Meet the Finalists
Young Soloist Competition 2025-2026
Koyuki Blaumer | Senior Division - Cello
Koyuki Blaumer is a sophomore at South Salem High School and has been playing the cello since the age of six. She started learning the cello with Dr. Joseph Harchanko and currently studies with the University of Oregon cello professor, Steven Pologe. Since joining the Salem Youth Symphony (SYS) in 2022, Koyuki had previously won the 2025 SYS Concerto Competition and was featured as a soloist for their 2025 Spring Concert. She was also selected to play as principal cellist for the 2026 OMEA All-State Symphony Orchestra, and principal cellist for the 2025 and 2026 All-City Honors Orchestra. For her freshman year, Koyuki had placed first and second in the Districts and State Solo and Ensemble competition, respectively. Koyuki currently serves as the principal cellist for South Salem High School’s Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Damian Berdakin and John Meyer. Koyuki enjoys volunteering at the Salem Health Hospital as a musician, spending time with her family and friends, and running. As a future profession, Koyuki hopes to pursue a musical career as a professional cellist.
What is your favorite musical memory?
Over the summer of my freshman year I had the opportunity to visit New York City. During my time there I was exposed to numerous aspects of music, especially jazz and classical music. I was truly able to personally see how humans interact with music and create music.
If you were stranded on a deserted island, which composer or piece of music would you bring?
If I were stranded on a deserted island, I would bring pieces by William Grant Still.
Who is your favorite musician?
My favorite musician is Steven Isserlis, for his playing style is exuberant and, thus, each note is filled with care and personality. I thoroughly enjoy listening to his musical interpretations and style.
Where would someone most likely find you on a rainy Sunday afternoon?
I would either be practicing cello or reading.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
The best piece of advice I have ever received was “Carpe Diem”.
Complete the sentence “I wish everyone could…”
I wish everyone would disregard national barriers and unite together to foster a community filled with rejoicing kindness.
Emily Shih | Junior Division - Violin
Emily Shih is a fourth‑grade student at the Montessori School of Beaverton. She began her violin studies at age five with her teacher, Andrea Hawkins. Emily is a member of the Portland Youth String Ensemble—part of the Portland Youth Philharmonic organization—where she currently serves as co‑concertmaster. She also performs in a chamber music group and enjoys collaborating with other young musicians. Emily’s recent accomplishments include participating in the 2025 Oregon ASTA Showcase (Honor Recital) and receiving an Outstanding Award at the 2025 OMTA Concerto Festival. Beyond the violin, Emily is an avid reader who usually has a book she is excited to discuss. She also takes Jazz and Contemporary dance classes and performs in local recitals. In her free time, Emily practices digital painting, creating original artwork inspired by her imagination, and enjoys following professional figure skating competitions. Emily is honored to participate in the Oregon Mozart Players Young Soloist Competition and looks forward to continuing her growth as a musician.
If you could switch places with anyone for a day, who would it be?
Mom
What is your favorite musical memory?
When I went to María Dueñas’ concert in Eisenstadt, Austria and took a picture with her.
Where is the most beautiful place you’ve ever been?
Iceland
What is one cool feature you would like to have in your dream house?
Indoor Olympic size swimming pool
What is your least favorite school subject?
None, I love all of them.
Luna Woo | Senior Division - Violin
Luna Woo, 15, is a sophomore at Oregon Episcopal School in Portland, Oregon. She began studying the violin at age six and currently studies with Hae-Jin Kim. She has been a member of the Portland Youth Philharmonic (PYP) Association since 2021 and now serves as Co-Principal Second Violin of the PYP and performs with PYP Camerata.
In recent seasons, Luna has been recognized in numerous competitions. She was awarded 1st Place in the 2025 OMTA Instrumental Scholarship Competition, earning a $500 scholarship, and received an Outstanding Performance Award in the 2025 Amadeus Competition, including a collaboration performance with orchestra. She was also named Honorable Mention in the 2025 Monday Musical Club Competition, Finalist in the 2025 Beaverton Symphony Young Artist Competition, and in the 2025 Niel DePonte Young Artists Competition. In 2026, she was named a Finalist in both the Travis Hatton Competition and the Oregon Mozart Players Competition.
Luna has been selected for major regional ensembles, including the 2025 OMEA All-State High School Orchestra and the 2025 OMEA All-Northwest High School Orchestra.
Beyond music, Luna is a Co-Founder of ThinkHer Lab, a STEM nonprofit supporting girls in science and engineering. She remains active through tennis and recreational boxing.
What is one cool feature you would like to have in your dream house?
I would like to have a spinning shelf door – it looks like a shelf normally, but then when you open it, you can get access to another secret room!
What’s on your bucket list?
For my life bucket list, I would love to:
- visit Antarctica at some point
- go skydiving
- dive into the mariana trench
- explore China's quartz-sandstone pillars in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park
It sounds impossible, but it would be my favorite experience!
What is your most used emoji?
🥲: it can be used for any occasion. If you’re sad, then you can use this. If you’re happy, you can still use it because it is still smiling. If you’re angry, you can use this to express anger without really getting 😡!
If you could switch places with anyone for a day, who would it be?
People would answer this with celebrity names, but I would probably switch places with one of my friends. This would allow me to better understand their situation and connect with them, rather than trying to understand them from the outside.
Erin Qiu | Junior Division - Violin
Erin Qiu is a 13-year-old violinist and a student of Hae-Jin Kim. She is a member of the Portland Youth Philharmonic. Erin attended the Portland String Ensemble summer camp for three years and performed in the 2025 American String Teachers Association showcase recital. She also participated in the 2025 Oregon Music Teachers Association Ribbon and Romantic Festivals. In 2025, Erin earned honorable mention in both the Music Teachers National Association Student Competition and the Bellevue Concerto Competition. She has also participated in a masterclass with renowned violinist Philippe Quint.
What is your most used emoji?
My most used emoji is probably the crying emoji.
What is your least favorite school subject?
Math, because it stresses me out and makes me mad.
What is one thing we would never guess about you?
I use British spelling for some words!
If you could only eat one dessert for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Chocolate ice cream cake. I would never get sick of it.
What is your spirit animal?
I took a quiz, and my result was the Cat.
What is one thing we would never guess about you?
My personality type is ESTP, and I’m 91% extroverted!
Kaylee Nah | Senior Division - Violin
Kaylee Nah, 16, is a junior at Sunset High School and has studied violin with Hae-Jin Kim since the age of five. She serves as co-concertmaster of the Portland Youth Philharmonic orchestra. Kaylee was selected as concertmaster of NYO2 2025 (National Youth Orchestra), performing at Carnegie Hall and the Edinburgh International Festival. She was also chosen as concertmaster for both the 2024 and 2025 OMEA All-State Symphony Orchestras, and for the World Youth Symphony Orchestra of the Interlochen Arts Camp.
Kaylee was honored as a 2026 YoungArts Award Winner. She is also the two-time OMEA State Solo Contest 1st place Champion for 2024 and 2025 and the winner of the Oregon MTNA Senior Strings Competition. Additional honors include 1st place in the Oregon ASTA Solo Competition, Eugene Symphony Guild Legacy Young Artist Competition, MetroArts Young Artists Debut! Competition, and the Monday Musical Club Award Competition, where she received the $2,000 Phillips Award for Best Instrumental Performance.
As an active soloist, Kaylee has been selected to perform with the Eugene Symphony, Camerata PYP, Amadeus Chamber Orchestra, Jewish Community Orchestra, and Oregon Sinfonietta. She has participated in masterclasses with numerous renowned artists including Ray Chen, Vadim Gluzman, Simone Porter, and Benjamin Beilman.
Kaylee enjoys performing in many smaller chamber ensembles. Her chamber music accomplishments include first place in the 2024 OMEA State Small Ensemble Contest and the 2025 Maude Sardam Collaborative Scholarship Awards Competition. She has also studied piano for 10 years and completed the OMTA syllabus Level 10 with distinction.
If you could only eat one dessert for the rest of your life, what would it be?
It would definitely be cheesecake!
If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
I would love to be able to fly.
What is your favorite musical memory?
When I played Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5.
What is your favorite place to visit?
I love going to Korea to visit relatives, sightsee, and eat good food.
Emma Jang | Junior Division - Cello
Emma Jang is a dedicated young cellist currently attending Roosevelt Middle School in Eugene, Oregon. Music is at the center of her life, and the cello is her greatest passion. Currently she studies with Victoria Wolff and John Marshall.
Emma has earned notable recognition for her musicality, including an Honorable Mention at the 2023 Bellevue Symphony Concerto Competition. In the summer of 2025, she served as Principal Cello in the Advanced Intermediate Division at Interlochen in Michigan.
Her major performance experiences include the Interlochen Intermediate Concerto Finals Recital and a featured solo recital at Rencontres Musicales Internationales des Graves in Bordeaux, France. In addition to solo and orchestral work, Emma values chamber music and the collaborative spirit it fosters. She embraces every opportunity to learn from distinguished teachers and mentors, continually refining her technique and broadening her musical perspective.
Emma continues to pursue advanced musical training with dedication and enthusiasm.
If you could only eat one dessert for the rest of your life, what would it be?
ICE CREAM
What is your spirit animal?
Dragon
If you were stranded on a deserted island, which composer of piece of music would you bring?
Schumann
Where would someone most likely find you on a rainy Sunday afternoon?
I would be sitting down and listening to music
Alexander Zhu | Senior Division - Violin
Alexander Zhu, 14, is an eighth-grade student at Catlin Gabel School and has been studying violin for eight years, currently under the guidance of Carol Sindell. He was second place winner in the 2024 MTNA Junior Strings Performance Competition in Oregon. Alex also won the 2025 Willamette Falls Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Competition and performed as a soloist with the orchestra. Recently, he was awarded second prize in the 2025 Oregon Mozart Players Young Soloist Competition and was also an alternate of the 2026 Travis Hatton Young Artist Competition of the Beaverton Symphony Orchestra.
Alex is a passionate member of the Portland Youth Philharmonic (PYP) and Camerata PYP, where he enjoys exploring a wide range of classical and contemporary works. Inspired by the transformative power of music to connect people, he aspires to grow as a musician who conveys expression, imagination, and joy through his performances.
If you could only eat one dessert for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Matcha ice cream.
Where would someone most likely find you on a rainy Sunday afternoon?
Watching an NBA game.
What’s on your bucket list?
Get an NBA player’s signature, preferably Deni Avdija.
What is one cool feature you would like to have in your dream house?
A secret room in a house that no one would know about.
Hyun Lee | Junior Division - Cello
Hyun Lee, age 13, an eighth grader at Lakeridge middle school. He began playing cello at the age of 5 and currently studies with Hyun-jin Kim.
Hyun made his solo debut with Jewish Community Orchestra at age 11 and had the opportunity to perform with Amadeus Chamber Orchestra by winning the Amadeus Chamber Orchestra Youth competition and Jewish Community Orchestra Young Artist Competition.
Hyun recently won the first place in MTNA Oregon and was placed as the alternate winner of MTNA Northwest division. He participated in the summer program of the Philadelphia International Music Festival and has performed in masterclass with Priscilla Lee. Hyun has masterclass with Andrea Yun 2026 during ASTA National Conference scheduled in February.
In 2024, Hyun won 1st place in the ASTA competition. Also, he was the winner of the American protégé, the Best Haydn performance, the Euro elite international music competition, the Grand metropolitan international music competition, the Enkor International Music Competition, the Bellagrande International Music Competition, and the Philadelphia International Music Festival Concerto Competition.
In 2022, Hyun was the winner of the OPUS music competition, the Metropolitan International music competition, the New York International music competition, the Trinity International music competition, and was awarded to play in ASTA Honors Recital. Hyun is the assistant principal cello of the Portland Youth Philharmonic and Camerata, played in PYCO, and served as the principal cello in PYSE. Hyun has chamber orchestra experiences in PYSE, PYCO, and currently in Camerata, and also during the summer program of the Philadelphia International music festival and with Amadeus Chamber Orchestra.
Outside of music, Hyun loves playing tennis.
If you could only eat one dessert for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Vanilla ice cream from Higgins. They have a way of making ice cream so special.
If you were stranded on a deserted island, which composer or piece of music would you bring?
