2019 Music Awards Winners

The Monday Musical Club of Portland is proud to announce the names of students selected to receive its 2019 Music Awards. The adjudicated competition was open to 38 music students who competed for 13 scholarship awards on April 13, 2019. Awards totaling $21,000 are being presented on May 6, 2019 following the students performance at the club’s annual Memorial Music Awards Tea at Holladay Park Plaza.

• Anna Bakun
• Jacob Nenow
• Ian Song
• Elvin Choi
• Elsa Dougherty
• Symphony Koss
• Dylan Nguyen
• Tristan Peng
• Adam Pua
• Koharu Sakiyama
• Natalie Tan
• Felix Tse
• Ethan Tseng

Anna Bakun was selected to receive the Jess and Hortense Foster Family “Voice” Music Award for the best voice performance. Anna is a junior at Mountainside High School where she is a student of the Advanced Vocal Performance and Advanced Theatre career tracks. She has been studying voice with Erin G. McCarthy for the past three years. She is frequently featured in various school and regional productions. Favorite credits include Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, Princess Winnifred in Once Upon A Mattress, Vivienne Kensington in Legally Blonde the Musical and Nun/Ensemble in Sister Act the musical. An avid singer and performer, Anna had the privilege of being named a national semi-finalist in the National Association of Teachers of Singing: Musical Theatre competition last year. She has placed first in the regional competition for the last three years. She has had the privilege to be a part of the NAFME All-Northwest choir for its last two years. In her free time, she enjoys cooking and hanging out with her friends. She hopes to one day be able to share her passion for music and the arts with the world!

Watch Anna sing The Life of the Party by Andrew Lippa at our Music Awards winners’ performance.

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Jacob Nenow was selected for the Lois and Ardeth Colliver “Piano” Music Award for the best piano performance. Jacob has been playing piano for seven years and has studied the last two years with Dr. Renato Fabbro. He was the 2018 Oregon MTNA Junior Piano Division winner and MTNA Northwest Region Alternate. Jacob also won first prize in the 2018 Portland Steinway & Sons Junior Piano Competition and the 2018 OMTA Suzanne Raines Junior Scholarship Award Competition. He recently performed a piano concerto with the Central Oregon Symphony. Additionally, he was a finalist at the 2019 PYP Youth Piano Concerto Competition and placed 1st with a superior rating in the 2019 NFMC Jr. Composing Competition. Jacob also attended the 2018 Seattle Piano Institute and performed in a master class with Dr. Robin McCabe. In 2017 he won first prize in the OFMC Suzanne Raines Young Pianists Scholarship Competition and the Spokane Junior Piano Competition in both the Classical Division and the Contemporary Division. Jacob is in 8th grade, from Portland, Oregon and loves math, science, composing music and distance running.

Watch Jacob perform a piece by Sergei Prokofiev at our Music Awards winners’ performance.

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Ian Song was selected to receive the Hazal and Harold Phillips Family Instrumental Music Award for the best instrumental performance. Ian is a 14-year old, freshman at Cleveland High School in Portland, Oregon. He began playing violin at the age of four with Luis Grube and is currently a student of Carol Sindell. Ian is a winner of the 2019 MetroArts Young Artists Debut! Competition in Portland, Oregon and performed a solo with members of the Oregon Symphony and Oregon Ballet Theatre Orchestras. He is also the 1st place winner of the 2019 Eugene Symphony Guild Young Artist Competition in Eugene, Oregon and won a silver medal at the 2019 Young Artists Competition held by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in Vancouver, Washington. As the 1st place winner of the 2018 Oregon Mozart Players’ Young Soloist Junior Competition in Eugene, Ian performed as a soloist with the orchestra. He also performed a solo with the Jewish Community Orchestra in Portland and the Willamette Falls Symphony Orchestra in Oregon City. At the age of 12, Ian was Oregon’s 1st place winner of the 2017 Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Junior String Competition and was the Alternate winner of the MTNA Northwest Division Competition. Ian currently plays violin in the Portland Youth Philharmonic Orchestra as Assistant Principal, Second Violin. He is trilingual in English, Korean, and Chinese. He holds a black belt degree in Taekwondo, a traditional Korean martial art. During summer vacation, he enjoys playing violin on the streets to raise funds to help people in need.

Watch Ian perform a piece by Henryk Wieniawski at our Music Awards winners’ performance.

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Elvin Choi is a sophomore at Beaverton High School. He began playing the cello at age 10, and currently studies with Hamilton Cheifetz. He has been a member of the Portland Youth Philharmonic orchestra  for five seasons. He was selected to play in the 2018 NAfME All-National Honors Orchestra in Orlando FL, and in the 2018 All-State Orchestra as the principal. He was the Alternate winner at 2017-2018 MTNA Oregon State Competition Junior Strings, and Honorable Mention the previous year. He was the winner of the 2017 Oregon Cello Society Scholarship Competition and the 2017 Willamette Falls Symphony Young Artist Competition. When not playing music, Elvin participates in math competitions and likes to read about geography, history, and government.

