OPUS 119 and the Vicente Chamber Orchestra in collaboration

Adriana Zhou is an 11th grader at Troy High School in Fullerton, California. She studies piano at Opus 119 under Dr. Bella Tseng. Adriana made her Carnegie Hall debut at age 11. Her other accomplishments include being top prize winners in the Los Angeles International Liszt Competition, Southwestern Youth Music Festival, Southern California Junior Bach Festival, MTAC-Irvine Branch Scholarship Competition, Vienna Virtuoso Music Competition, Global International Music Competition, and Pelican International Music Competition. Besides playing music, Adriana enjoys reading books and snowboarding.

Zixuan Cui (age 13) began studying piano at age six and is currently studying with Dr. Bella Tseng at Opus119. Zixuan has been a top prize winner in multiple competitions, such as the Southwestern Youth Music Festival , Charleston International Music Competition, CAPMT Honors Competition, Satori Young Pianist Summer Contest, and most recently, Los Angeles International Liszt Competition. Aside from piano, Zixuan enjoys music in school, and has participated in both the 2022 and the 2023 IUSD Middle School Honor Choir. She also listens to a variety of non-classical music, and loves songs by artists like Tomorrow by Together, LeeHi, and SZA.

Vera Yang, a freshman at the Sage Hill high school in Newport Coast, was introduced to piano at the age of five. She currently studies with Ms. Ariel Yang at Opus119 the school of music. Vera made her Carnegie Hall debut when she turned 8 years old as a gold prize winner in American Fine Arts International Competition. She also received top prizes in Satori Young Pianist, MTAC Scholarship Competition, MTAC State Solo Competition, Paderewski International Piano competition. At school, she’s actively involved in the mock trial team, model united nations, and academic decathlon. In her spare time, Vera’s favorite things to do are baking and dancing and performing to her favorite kpop songs with her friends at school.

 Tiantian Yu, from Irvine, CA, is a senior at Crean Lutheran High School. Introduced to music at the age of five, she studied piano and traditional Chinese bamboo flute.  She later switched to the western flute at age 14 years old, studying under Dr. Kanae Komugi at Opus119. She has competed and received prizes in numerous local and regional competitions in southern California; MTAC Festivals, Musical Arts Competition of Orange County, Southern Youth Music Festival, and Southern California Junior Bach Festival to name a few. Most recently, she was awarded 1st prize from the American Protégé International Woodwinds & Brass Competition. Her musical accomplishments have been noticed and she feels honored to have been nominated for Orange County High School Artist of the Year in spring 2022. In her spare time, Tiantian enjoys drawing abstract lashing out her teenage angst mixed with the silly joy of life which scares and entertains her flute teacher on a weekly basis. She is absolutely excited to have received this opportunity to perform this piece with the Vicente Chamber Orchestra! 

Derek Li (13 years old) began learning piano at the age of 5 and is currently studying with Yu-Hui Jen and Ethan Dong at Opus119. Derek has performed in multiple competitions and gotten many awards, such as 1st prize in the US New Star piano competition, a 2nd place prize in the American Protégé International Music Talent competition, the Los Angeles International Liszt Competition, and a first place prize in the Music Teachers Association of California Irvine Branch Scholarship Competition. When he is not playing piano, he enjoys reading and doing computer science related things.

Grace Li (15 years old) began studying piano at the age of 6 and is currently studying with Ethan Dong and Yu-Hui Jen at Opus119. Grace made her concerto debut in 2021 with the Vincente Chamber Orchestra playing a Mozart concerto, this is her second time performing with the Vincente Chamber Orchestra. She has performed with distinction in numerous festivals and competitions, including 1st prize at the Great Masters Piano Competition, the Los Angeles International Liszt Competition, and Best Performance Romantic Composer at the NOMEA competition. Outside of music, Grace is a voracious reader with a keen interest in science. Her favorite composers are Chopin and Liszt.

