Jimmy Huang, age 13, is a 7th-grade student at Lakeside Middle School. Since age 4, he has studied piano with Dr. Yelena Balabanova at the International Conservatory. Jimmy has won numerous local concerto competitions as well as international competitions, including the Charleston International Baroque Festival, Northern Lights International Festival in Sweden, and WPTA International Competition in Singapore and Finland. Jimmy has also performed with the Mukilteo Orchestra, Cascade Symphony, Bellevue Chamber Orchestra, and Philharmonia Northwest.
In the summer 2022, Jimmy attended the Seattle Piano Institute and was selected for the Seattle Chamber Music Academy, performing at Benaroya Hall. Jimmy was also accepted to the Oberlin Summer Piano Festival, and placed 4th at the Oberlin Piano competition as the youngest participant. He was named one of 5 National Finalists in the Steinway Competition in 2022 and has been a WA State Honors recitalist 3 times. Last November, he won the runner-up at the WA MTNA Competition. Jimmy is one of the youngest students to complete ARCT Exams of the Royal Conservatory of Music of Canada with First Class Honors with Distinction. Jimmy has also participated in fundraising concerts for the Human Rights and war victims in Ukraine. In his free time, he enjoys math, playing tennis, skiing, and traveling.
Abigail Gao, age 10, has been studying cello with Dr. Leslie Marckx since she was seven. She also works closely with her piano collaborator, Dr. Li-Tan Hsu, who supports her preparation for performances and competitions. Abbie won First Place in the Cello-Bass Concerto class at the Performing Arts Festival of the Eastside in both 2024 and 2025 and was thrilled to receive the STAR of the Future award in 2025. She earned First Prize in the State of Washington Strings Division of the OPUS Music Competition in 2024. In 2025, she was a finalist at the Seattle Young Artists Music Festival Association Festival and received two seals of recognition. In addition to cello, Abbie enjoys playing piano. Outside of music, she loves spending her free time doing archery.
Aiden Roberts, age 16, began cello lessons at age four and has been studying with Dr. Kevin Krentz since 2023. He has gradually gained recognition at various competitions, including Eastside Symphony's Young Soloist Competition, the Performing Arts Festival of the Eastside’s Concerto Competition, and the Washington Music Educators Association, among others. Aiden has been a member of the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra for the past 10 years and a student of the Seattle Chamber Music Society Academy since 2023, where he has worked with Efe Baltacigil, Nathan Chan, Noah Geller, Simon James, Joseph Gottesman, Rachel Lee Priday, and Susan Gulkis-Assadi. He has performed in masterclasses for James Ehnes, Michael Kannen, Inon Barnatan, Jeewon Park, Adam Nieman, and the Dover and Balourdet quartets. He has also received feedback from Richard Aaron, Darrett Adkins, Tom Landschoot, Natasha Brofsky, and Sarah Rommel.
During his sophomore year, he won the Erica Hamlin Leadership in Music Award, which recognized leadership at his school orchestra. Outside of playing cello, Aiden loves to run, cycle, ski, listen to a variety of music genres, play with digital audio software, and spend time with friends, family, and his two poodles.