International Music Talent Competition Fall 2025
The American Protégé International Music Talent Competition is open to all instrumentalists (piano, winds, strings, brass, traditional, etc.), vocalists and traditional folk and jazz groups of all nationalities and countries. Participants are required to submit video recording materials for the audition. American Protégé is looking for genuinely talented people, who have creativity and stage charisma.
We invite talented performers of any age and genre to participate in the Competition.
All applicants who are signed with the manager or producer must submit via email a General Representation and Release Form signed by the Manager/Producer to be eligible for the Competition.
American Protégé Music Talent Competition Fall 2025 attracted a record number of very competitive applicants from 10 countries, including the United States, Australia, Canada, China, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.
Awards
Since the situation with COVID-19 Global Health Crisis is still uncertain, winners will be offered to receive a Winner’s Package by mail or to perform at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall on the following dates:
Sunday, March 22, 2026, 7:30PM
Friday, April 3, 2026, 7:30PM
Sunday, April 5, 2026, 7:30 PM
Sunday, May 10, 2026, 7:30PM
Star Performer Award, Judges’ Favorite Award Trophy, Judges’ Distinction Award Trophy and other Special Awards may be granted based on the judges recommendations.
Judges
A panel of qualified judges evaluate audition materials. All judges are independent, their students are not allowed to apply this season.
American Protégé
International Music Talent Competition Fall 2025 Results:
Judges’ Distinction (Plaque Trophy) Award Winners
Spencer Zhang is an eleven-year-old pianist and student of Ella Karasik. His passion for music has been evident since early childhood. Competing since age five, Spencer has earned top honors in numerous international, national, and state piano competitions. He won first place in the Piano Forum International Competition at five and the Stars of Summer International Piano Competition at six. In 2023, he again captured the Grand Prize and Best Baroque award for his concerto performance. A four-time Ohio Graves Piano Competition state winner, he has placed as high as third in solo and first in duet. Spencer was also a 2025 NEOMTA Young Artist Recitalist and a five-year superior-rating recipient in the National Federation of Music Junior Festivals. Spencer has performed live with orchestras and appeared at the Cleveland Italian Cultural Garden Opera alongside distinguished artists. Outside of music, Spencer enjoys competing in tennis and staying active.
Charlotte Mar is a 11-year-old from the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Area, California. She began her piano endeavors from the age of six, under the tutelage of Ms. Helena Hao, a postgraduate from Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Many performances later, Charlotte has fallen deeper in love with the piano and the music created for it. Music has been a defining part of Charlotte’s childhood and the tenacity that developed alongside is a gift from music. She has been performing at the Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir in the past 3 years. She has earned various local and international competitions; she is always looking forward to the next performance and striving to scale greater heights in music. Her favorite composer is Johann Bach. Aside from her achievements in music, she enjoys competitive swimming, skiing, reading, and baking.
Guo Ru studies violin under Prof. Peter Zazofsky at New England Conservatory Preparatory School in Boston and served as the concertmaster of the Massachusetts Northeastern District Senior Orchestra in 2025. Before coming to the US, Guo attended Sydney Conservatorium of Music’s Rising Stars program under merit scholarship and received the prestigious Licentiate Diploma of Music Australia (LMusA). He has won numerous First Prizes in international music competitions, including the American Protégé Music Competition and the New York Young Virtuoso Competition. He has appeared as a soloist with the Willoughby Symphony Orchestra and performed with Orchestra Manhattan at Carnegie Hall. Guo has been invited to perform at major concert halls in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Singapore, Japan, and Canada. He has toured the UK, Italy, the Holy Sea, and the West Balkans, where he played in diverse venues.
