CLASS OF 2021
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ELLEN CHOI
BIO
// School: Leland High School
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// Years Active: 2018 - Present
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// Instrument: Piano
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Ellen Choi, 17, is a senior at Leland High School.
She began playing the piano at the age of 5 and has been training since.
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As much as she enjoys serving her community through music, Ellen is active in her school. She is a commissioner of Leland ASB and has worked in various other positions organizing school events, including the stages of Leland Class of 2021 Homecoming Skits as the lead choreographer. Ellen dances on her school's dance team, the Leland Electrics, and is the co-founder and president of her beloved K-Pop dance club, 4K Dance, founded in 2017. She manages the club's social media pages, as well as those of Leland Business Association (formerly Leland FBLA) as a Public Relations Officer. In the summer of 2019, Ellen studied Creative Arts & Media at Yale Young Global Scholars and is currently an Alumni Ambassador for the program. Ellen is passionate about content marketing and sociology.
In her free time, Ellen likes to watch choreography videos and learn piano pieces of her favorite TV and movie soundtracks.
JENNIFER CHOI
BIO
// School: Fremont High School
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// Years Active: 2019 - Present
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// Instrument: Violin
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Jennifer Choi is a senior at Fremont High School. She has played violin for 9 years. She began her orchestral experiences at the San Jose Youth Symphony (SJYS) Concert Orchestra in the 7th grade, and is currently a member of the San Jose Youth Symphony (SJYS) Philharmonic Orchestra. Jennifer is concertmaster of the Fremont High School Chamber Orchestra and has participated in the Korean American Music Supporters Association for 3 years. Aside from Sky Ensemble, she is also a leader at the Academy of Music and Arts for Special Education (AMASE), and was principal 2nd violin at Hop3Box Charity Youth Orchestra (HCYO) as well as the SJYS Philharmonic. Orchestra is an integral part of her life and she dedicates much of her time and energy towards musical activities.
MELODY CHOI
BIO
// School: Valley Christian High School
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// Years Active: 2017 - Present
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// Instrument: Violin
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Sixteen-year-old violinist Melody Gawon Choi is a scholarship student at Valley Christian High School as a Conservatory Honors Fellow. She currently studies with Davis Law at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Pre-College Division.
Melody made her orchestral debut with the Peninsula Symphony in June of 2019 and was also featured as a soloist with the KAMSA Youth Orchestra the same year. Melody was a Merit winner in the 2020 National YoungArts Competition and also won first prize at the Peninsula Symphony Young Musicians’ Competition, the Valley Christian Conservatory Honors Scholarship Competition, and the DVC/HNU Young Artist String Competition. As a devoted orchestral musician, she has held the position of Assistant Concertmaster of the California Youth Symphony since 2017. Melody was invited to be a member of the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA) in the summer of 2020 and was also Concertmaster of the National Youth Orchestra 2 (NYO2) in 2019 and Assistant Concertmaster of the California All-State High School Symphony Orchestra in 2020.
In addition to violin, Melody is a prizewinner of numerous piano competitions, including the MTAC Piano Solo/Concerto Competition, the Marilyn Mindell Piano Competition, the CAPMT Concerto Competition, and the San Francisco Chopin Competition. She actively participates and volunteers in non-profit music organizations such as Sky Ensemble and HopeBox, where she plays music for the elderly and family members of hospital patients at the Skyline Healthcare Center and JW House. Aside from music, Melody is passionate about psychology and creative writing.
CHRISTINE KANG
BIO
// School: Henry M. Gunn High School
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// Years Active: 2017 - Present
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// Instrument: Cello
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Christine Kang, 17, is a senior at Henry M. Gunn High School and studies cello performance with Eric Sung at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Pre-College Division.
Christine made her orchestral debut at the age of 13 as a winner of the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra Concerto Competition and has won top prizes in the Korea Times Music Competition, US Open Music Competition, KAMSA Competition, and CalASTA SF Solo Competition in recent years. An avid orchestral musician, Christine is the principal cellist of the Gunn Orchestra and Gunn Chamber Orchestra as well as a member of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. She has also participated as principal cellist in the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra, KAMSA Youth Symphony Orchestra, and the California All-State Orchestra. Christine has attended the Meadowmount School of Music, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and Bowdoin International Music Festival, where she received instruction from internationally renowned musicians Edward Arron, Ran Dank, Jonathan Koh, Mihail Jojatu, Hyun-Ji Kwon, and Steven Rochen. She has also participated in masterclasses with Lynn Harrell, the Telegraph Quartet, and the Alexander String Quartet.