Watch Elvin perform a piece by J.S. Bach at our Music Awards winners’ performance.

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Elsa Dougherty is a junior at Lewis & Clark College majoring in music and studying voice with Susan McBerry. Elsa has had the privilege of soloing with the Lewis and Clark choir and orchestra in Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem and Mozart’s Great Mass in C Minor. Ms. Dougherty has also had the opportunity to perform two opera aria’s with the Lewis & Clark Orchestra after having placed first in the music department’s most recent Concerto Competition. On stage, Ms. Dougherty has absolutely adored exploring musical theatre repertoire and was most recently seen as Mrs. Lovett in the Lewis & Clark theatre and music departments’ production of Sweeney Todd, directed by Rebecca Lingafelter.

In addition to being a full-time student, Ms. Dougherty also holds a Choral Scholar position at St. James Lutheran Church in downtown Portland. At St. James, Ms. Dougherty has enjoyed singing multiple Bach Cantatas including the St. John Passion where she was a soloist. Ms. Dougherty would like to thank all of her teachers, past and present, for supporting her on her singing journey. She couldn’t have done it without them!

Watch Elsa sing “Faites-lui mes aveux” from Faust by Gounod at our Music Awards winners’ performance.

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Symphony Koss, a senior in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program at Columbia River High School in Vancouver, Washington has studied the violin with Kathryn Gray for eleven years. Symphony has been a member of the Portland Youth Philharmonic for nine years and is serving her second year as Co-Concertmaster. Symphony has performed as a soloist in MetroArts Inc. Young Artists Debut! Van Buren Concerto Concert, Jewish Community Orchestra Concert, Willamette Falls Orchestra Concert, and Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Concert after winning their respective Young Artists Concerto Competitions.  Last summer, Symphony was among the 106 musicians chosen across the nation to perform in Carnegie Hall and tour Asia as a member of the National Youth Orchestra of the USA. Previously, Symphony served as concertmaster in the World Youth Symphony Orchestra at Interlochen Arts Camp and the National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.. Symphony is a two-time MTNA Oregon State Junior Performance String winner, Northwest Divisional winner, and National third place winner.

In addition to her musical pursuits, Symphony has been enthusiastically involved in her school and community activities. She is the Vice President of the Associated Student Body and the President of the American Red Cross. She enjoys working with the young musicians in the Bravo Youth Orchestras, Oregon’s first El Sistema-inspired orchestra. She also participates in the Clark County Youth Commission to make a difference in the broad local community.

Watch Symphony perform Caprice for Solo Violin Opus 1 No. 24, by Paganini at our Music Awards winners’ performance.

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Dylan Nguyen is a 17-year-old senior at Grant High School. He has studied classical piano for eleven years, the last six with Barbara Parker. He has won various OMTA festivals, first place in the 2017 Chris Topang Competition, and 2nd place in the 2017 Marjorie Trotter Competition. Dylan is a member of the nationally recognized Grant High School‘s Constitution Team, which qualified for nationals again this year and will be competing in Washington, D.C. He also sings for the Grant High School Royal Blues, the school’s premier chamber ensemble. The Royal Blues will be singing in world-renowned cathedrals around Europe this summer, including St. Nicholas Church in Prague and Minoritenkirche in Vienna. Dylan is studying towards a career in medicine and hopes to volunteer in the summer for OHSU. In his free time, he likes to swim, hike, and rock-climb.

Watch Dylan perform a piece by Rachmaninoff at our Music Awards winners’ performance

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Tristan Peng is a junior attending Catlin Gabel School. He started playing piano at age 6 and currently studies with Dr. Renato Fabbro and Dr. Peter Mack. His piano achievements include first prize at the 2018 Washington Outstanding Artist Competition, 2017 Pauline Eidemiller Scholarship competition, 2017 Seattle International Piano Festival Virtuoso competition and 2016 Trula Whelan Concerto Competition. He was the 2nd Place at the 2018 Marjorie Trotter Memorial Scholarship competition, 2018 Suzanne Raines Scholarship competition, and the honorable mention at MTNA Oregon piano competition 2016-2018. Tristan was selected to perform in masterclass featuring Prof. Dennis Alexander, Dr. Peter Mack, Alejandro Cremaschi, William Wolfram, Kenn Willson, Sean Chen and Lukáš Vondráček. In addition to piano, Tristan also plays saxophone. He loves jazz and co-founded a saxophone quartet at his school. He also enjoys arranging pieces for band performances. Tristan has also been singing with the Pacific Youth Choir for 10 years and performed with the choir at Carnegie Hall in June 2018.

Watch Tristan perform a piece by Carl Vine at our Music Awards winners’ performance.

