Born in Japan, Rin Hiruma began piano at age two and flute at age six. She has won multiple competitions, including 2nd place at the 72nd All-Japan Student Music Competition and 3rd at the Osaka International Music Competition. In 2018, she placed 2nd in the junior high school flute category at the 72nd All-Japan Student Music Competition. She also received the Audience Award at the same time. She placed 2nd in the junior high school category at the 28th Japan Classical Music Competition (highest ranking).

Rin has performed with the Yokohama Symphony Orchestra and has appeared at numerous prestigious concerts. In 2024, she placed 2nd in the California Conservatory Series Competition. She also won the CSUN concerto competition in 2025, and she performed as a soloist at Plaza del Sol. She moved to the U.S. to expand her worldview and study music abroad. Rin is inspired by mentors who encouraged her to stay true to musical expression, and their words became the flame that supported the foundation of her strong beliefs. She has previously studied with Yoko Watanabe, Seiya Ueno, Chiyo Nohara, and Yuki Koyama. She is currently a third-year student at CSUN, majoring in flute under the guidance of Larry Kaplan.

Sylvie Kim, 16, is a sophomore at the Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA), where she studies violin. She is currently a student of Joan Kwuon at the Colburn Community School of Performing Arts. She has performed as a soloist with the Greater San Diego Chamber Orchestra and the Los Angeles Youth Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra. She will perform with the Collective Orchestra of Orange County in September 2026.

A dedicated chamber musician, she is an Honors member of the Ed and Mari Edelman Chamber Music Institute at Colburn (2024–2026) and has participated in Junior Chamber Music (2019–2025) as an honored group. She has attended prestigious summer programs including Colburn Sounding Point, Midori & Friends, String Insiders Solo Intensive, Montecito Music Festival, AMICI Music Festival, and PIMF, and will join Encore Chamber Music Festival (OH) and Borromeo Music Festival (Switzerland) in summer 2026.

She has held numerous leadership roles in orchestras, including concertmasters of the All-State High School Honors Symphony Orchestra (CODA, 2026), the OCSA Chamber Orchestra, Pacific Symphony Santiago Strings, and the Los Angeles Youth Philharmonic Orchestra. She has also served as assistant concertmaster of the California All-State Junior High Orchestra (CASMEC) and principal second violin of the California All-State High School Symphony Orchestra (CASMEC, 2026).

In her free time, she enjoys tennis, music, spending time with her cat, and volunteering, reflecting her belief in using music and service to positively impact her community.

Eunice Lee is a violinist currently pursuing her studies at the Colburn Conservatory of Music under the mentorship of renowned pedagogue Robert Lipsett. A passionate performer and emerging artist, she has earned top honors in numerous competitions, including first prizes at the Young Stars of the Future Competition, the Classics Alive National Auditions, and the Bellflower Symphony Concerto Competition.

Recently Eunice has appeared as soloist with orchestras such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Colburn Orchestras, performing in Walt Disney Concert Hall, as well as the Topanga Symphony, San Fernando Valley Symphony, and the Eisner Intergenerational Orchestra, among others. She is a recipient of the prestigious Colburn Foundation Scholarship in Violin and has been awarded multiple fellowships from the Dorothy Richard Starling Foundation in recognition of her artistic promise. Dedicated to chamber music, Eunice has recently collaborated with some of the field’s most celebrated musicians, including Augustin Hadelich, Inon Barnatan, Gil Shaham, Pekka Kuusisto, and Robert McDuffie. “[Eunice’s] playing is marked by both technical brilliance and expressive depth” (Aspen Times), establishing her as a dynamic presence in today’s classical music landscape. Eunice plays on an Annibale Fagnola, on a generous loan from an anonymous donor.

Nathan Nguyen is a violinist currently pursuing graduate studies at the University of Southern California, Thornton School of Music under full scholarship. He studies under the tutelage of Lina Bahn and Moni Simeonov, and has participated in several summer music festivals including the National Repertory Orchestra, National Orchestral Institute + Festival, Lake George Music Festival, and Festival Napa Valley.

Nathan currently plays with orchestras such as the San Gabriel Valley Symphony, Las Vegas Philharmonic, and at USC performs in the USC Thornton Symphony and Baroque Sinfonia. He was also selected to be a featured violinist in this year’s USC Polish Music Center 2025 Fall Concert.

Nathan had recently completed his B.M. in violin performance at California State University of Long Beach Magna Cum Laude. He was also awarded fellowships as 1st violin in the American Youth Symphony and California Young Artists’ Symphony. Nathan is also a recipient of the Colburn Foundation Scholarship and the Jameisson-Pechstein College of the Arts Endowed Scholarship.

Ariana O’Connell is a dynamic violinist earning her master’s degree at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, studying with Glenn Dicterow. She earned second place in the 2019 Chicago Violin Competition and first prize in the 2019 Midwest Conservatory Concerto Competition. Ariana was the Associate Concertmaster of the California Young Artists Symphony from 2022-2024 and now holds the Colburn Foundation Concertmaster Chair.

She received the 2023 Kathleen and Jerry Eberhardt Scholarship while attending Music Academy as a Violin Fellow. She has also recorded solos for the Gershwin Classical Kids Live CD, and performed with Laufey, the Blue Man Group, RZA, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and more. She is currently a member of the Santa Barbara Symphony and has also performed with the Chicago Sinfonietta, San Diego Symphony, National Arts Centre Orchestra, and Dream Orchestra. In addition to a rigorous orchestral and pop music career, Ariana also enjoys performing chamber music. She appears frequently in chamber series and competitions across the country with her quartet and piano trio. Ariana plays on a scholarship violin graciously provided by the Galvin Foundation.

