loan from the Rachel Elizabeth Barton Foundation. Adé is also a charter member of the Chicago Music Association's Youth Branch.

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Haeji Kim, a 6th grader at West Hills Middle School in West Bloomfield, MI, has studied violin since age 5. She studies with Almita & Roland Vamos at the Music Institute of Chicago. She has participated in master classes with Aaron Rosand, Yari Kless, Joria Fleezanis, Sally O’reilly, Vileriy Vorona, and Chin Kim. She was a finalist of 2007 Summit Int’l Music Festival Concerto Competition under age 16 & 2007 Birmingham-Bloomfield Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Concerto Competition. In her leisure time, she love reading mystery books & travelling.

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Johannes Gray , age 11, of Wilmette, IL, obsessed with and passionately drawn to the cello at an early age, listened to Bach Suites as a youngster and began playing the cello at age of two and a half. Currently, Johannes studies cello with Gilda Barston and Hans Jorgen Jensen at the Music Institute of Chicago, where he also studies piano with Soo Lee and composition with Matt Hagel. On Dec. 29, 2008, Johannes was named the Overall Open Division Winner of the 2008 Walgreens National Concerto Competition held at the MYA campus in Fort Sheridan, IL. He is also a top prize-winner in several other competitions, including the 2008 Sejong Music Competition, all divisions, primary through senior, 2005-2008, of the Chinese Fine Arts Society Music Festival in Honor of Confucius competition, and 2007 SAM primary division. Johannes has played in master classes with several leading pedagogues, including Lynn Harrell, Amit Peled, Timothy Eddy, Anthony Elliot, Aldo Parisot and Janos Starker; and has performed at events for the Yo-Yo Ma Silk Road Project, performed live on WFMT radio, and in January 2008 performed, the last movement of the Haydn Concerto in C with the Oistrak Symphony Orchestra at DePaul University.

Johannes also performs with his string quartet, The Shades of Gray. Outside music, Johannes is a passionate ornithologist and avid reader.

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