2023 Finalists

Anna Bray, sixteen and a student at Trinity School at Meadowview, is from Sterling, Virginia. She studies piano with Professor Alexander Shtarkman at Peabody Conservatory. Recently, the Chopin Foundation (USA) selected her to receive a scholarship.

Anna has performed at prominent venues such as Kennedy Center, Washington Arts Club, Merkin Concert Hall, Linehan Concert Hall, and Friedberg Hall, as well as Embassies of Russia, Germany, France, Hungary, and Netherlands, and she was featured at the Fulbright Austria reception at the Austrian Embassy. She had her orchestral debut with Montgomery Symphony Orchestra and has performed as soloist with Long Bay Symphony Orchestra in Myrtle Beach. Anna has won numerous awards, placing first in Baltimore International Piano Festival Competition, East Carolina Piano Festival Competition, International Knabe Young Artist Competition, Steinway Competition (DC), Old Dominion University Classical Period Competition, Cogen Concerto Competition, Musicians Inspiring Change Competition, and all competitions of Northern Virginia Music Teachers Association. Furthermore, a prizewinner at Chopin International Piano Competition and a finalist at International Kaufman Piano Competition, Anna was also invited to participate in Leon Fleisher Academy. She has performed in masterclasses for Gary Graffman, Jonathan Biss, Wei-Yi Yang, Boris Slutsky, Boris Berman, Matti Raekallio, Alexander Kobrin, Emile Naoumoff, Gila Goldstein, and Emerson String Quartet. In addition, Anna is a volunteer at the Tacy Foundation, leading concerts at senior homes. In January, the National Institutes of Health invited her to perform a solo recital as a representative of the Tacy Foundation; she also recorded a 45-minute solo album for the Foundation, donating one of the CDs to the Patient Library at NIH. 

 “I have always loved music for its sheer beauty and ability to heal; anyone can appreciate the beauty of music, and anyone can be touched by it,” Anna writes. “I love the sunny character of Mozart Concerto No. 21. The piece is in C Major, a key which I usually associate with late afternoon sunshine: warm and full, yet not too bright. Mozart allows the character of C Major to shine through (no pun intended) in this concerto. He maintains a balance of lyrical, playful, and reflective sections throughout the piece.”

Sophia Lin, sixteen and a Junior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, lives in Falls Church, Virginia. Sophia studied piano for nine years with Dr. Marjorie Lee. Sophia’s numerous accolades include 2023 National YoungArts Merit Awards Winner for Classic Music/Piano. A three-time First Prize winner and MTNA Southern Division Finalist of Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Virginia State Competition, Sophia has claimed First Prize at esteemed competitions: Marian-Garcia International Piano Competition, E.R. Davis Piano Competition, International Young Artist Piano Competition, Ylda Novik Concerto Competition, Robert Spencer Piano Concerto Competition, and Virginia State Concerto Competition. She gained Honorable Mention at the prestigious 2023 David D. Dubois Piano Festival and Competition as well as at 2023 Nashville International Piano Competition.

Since her Mozart concerto debut at age twelve, Sophia has performed as piano soloist with two symphony orchestras. She performed Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 9 in E flat Major K. 271 with Amadeus Orchestra. At last fall’s Virginia Music Teachers Association Conference, Sophia performed Mendelssohn Piano Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25 with Liberty University Symphony Orchestra. Sophia's musical endeavors extend beyond solo performances. As pianist of National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) Youth Fellowship Chamber Music Program, Sophia has regularly performed chamber music at Kennedy Arts and Performance Center in 2022 and 2023. She has been invited to perform at esteemed venues such as George Mason University Performing Arts Center for the Young Artist Musicale and the Hungarian Ambassador's residence.

Sophia admires music’s power as a universal language to evoke emotions; she can express herself to connect with others on a deep level. She finds joy and fulfillment in the intricate harmonies, expressive melodies, and technical challenges in her repertoire. Mozart Piano Concerto No. 17 in G major, KV. 453 holds a special place in her heart as it is the first concerto she learned in its entirety, right before the pandemic. Sophia is enamored with this concerto's elegant melodies, exquisite interplay between piano and orchestra, and its lyrical beauty. The expressive and virtuosic nature of the piece allows her to fully immerse herself in its musical depths and captivate audiences with her interpretation.

Committed to giving back to her community, Sophia is Chief Intern of the Tacy Foundation, where she organizes and performs in music events for seniors. Weekly, she dedicates time to teach mathematics at a local Chinese School and to students worldwide through the Daily Challenge program.