Winners
| NAME | AGE | CITY, STATE, COUNTRY |
| First Place Winners | ||
| Haoning Ma, piano | 6 | Fremont, CA |
| Student of Zhou Jiang | ||
| Yenjai Emprasertsuk, piano | 7 | Bangna, Thailand |
| Student of Dr. Onpavee Nitisingkarin | ||
| Emma Feng, piano | 8 | Darien, CT |
| Student of Yuan Wang | ||
| Kevin Chen, violin | 8 | Clarksville, MD |
| Student of Nina Li | ||
| Jian Lee, cello | 9 | Santa Monica, CA |
| Student of Yeonju Kim | ||
| Skyler Ng, piano | 9 | Dublin, CA |
| Student of Layla Li | ||
| Hyun Seo Lee, voice | 10 | Seoul, South Korea |
| Olivia Dai, cello | 10 | Richmond, Canada |
| Student of Chantelle Bian | ||
| Seojin Kim, violin | 10 | Incheon, South Korea |
| Student of Sunkyung Yoo | ||
| Charlotte Mar, piano | 11 | Oakland, CA |
| Student of Helena Yue Hao | ||
| Khloe Wang, piano | 11 | Beachwood, OH |
| Student of Ella Karasik | ||
| Mandi Xue, cello | 11 | San Diego, CA |
| Student of Yao Zhao | ||
| Ruixuan He, piano | 11 | San Diego, CA |
| Student of Tatiana Stignev | ||
| Siyi Xu, piano | 11 | Redmond, WA |
| Student of Dr. Ivona Kaminska Bowlby | ||
| Spencer Zhang, piano | 11 | Chagrin Falls, OH |
| Student of Ella Karasik | ||
| Wilson Zhang, piano | 11 | Morrisville, NC |
| Student of Ieva Jokubaviciute | ||
| Elaine Lee, guzheng | 12 | Palo Alto, CA |
| Student of Chiffon Fu | ||
| Sophia Jing, piano | 12 | San Diego, CA |
| Student of Tatiana Stignev | ||
| Arnav Kukar, piano | 13 | Clarence, NY |
| Student of Diana Kezerashvili | ||
| Tianze Liu, piano | 13 | Commack, NY |
| Student of Di Jiao | ||
| Xinran Cao, violin | 13 | Taiyuan, China |
| Student of Ruijuan Qi and Bin Chao | ||
| Ethan Hu, piano | 14 | San Diego, CA |
| Student of Tatiana Stignev | ||
| Hannah Liu, guzheng | 14 | Marietta, GA |
| Student of Yao Lu | ||
| Julia Gentry, piano | 14 | Lakeville, CT |
| Student of Ana Maria Eckstein | ||
| Adele Xie, piano | 15 | Scarsdale, NY |
| Student of Joan Behrens Bergman | ||
| Brandon Du, piano | 15 | Santa Clara, CA |
| Student of Temirzhan Yerzhanov | ||
| Ethan Monberg, piano | 15 | Philadelphia, PA |
| Student of Phillip Roberts and Susan Nowicki | ||
| Keanu Zeller, piano | 15 | Rancho Santa Fe, CA |
| Student of Rinna Livshin | ||
| Ethan Choi, cello | 15 | Brea, CA |
| Student of SangWon Cho | ||
| Caroline Zhu, guzheng | 16 | Redmond, WA |
| Student of Jing Wang | ||
| Chenxi Ling, violin | 16 | Katy, TX |
| Student of Yuli Jiang and Si-Yang Lao | ||
| Guo Ru, violin | 16 | Turramurra, Australia |
| Student of Peter Zazofsky | ||
| Harry Chen, violin | 16 | Manhasset, NY |
| Student of Ming Liu | ||
| Kayley Xu, violin | 16 | San Diego, CA |
| Student of Michael Tseitlin and Pasha Tseitlin | ||
| Lars Jimin Han, voice | 16 | San Francisco, CA |
| Student of Ryan Burns | ||
| Lauren Kim, violin | 16 | Boston, MA |
| Student of Minju Kim | ||
| Yoonho Lee, piano | 16 | Brea, CA |
| Student of Laura Hyunjung Lee | ||
| Allyson Park, voice | 17 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Student of Juliana Gondek and Leela Subramaniam | ||
| Shynar Nagimova, violin | 25 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Dain Lee, piano | 29 | Tallahassee, FL |
| Student of Dr. Heidi Williams | ||
| Hiromi Yoshida, voice | 37 | Chuo-Ku, Japan |
| Student of Akiko Tamura | ||
| Piano duo/Four Hands: | ||
| Elizabeth Hartl, piano | 7 | San Diego, CA |
| Daniel Haverinen, piano | 8 | San Diego, CA |
| Students of Tatiana Stignev | ||
| Piano Duo/Four Hands: | ||
| Bowen Jing, piano | 8 | San Diego, CA |
| Brian Jing, piano | 8 | San Diego, CA |
