2024 Music Award Winners

Monday Musical Club of Portland is proud to announce the contestants selected for awards following auditions for our 2024 Awards Program held April 21st, 2024. Thirty excellent contestants participated in the event held at the Community Music Center in Portland, Oregon. Our award budget for this year was $16,500.

We’d like to thank all of our contestants, their parents and teachers for the great effort they made. We’d also like to thank all our members for their generous donations, our volunteers, the staff at the Community Music Center, and an excellent set of adjudicators. The Judges for our 2024 auditions were Trevor Fitzpatrick (Instrumental), Christine Meadows (Voice), and Thomas Otten (Piano).

The winners:

• Taylenne Ubieta Johnson
• Kaylee Nah
• Jeffrey Tso
• Eden Choi
• Noe Ramirez Perez
• Elizabeth Shen
• Minntah Haefker
• Agnes Nguyen
• Sarah Lee
• Seojeong Huh
• Annie Rhew
• Isabel Pichler
• Elaina Stuppler
• Emily Liu
• Olivia Solensky
• Sandy Tang

Foster-LaFord Award for the best vocal performance (Soprano). Taylenne Juliana Ubieta Johnson was born and raised in Salem, Oregon where she grew up listening and singing music that represents her heritage: Rhythm and Blues on one side of the family and Mariachi and Bolero on the other. She began taking voice lessons in high school in order to better imitate the sounds made by her father who sings everything from Mariachi to Italian Opera.

Inspired by Whitney Houston and Maria Callas, Ms. Ubieta hopes to one day sing the roles of Norma and Madama Butterfly. She is currently a sophomore at University of Portland, where she studies with Dr. Nicole Leupp Hanig. In addition to advancing to the final round of the Portland Chamber Orchestra Young Artist Competition, Ms. Ubieta has advanced to the NW Regional level in the National Association of Teachers of Singing Competition.

Phillips Award for the best instrumental performance, (Violin). Kaylee Nah, 14, is a freshman at Sunset High School in Portland, Oregon. She has studied the violin under Hae-Jin Kim since the age of five. Kaylee has been in PYP since 2018 and has served as the concertmaster of the Young String Ensemble and the principal second violin of the Portland Youth Conservatory Orchestra. Kaylee is now playing in the Portland Youth Philharmonic orchestra for her third year. She also enjoys playing chamber music in Camerata PYP, the PYP sextet, and the PYP quartet.

Kaylee won 1st place in the OMTA Jeannette Scott Briggs Scholarship Competition in 2022 and was the Oregon state winner of the MTNA Junior String Competition for both the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. She also won the MTNA 2023-2024 NW Division and placed as one of the seven national finalists. Additionally, she was chosen to serve as the concertmaster for the 2024 OMEA All-State Symphony Orchestra and became a winner for the 30th MetroArts Young Artists Debut! Competition in 2024. Recently, Kaylee also won the OSAA/OMEA State Solo Championships for violin and chamber ensemble.

Kaylee attended the Heifetz International Music Institute in the summer of 2023. In the summer of 2024 she will be attending the Interlochen Arts Camp with a full scholarship. She has played in masterclasses for artists Benjamin Beilman, Carol Sindell, Sunmi Chang, and the Modigliani Quartet. While preparing for the Monday Musical Club award competition this year she also participated in a masterclass with Raúl Gómez-Rojas hosted by Monday Musical Club and Project Prelude. Additionally, Kaylee has been studying the piano for 9 years under Olivia Kim. Besides music, Kaylee enjoys drawing, painting, baking, and hanging out with friends.

Colliver Award for the best piano performance. Jeffrey Tso, 18, is a senior at Mountain View High School in Vancouver, Washington. He began learning the piano at the age of four and is currently studying with Dr. Renato Fabbro. Past teachers have included Joanna Hodges and Dimitri Zhgenti. Along with winning the Colliver top prize award at the 2024 Monday Musical competition, Jeffrey participated in MMC’s Masterclass session with Nicholas Fox.

He also recently won third prize in the senior division of the Washington Outstanding Artist Competition, was chosen as the alternate in the Oregon MTNA Senior Piano Competition, and placed first at the Oregon Federation of Music Clubs Marjorie Trotter Memorial Scholarship Competition. He also plays violin and is the assistant concertmaster for his high school chamber orchestra, performing regularly for the community. Outside of music, Jeffrey enjoys playing chess and tennis with his friends. After his graduation, Jeffrey will go on to study computer science and musical performance at the University of Washington.