Thirteen-year-old Emily Qi is a student of Dr. Peter Mack and a former student of Ekaterina Melkamini. A seventh grader at Northstar Middle School in Kirkland, Washington, she showed great interest in music early, taking her first lesson at age three. Her love for piano has earned her many awards: Gold Medal at Northwest Steinway Junior Piano Competition, Northwest Chopin Piano Competition, and Music Alive I International Piano Competition in Poland. Emily won Bronze Medals in 2019 Kaufman Music Center International Youth Piano Competition and 2017 San Jose International Piano Competition. A finalist at 2022 Ettlingen International Piano Competition in Germany, she also earned Honorable Mention at 2022 MTNA Washington State Competition.

Emily made her orchestral debut with Mozart’s Concerto no. 17 in February 2022 with Bellevue Symphony. She is delighted to have the opportunity to perform Mozart’s Concerto no. 22 in E-flat Major, K. 482 as part of her program with the orchestra for this competition. She loves its melodies and the duality between the two movements.

Emily's talent and mature interpretations have been recognized by renowned musicians such as Grigory Gruzman (University of Music Franz Liszt Weimar), Stanislav Ioudenitch (Oberlin Conservatory), and world-famous pianist Behzod Abduraimov. She has participated in masterclasses with Natalia Trull (Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory), Philippe Raskin (University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna), Andreas Frölich (Cologne University of Music), Irina Morozova (Kaufman Music Center and Mannes School of Music), and Jean-David Coen (Willamette University). Hoping to become a professional pianist, Emily consistently explores new repertoire. Most recently, she accompanied her older sister, Olivia Qi, who won the Gold Medal at MTNA voice competition in Reno earlier this year. She plays duets with her sister, who is also a talented pianist as well as a classical singer.

Landon Fringer, sixteen, is a Sophomore at Santa Monica High School in California. His formal piano lessons began at age eight under Anders Martinson; currently, he studies under Dominic A. Cheli at the Colburn School in Los Angeles.

He performed as soloist with several orchestras since his orchestral debut at age nine, including Los Angeles Doctors Symphony Orchestra and Palisades Symphony Orchestra.

Landon has received top prizes in numerous piano competitions: California Association of Professional Music Teachers Honor’s State Finals, SoCal International Piano Competition, Los Angeles Young Pianist Competition, LA Youth Philharmonic Orchestra Piano Concerto Competition, San Francisco Bay Area Piano Competition, Music Teachers’ Association of California, California Association of Professional Music Teachers, Turner Concerto Competition, and Southwest Youth Music Festival. He received the scholarship from the Westside Committee of the Los Angeles Philharmonic for many years.

Replying to the question How is piano playing or music special to you? Landon writes, “Playing the piano sharpens my mind and provides an outlet for my emotions and creativity. Mastering each piece teaches me discipline and time management skills. The personal biographies of the composers inspire me to be more engaged in life through their music.”

Collin Parker-Szekely, seventeen, is a Junior at Abington High School, Abington, PA. Student of piano and cello, he studies piano with concert pianist and Curtis Institute of Music faculty Michelle Cann, and he takes private cello lessons with Thomas Kraines (Daedalus Quartet) at Settlement Music School, Philadelphia, where he is a multi-year recipient of the William B. McLaughlin III Scholarship. Collin has performed at International Crescendo, Kiszely, and Dorothy Sutton festivals and competitions, as well as Charleston Piano Competition, gaining top honors. In 2019, he gained a monetary award and invitation to participate in an international tour for his 2020 participation in Crescendo. He was the overall concerto competition winner at Summer 2021 Philadelphia International Music Festival (PIMF); then he performed at Spring Winners’ Circle Concert, featuring members of Philadelphia Orchestra and other PIMF concerto competition finalists. As one winner of Menges Scholarship competition, Collin performed McDowell’s Piano Concerto #2 with Ambler Symphony in Spring 2022. In June 2022, he was a featured soloist (and gained a scholarship for his participation) in “Bach and Beyond” Music Festival at western New York’s 1891 Fredonia Opera House, performing Mozart’s Concerto No. 12, K. 414, A Major. Collin participates in the Advanced Study program at Settlement Music School, a special scholarship program for students interested in pursuing pre-professional training (Advanced Study Chamber Ensemble, individual study with Settlement Music School faculty or a recognized artist/teacher in the community, advanced study of music theory).

For Collin, music is an outlet by which he can express a range of emotions in an empowering way. He is aware of how music affects others, which gives him a sense of both joy and responsibility.

Collin is partial to the second movement of Mozart’s Concerto #12 in A major, K. 414 because it captures the one quality he most appreciates about Mozart’s music: its beautiful simplicity.