| Students of Tatiana Stignev | ||
| Piano duo/Four Hands: | ||
| Kaily Sheng, piano | 11 | San Diego, CA |
| Emily Fang, piano | 13 | San Diego, CA |
| Students of Tatiana Stignev | ||
| Violin and Piano Duo: | ||
| Maggie Gulis, violin | 14 | State College, PA |
| Benny Gulis, piano | 16 | State College, PA |
| Students of Cecilia Grillo and Melody Quah | ||
| Piano Quartet: | ||
| Kenzie Kwok, voice | 11 | Vancouver, Canada |
| Joanna Shi, violin | 15 | Vancouver, Canada |
| Sloane Kan, piano | 14 | Vancouver, Canada |
| Tina Wang, piano | 15 | Vancouver, Canada |
| Students of Robert Muthama and Julie Lee | ||
| Woodwind Quartet: | ||
| Chaebin Jang, oboe | 14 | San Jose, CA |
| Chanmin You, bb clarinet | 15 | San Jose, CA |
| Kimoon Bae, bassoon | 16 | San Jose, CA |
| Ryeowon Kim, flute | 17 | San Jose, CA |
| Students of Sonyoung Kang | ||
| Second Place Winners | ||
| Anaya Mehta, piano | 6 | Bethesda, MD |
| Student of Valerica Maican | ||
| Anton Xu, piano | 7 | Wellesley, MA |
| Student of Lilit Karapetian | ||
| Katelyn Kim, voice | 8 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Student of Eugene Kang | ||
| Lina Johannesson, piano | 8 | Solon, OH |
| Student of Yuka Nakayama-Lewicki | ||
| Mandy Hsu, piano | 8 | Cupertino, CA |
| Student of Chia-Shan Hsu | ||
| Aerin Loureiro, voice | 9 | New York, NY |
| Student of Karen Nimereala | ||
| Alexandria Zhang, piano | 9 | Chagrin Falls, OH |
| Student of Ella Karasik | ||
| Aria Lee, violin | 9 | Vernon Hills, IL |
| Student of Jaehee Oh | ||
| Heather Sun, violin | 9 | Ellicott City, MD |
| Student of Nina Li | ||
| Olivia Chiu, piano | 9 | Danville, CA |
| Student of Yingwen Lewis | ||
| Rui Shimizu, piano | 9 | Dublin, OH |
| Student of Shitong Zhan Sigler | ||
| Stephanie Yang, voice | 9 | Mercer Island, WA |
| Student of Angela Wang | ||
| Yoonseo Song, violin | 9 | Incheon, South Korea |
| Student of Sun Kyoung Yu | ||
| Yuetong (Luna) Hu, voice | 9 | Tokyo, Japan |
| Student of Yuka Chen | ||
| Ava Lee, viola | 10 | Vernon Hills, IL |
| Student of Jaehee Oh | ||
| Carlie Chuang, piano | 10 | San Marino, CA |
| Student of Jane Lin | ||
| Connor Wang, piano | 10 | San Jose, CA |
| Student of Chia-Shan Hsu | ||
| Ivy Liu, voice | 10 | Plano, TX |
| Student of Michael Nguyen | ||
| Katrina Wu, piano | 10 | Norwalk, CT |
| Student of Yuan Wang | ||
| Krystal Jeong, piano | 10 | Katy, TX |
| Student of Dr. Jayoung Hong | ||
| Anaaya Kukar, piano | 11 | Clarence, NY |
| Student of Diana Kezerashvili | ||
| Avyn Lee, violin | 11 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Student of Tracey Kim | ||
| Karen Li, piano | 11 | Sunnyvale, CA |
| Student of Sarah Gao | ||
| Masha Kozlova, piano | 11 | Santa Monica, CA |
| Student of Veronika Surkhaykhanova | ||
| Yunke Xie, piano | 11 | Singapore |
| Student of Chinghuey Lim | ||
| Brina Yuan, piano | 12 | Solon, OH |
| Student of Xiao-Ling Anderson | ||
| Chaeyoung Madeline Lee, voice | 12 | Seoul, South Korea |
| Student of Yujin Kang | ||
| Max Zhang, piano | 12 | San Diego, CA |
| Student of Tatiana Stignev | ||
| Nathan Tao, piano | 12 | Irvine, CA |
| Student of Jenise Lee | ||
| Yiran Zhang, piano | 12 | Fremont, CA |
| Student of Chloe Xu | ||
| Aleksei Smychkovich, piano | 13 | Johns Creek, GA |
| Student of Barno Nishanova | ||
| Ethan Bui, piano | 13 | Tomball, TX |
| Student of Zoia Golofeeva | ||
| Hanyu Zhou, violin | 13 | Fremont, CA |
| Student of Ker Qi | ||
| Ian Lucero, piano | 13 | Cupertino, CA |
| Student of Sunnam Kim | ||
| Levi Lavelle, piano | 13 | Poway, CA |
| Student of Tatiana Stignev | ||
