International Music Talent Competition Spring 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 Spring 2025 attracted a record number of very competitive applicants from 17 countries, including the United States, Albania, Armenia, Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Kosovo, South Korea, Macedonia, Philippines, Portugal, Singapore, Thailand, Ukraine and Vietnam.
Awards
Winners will be offered to perform at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, or to receive a Winner’s Package by mail.
Star Performer Award, Judges’ Favorite Award Trophy, Judges’ Distinction Award Trophy and other Special Awards may be granted based on the judges recommendations.
Judges
Three qualified judges evaluate audition materials. All judges are independent, their students are not allowed to apply this season.
American Protégé
International Music Talent Competition Spring 2025 Results:
Judges’ Distinction (Trophy) Award Winners
Violinist Shira Braude (age 14) is being raised in a family of musicians and has been studying the violin since the age of 4. She has performed as a soloist in the U.S., France and Portugal through various festivals and competitions in venues such as Le Petit Palais and Salle Cortot in Paris, the University of Minho in Braga, Portugal, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall and the San Francisco Opera House. She has attended numerous music festivals including the Meadowmount School of Music, Heifetz PEG, String Insiders, the Académie Internationale de Musique de Paris (AIM), Killington Music Festival where she was selected to play in a masterclass for Glenn Dicterow and JVNY summer chamber music workshops in France and Portugal. Shira is a merit scholarship recipient of the Walnut Highschool of the Arts. She is currently a student of Ann Setzer.
Akshath Anand, a seventh grader from Tampa, Florida, is a dedicated musician and athlete. His musical journey began at five, and he is trained in both Western classical and Carnatic music. Akshath has received Superior ratings on his piano solo events for the past 8 years at the Florida Federation Of Music Clubs Festival. For 4 years,he has been the winner and finalist at the FFMC State level piano competition in solo and concerto categories. In 2023, he had the rare honor of performing alongside Ms. Sarah Brightman in her Christmas Symphony tour, singing Walking in the Air and Pie Jesu. Most recently, in March 2025, he was named a top winner at the Spotlight on Talent competition. Beyond music, Akshath is an avid cricket player, selected for the Under-12 team coached by his father. With dedication and versatility, Akshath continues to shine in both music and sports.
Alexander Huang is 10 years old and is from California, United States. Alexander began to show strong interest and passion in the violin when he was seven, after he heard a beautiful violin piece on the radio while he was riding in his mother’s car. He currently studies under Dr. Ann Kerobyan and continues to show his dedication and talents in music. In 2024, he won First Prize in the Charleston International Music Competition and First Prize in the 10th Singapore Raffles International Music Festival. Alexander also participates in a student-led music group that performs at multiple senior centers. His favorite outdoor activities include skiing, swimming, and mountain biking, and he has been on one of the top teams of the Bear Valley Ski Team.
Winners by Age Category
| Name | Age | City, state, Country |
| First Place Winners | ||
| Markapat Promphan, piano | 6 | Ban Mai, Pakkret, Thailand |
