SEATTLE YOUNG ARTISTS CONCERTO CONCERT

WINNERS OF THE 2025 SYAMFA CONCERTO DIVISION

Miyako Berman, 10, is in fifth grade at Mukilteo Elementary School. She has studied piano with Steinway Artist Dr. Yelena Balabanova since age 7. Miyako is especially drawn to the stories behind music. She loves studying the lives of great composers, adding depth and meaning to her interpretations; her favorites are W.A. Mozart and J.S. Bach.

In January 2025, Miyako made her Carnegie Hall debut, a memorable and inspiring experience. She performed a pre-concert recital last year, for the Bellevue Symphony at the Meydenbauer Center; and in 2023, for a Cascade Symphony concert with pianists Eric and Kate Liu, at the Crystal Ballroom in Redmond. Her recent awards include a Gold Medal from the Bellevue Symphony Concerto Competition, Best of Festival from the Edmond Music Teacher’s Association’s Time Era Festival, double Gold Medals from the Sanford Wright Chamber Music Competition, and the Adjudicator’s Top Choice Award from the International French Music Piano Competition.

Miyako passed the Royal Conservatory of Music Level 9 Music History Exam with First Class Honors and the Level 8 Theory Exam with the First Class Honors with Distinction. She is bilingual, speaking fluent Japanese, and in her free time enjoys drawing, reading, traveling with her family, and attending concerts and operas. One of Miyako’s favorite musical experiences is playing duets with her best friend, discovering the joy of collaboration. Her favorite pianists are Daniil Trifonov, Glenn Gould, Arthur Rubinstein, and Nobuyuki Tsujii.

Kyle Yeung, 17, is a pianist, violinist, and composer from Irvine, CA. He studies piano with Dr. Sasha Starcevich. At age 7, he made his orchestral debut with the Orchestra Collective of Orange County by winning first place at the CAPMT Young Musicians Concerto Competition. Kyle was admitted to The Juilliard School Pre-College Program at age 11. He was the 2019 and 2023 MTNA National First Prize winner in Composition Competition, and the 2023 National Third Prize winner in Piano Performance. Kyle is a 2023-2025 United States Chopin Foundation scholarship recipient and 2024-25 National YoungArts winner. He was the first-prize recipient at the Stravinsky Awards Bach International Piano Competition, Glendale Piano Competition, and Rising Stars Grand Prix; and a gold medalist at the 2022, 2023, and 2024 Northwest Chopin Competition. Kyle performed at the Walt Disney Concert Hall as a Spotlight 2024 Classical Instrumental Grand Prize Finalist. He serves as the principal pianist of the Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra, and performed at the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall as the 2025 PSYO Concerto Competition winner. Kyle is a 2025 Music Teacher Association of California Young Artist Guild winner.

Lily Richards is a 17-year-old violinist, violist, and pianist from Bonney Lake, Washington. First Prize winner of the 2025 Olympia Young Artists competition, Lily will perform the Korngold Violin Concerto with the Olympia Symphony in their 2025-2026 Season. Second Prize winner at the 2022 Simon-Fiset Competition, she was also a Concerto Division Playoff Finalist at the Seattle Young Artists Music Festival in the same year. In 2023, Lily performed the first movement of Bruch’s Violin Concerto with the Tacoma Youth Symphony. She has spent the last two summers at the University of Michigan’s Center Stage Strings program, and has been fortunate to perform for artists and teachers including James Ehnes, Noah Geller, Kevin Krentz, Craig Sheppard, Keng-Yuen Tseng, Ann Setzer, Brenda Brenner, Sang Mee Lee, Ryan Meehan, Gerardo Ribeiro, William Van der Sloot, and Grigory Kalinovsky. An avid chamber musician, she participated in Seattle Chamber Music Society’s Academy as the violist of the Anserem Quintet, performing with this ensemble on KING FM in 2024. Lily has also achieved First Class Honors in the Royal Conservatory of Music Level 8 for piano in 2022, and performed the second movement of Chopin’s Piano Concerto in F minor with the Tacoma Music Collaborative Orchestra in 2024. Her pursuits outside of music include participating in international humanitarian service during her summers; studying different areas of the arts such as Shakespeare, poetry, and writing; and exploring the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest through hiking and camping.