Lucie Kim, 16, is an eleventh grader at the Orange County School of the Arts. Lucie began taking piano lessons at age six and currently studies with Ariel Yang at Opus 119 School of Music. She made her Carnegie Hall debut at age nine, and has won top prizes at numerous international competitions.
Lucie received First Prize at the Elvin McGaughey Foundation Music Competition, Gold Medal at the Southern California Junior Bach Complete Works Competition, First Prize and Grand Prize at the Korea Times Music Competition, First Prize at the San Jose International Piano Competition along with the “Most Promising Young Talent Award,” and First Prize at the Steinway Junior Piano Competition. She is a two time First Prize winner at the Los Angeles International Liszt Competition, where she received a special prize for the “Best Performance of Etude de Concert,” and is also a Silver Medalist at the quadrennial Palm Springs International Junior Solo Piano Competition (formerly known as the Virginia Waring International Junior Piano Competition). She has won First Prize at the Carmel Klavier International Piano Competition, First Prize at the LISMA International Music Competition, First Prize at the Four Notes International Competition, Gold Medal at the Piano Star International Competition, First Prize at the Bellagrande International Music Competition, First Prize at the Bay Area Piano Competition, Platinum Prize at the Canadian International Competition, and First Prize at the Orange County School of the Arts Concerto Competition, where she will perform with the OCSA Orchestra this spring. Most recently, she won First Prize at the Southern California Philharmonic Young Artist Concerto Competition, where she will perform with the Southern California Philharmonic Orchestra this spring, and First Prize at the Los Angeles Youth Philharmonic Piano Concerto Competition, where she will perform with the Los Angeles Youth Philharmonic Orchestra this summer at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. At the age of 12, Lucie independently organized and performed in a full solo benefit concert for CHOC Children’s Hospital of Orange County. Since then, she has been actively using her passion for music by attending and performing at fundraising events to support the hospital as a CHOC ambassador. In 2019, Lucie received a Congressional Recognition Award for her philanthropic and artistic endeavors. She gave a Tedx Talk in 2021 titled “Music Begins with a New Breath,” where she discusses how breathing affects music performance, and can influence the quality, mood and level of audience engagement. Lucie has performed in masterclasses with world-renowned artists including Stanislav Ioudenitch, William Grant Naboré, Dang Thai Son, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, George Li, Robert Shannon, Bernadene Blaha, Angela Cheng, Alvin Chow, Haewon Song, and Dmitry Rachmanov. In her spare time, Lucie loves to play golf with her friends and family, and is a member of the Southern California PGA Junior Player’s Tour. 

Marena Miki is a 12th grader at Crossroads school in Santa Monica. He started playing violin at age 4 after asking his parents to get a violin for him. Prior teachers include Mr. Sam Fischer and Mr. Phillip Levy, and he currently studies under Ms. Aimee Kreston at the Colburn School. Marena performed the 1st movement of Bach’s violin concerto in a minor with the Palisades Symphony at age 7. He won the grand prize in ASTA LA Final 2020 and was awarded an opportunity to perform with the Olympia Youth Orchestra. In the summer of 2022, Marena was chosen to participate in the National Youth Orchestra of USA and performed at Carnegie Hall and toured through Europe (Netherlands, Italy, Germany, and Switzerland) under the baton of Mr. Daniel Harding. Besides music, he enjoys playing video games and killing time with cats both at home and at Crossroads.

Timotée Allouch is a junior at the Lycée Français de Los Angeles High School. He started playing piano at 5 years old with Anders Martinson and has been studying with Mary Ann Cummins for the past two years. Timotee has played with different orchestras in Los Angeles, including the Palisades Symphony orchestra and the Culver City orchestra, his first time being at the age of 10. He has won numerous competitions in Los Angeles including the Sonata competition, the Kitchen competition and the Palisades Concerto competition. Outside of piano, Timotée is captain of his school soccer team as well as his club.
 

 Duncan Mahony is a senior at Crossroads and has been in the EMMI program since 9th grade. He has played cello for twelve years and has participated in chamber music and music festivals including Junior Chamber Music, Great Music at Saint James, and the New York Invitational Music Festival. He studies cello with David Low.

Tae Yeon Lim is known for her powerful performance style, combining energetic delivery with an intelligent touch. Originally from South Korea, Tae currently lives in Los Angeles where she is active as a pianist and conductor. Revealing a talent for music at a young age, she was selected as a soloist with the Sorisam Chamber Orchestra at 11 years old, performing Mozart's Concert Rondo. She was also invited to perform in the prestigious Chosun Journal Young Artist Debut Series at Sejong Arts Hall, in Seoul. Her work as a collaborative pianist was recognized early, as winner of the Busan Duo-Piano Competition. Tae studied with the pioneering American pianist James Tocco at the Manhattan School of Music before earning a D.M.A. at the University of Southern California, Thornton School of Music, where her mentor was the renowned piano pedagogue Stewart Gordon. Tae has since developed an international career spanning Asia, Europe, and the United States, including performances in Korea, China, Germany, Italy, and Austria. Her recent project, Joachim Raff: Complete Music for Cello and Piano, released on the British label Toccata Classics, includes the world premiere recording of the Sonata for Piano and Cello (Op. 183) by the 19th century Swiss-German composer. Recent solo recitals include a concert at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, the Brand Library and Arts Center, and the Alhambra Performing Arts Center, among others. An active concerto soloist, Tae has performed with orchestras in Beijing, Seoul, and particularly in Southern California, including the Los Angeles Sinfonietta and the Vicente Chamber Orchestra. 

A versatile artist, Tae has emerged not only as a pianist of note but also as a conductor. Prior to joining the Vicente Chamber Orchestra as an Assistant Conductor, she served as Assistant Conductor of the Esperanza Azteca Los Angeles Youth Choir and was a fellow at Chorus America Conducting Academy. At the University of Southern California, Tae studied conducting with Larry Livingston. Tae is currently a member of the Overland Duo.