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Adam Pua, a junior at Clackamas High School, started playing cello when he was six, and now studies with Katherine Schulz. He has been performing with the Portland Youth Philharmonic for the past five seasons.  Adam also plays with the PYP Camerata, performing a variety of chamber orchestra repertoire, as well as performing in PYP quartets. He is an active member of his school’s chamber orchestra, serving as principal chair for the last two years. They have won 1^st place in the Oregon State competition; his quintet won 1^st, and he placed 5^th in solo cello. Adam was selected to play in both the All State and All Northwest orchestras. He has performed in quartets and quintets with the Portland Summer ensemble for the past 4 years. He was selected to participate in the Marrowstone Music festival this past summer, playing as co-principal cello for the orchestra. Adam was recently awarded the Interlochen scholarship, and will be attending the advanced string quartet program at the Interlochen Arts Festival in Michigan this summer. He is proficient in Japanese language and culture after attending the Japanese magnet program with Portland Public Schools prior to high school. Adam enjoys school and in his spare time, he likes reading novels, playing games with friends and eating out.

Watch Adam perform Dvořák’s “Silent Woods” at our Music Awards winners’ performance.

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Koharu Sakiyama is a freshman at West Linn High School. She began playing the violin at age four, and currently studies with Carol Sindell. Koharu has been a member of the Portland Youth Philharmonic for five years, and was the Co-Concertmaster of the Conservatory Orchestra for the 2017-18 season. In 2017 she won the OMTA Jeanette Scott Briggs Scholarship Competition, and in 2015 the Trula Whelan Concerto Competition. In addition, Koharu loves composing, and has received honorable mention in the 2018 National Association for Music Education Student Composers Competition, was the winner of the 2018 OMEA State Composers Contest, and won 3rd place in the 2014 Music Teachers Association of California Composers Today State Contest. Koharu also loves playing the alto sax in her high school band. Outside of music, she enjoys ski racing on her high school varsity team and spending time with family.

Watch Koharu perform J.S. Bach’s Sonata at our Music Awards winners’ performance.

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Natalie Tan is a junior at Jesuit High School. She has studied piano for 12 years and is a student of Linda Hayes. Natalie made her debut at the age of 13 with conductor Huw Edwards winning the Chamber Music Camp of Portland’s concerto competition. Natalie attended the Jacob’s School of Music Piano Academy at Indiana University in 2016 and has won the 2017 MetroArts Young Artists and 2018 Beaverton Symphony Orchestra Young Artists concerto competitions. She was also the winner of the 2017 Piano Concerto Competition for the Portland Youth Philharmonic, performing the full Chopin Piano Concerto No. 2 under conductor David Hattner at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Her other competition awards include 1st places in the 2016 Chris Tapang Scholarship, 2015 Tom O’Brien Scholarship, 2015 OMTA ensemble festival and 2014 Trula Whelan Concerto Festival. She is currently the principal pianist with the Portland Youth Philharmonic and the PYP Camerata Ensemble. Natalie had the honor of speaking and performing at a TEDx event in Portland and her interview and performances have been broadcast to listeners of All Classical FM. Additionally, she has performed with Thomas Lauderdale of Pink Martini and attended several masterclasses held by Paul Roberts, among others.

Outside of music, she played basketball for Jesuit for two years and is currently a member of Jesuit’s varsity mock trial team. Her research at the Oregon Health and Science University earned her 1st in category at the state level of Intel’s 2018 NorthWest Science Expo.

Watch Natalie perform a piece by Franz Lizst at our Music Awards winners’ performance.

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Felix Tse is a junior at Sunset High School in Beaverton, Oregon. He currently studies with Dr. Renato Fabbro. Felix has won numerous awards, including Third Prize in the 2018 American Protege International Concerto Competition; which followed with a performance in Carnegie Hall. He won Second Prize in the 2019 Vancouver Symphony 25th Annual Young Artist Competition with participants from Washington and Oregon, and performed in the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s Legacy Artists Chamber Concert. Felix was also a winner of the 2019 Central Oregon Symphony Young Artist Competition, which followed with a performance with their orchestra in their March 2019 concert series. Felix has been a consistent winner in the OMTA Classical, Romantic and Contemporary Festivals. He won 1st Prizes in the 2018 OMTA Jean Williams Memorial Scholarship Competition, and 2016 D. Suzanne Raines Scholarship Competition, as well as 3rd Prize in the 2017 OMTA East and Michaels Scholarship Competition. In 2017, he received an honorable mention in the Oregon MTNA State Piano Competition. In 2016, Felix was the recipient of the grand piano scholarship from the Piano Santa Foundation.

Watch Felix perform a piece by Kenneth Leighton at our Music Awards winners’ performance.

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Ethan Tseng is a freshman at Jesuit High School. He began playing the cello when he was 4 years old and studies with Dorien de Leon. Ethan has previously won awards in the Trula Whelan Competition in 2016 and the 2017 Oregon Cello Society Charlene Wilson Memorial Scholarship Competition. He was the winner of the Willamette Falls Symphony in 2017. In 2018, Ethan was the runner-up winner for the MYS Concerto Competition. During his summers, Ethan has participated in summer chamber music programs such as the Chamber Music Camp of Portland and Portland Summer Ensembles. He had the pleasure of performing in a master class with Johaness Moser in early 2019. In addition to the cello, Ethan’s other passions are competitive golf, basketball, and tennis.

Watch Ethan perform a piece by J.S. Bach at our Music Awards winners’ performance.