$1,500 Award winner. Eden Choi is a 15-year-old sophomore at Lake Oswego High School. She has played violin for eleven years and currently studies with Carol Sindell. Eden Choi is a 15-year-old sophomore at Lake Oswego High School. She has played violin for eleven years and currently studies with Carol Sindell. Eden is a member of the Portland Youth Philharmonic. She is also the concertmaster of her school’s Symphonic Orchestra. From 2021 to 2022, Eden participated in the Music Teachers’ National Association competition, and placed alternate in 2023. She also placed first in her district and state’s Solo and Ensemble competition.

In the summer of 2023, Eden attended both the Portland Summer Ensembles Chamber Music Workshop and the Marrowstone Music Festival in Seattle. She also volunteers with the Songs For Seniors club at her school, which performs music at senior living homes every month. Outside of violin, Eden plays competitive table tennis. She placed first in the Oregon State Championship Juniors division in 2021 and Women’s division in 2023. Eden also enjoys arranging music, reading, and hanging out with friends.

$1,500 Award winner. Noe Ramirez Perez is a Mexican-American tenor from Salem, Oregon. He is a senior Music Education major at Portland State University. After finishing his undergraduate degree, he will enroll in a Graduate Teaching Education Program at PSU. Noe has played Pistol in PSU’s production of The Merry Wives of Windsor by Otto Nicolai, Pierre, the scholar, in a graduate production of The Wandering Scholar by Gustav Holst, First Priest in PSU’s The Magic Flute by Mozart, and recently played Camille de Rosillon in PSU’s Spring 2024 opera, The Merry Widow by Franz Lehár. Noe is a voice student of Harry Baechtel.

$1,500 Award winner. Elizabeth Shen, age 14, is a freshman at Jesuit High School. She has played piano for seven years, and is a student of Dr. Renato Fabbro. In addition to winning her Monday Musical Club award, Elizabeth was the state winner of the 2023 MTNA Oregon Junior Performance Piano and the Alternate Winner for the 2024 MTNA Northwest Junior Division. She also received second prizes in the OMTA Cris Tapang and Eleanor East and Edward G. Michaels scholarships in 2023 and 2022, respectively. Besides piano, Elizabeth plays violin with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra and has served as co-concertmaster. Aside from music, Elizabeth enjoys math, writing, and science, and was one of the thirty national finalists in the 2023 Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge.

Our first-ever Susan Patzakis Award winner ($1,000). Minntah Haefker is a multilingual Thai American vocalist attending Lincoln High School in Portland, Oregon and studies voice with Angela Niederloh. Minntah has performed at the Astoria Music Festival, Cascadia Chamber Opera Festival, Astoria Jazz Festival, and Cathedral Park Jazz Festival. A frequent guest with her uncle’s eclectic chamber music group “3 Leg Torso,” she has also sparkled audiences with the Brent Follis Trio, Tom Grant Trio, George Mitchell Trio, Bill Athens Trio, Christopher Brown Quartet, Brent Jensen Quartet, and many other jazz musicians.

In 2023, state representative Maxine Dexter hosted Minntah to open the Oregon State Legislative Session with a Puccini aria. Several months later, Minntah captured the state soprano title at the Oregon State Activities Association Championship. Recently, Minntah has participated in master classes hosted by the Monday Musical Club of Portland with Roland Hawkins III and has been awarded “The Susan Patzakis Award for Vocal Excellence.” She has also formed a dynamic group called “The Minntah Quartet” featuring some of Portland’s top jazz musicians. This summer, Minntah will enjoy gelato while attending “Music in the Marche,” a selective voice training program in Mondavio, Italy.

$1,000 Award winner. Agnes Nguyen, age 16, is a junior at Westview High School. She began piano lessons at age 5 and currently studies with Anne Denis. She has been a member of the Piano Santa Foundation since she joined as the recipient of the 2019 Dottie Lambertson Merit Award and later the 2021 Grand Scholarship Award. She also competed in the Progressive Musicians International Festival Competition as a semifinalist and the Online Classics International Competition as a finalist. She was invited by Progressive Musicians to play for an award-winning performance at Carnegie Hall. Agnes has participated in numerous OMTA Festivals, including the Classical and Romantic Festivals, and OFMC Festivals, through which she received a Gold Cup award for her performances. She was a finalist for the 2022 MetroArts Young Artists Debut! Competition, an Honorable Mention of the 2022 Eugene Symphony Guild Young Artist Competition, and the second place winner of the 2023 OMTA Jean Williams Scholarship. Agnes also enjoys accompanying Westview High School’s Concert Choir, the largest audition choir at her school. When not playing piano, she can be found playing water polo or swimming.