Sohee Park is a flutist based in Seoul and is currently a senior at UCLA. After graduating from Seoul Arts High School, she has continued to develop her artistry through diverse performance experiences.

She has gained extensive ensemble experience, performing with the UCLA Philharmonia, Seoul Arts High School Orchestra and the California Orchestra Academy under the direction of Danko Drusko. In July 2025, she further expanded her repertoire through opera performances at the Vienna Summer Music Festival.

Sohee’s achievements include a prize in the 2024–25 UCLA All-Star Competition, as well as first prizes at the Eumyoun Concours, M Music Concours, Classical Music Magazine Competition, and Han Yae Concours. She has also performed at the UCLA All-Star Concert, the Seoul Arts High School Young Artist Concert, the Young Musicians Festival, and the Yaejin Young Artist Concert.

Los Angeles-based musician Thacher Schreiber’s interests lie in maintaining a diverse musical repertory, from chamber and solo performances to orchestral playing to contemporary composition.

Thacher has performed in many of the United States’ great concert spaces, including Walt Disney Concert Hall, Alice Tully Hall at the Lincoln Center, and Carnegie Hall. In Southern California, he holds positions in the California Young Artists Symphony and Civic Orchestra-Los Angeles. An avid chamber musician, Thacher is also a founding member of Los Angeles-based reed quintet Fivemind Reeds, alongside saxophonist Alexander Lee, bassoonist Matthew Rasmussen, and clarinetists Kristine Llanderal and Darren Liou. Additionally, Thacher is a passionate soloist, and has given more than half a dozen solo recitals, and appeared as a soloist with the Palisades Symphony and CSUN Symphony.

Thacher has degrees in performance from UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music and the New School’s Mannes School of Music, where he studied with Dr. Jonathan Davis and professor Ryan Roberts, respectively. Beyond his studies with Davis and Roberts, Thacher has worked with many of the world’s great oboists and educators, including Nicholas Daniel, Cynthia Koledo DeAlmeida, Elaine Douvas, Juliana Koch, Marion Kuszyk, Toyin Spellman-Diaz, and Sherry Sylar.

In addition to his work in performance, Thacher is also an avid composer, and is currently a member of the composition studio at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, where he studies with Richard Danielpour, Peter Golub, Ian Krouse, David Lefkowitz, and Kay Rhie.

Damian Eloy Silvera, 18, born in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, is a Spanish- and Jamaican- American undergraduate clarinet performance major at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, where he studies with Boris Allakhverdyan. An active orchestral, chamber, and solo musician in Southern California, Damian performs regularly with the UCLA Symphony and UCLA Wind Ensemble and is deeply engaged in both ensemble and solo performance.

Damian has received significant recognition in regional and national competitions. He is a First Prize winner of the Virtuoso Category of the Southern California Philharmonic Orchestra Young Artists Solo Competition and a Second Prize winner of the 38th Annual Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts Instrumental Competition (Woodwinds). He has also been recognized through multiple concerto and solo competitions, including the Kadima Conservatory Philharmonic Orchestra Concerto Competition, where he performed movements from the Krommer Clarinet Concerto and Mozart Clarinet Concerto. In addition, he is a UCLA All-Star Solo Competition winner.

As an orchestral musician, Damian has served as principal clarinet of the Kadima Conservatory Philharmonic Orchestra and the Kadima Senior Philharmonic, demonstrating leadership and artistic responsibility within large ensembles. He was selected as a California All-State (CASMEC) Wind Symphony clarinetist and performed at the California Music Educators Association Conference, one of the state’s most prestigious honors for high school musicians.

In addition to his classical training, Damian has experience performing in a wide range of musical settings and values music as a means of connection and outreach. He is committed to musical growth, collaboration, and disciplined preparation, qualities that continue to shape his development as a young artist.

Outside of music, Damian enjoys cooking, cycling, swimming, practicing jiu-jitsu, and traveling.

Violinist and composer Ezra Shcolnik is pursuing his master’s degree at Juilliard with Catherine Cho. He received his bachelor’s degree from Colburn with Robert Lipsett. Ezra has appeared as a soloist with the Colburn Orchestra, New Mexico Philharmonic, Pasadena Community Orchestra, Peninsula Symphony, and San Fernando Valley Symphony. He has served as concertmaster of the California Young Artists Symphony and in principal positions with the Colburn and Juilliard Orchestras.

A passionate teacher, Ezra is currently a violin mentor in the Juilliard Pre-College String Orchestra, and he works with students at the Celia Cruz High School of Music through the Morse Teaching Fellowship. Ezra’s music has been performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Colburn Academy Virtuosi, and he performed his own piece with the Performance Santa Fe Orchestra. Summers have found Ezra at the Aspen Music Festival and the Perlman Music Program.

Ethan Zhou, 17, is a junior at Del Norte High School and has studied violin for over ten years. He currently studies under Michael Tseitlin. He has won top prizes in competitions such as the La Jolla Emerging Artists Competition, the MTAC San Diego Concerto Competition, and the San Diego Youth Symphony Concerto Competition. Ethan has performed with NYO2, Interlochen Center for the Arts, the Montecito International Music Festival, and the Disney Concert Hall Summer Concerts (online program during the COVID-19 period). He currently serves as associate concertmaster of the San Diego Youth Symphony Symphony Orchestra.