| Student of Dr. Orn Pornphan Banternghansa | ||
| Ariana Harada, violin | 7 | Honolulu, HI |
| Student of Ignace Jang | ||
| Dori Zhou, piano | 7 | Kapolei, HI |
| Student of Lan Mi and Ying Liu | ||
| Xinyi Yue, piano | 8 | Fremont, CA |
| Student of Chloe Xu | ||
| Alvin Zang, piano | 9 | Pleasanton, CA |
| Student of Fonny Chandra | ||
| Hana Matsuda, piano | 9 | Foster City, CA |
| Student of Kaori Wada | ||
| Alexander Huang, violin | 10 | San Jose, CA |
| Student of Ann Kerobyan | ||
| Allen Hu, piano | 10 | Fremont, CA |
| Student of Chloe Xu | ||
| Emily Xi, piano | 10 | Lexington, MA |
| Student of Yidan Guo | ||
| Muxi Wang, piano | 10 | Solon, OH |
| Student of Xiaoling Anderson | ||
| Akshath Anand, voice/piano | 12 | Land O Lakes, FL |
| Student of Jamie Lynn and Kenji Suganuma | ||
| Angela Zhang, piano | 12 | Glen Allen, VA |
| Student of Llona Rectenwald | ||
| Margaret Li, violin | 12 | Middletown, NY |
| Student of Jeong Bo Shim | ||
| Aizi Shi, piano | 14 | Fontana, CA |
| Student of Chun Chen Chan | ||
| Cooper Li, violin | 14 | Sydney, Australia |
| Student of Yong Yang | ||
| Jiayi (Angela) Yao, guzheng | 14 | Sammamish, WA |
| Subin Kim, clarinet | 14 | San Jose, CA |
| Student of Katie Ryu | ||
| Angella Li, guzheng | 15 | Fremont, CA |
| Student of Chiffon Fu | ||
| Claire Xiao, piano | 15 | Lee, NH |
| Student of Silvana Grubb | ||
| Heather Kim, cello | 15 | Yongin-Si, South Korea |
| Student of Han Soo Min and Jimin Lee | ||
| Pui Ki Jinny Lee, violin | 15 | Hong Kong |
| Student of Hyejin Chung | ||
| Shira Braude, violin | 15 | New York, NY |
| Student of Ann Setzer | ||
| Wanda Wu, piano | 15 | Louisville, KY |
| Student of Dr. Anna Petrova and Dr. Matilda Ertz | ||
| Daniel Park, piano | 16 | San Diego, CA |
| Student of Sunyung Cho | ||
| Luke Seo, violin | 16 | Seongnam-Si, South Korea |
| Student of Sang-Hee Lee and Eunbi Kang | ||
| Sebastian Cañete, piano | 16 | Fort Worth, TX |
| Student of Dr. Tanya Karyagina | ||
| Zixuan Cui, piano | 16 | Irvine, CA |
| Student of Bella Tseng | ||
| Cosette Oh, piano | 17 | Irvine, CA |
| Student of Emily Hung | ||
| Doan Nguyen, piano | 17 | Dallas, TX |
| Student of Dr. Hyae-Jin Hwang | ||
| Ellie Chung, cello | 17 | Bellevue, WA |
| Student of Sungmee Lee | ||
| Minseok Moon, alto saxophone | 17 | Pleasanton, CA |
| Student of Philip Halseth | ||
| Olivia Park, flute | 17 | San Jose, CA |
| Student of Yubeen Kim and Jooyoun Shin | ||
| Verena Lo, cello | 17 | Irvine, CA |
| Student of Warren Hagerty | ||
| Renny Hoang, piano | 21 | Richardson, TX |
| Student of Domi Oh | ||
| Xiangyu Zhao, piano | 33 | Merriam, KS |
| Hwaju Lee, piano | 43 | Edmond, OK |
| Student of Dr. Robert Smith | ||
| Violin Duo: | ||
| Laura Lin | 16 | Chandler, AZ |
| Jason Luo | 17 | Chandler, AZ |
| Students of Xiaolin Li and Zhu Qiao | ||
| Piano Duo: | ||
| James Woodward, violin | 29 | San Mateo, CA |
| Yufang Liu, piano | 50 | Menlo Park, CA |
| Second Place Winners | ||
| Aiden Lu, piano | 8 | Jurupa Valley, CA |
| Student of Hanbo Ma | ||
| Eric Xi, piano | 8 | Lexington, MA |
| Student of Yidan Guo | ||
| Faye Wang, piano | 8 | Chandler, AZ |
| Student of Yan Zhang | ||
| Haoting Jin, piano | 8 | East Amherst, NY |
| Student of Dr. Violeta Arakelova | ||
| Katherine Li, piano | 8 | San Jose, CA |
| Student of Lili Cai | ||
| Yanlang Zhang, piano | 8 | Shenzhen, China |
| Student of Inessa Martirosyan | ||
| Anna Miller, piano | 9 | Belmont, MA |
| Student of Yidan Guo | ||
| Annie Ruiying Wang, piano | 9 | Newton Highlands, MA |
| Student of Yidan Guo | ||