Along with her passion for music, Christine is devoted to community service and refugee advocacy. She is the co-founder of Student Online Assistance for Refugees (SOAR), a non-profit organization dedicated to equipping Middle Eastern refugees with language abilities, and also regularly busks to raise funds for teaching resources. In her free time, Christine enjoys learning new languages, eating fruit, and looking at pictures of cats (she can’t have one because she’s allergic).
MATTHEW KIM
BIO
// School: Sacred Heart Preparatory
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// Years Active: 2019 - Present
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// Instrument: Clarinet
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Matthew S. Kim, 16, is a senior at Sacred Heart Preparatory, Atherton. He started clarinet at the age of nine. Matthew has played with the California Youth Symphony for 6 years, most currently as first clarinet in the Associate Orchestra. In February 2016 and 2017, Matthew also performed with the California All State Honor Concert Band, as first clarinet. Matthew studies clarinet under Debra Gardner.
Matthew has competed as a soloist and as part of a trio in various competitions. He was a winner of the California Youth Symphony Associate Orchestra Concerto Competition and had an opportunity to perform his Mozart Clarinet Concerto piece. As a soloist, he won Grand Prize in the Silicon Valley Youth Music Competition, first place in the Golden Classical Music competition in New York, and 2nd place in the US. Open Music competition. As part of a trio, he won various awards at the US International Music competition, Santa Cruz competition, and American Protege competition. Matthew has been honored with invitations to perform in Vienna, Austria and at Carnegie Hall in New York.
In addition to school and music, Matthew devotes much time to community service. During the summer, he serves as a camp counselor for Bridge, a summer program for underprivileged students. Year round, he volunteers to prepare and serve food to the homeless in San Jose. For the past three years, Matthew has also volunteered his time to perform with various charitable music programs, including SKY, KAMSA, Spark and Nanoom.
Matthew is also an avid lacrosse player, playing the Attack position on the Sacred Heart Prep Varsity team and the ADVNC and NorCal Elite travel teams.
SEOYOUNG PAK
BIO
// School: Leigh High School
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// Years Active: 2019 - Present
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// Instrument: Piano
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Seoyoung Pak is a senior at Leigh High School. She has been playing piano since she was 10 years old, and is currently studying with Chia-lin Yang at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Pre-College Division.
Seoyoung was selected to perform for the 2020 Junior Bach Music Festival and the 2020 Eastbay Chamber Music Festival. She was also awarded in 2015 and 2017 USOMC and 2015 USIMC. She is and has been a mass accompanist for 5 years in Holy Korean Martyrs Catholic Church, and is also in their praise team. Additionally, she has been a part of Almaden Youth Musicians since 2016.
Aside from piano, she enjoys playing daegeum, a Korean Traditional Flute, and also organ. She performed in numerous places for organ and was selected to perform for the 2020 Junior Bach Music Festival.
Seoyoung has a passion for music and sharing her talent with others. In her free time, she likes to draw and listen to music.
JAMES RYU
BIO
// School: Leigh High School
// Years Active: 2018 - Present
// Instrument: Piano
James Ryu, 17, is a senior at Leigh High School. He has been playing piano for over 10 years.
James has competed in various competitions as a trio with awards from USOMC in 2020 and USIMC in 2019. He was a winner of the Santa Cruz Baroque Festival Chamber Music Competition and got 2nd place in the American Fine Arts Festival Romantic Music Competition. He has been honored with invitations to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York and the Baroque Emerging Artists Showcase.
In addition to music, James has devoted much of his time to community service. He is the vice president of the Silicon Valley Open Academy and has been teaching children in competition mathematics for over 4 years. He also co-president of Sky Ensemble and an AMASE volunteer. In his free time, he likes to read, listen to music, and hang out with friends