The piece of music I would bring if I was stranded on a deserted island would be Rachmaninoff's 2nd Symphony.
Who is your favorite musician?
Mstislav Rostropovich
Where would someone most likely find you on a rainy Sunday afternoon?
In bed watching a movie.
Andy Shin | Senior Division - Cello
Andy Shin is a junior at the Beaverton Academy of Science and Engineering. His journey with the cello began at age nine under the tutelage of Maria Shim. Andy has become a leading presence in the regional and national youth music community. He has served as Co-Principal Cellist of both the Portland Youth Philharmonic (PYP) and Camerata PYP, and was selected for the 2025 National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute (NSOSMI) at the Kennedy Center, where he served as Principal Cellist, as well as the 2024 Bowdoin International Music Festival.
Andy’s career as a soloist is marked by numerous significant achievements. He made his orchestral debut at age thirteen as a winner of the MetroArts Young Artist Debut! Competition, and at age fifteen, performed Elgar’s Cello Concerto in its entirety with the PYP as the winner of the 2024–25 PYP Concerto Competition. In 2024, he was named Oregon’s Cello State Champion, winning the OMEA State Solo Contest.
Nationally, he earned second place in the 2025 NSOSMI Concerto Competition. He was a semi-finalist in the 2025–26 International Young Artist Concerto Competition in Chicago, and has appeared as a concerto soloist with the Oregon Symphony, Eugene Symphony, the SEEN Worldwide Orchestra, the Willamette Falls Symphony Orchestra, and the Jewish Community Orchestra, and will perform with the Beaverton Symphony Orchestra following top placements in multiple young artist competitions.
Andy is dedicated to sharing classical music with diverse audiences, continuing to grow as an artist through performance and collaboration, while engaging with the community through the Back to Bach Project, Music4Harmony, and Project Prelude.
What’s on your bucket list? → I would love to go backpacking in Europe!
Who is your favorite musician? → Sol Gabetta
What is your favorite musical memory? → Getting to play at the Kennedy Center was a really cool experience!
What is your spirit animal? → Turtles
What is your favorite place to visit? → My favorite place to visit is New York City!
Abigail Lee | Senior Division - Violin
Abigail Lee, age 17, is a junior at Westview High School in Portland, Oregon. She began playing violin at seven and currently studies with Hae-Jin Kim. As an active soloist, she has won competitions including the JCO Young Artist Competition, Eugene Symphony Guild Young Artist Competition, American Protégé: International Piano and Strings Competition, Grand Metropolitan International Music Competition, OMTA Jeannette Scott Briggs Scholarship Award Competition, OMTA Trula Whelan Concerto Festival, and OMTA Orchestral Instrumental Scholarship Award Competition.
Alongside her solo studies, Abigail has been part of the Portland Youth Philharmonic for 7 years and is a first violinist of the Philharmonic Orchestra and PYP Camerata Chamber Orchestra. She was honored to play at the 2024 and 2026 OMEA All-State Orchestras as Assistant Concertmaster and Concertmaster, the 2025 OMEA All-State HS Honors Orchestra, and the 2025 NAfME All-NW HS Honors Orchestra. She was selected for the CMNW Chamber Masterclass series led by Alexi Kenny and the Brentano String Quartet.
In past summers, she attended the 2024 Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI), the 2025 Summer Violin Institute at Northwestern’s Bienen School of Music and played masterclasses with esteemed faculty Blair Milton and more, and the 2025 OrpheusPDX Pathways Program, where she played as assistant concertmaster with professional musicians. Through her passion for music, she is involved in non-profit community music education organizations: Project Prelude and Music4Harmony. She resides as the Regional Director of Project Prelude and the Director of Public Relations with Music4Harmony. Abigail loves spending time with her family and her dog.
What famous person would you most like to have dinner with?
I would like to have dinner with Meryl Streep. I feel like she would impart a lot of wisdom and provide me with many lessons to live out my life in the best way possible.
What is the strangest habit you have?
Before I go onstage, I tell myself that the audience are all rocks so that my nerves settle.
What is your favorite family tradition?
Every year around Christmas, we blast Justin Bieber Christmas songs and set up our house and tree together.
If you could only eat one dessert for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Mango sticky rice.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
Practice makes progress.