| Ella Lin, piano | 9 | Fresh Meadows, NY |
| Student of Bernice Chan | ||
| Jia Li, piano | 9 | Old Westbury, NY |
| Student of Qi Zhang | ||
| Jian Shin, cello | 9 | Seoul, South Korea |
| Annika Holland, piano | 10 | Portland, OR |
| Student of Lydia Andreeva | ||
| Elizabeth Faith Yan Tan, piano | 10 | Singapore |
| Student of Angela Ang | ||
| Emma Milette, piano | 10 | Natick, MA |
| Student of Yoojin Lee | ||
| Emma Yoojin Oh, violin | 10 | Chandler, AZ |
| Student of Ariel Seunghyun Lee | ||
| Justin Ahn, violin | 10 | Glenview, IL |
| Student of Injoo Choi | ||
| Marco Yin, piano | 10 | Mountain View, CA |
| Student of Zhiyu Xu | ||
| Alvin Li, piano | 11 | Flushing, NY |
| Student of Bernice Chan | ||
| Emma Phmah, piano | 11 | Alameda, CA |
| Student of I-Ling Chen | ||
| Ian Davis, piano | 11 | Kennedale, TX |
| Student of Dr. Tanya Karyagina | ||
| Lincoln Paik, cello | 11 | Fullerton, CA |
| Student of Esther Back | ||
| Noah Kim, violin | 11 | Cresskill, NJ |
| Student of Yu Jeong Lee | ||
| Sylvia Fan, piano | 11 | Brecksville, OH |
| Student of Xiao-Ling Anderson | ||
| Alexandra Kusumah, double bass | 12 | Blackburn North, Australia |
| Student of Hamish Gullick | ||
| Anna Byun, clarinet | 12 | Cupertino, CA |
| Student of Katie Ryu | ||
| Elli Nicholas, violin | 12 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Student of I-Hao Lee | ||
| Iris Li, piano | 12 | Darien, CT |
| Isabel Leung, piano | 12 | Mountain View, CA |
| Student of Helena Hao | ||
| Izmira Nurmatova, piano | 12 | Bothell, WA |
| Student of Galyna Galieieva | ||
| Kingsley Ng, piano | 12 | Plano, TX |
| Student of Chun-Syuan Wei | ||
| Natalie Jong, violin | 12 | Chappaqua, NY |
| Student of Anna Rabinova | ||
| Raina Wong, piano | 12 | Union City, CA |
| Student of Faye Fang | ||
| Samuel Hatch, piano | 12 | Cedar Park, TX |
| Student of Julia Hsaio | ||
| Brian Guo, piano | 13 | Fremont, CA |
| Student of Chloe Xu | ||
| Emma Cao, piano | 13 | Fremont, CA |
| Student of Chloe Xu | ||
| Liam Loughrey, piano | 13 | Newtown Square, PA |
| Student of Tatiana Abramova | ||
| Mishal Naqshbandi, piano | 13 | Dover, NH |
| Student of Silvana Sokolov-Grubb | ||
| Sharan Vangala, piano | 13 | Southlake, TX |
| Student of Regina Walter Cartwright | ||
| Steven Li, piano | 13 | Fremont, CA |
| Student of Chloe Xu | ||
| Ushnish Chatterjee, voice | 13 | Santa Clara, CA |
| Babatunde Farai Ogunwo, piano | 14 | Fayetteville, NC |
| Student of Anastasia Bryant | ||
| Celyne Pantangco, violin | 14 | Rocklin, CA |
| Student of Yoichiro Etsuki | ||
| Emma Zheng, piano | 14 | Fremont, CA |
| Student of Chloe Xu | ||
| Ethan Lo, piano | 14 | Mountain View, CA |
| Student of Liang-Yun You | ||
| Jasper Leung, piano | 14 | Mountain View, CA |
| Student of Helena Hao | ||
| Leland Fan, piano | 14 | Brecksville, OH |
| Student of Xiao-Ling Anderson | ||
| Madison Kim, cello | 14 | Phoenix, AZ |
| Student of Prof. Thomas Landschoot | ||
| Nadia Boynton-Jarrett, piano | 14 | Montclair, NJ |
| Student of Delana Thomsen | ||
| Naomi Armentrout, cello | 14 | Oakton, VA |
| Student of Youbin Jun | ||
| Sidhant Khurana, piano | 14 | Fremont, CA |
| Student of Helen Lee | ||
| Sophia Xiong, cello | 14 | Orinda, CA |
| Student of Amy Brodo | ||
| Tsaiyu (Ayane) Chiang, clarinet | 14 | San Jose, CA |
| Student of Juliana Tzeng | ||
| Yuxuan Cheng, piano | 14 | Cupertino, CA |
| Student of Hang Li | ||
| Athena Cheung, violin | 15 | Castro Valley, CA |
| Student of Corina Stoian | ||
| Hanyu Song, piano | 15 | Ashland, OH |
| Student of Shitong Sigler | ||