$750 Award winner. Sarah Lee, age 17, is a Junior at Westview High School. She began playing cello at the age of 8 and currently studies with Hyun-Jin Kim. Sarah is a member of Camerata PYP and the Portland Youth Philharmonic, where she currently serves as principal. As an active soloist, she was the 1st place winner in the 2022 National Federation of Music Clubs Mary Cox Award, won 1st place at the Eugene Symphony Guild Young Artist Competition, and the 2022 New York International Classical Music Competition. In 2023, she was the 1st place State winner of the 2023 OMEA State Solo Contest and State Chamber Ensemble Contest. Sarah was the 1st place winner of the 2023 Oregon MTNA Senior String Performance Competition and was selected as the alternate winner at the 2023 Northwest Division level competition. With the Camerata Ensemble of the Portland Youth Philharmonic, she performed as a soloist in the 100th anniversary season of PYP as the winner of 2023 PYP Concerto Competition.

Also, she had the privilege of being selected to perform as a soloist with the members of the Oregon Symphony by winning the 2023 MetroArts Young Artists Debut! Competition. She took part in All State Orchestra since freshman year and was honored to have been a part of the 2022 All National Honors Ensembles Symphony Orchestra and All-Northwest Orchestra as principal. She has participated in renowned music camps such as the Philadelphia International Music Camp & Festival, studying with Hai Ye-Ni, International Cello Institute Camp, the Vivace Music Festival, the Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI), and the Chamber Music Camp of Portland. This upcoming summer, she has been selected to participate in the 2024 National Symphony Orchestra’s Summer Music Institute at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. on a full scholarship. Sarah has also participated in master classes taught by Norman Fischer, Priscilla Lee, Hannah Roberts, Bonnie Thron, Steven Doane, Rosemary Elliott, Antonio Meneses, and the Catalyst Quartet. Sarah wants to use her love of music to benefit and heal communities that have yet to experience the joys of music. Through benefit concerts, nursing home performances, and volunteer opportunities, she is slowly making her way towards spreading her love of music. Besides playing cello, Sarah enjoys playing piano, soccer, skiing, reading, and hanging out with her friends.

$750 Award winner. Seojeong Huh, currently a 10th grader at Sunset High school, has been playing clarinet since 4th grade. Inspired by Oregon Symphony performances, Seojeong developed a deep passion for the diverse spectrums of sound that classical music has to offer. Her participation in ensembles with PYP and MYS has further solidified her love for music. Some competitions that Seojeong has participated in are the 2023 MTNA woodwinds competition, ranking up to the National level as the northwest representative; Solo Ensemble as first place in the Beaverton School district and third in Oregon; 2nd place in the American Protégé International Competition for Woodwinds and Brass as one of the youngest competitors in 2022; and Principal Clarinetist for the 2022 Honors Performance Series (HPS) at Carnegie Hall.

Her performance at Monday Music Club of Portland has facilitated her professionalism as a musician, helping her to refine her skills in both musicality and expression. The experience has provided invaluable opportunities to grow, fostering memorable moments that will undoubtedly shape Seojeong’s continued journey as a clarinetist.

$500 Award winner. Annie Rhew is a sophomore at Westview High School in NW Portland. She began playing cello at age 8 with Hyun-Jin Kim. In 2023, Annie was the Young Artist Winner with the Jewish Community Orchestra and has performed as a soloist, was the principal cellist with the OMEA All-State Honors Orchestra, and has been accepted into the NAfME All-Northwest Orchestra. She also won first place in the American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition, second place in OMEA District Competition, and third place in the OSAA State Solo Competition. She was a finalist in the Oregon Mozart Players Competition and the Oregon ASTA Solo Competition. Annie attended the Heifetz International Music Institute’s summer program and was taught by Professor Andrew Mark from the New England Conservatory.

As a dedicated soloist, Annie’s previous accomplishments include winning first place in the Prodigy International Music Competition, Gold Award in the Trinity International Competition, first prize in the New York Laureate International Competition, second place in Best Bach Performance of Great Performance Competition, and third place in the NFMC Mary Cox Award, where she earned $1000 in scholarship. She was selected to play in master classes taught by Ben Hong, Associate Principal Cellist of the LA Philharmonic, Amit Peled through the Stulberg International Strings Competition, Raúl Gomez through the Monday Music Club, Natasha Brofsky, Steve Doane, Rosemary, Hannah Roberts, Astrid Schween, Zachary Preucil, and Jeffrey Butler. Previous summer music camps include the Vivace Music Festival and the International Cello Institute.

Annie is currently in her seventh year with the Portland Youth Philharmonic Association and participates in the Camerata String Ensemble as well. In addition to cello, Annie’s interests include taekwondo, fine art, writing, and volunteering at a local hospital, elementary school through Pro.

