Concerto Competition

Each spring CYSO holds a concerto competition among current active members of the orchestra. Winners are chosen to be featured soloists the following season with the adult Claremont Symphony Orchestra. The 2019 Concerto Competition was held on Saturday, April 27, 2019 at Lyman Hall, Pomona College. This year's winners are pianist Michael Chu and oboist Helen Skilbred. Michael and Helen will perform their winning pieces with CSO on January 25, 2020.

Michael Chu, piano

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Michael Chu is a sophomore at Ruben Ayala High School in Chino Hills. He started learning the piano when he was six years old and has been studying piano with Irene Yong for eight years. He has won numerous awards on the instrument, including recognition at the 20th/21st Centuries Music Festival, Romantic Music Festival, Southwestern Youth Music Festival, and Musical Arts Competition of Orange County. Michael won 1st Place and was named one of three Grand Prize Winners at the 2018 Satori International Music Festival. He also won 2nd place in his age group at the 2019 International Piano and Strings Competition division of the American Protégé Music Competition and will perform at Carnegie Hall in May 2019. Michael is also a violinist, having studied with Sam Way for the past five years. He is in his fourth year as a member of the CYSO 1st violin section and is a member of his high school tennis team. Michael will perform the first movement of Dmitri Kabalevsky's Piano Concerto No. 3, Op. 50, also known as the "Youth" Concerto.

Helen Skilbred, oboe

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Helen Skilbred is a senior at Upland High School and has been playing the oboe for five years. She took private lessons from Robin Capalbo for four years and currently studies with Mingjia Liu at the Colburn Music Academy. Helen has attended summer programs at Interlochen Arts and Idyllwild Arts, and she will be attending music festivals at Tanglewood and Carnegie Hall in summer 2019. She was the first-prize winner in the Winds division of the 2017 John Child Walker Music Competition and first-prize winner at the 2017 Lansum International Woodwinds Competition. Helen is in her fifth year with CYSO, her third year as principal oboe. She will perform Ralph Vaughan Williams's Concerto in A minor for Oboe and Strings, 1st movement. 

Past Concerto Competition Winners

2018
Alexis Cai, piano
Charlotte Tu, flute

2017
Jonathan Recomanta, clarinet

2016
Elisar Elgaouny, cello
Chloe Harsojo, piano
​Allen Lin, clarinet

2015
Anselm Knecht, cello
Jo Ann Sun, violin

2014
JJ Alvarez, trumpet
Talia Knecht, violin
Kyra Madunich, flute

2013
Gaeun Moon, violin
ShihZan Yao, cello

2012
Evangeline Tsai, cello
Shih-Jing Yao, violin

2011
Jahnavi Curlin, flute
Alicia Lee, violin