| Nabi Ensing, piano | 13 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Student of Yun Hee Lee | ||
| Ryan Wang, violin | 13 | Menlo Park, CA |
| Student of Debra Fong | ||
| Sean Wang, violin | 13 | Menlo Park, CA |
| Student of Debra Fong | ||
| Aaron Haverinen, violin | 14 | San Diego, CA |
| Student of San Shen | ||
| Arunas Selvadurai, piano | 14 | Clarence, NY |
| Student of Diana Kezerashvili | ||
| Bokun Zhao, violin | 14 | Santa Clara, CA |
| Student of Ernest Yen | ||
| Clara Kim, gayageum | 14 | Tujunga, CA |
| Student of Eliana Lee | ||
| Hojoon Lee, piano | 14 | Tenafly, NJ |
| Student of Eunae Kim | ||
| Jamie Lee, flute | 14 | San Jose, CA |
| Student of Tina Kim and Marian Concus | ||
| Tristan Liu, piano | 14 | Orinda, CA |
| Student of Elena Bai Pang | ||
| Ethan Monberg, voice | 15 | Philadelphia, PA |
| Student of Michael Ashby and Susan Nowicki | ||
| Ivan Lee, piano | 15 | Hilliard, OH |
| Janhvi Ravula, voice | 15 | Bangalore, India |
| Student of Serena Anthony | ||
| Ocean Lee, piano | 15 | Oakville, Canada |
| Student of Heather Campbell and Michael Berovsky | ||
| Sarah Feigenbaum, flute | 15 | Tustin, CA |
| Student of Jennifer Jo | ||
| Xitong (emily) Xu, piano | 15 | Singapore |
| Student of Ching Huey Lim | ||
| Zemu Fang, piano | 15 | San Ramon, CA |
| Student of I-Ling Chen | ||
| Hudson Tsai, trumpet | 16 | San Diego, CA |
| Student of Ray Nowak | ||
| Marisha Michael, voice | 16 | Apex, NC |
| Student of Sangeetha Michael | ||
| Rita Wu, guzheng | 16 | Ontario, CA |
| Student of Lu Wang | ||
| Shuting William Pan, flute | 16 | San Marino, CA |
| Student of Bolin Pan | ||
| Simon Fass, piano | 16 | Williamsburg, VA |
| Student of Sharon Stewart | ||
| Wesley Chang, piano | 16 | Overland Park, KS |
| Student of David Tauscher | ||
| Alyona Deb, voice | 17 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Student of Lauren Hayes | ||
| Sherry Li, piano | 17 | Hudson, OH |
| Student of Xiao-Ling Anderson | ||
| Suah Lee, flute | 17 | Northbrook, IL |
| Student of Haymee Ann | ||
| Ria Choi, flute | 18 | Chino Hills, CA |
| Student of Grace Shin | ||
| Jonah Campa-Peters, piano | 19 | Brownfield, TX |
| Student of Dr. Hye-Gyung Ji | ||
| Napasorn Sripan, piano | 23 | Nonthaburi, Thailand |
| Student of Dr. Onpavee Nitisingkarin | ||
| Piano duo/Four Hands: | ||
| Lucas Wang, piano | 8 | Vancouver, Canada |
| Ronin Kan, piano | 10 | Vancouver, Canada |
| Students of Sloane Kan and Jessica Burkart | ||
| Piano Trio/Six Hands: | ||
| Michelle Ding, piano | 11 | Boulder, CO |
| George Lin, piano | 11 | Boulder, CO |
| Dylan Wang, piano | 12 | Boulder, CO |
| Students of Ling Yu Mcloughlin | ||
| Piano Duo/Four Hands: | ||
| Ariel Lavelle, piano | 11 | Poway, CA |
| Levi Lavelle, piano | 13 | Poway, CA |
| Students of Tatiana Stignev | ||
| Piano duo/Four Hands: | ||
| Brian Zhou, piano | 12 | San Diego, CA |
| Evan Sun, piano | 13 | San Diego, CA |
| Students of Tatiana Stignev | ||
| Piano Duo/Four Hands: | ||
| Andrew Xu, piano | 13 | San Diego, CA |
| Ethan Hu, piano | 14 | San Diego, CA |
| Students of Tatiana Stignev | ||
| Piano Duo: | ||
| Betty Lee, voice | 15 | Vancouver, Canada |
| Sloane Kan, piano | 14 | Vancouver, Canada |
| Students of Kaya Mew and Nicole Asadon | ||
| Gayageum Trio: | ||
| Leah Lim, gayageum | 16 | Tujunga, CA |
| Noah Nam, gayageum | 16 | La Crescenta, CA |
| Ryan Bang, gayageum | 17 | Pasadena, CA |
| Students of Eliana Lee | ||
| Third Place Winners | ||
| Jinjuta Laoprapassorn, piano | 8 | Yannawa, Thailand |
| Student of Dr. Onpavee Nitisingkarin | ||