$500 Award winner. Isabel Pichler is a post-graduate classical vocalist and French teacher. She graduated in 2022 from Lewis & Clark College where she studied Vocal Performance and French. She has competed in several classical singing competitions such as the Lewis & Clark Concerto Competition 2021, NATS National Student Awards, and NATSAA. Isabel has placed in the top three finalists for the regional divisions every year in the National Student Awards, advancing to the national level. In her junior year, she won the NATS “Bel Canto Award” for vocal excellence in the genre of art song. Since her graduation in 2022, Isabel has continued performing in the Portland area. She has sung with The Old Church Lunchtime Concert Series and the Periwinkle Studio’s Backyard Summer Concert Series, featuring in solo recitals and starring as Lucy in the performance of Gian Carlo Menotti’s “The Telephone”. Isabel has also been singing with St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church choir since 2022, after having previously sung with the Westminster Presbyterian Church choir. She hopes to continue her vocal studies in a post-graduate program shortly.

$500 Award winner. Elaina Stuppler is an award-winning vocalist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist. She performed at Carnegie Hall, Sydney Opera House, Grammy Museum, and the Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Elaina is Co-Principal Trombonist of the Portland Youth Philharmonic, played in All-State honor bands, and sung in the Premier Ensemble of the Grammy-Award winning National Children’s Chorus.

As a 2023 Luna Composition Lab Fellow, she debuted her piece “Waluga” at the Mannes School of Music and became the first Luna Composition Lab Fellow with the Oregon Symphony. A 2024 YoungArts winner in Voice/Singer-Songwriter and Classical Music/Composition, Elaina’s pieces won honors at state levels. Her works were performed by the Oregon Symphony, International Contemporary Ensemble, Portland Youth Philharmonic, and the Seattle Symphony’s: Dear Humanity Concert.

$400 Award winner. Emily Liu is 14 years old. she has been playing piano for nine years, starting when she was four, currently studying with Cinda Goold Redman in Washington State. She has won the 2023 Enspire Arts Ambassador scholarship, and served as an ambassador bringing music to the community. She won third place in the 2022 OPUS music competition in Washington state. Over the years, she has won many local piano festivals. At Skyridge Middle School, she plays piano in Jazz band, and oboe in the Concert band. Victoria Racz is her oboe teacher. Emily was chosen to be the first intern for Northwest Oboe Seminar Internship Program. She also plays ukulele and guitar. In addition to music, Emily participates in Science Olympiad, knowledge bowl, and math team in school. She enjoys playing tennis with family and friends, and competes in various local tournaments.

$400 Award winner. At the young age of 6 years old, Olivia Solensky discovered an interest in music while tagging along to her older brother’s piano lessons. One day, she approached the teacher and expressed her desire to learn. This was the beginning of her joy in playing music, not just on the piano but on other instruments such as the viola, ukulele, and guitar. Olivia excelled in all of them, but decided to focus on her first instrument, the piano, when she met Dr. Alexandre Dossin at the University of Oregon. She has been under his guidance since December 2019. Olivia has participated in the Oregon Sinfonietta Concerto competition, Master Classes with Dr. Michelle Cann, Dr. David Riley, Dr. Grace Ho and Dr. Spencer Myer, and recently played in the MTNA Senior Performance piano competition. When Olivia is away from the piano, you can find her on the tennis court. She is a nationally- ranked junior tennis player. Before COVID and turning her attention to tennis, Olivia was active in racquetball and reached the top 10 in the nation. Lastly, Olivia promotes classical music to young children through the organization Back to Bach and volunteers at Safe Haven, a local animal shelter.

$200 Award winner. Sandy Tang, 15, is a sophomore at West Linn High School and a devoted pianist under Kristy Moore’s guidance. She began playing the piano at age five, receiving lessons from her father. Sandy’s family immigrated from China four years ago, aiming to provide her and her brother with a better educational environment. Since arriving in the United States, she has earned accolades in Baroque and Romantic festivals. In 2022, she clinched first place in the prestigious OPUS Piano Competition in Oregon, showcasing her exceptional talent. Beyond solo triumphs, Sandy excelled in collaborative efforts, securing
alternative positions in the OMTA ‘senior duet’ state competition and Ensemble festival. Her commitment to musical excellence extends to participating in masterclasses led by French pianist Paul Lewis and the UO Festival Masterclass organized by the University of Oregon. Sandy looks forward to pursuing her
passion in piano solo and ensemble works. Outside of piano, Sandy enjoys her dance team and excels in her STEM classes, with AP Chemistry and Math being her favorites.