Tercera edición anual
Concierto benéfico

Ewen Tsai began her music studies at an early age  learning piano and  cello in Taiwan.  She holds double master degrees in  both Music Performance and Education from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA and earned her bachelor’s degree in Music from Washington State University with President’s Honor Roll.  Ewen has over 20 years teaching experience, has been on both string and music education faculty at various institutions, and won awards for her research on the Integrated Music Curriculum. Ewen’s arrangements have been performed worldwide, including 100 Cello Concert in Taiwan (2020) and Cello Paradiso in the 49th Istanbul Music Festival (2021). Ewen’s students have won top honors in many competitions, evaluations and orchestra auditions.   Ewen enjoys performing all genres of music and cooperating with various arts forms including dance and exhibitions. To further enhance her musical career, Ewen actively participated in masterclasses and workshops, including Mischa Maisky (cello), Jennifer Culp (cello), Forrest Kinney (composition), Pablo Ziegler (composition). From 2012-2019, Ewen represented North California to perform in the annual MTAC convention. In 2016-2020, Ewen was elected two terms Music Teachers’ Association of California Branch President,  hosted and coordinated concerts, competitions, student recitals, masterclasses and lectures.   (The Music Teachers’ Association of California®, incorporated in 1897, is a professional organization dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in music education. With over 6,000 teachers, Certificate of Merit® (CM) is the most participated music evaluation program in the United States.)

Ryan Wang, 16, is currently a Sophomore at Leigh High School in San Jose, California. He began playing the flute at the age of 7 with Ms. Li-Ling Chen. Since then, Ryan has participated in and won many international music competitions, including 1st Prize winner of the San Francisco International Innovative Music Competition, 1st Prize winner of the 19th Century Music Competition, 1st Prize winner of the Beethoven Young Musician Competition, 2nd Prize winner of the Caneres International Music Competition, 1st Prize winner of the Medici International Music Competition, 1st Prize winner of the 6th Glory International competition, 2nd prize winner of the Maurice Ravel Competition, and many more. He played first chair in the California Youth Orchestra Wind Symphony at age 12, co-principal chair in the California Youth Symphony Associate Orchestra at ages 13 and 14, and currently is the 2nd chair principal in the California Youth Symphony Senior Orchestra.

Li-Ling Chen ingresó en el Conservatorio de Música de Viena en 1997, especializándose en interpretación y pedagogía de la flauta. Obtuvo el Certificado Nacional de Enseñanza de la Flauta en 2001 y el Diploma de Excelencia en Interpretación de la Flauta en 2004. Ha ofrecido numerosos conciertos en Europa y Asia. Además de su actividad concertística, se dedica a la enseñanza de la flauta, habiendo guiado a muchos estudiantes durante más de 20 años. Algunos de sus alumnos han ganado prestigiosos concursos musicales nacionales e internacionales. Su pasión por la enseñanza de la flauta sigue inspirando a la próxima generación de flautistas.

Fonny Chandra started playing piano at the age of four. She gave her first performance at that age in a children’s television program. By the age of 9, she had appeared in many concerts and television programs. In the same year, she joined Yamaha Junior Original Concert (JOC), an organization that teaches music composition to talented young musicians. She composed several pieces while studying in JOC. She made several appearances throughout Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia. In 2004, she won Notre Dame de Namur Concerto Competition and performed Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Redwood Symphony. In summer 2006, Ms. Chandra was invited, and attended Bosendörfer Piano Academy in Vienna. Ms. Chandra has over 17 years of teaching experience in piano lessons. Some of her students have been accepted in music conservatories in China. In 2002, she gave a piano workshop to piano teachers in Surabaya, Indonesia, and became one of the co-founders of Quatro Music Education School there. In 2007, with her teacher Ms. Anna Poklewski, and her colleague Ms. Bianca Roesli, she founded the Anna Poklewski Academy of Music. https://www.annapoklewskiacademyofmusic.com/piano-instructors

Celicia Thendean, age 17, began her piano studies at the age of 3 under the guidance of her mother and Prof. Anna Poklewski. She later advanced her training with the renowned Ilana Vered. Celicia had the honor of performing as a soloist with several prestigious orchestras, including the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, the Brunensis Virtuosi Orchestra, Livermore-Amador Symphony, Palo Alto Philharmonic, and SEEN Orchestra. Her exceptional talent has earned her top prizes in a variety of distinguished piano competitions, such as the Piano Texas International Festival Concerto Competition, the Arthur Fraser International Piano Competition, the Claudette Sorel Piano Competition, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition, and the Philadelphia International Music Festival. Additionally, in 2024 she was awarded a scholarship from the Chopin Foundation. Her musical development has been further enriched through participation in renowned summer programs, including the Juilliard Summer Program, Piano Texas International Festival, Music Fest Perugia, Southeastern Piano Festival, Vivace Music Festival, Philadelphia International Music Festival, and the Edward Auer Summer Workshop. Celicia’s excellence at the Vivace Music Festival earned her the prestigious Vivace Award in 2020, leading to an invitation to perform in Wilmington, North Carolina alongside distinguished professors Marina Lomazov, Joseph Rackers, and Ara Gregorian. Beyond her professional achievements, Celicia is committed to using music as a force for good. She has performed benefit concerts supporting Alan Hu Foundation and Amador High School music programs, reflecting her dedication to community engagement. In addition to her piano accomplishments, Celicia is a versatile musician, excelling in a variety of instruments such as the cello, oboe, English horn, and clarinet. She was also honored with the Ed Wolfe Scholarship in recognition of her outstanding performance in the All-State Middle School Big Band.

Mai Weber is a passionate musician with 18 years of experience playing both piano and cello. In high school she founded a music club called Bay Area Music Society, and gathered fellow musicians from her string orchestra and other music studios to perform at a number of recitals and volunteer performances at local retirement communities. After moving away for college, she continued to return during holiday breaks to rehearse and perform alongside her younger sister Lynn, who has been carrying on club activities. A graduate of UC Riverside with a B.S. in Biology, Mai is set to begin optometry school this coming fall. This concert marks her first performance as a piano soloist in years, and she is excited to share this moment before embarking on the next chapter of her academic journey.

Nacida en Taoyuan, Taiwán, Yi-Hsuan Lee comenzó a tocar el piano a los seis años. Se licenció en Bellas Artes por la Universidad Nacional Normal de Taiwán, donde tuvo como profesoras a Lina Yeh y Su-Yin Hsaio. Ha ganado numerosos premios en Norteamérica y Asia, incluyendo el segundo gran premio del Concurso Internacional de Música de Vancouver, el premio a la interpretación más destacada del Concurso Internacional de Música de Charleston y el Concurso de Conciertos de la Universidad Nacional Normal de Taiwán. Ha ofrecido conciertos con la Orquesta Sinfónica de Ann Arbor, la Orquesta de la Universidad Nacional Normal de Taiwán en Taipéi y la Orquesta del Festival de Piano de Perugia en el Salón de los Notarios de Perugia, Italia. Posee una doble maestría en Interpretación de Piano y Música de Cámara para Piano por la Universidad de Michigan, y obtuvo su Doctorado en Artes Musicales (D.M.A.) en Interpretación de Piano en 2022, bajo la tutela de Arthur Greene. En 2022, Yi-Hsuan se mudó al Área de la Bahía de San Francisco, donde se ha dedicado con pasión a la enseñanza del piano, guiando a sus alumnos hacia el éxito en diversos concursos y exámenes. Sitio web: https://www.yihsuanlee.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@yihsuan1230

Mark taught orchestra, band, jazz, and choir for 35 years at Amador Valley High School, San Mateo High School, and Pleasanton Middle School. In the last decade, the Amador Valley High orchestras have performed at the California Music Educators State Conference 4 times. Mr. Aubel has been named “Teacher of the Year” twice in his career, including locally for the Pleasanton Unified School District. He has performed with Jamey Aebersol, Lou Rawles, Clay Aiken, and many others. He is currently active throughout the state as a guest conductor, adjudicator, professional musician, published composer, and mentor for new music teachers.