Anderson Widjaja (double bass), 17, from Bellevue, Washington, studies with Patrick Marckx and Li-tan Hsu. He is currently a senior at Interlake High School. He was the first-place winner of the 2022, 2023, and 2024 WMEA Solo and Ensemble Contests for Solo String Bass, and has won prizes at the MTNA, OPUS, Seattle Young Artists, and PAFE competitions. Anderson appeared on the NPR radio program From the Top (Show 461), hosted by Peter Dugan, performing the third movement of Montag’s Bass Sonata in E minor; and, in 2022, on KING FM’s Northwest Focus Live, hosted by Dr. Quinton Morris, where he performed the third movement of Koussevitzky’s Double Bass Concerto. This spring, he will perform as soloist with the Bainbridge Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Northwest, and the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra (SYSO). Anderson is the principal bassist of the SYSO, and also participated in the Seattle Chamber Music Society Academy. He has attended the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, the Montecito Music Festival, and most recently the Domaine Forget Music Festival.

Outside of music, Anderson likes to be outside, exercise, and read; he plans to run a triathlon this June. He also likes to spend time with his two dogs, Juno and Rainier. While practicing, Juno sometimes howls along while Rainier sits obediently in the corner. For work, he interns at a civil law firm performing paralegal duties.

Maia Nemes, 16, is a junior at Lincoln High School in Seattle, Washington. She is immensely privileged to study flute with Dr. Zart Dombourian-Eby, and to collaborate regularly with pianist Dr. Li Tan Hsu. Maia is a member of both the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Seattle Collaborative Orchestra, where she plays flute and piccolo. In the 2024-2025 season, Maia won first place in the 2024-25 North Corner Chamber Orchestra (NOCCO) Concerto Competition and the 2025 SFS Frank and Lu Horsfall Competition.
She was also selected as a national finalist in the 2024-25 MTNA Senior Woodwind Competition, and received a Silver Medal in the 2025 Bellevue Symphony Concerto Competition. She has participated in the Northwest Mahler Festival and Marrowstone Music Festival, among others. Maia has appeared on Classical KING FM’s Northwest Focus Live, performing the first movement of the Nielsen Flute Concerto, and performed Mozart’s Flute Concerto No. 1 in G major with NOCCO in February 2025. She is passionate about sharing music with her community and frequently performs in community events, often organized by the Seattle Collaborative Orchestra.

This summer, Maia will attend the BU Tanglewood Institute, where she will perform with the Young Artists Orchestra. Maia intends to pursue music in college. Outside of music, she enjoys reading classic literature, hiking, and spending time in nature with friends and family.

Hana Gottesman has performed throughout the United States, including recitals and concerto performances in San Francisco, New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia, as well as Town Hall Seattle and Benaroya Hall. She won the Coeur d’Alene Symphony National Young Artist Competition and Eastside Symphony Young Soloist Concerto Competition, was a finalist at the Postacchini International Violin Competition in Italy, and is a four-time First Prize winner at the Simon Fiset/SMTA Competition (including the Jean Kantner and Kent Coleman Memorial Trophies). Hana previously won the Seattle Young Artist Music Festival Concerto Competition in 2023, and was awarded the Festival Medal in 2024 and 2025. Hana was awarded first place at both the Washington State and the Northwest Division of the 2024-2025 Music Teachers National Association Competition (MTNA), later earning Third Prize at the National finals. She appeared as soloist with the Northwest Symphony Orchestra, Eastside Symphony, Coeur d’Alene Symphony, the SEEN Orchestra of Chicago, and Bellevue Symphony.

Hana appeared on the Ross Arts Chamber Music series, and recorded as soloist with the Sonoma Strings of California. She has also performed solo and chamber music live on KING FM radio, as well as on National Public Radio’s Live Sessions. Hana studied violin with Jan Coleman, continues her studies with Simon James, and has also received coaching from James Ehnes, Grigory Kalinovsky, Ani Kavafian, Alexander Markov, Amy Schwartz-Moretti, David Perry, Paul Watkins, and Mimi Zweig. Born and raised in Washington state, Hana enjoys swimming and language studies. She is also a medal winner in abacus mathematics, and is certified in that discipline.

Philharmonia Northwest’s 2024-25 Season is made possible in part by generous grants from these Season Sponsors: