News

Come see this year’s graduating Colburn Young Artists Academy students in their Spring Recital this Saturday, April 27 at 7 pm in Thayer Hall. The program will include SCHUMANN Piano Concerto, Op. 54 (Gabrielle Chou, piano), Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B Minor, Op. 104
 (Leah Hansen, cello), J.S. BACH Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009
 (Aiden Kane, viola), DEBUSSY Première Rhapsodie
(Lacey Yun, clarinet), BORNE-BIZET Fantasie Brillante (Riria Niimura, flute), LISZT Dante Sonata
(Zihui Song, piano). For more information, contact The Academy at (213) 621-4795 or click here. 

Piano legend Jean Yves Thibaudet will be giving a masterclass in Zipper Hall Thursday, April 25 at 3:45 pm. The class will feature students from the Colburn Conservatory of Music and the Colburn Young Artists Academy. The class is free and open to the public. Click here for details. 

For those of you on the East Coast, come see Colburn Academy student and violin virtuoso Simone Porter fulfill a dream-come-true and perform with the New York Philharmonic on Saturday, April 13 at 2 pm. Simone studies with Robert Lipsett in the Academy and has additional lessons with Danielle Belen. For more information, check out the NY Phil website and the NY Phil press release. 

Eleven year-old Ray Ushikubo took home the Piano Prize at the Mondavi Center Young Artists Competition. Ray is eleven years old and studies with Ory Shihor in the Colburn Young Artists Academy. Read more about the Mondavi Center Young Artists Competition.

A big congratulations to Academy percussion student David Yoon, who has just been accepted to Carnegie Hall's National Youth Orchestra. The orchestra, led by Valery Gergiev and featuring Joshua Bell as soloist, will perform on tour in Washington D.C., Moscow, St. Petersburg, and London. David studies with Mr. Jack Van Geem. For more information about Carnegie Hall's National Youth Orchestra, click here.

Fantastic news coming out of our Academy: Thirteen-year-old Eden Chen, student of Mr. Ory Shihor and Ms. Myong-Joo Lee, has been named a Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist, and was awarded $10,000 in scholarship funds! Eden has also been selected to perform on NPR's nationally syndicated show From the Top in March.

Academy student Nathan Le wrote a symphony which premiered on Saturday, October 13th at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. Learn more about the symphony at this Daily News story on Nathan.

Academy student Simone Porter will perform Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 1 with the Reno Philharmonic on October 20th and 23rd. More at renophil.com

School of Performing Arts student Hao Zhou won the Junior Violin division and Academy student Leah Hansen won the Junior Cello division of the ASTA State Solo Competition. Hao Zhou is a recipient of the prestigious Richard D. Colburn scholarship at The Colburn School and studies with Henry Gronnier.  Leah studies with Ronald Leonard.

Young Artist Academy student Umi Garrett, 12, won 1st prize at the 13th Osaka International Music Competition in Osaka, Japan. Read more in the Japan Times article "Young Pianist Umi delighted to capture Osaka Prize."

Academy student Ray Ushikubo and other young pianists perform with world-renowned pianist Lang Lang on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. The episode airs on NBC on Tuesday, October 2nd at 11:35pm PST.

Conservatory cellist Austin Huntington won 1st prize in the Senior Division of the 2012 MUSICCAS International Young Artists Competition. Academy cellist Leah Hansen received Honorable Mention in the Junior Division. Austin and Leah study with Ronald Leonard at The Colburn School.

Academy student Umi Garrett won first prize in the IV. "Chopin +...." International Piano Competition. Umi studies with John Perry.

 Academy student Mayumi Kanagawa will perform a recital on July 18th and School of Performing Arts alumna Danielle de Niese, soprano, is a featured artist on July 17th at the Napa Valley Festival del Sole. Learn more at Festivaldelsole.org.

Academy student Simone Porter recently appeared on NPR's From the Top and was also the subject of their video "Simone Porter through the Ages".

Academy student Mayumi Kanagawa, winner of the 2011 Irving M. Klein String Competition, gave a recital at the 2012 competition last week. Stephen Smoliar reviewed the concert for the Examiner, saying "Her execution seemed to strike just the right balance between comprehending and loving, making for a thoroughly satisfying listening experience." Read more.

Academy students Leah Hansen, cello, and Yoonbe Kim, violin, were awarded Honorable Mention in the Torrance Symphony's Concerto Competition for Young Artists. Leah studies with Ronald Leonard and Yoonbe studies with Danielle Belen.

The Celebrate Colburn concert at Walt Disney Concert Hall on April 22nd was reviewed in the Los Angeles Times by critic Mark Swed. About soloist Mayumi Kanagawa, an Academy student, Swed said "...a confident, impressive soloist making her Disney Hall debut. She demonstrated a magnificent full tone, a startling sense of long lyrical lines and a rhythmic fearlessness in the fast Finale. She could go far."

Academy student Leah Hansen won the Senior Division Instrumental Award in the 7th Annual Mondavi Center Young Artists Competition. Visit mondaviarts.org/youngartists for a video of Leah’s award-winning performance. Leah studies cello with Ronald Leonard.

Academy student Mayumi Kanagawa is being featured by American Public Media’s “Performance Today" throughout the week of April 18th. Mayumi studies violin with Robert Lipsett.

Academy violinist Mayumi Kanagawa, a 17 year-old student of Robert Lipsett, took top honors as a gold winner in the YoungArts finals. Learn more at youngarts.org.

Academy student Zihui Song, 16, won third prize in the Piano Campus International piano competition, competing against students from ages 15-25. Zihui, a student of Ory Shihor, was this year’s youngest competitor and won a special prize for best performance of the commissioned work.

Academy student Ray Ushikubo was featured on NPR's "From the Top." The episode, which aired in May 2011, is available on Youtube-- click here.

Academy student Ray Ushikubo's presentation at TEDxRedmond is available on Youtube.

Academy students Stephanie Tang and Zihui Song won second and third prize (respectively) at Louisiana International Piano Competition. Learn more at lacompetition.com

Academy student Mayumi Kanagawa won fourth prize in the Cooper International Violin Competition. Learn more at new.orberlin.edu/press-room

Academy student Simone Porter, violin, was awarded the prestigious Davidson Fellow Laureate Scholarship. Download a press release of the announcement here.

Academy student Simone Porter, violin, was featured on America Public Media's "Performance Today." (at 25 min 36 sec).