| Pitchaphat Tangsangiamvisai, piano | 9 | Chatuchak, Thailand |
| Student of Dr. Onpavee Nitisingkarin | ||
| Larissa Shupak, piano | 9 | Brooklyn, NY |
| Student of Marina Shepel | ||
| Saya Johannesson, piano | 10 | Solon, OH |
| Student of Yuka Nakayama-Lewicki | ||
| Kanishq Shekhar, guitar/voice | 11 | Peoria, AZ |
| Student of Marshal Crocker and Keziah Miner | ||
| Jeremy Lien, piano | 12 | Seattle, WA |
| Student of Dr. Li-Cheng Hung | ||
| Andrew Xu, piano | 13 | San Diego, CA |
| Student of Tatiana Stignev | ||
| Lila Benaim, harp | 13 | New York, NY |
| Student of Tomina Parvanova Lyden | ||
| Maria-Izabela Diculescu, piano | 13 | Plantation, FL |
| Student of Yadelia Leyva and Stratos Argyriou | ||
| Rayansh Pande, bansuri | 14 | Sugar Land, TX |
| Stella Tang, piano | 14 | Fremont, CA |
| Student of Elena Bai Pang | ||
| Joshua Kim, voice | 14 | Scarsdale, NY |
| Student of Eugene Kang | ||
| Dylan Shah, piano | 15 | Plano, TX |
| Student of Dr. Wen Ling Chua | ||
| Erin Johnson, voice | 15 | Fremont, CA |
| Student of Miyuki Mori | ||
| Amelia Hacker, piano | 16 | New York, NY |
| Student of Sohyun Ahn | ||
| Bhavika Pasuparthi, voice | 16 | Portland, OR |
| Student of Angela Niederloh and Ganesh Rajagopalan | ||
| Sophia Shen, piano | 17 | San Francisco, CA |
| Student of Vivian Ying Chen | ||
| Honorable Mention | ||
| John Pryimatchuk, piano | 7 | Brooklyn, NY |
| Student of Marina Shepel | ||
| Alice Katz, piano | 8 | New York, NY |
| Student of Marina Shepel | ||
| Adrian Cheung, piano | 14 | Reno, NV |
| Student of Chloe Xu | ||
| Saisindhu Dantam, violin | 16 | Plainsboro, NJ |
| Student of Takuya Horiuchi | ||
| Sarah Lee, flute | 16 | Belmont, CA |
| Student of Tina Kim | ||
Other applicants received Diploma of Participation
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL WINNERS!
1. Each participant will be notified about the Competition results after the Artistic Director releases the Competition placements. Each Winner will perform at one Recital. Recital date and time will be offered to the Winner based on the Competition results.
2. Only ONE piece from the audition repertoire within a time limit will be performed at the Winners Recital.
3. Extra performance time of up to 1 minute can be accepted for the Winners Recital with an additional fee of $100.
4. Only piano accompaniment can be used at the Winners Recital. Only one grand piano will be available at the Weill Recital Hall. No acoustic system will be provided.
5. Participants must bring their own piano accompanist. American Protégé does not provide piano accompanist, but can recommend one after enrollment into the program.
6. Photo or video recording during the recital is strictly prohibited per the Carnegie Hall policy. A professional photographer will be taking pictures of the performers.
7. Recital and Photo Fees are not refundable.
8. During the COVID-19 Health Crisis, U.S. participants, who are unable to or unwilling to take a risk to travel to NYC for the Recital, may request a Competition Winner’s Package with a non-refundable $300 fee. The Package includes online recognition, Winner’s Certificate, Teacher’s Diploma, four Booklets with biographies and photos, and participation Plaque Trophy. International participants may arrange a Package pickup or request a shipment to the friends or relative residing in the U.S. We do not mail packages internationally.
9. All participants are responsible for their own expenses (travel, housing accommodations, etc.).
10. Detailed Winners Recital Guidelines will be emailed to the participants.