| Isabel Lin, violin | 15 | Scarsdale, NY |
| Student of Wei Tan | ||
| Isabella Kim, vocal | 15 | San Jose, CA |
| Student of Junyoung Park | ||
| Jonathan Hao Chen, piano | 15 | Hong Koong |
| Student of Michelle Kim | ||
| Julia Wang, piano | 15 | Rochester, MN |
| Student of Horacio Nuguid | ||
| Matthew Heath, piano | 15 | Apex, NC |
| Student of Sangeetha Michael | ||
| Natalie Chung, piano | 15 | San Jose, CA |
| Student of Amy Chen | ||
| Roshni Balajee, piano | 15 | San Ramon, CA |
| Student of Amy Zanrosso | ||
| Ryan Sue, cello | 15 | Dobbs Ferry, NY |
| Student of Thomas Readett | ||
| Taelin Kim, viola | 15 | Cupertino, CA |
| Student of Byung Woo Kim | ||
| Tiffany Hsu, piano | 15 | Dublin, CA |
| Student of Sofia Biktimir | ||
| Austin Yang, marimba | 16 | San Jose, CA |
| Student of Tammy Chen | ||
| Chris Lee, violin | 16 | Fullerton, CA |
| Claire Shao, guzheng | 16 | Saratoga, CA |
| Student of Huiqing Chen | ||
| Daniel Lin, piano | 16 | Morgan Hill, CA |
| Student of Helena Ma | ||
| Hyeon Cho, viola | 16 | Ambler, PA |
| Jaden Song, viola | 16 | Seongnam, South Korea |
| Student of Jinyoung Choi | ||
| Jessica Li, violin | 16 | Ellicott City, MD |
| Student of Nina Li | ||
| Kristina Kirakosyan, piano | 16 | Clarence Center, NY |
| Student of Terry Madill | ||
| Lucas Ke, piano | 16 | Englewood Cliffs, NJ |
| Student of Jongsun Lee | ||
| Seojin Ha, marimba | 16 | Portland, OR |
| Student of Stephen Kehner | ||
| Claire Su, guzheng | 17 | Paramus, NJ |
| Student of Wang Changyuan | ||
| Dongwoo Kim, piano | 17 | San Jose, CA |
| Student of Jeeae Kim | ||
| Emily Sun, piano | 17 | Bellevue, WA |
| Student of Elena Hsie | ||
| Graham Winter, piano | 17 | San Diego, CA |
| Student of Bernard Bayer | ||
| Isis Megan Hsu, violin | 17 | Princeton, NJ |
| Student of Takuya Horiuchi | ||
| Kaitlyn Chung, cello | 17 | Yorba Linda, CA |
| Student of Ashley Kim | ||
| Matteo Zins, piano | 17 | Singapore |
| Student of Ching Huey Lim | ||
| Noah Shankman, piano | 17 | Chicago, IL |
| Student of Weiwen Ma | ||
| Siddharth Banerjee, piano | 17 | Mumbai, India |
| Student of Prof. Blossom Mendonca | ||
| Benjamin Zurita, charango | 18 | Boulder, CO |
| Student of Cesar Requena | ||
| Xinyue Gu, piano | 27 | Lawrence, KS |
| Student of Yiyang Chen and Emile Naoumoff | ||
| Swan Serna, violin | 50 | Mundleville, Canada |
| Piano Duo/Four Hands: | ||
| Maya Tamoyan | 12 | Oradell, NJ |
| Biayna Tamoyan | 14 | Oradell, NJ |
| Students of Marina Belkin | ||
| Piano Duo/Four Hands: | ||
| Curtis Chung | 13 | San Jose, CA |
| Natalie Chung | 15 | San Jose, CA |
| Students of Amy Chen | ||
| Haegeum Trio: | ||
| Amy Seung | 16 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Andrew Oh | 17 | La Crescenta, CA |
| Kenneth Lee | 16 | San Pedro, CA |
| Students of Mija Kim | ||
| Third Place Winners | ||
| Lingxi Zhao, piano | 7 | Allen, TX |
| Student of Chun-Syuan Wei | ||
| Sage Kim, piano | 7 | Savoy, IL |
| Student of Sunghyun Kim | ||
| Zhiyu Wang, violin | 8 | Scarsdale, NY |
| Student of Wei Tan | ||
| Victoria Chang, piano | 9 | Cedar Park, TX |
| Student of Julia Hsiao | ||
| Yetunde Tinashe Ogunwo, piano | 9 | Fayetteville, NC |
| Student of Anastasia Bryant | ||
| Eliza Nikoloski, piano | 10 | Skopje, Macedonia |
| Student of Marija Bogoevska and Milena Stojanovska | ||
| Gordon Yang, piano | 10 | Fremont, CA |
| Student of Cheryl Qin | ||
| Ivy Peng, piano | 10 | Walnut, CA |
| Student of Chun Chen Chan | ||
| Olivia Zhu, piano | 10 | Bellevue, WA |
| Student of Joyce Tang | ||
| Scarlett Li, piano | 10 | Encino, CA |
| Student of Rita Shen | ||
| Tahlia Mari Kinatingal, piano | 10 | Katy, TX |
| Student of Dr Jayoung Hong | ||
| Gloria Tam, piano | 11 | Great Neck, NY |
| Yuqian Liu, piano | 11 | Fremont, CA |
| Student of Bin Chao | ||
| Brayden Huang, piano | 12 | Bothell, WA |
| Student of Lina Jiang | ||
| Emory Zhao, piano | 12 | Old Bethpage, NY |
| Student of Shirley Feng | ||
| John Francis Smith, piano | 12 | Gainesville, FL |
| Student of Dr. Nadia Mezey | ||
| Lisa Dai, piano | 12 | Katy, TX |
| Student of Yan Shen | ||
| Nathan Jang, piano | 12 | Madison, AL |
| Student of Lois K Lee | ||
| Zilong Guo, piano | 12 | San Ramon, CA |
| Student of I-Ling Chen | ||
| Alicia Qin, pipa | 13 | Allen, TX |
| Student of Yuxin Mei | ||
| Carissa Woo, piano | 13 | Florham Park, NJ |
| Student of Jongsun Lee and Jenny Cheung | ||
| Madeline Chang, cello | 13 | Placentia, CA |
| Student of Esther Back | ||
| Roman Hurmak, piano | 13 | Amherst, NY |
| Student of Alexander Bator | ||
| Thien My Phan, voice | 13 | Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam |
| Student of Vu Thi Thu Ha | ||
| Abhiram Donepudi, piano | 14 | Austin, TX |
| Student of Julia Hsiao | ||
| Emma Cai, piano | 14 | Fremont, CA |
| Student of Ling Shi | ||
| Ethan Huang, piano | 14 | Bothell, WA |
| Student of Lina Jiang | ||
| Aarav Baheti, piano | 15 | North Caldwell, NJ |
| Student of Jongsun Lee | ||
| Aaroosh Sinha, piano | 15 | San Jose, CA |
| Student of Ophelia Raboca | ||
| Ananya Rawlani, piano | 15 | Fremont, CA |
| Student of Helen Lee | ||
| Christopher Louk, piano | 15 | Rego Park, NY |
| Student of Frida Nemirovsky | ||
| Claire Lin, viola | 15 | Fremont, CA |
| Student of James Choi | ||
| Daniel Milliea, viola | 15 | Elsipogtog First Nation, Canada |
| Student of Swan Serna | ||
| Marco Gomes, violin | 15 | Ellicott City, MD |
| Student of Nina Li | ||
| Rik Deb, piano | 15 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Student of Ross Mitchell | ||
| Wendy Lai, viola | 15 | Syosset, NY |
| Student of David Gale | ||
| Anne Chen, violin | 16 | San Diego, CA |
| Student of Daria Hodko | ||
| Ashley Ahn, piano | 16 | Fullerton, CA |
| Student of Ahram Shin | ||
| Jiahan Li, violin | 16 | Brookline, MA |
| Student of Hsin-Lin Tsai | ||
| Maya Agge, violin | 16 | New York, NY |
| Student of Min Sun Kim | ||
| Sofia Pavlovic, piano | 16 | Bethesda, MD |
| Student of Natalie Ormsby | ||
| Ashley Chen, piano | 17 | Sunnyvale, CA |
| Student of Amy Huang | ||
| Joyce Kang, haegeum | 17 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Student of Mija Kim | ||
| Honorable Mention | ||
| Cecilia Riesland, violin | 7 | San Diego, CA |
| Student of Daria Hodko | ||
| Addie Bailey, voice | 10 | La Jolla, CA |
| Student of Daria Hodko | ||
| Carly Tse-Sabella, violin | 11 | La Jolla, CA |
| Student of Daria Hodko | ||
| Rebecca Xiong, violin | 12 | Orinda, CA |
| Student of Amy Liu | ||
| Angelina Jia, piano | 14 | Hercules, CA |
| Student of Shuyi Pai | ||
| Joshua Ye-Jun Cho, bassoon | 14 | San Jose, CA |
| Student of Soon Ja Hong | ||
| Caden Ahn, piano | 15 | South Pasadena, CA |
| Student of Han Na Park | ||
| Eamon Sullivan, piano | 16 | Bronxville, NY |
| Student of Kanako Koyama | ||
| Serena Wang, violin | 16 | Great Neck, NY |
| Student of Ziyao Sun | ||
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 travel to NYC for the health safety reasons or due to other restrictions, 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 shipment to the friends or relatives 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.