This year, one hundred and twenty students participated in three concerto competitions for piano, string, and woodwind students sponsored by Northern Virginia Music Teachers Association (NVMTA).

Students chosen to perform with the Amadeus Orchestra this year include:

  • Ethan Chen (Piano, student of Patricia Huff-Palumbo),
  • Brandon Kim (Cello, student of Miron Yampolsky),
  • James Post (Violin, student of Chris Sanchez),
  • Angela Shen (Clarinet, student of Albert Hunt),
  • Kevin Shen (Piano, student of Silva Blazquez), and
  • Daniel Yeum (Oboe, student of Trevor Mowry).

Congratulations to these students, their teachers, and their families! Thank you to Artistic Director Scott Wood and the Amadeus Orchestra and NVMTA for making this wonderful experience possible. Bios of each of the students can be found below.

These students will perform on Sunday, May 14, 2022, 4 p.m.,at Saint Luke Catholic Church in McLean (7001 Georgetown Pike, McLean, VA 22101).  Tickets can be purchased from the Amadeus Orchestra website. The program will feature concertos by Mendelssohn, Beethoven, J.C. Bach, de Beriot, Mozart, and Rossini.

Donations are gratefully accepted to make this a continuing event for these talented students and can be made at nvmta.org. Please indicate that it is for opportunities with the Amadeus Orchestra.

Ethan Chen

Ethan Chen is a 7th grader in Longfellow Middle School. He started to play piano when he was five and has been studying piano with Mrs. Patricia Huff-Palumbo for 5 years since he moved back from California. Ethan has participated in multiple competitions/festivals and won several awards including Robert Spencer Piano Concerto, Richmond Symphony League ConcertoCompetition, NVMTA Sonata Festival, NVMTA Achievement Awards and MSMTA/NVMTA Piano Ensemble,etc. Other than playing piano, he also plays Cello in the school chamber orchestra and he is a member of AYPO String Ensemble. In his spare time, Ethan enjoys outdoor activities in fishing and kayaking.

 

Brandon Kim

Brandon Kim, age 14, is an 8th grader at Rachel Carson Middle School. He started his musical journey with Suzuki piano and was introduced to Cello at age 6. Brandon loves to play with his school Symphonic Orchestra as the principal cellist. He has won first place prizes in the Northern Virginia Music Teachers Association Concerto Competition, NVMTA Achievement Awards, Metropolitan Music Festival, and the Elite International Music Competition. Brandon also performs regularly with his piano trio, Fereol, and they have won prizes in the MSMTA Strings Plus Festival, MSMTA Chamber Music Festival, and the American Virtuoso International Music Competition. Brandon was invited to perform at the Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall as a soloist and as part of his Fereol trio. Outside of music, Brandon enjoys playing basketball and competing in debate tournaments.

 

James Post

James Post (11) asked for a violin when he was 3 and has played ever since. He began playing piano at 8, and also enjoys musical composition. He attends Sidwell Friends School, and plays in its jazz ensemble. Among his achievements, he won the New Talent Award in the Washington Performing Arts Feder Strings Competition, first place in the Northern Virginia Music Teachers Association (NVMTA) Strings Concerto Competition, second place in the NVMTA Strings Achievement Awards, first place in the Kings Peak International Music Competition, and honorable mention in the Misbin Chamber Music Competition. James is a member of the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestra’s String Ensemble, and serves as a section leader and soloist. He attended the Heifetz International Music Institute, and has performed at the National Cathedral. His teachers have included David Strom and Chris Sanchez. He enjoys playing tennis and learning Tae Kwon Do.

 

Angela Shen


At the age of twelve, clarinetist Angela Shen was privileged to make her Carnegie Hall debut as a soloist in 2019. Currently in eleventh grade at Montgomery Blair High School, Angela received first place in numerous competitions, including the national Music Teachers National Association Junior Performance Competition, the international Wurlitzer Jugend Online KlarinettenSpiel, the Londontowne Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Competition, the Grand Prize of the Young Musicians Inspiring Change Competition, the Asian American Music Society Competition, as well as the Northern Virginia Music Teachers Association Concerto Competition and the Woodwind Achievement Awards. Angela, a student of Dr. Albert Hunt, has been an active member of the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras since the sixth grade. She is also a proficient golfer and enjoys papercraft.

 

Kevin Shen

Kevin Shen is a sixth-grade student at Floris Elementary School in Fairfax County. He has been studying piano with Ms. Silva Blazquez for seven years. Kevin has been the winner at a number of piano competitions including the NVMTA Robert Spencer Concerto Competition, NVMTA Piano Achievement Awards Competition, VMTA Northern District Auctions, WMTA Hartman Awards and MSMTA Miriam Shields Gottlieb Memorial Piano Competition. He recently won second place in the VMTA State Audition in Lynchburg, Virginia. Kevin is passionate about music and likes to share his music with others. He joined the Tacy foundation in 2018 and has been playing regularly in senior living homes since then. He has performed at the National Institutes of Health Atrium, the George Mason University Center for Performing Arts and for his school Chorus as well. Outside of music, Kevin enjoys solving math puzzles, reading, traveling, playing tennis, and basketball.

 

Daniel Yeum

Oboist Daniel Yeum is a sophomore at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and is currently studying with Trevor Mowry. Daniel began his musical journey at the age of six with piano lessons and has been playing the oboe for five years. Daniel has won numerous music competitions, including the Northern Virginia Music Teachers Association Woodwind Achievement Awards and the Young Musicians Inspiring Change Metropolitan Music Festival. He was also the first alternate for the Music Teachers National Association. Additionally, Daniel has been a rotating principal of the American Youth Philharmonic for three years and was first chair in the All-Virginia Symphonic Band as a freshman. Since 2019, he has served as the Arirang Chamber Orchestra’s principal oboist, volunteering and performing at the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Washington, D.C. Other than his musical activities, Daniel spends his spare time studying human anatomy, especially cardiology and neurology.