Young Violists Competition

Announcing our 2025 NCVS Young Violists Competition Results:

First Place: Jaydon Li
Second Place: Jamie Cheung
Third Place: Kenji Sor
Best Bach Performance: Jamie Cheung
Best Performance “Heart of the Lake”: Jaydon Li

Congratulations to all of our outstanding young 2025 finalists:   

Jamie Cheung from Palo Alto

Daphna Glassman from Sunnyvale

Brandon Kang from Campbell

Jaydon Li from Foster City

Kenji Sor from Richmond

Thanks to our 2025 Violist Adjudicators: Pamela Freund, Tom Tatton and Matt Young and to collaborative pianist, Lori Lack, thanks also to YVC Team Ed Wharton, Dmitri Yevstifeev, and USF vols Wren Hillard, Joshua Balbach & Mikiko Inayama  

Congratulations to our 2025 Young Violists Competition Finalists!

 

 

Jamie Cheung is a sophomore at Henry M Gunn High School, where he serves as co-principal violist in both the chamber and symphony orchestras. He has been playing the viola for almost 5 years. He currently studies under Madeline Prager of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM), and is a student of SFCM’s Pre-College Program. He is also a recipient of the Diana C. Yee Family Trust Scholarship at SFCM, and a violist in the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra (SFSYO) since 2023. Jamie was awarded an associate diploma in violin and viola performance from Trinity College London, in 2021 and 2022 respectively, and won accolades at the 2023 KAMSA Competition.

Daphna Raveh Glassman was born in Israel in 2009 and began her musical education at the age of three with pre-instrument lessons at the Israel Conservatory of Music in Tel Aviv. At five and a half, she started learning the violin under Marina Ziskind at the Ra’anana Music Center. In 2021, she transitioned to the viola. Alongside her string studies, Daphna also pursued piano lessons with Ina Rubin from 2019 to 2024. Daphna currently studies at the Prep Department of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music under the guidance of Professor Dimitri Murrath. There, she is a part of a string quartet and a new millennium music ensemble.

 

Brandon Kang, 17, is a junior at Archbishop Mitty High School. He has played the viola for five years, having started on violin, and currently studies with Minji Kim. Brandon engages in various musical opportunities. Last summer, Brandon attended Music@Menlo’s Young Performers Program. He also participates as principal violist of his school orchestra and co-principal of Golden State Youth Orchestra’s Symphony Orchestra, where he won the Concerto Competition for the 2024-2025 season.
 

 Jaydon Li is a freshman at Aragon High School, where he serves as the Principal Viola of the String Orchestra. He is also an active member of Aragon’s Music Project Club, which shares music with the community through volunteer efforts. Jaydon began playing the viola at the age of 6, and he currently studies under the guidance of Mr. Jay Liu. Since 2023, Jaydon has been a violist in the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. He also played in a string quartet and a piano quintet at the Gradus Ad Parnassum Music Academy, and participated in Music for a Healthy Mind Charity Recital in 2024. Jaydon was selected for the California All-State Junior High School String Orchestra in 2022. Outside of music, Jaydon enjoys swimming and playing tennis, as well as exploring his interests in science and coding.

 

 Kenji Sor, 17, has been playing viola for the past five years, following several years of study in violin and piano. He began violin lessons at age six with Dawn Madole and continued his musical studies at The Crowden School in Berkeley from grades 4 through 8. After graduating from Crowden in 2021, he studied orchestral and chamber music at the Virtuoso Program at San Domenico School and began studying viola with Pei-Ling Lin of the Telegraph Quartet. In his junior year he played with Young People’s Symphony Orchestra, touring Japan in the summer of 2024. He is currently a senior at Tilden Preparatory School in Albany, California.
Through his studies at Crowden,  he has had the great privilege of studying with some of the area’s great quartets and musicians, such as members of the Telegraph Quartet, Baumer Quartet, Aizuri Quartet, Alexander String Quartet. He has also had jazz studies with Grammy-award winning violinist Evan Price, tango studies with violinist Jeremy Cohen, and master classes with Bonnie Hampton.
In his free time, Kenji enjoys listening to underplayed and under-listened-to chamber works. He often spends his days hanging out with his parents, friends, and dog, Jerry.

 YVC Admission is free & open to the public: 

 Sunday March 9, 2025 from 6-8pm, at the Studio Theater of the University of San Francisco, in the Lone Mountain Building, 2800 Turk Blvd. Join us as we hear 5 outstanding young violists perform, each will play solo Bach and the new composition, "Heart of the Lake"by Kamil Kosecki. Additional programmed works by Brahms, Bloch, Hoffmeister, Bruch, and JC Bach. Judging panel: Pamela Freund, Tom Tatton & Matt Young. Collaborating pianist Lori Lack.

 

 

2026 Application / Preliminary round information

Each year outstanding young violists from Northern California are encouraged to submit recordings for consideration to be included in the finals for the Young Violists Competition. Comments from preliminary round panel are included with participation in the preliminaries. We conclude with a live finals concert.

Eligibility: Pre-college, aged 19 or younger. Applicants must be based in or studying in Northern California.  Cash prizes: $500, first prize / $300, second prize / $200, third prize. Also awards for "Best New Piece" and "Best Bach" may be awarded at the discretion of the adjudicators.   

 
Deadline: video materials submitted by January 5, 2026, 11:59pm Pacific time. Please consider filing your application form at any time from 9/15/25 on - and submitting your recordings and payment when ready. Questions? write to us: norcalviola@gmail.com

Finalists announced January 19, 2026

 2026 YVC Repertoire Requirements for 1st round of the competition (all of the following):
1. Any single movement from a Cello Suite by J.S. Bach
2. One movement from a viola sonata or a showpiece
3. One movement of a standard viola concerto
For Final Round: all finalists will play their preliminary repertoire plus a new work  for unaccompanied viola, chosen from scores submitted to the NCVS composer competition 2025-26.

ONLINE APPLICATION FORM Open Sept 15, 2025-Jan 5, 2026

Filing your application form ahead of time before submitting your recordings is highly encouraged, that way we know to expect your recordings. Also you may view the application form for more details and information.

 

Application Fee: $35

Pay Application Fee here

Submit your preliminary recordings - video recording with piano accompaniment in a good acoustic is strongly recommended-
to NCVS@NORCALVIOLA.ORG

 

 

Announcing our 9th Annual NCVS Young Violists Competition Results:

First Place: Colin Breshears
Second Place: Liam Young Skeen
Third Place tie: Rebekah Sung/Bryan Im
Judges’ Award: Eleanor Gil
Best Bach Performance: Colin Breshears
Best Performance of  New Piece, “Der Kleiner Elephant”: Colin Breshears

Congratulations to all of our truly outstanding young 2024 finalists: Yufei Shen from Pleasanton, Katherine Yang from San Mateo, Eleanor Gil from San Jose, Rebekah Sung from Fremont, Bryan Im from San Jose, Liam Young Skeen from Richmond and Colin Breshears from San Pablo

Violist Adjudicators: Don Ehrlich, Pamela Freund & Thomas Tatton

March 10, 2024 at the University of San Francisco in the Studio Theater, Yufei's Stamitz Concerto sparkled, Katherine showed a gorgeous color palette in her Bartok, Eleanor wowed us with her rich deep sound in Brahms, Bryan's York Bowen Sonata was strong and romantic, Rebekah's polish and imagination showed in everything she played, Liam held us in thrall with his Bloch and Colin dazzled us with his Hoffmeister, it was truly an afternoon to remember!

2023 Final Round Concert Video:

 2023 Violist Adjudicators:  Ethan Filner, Jodi Levitz, Eleanor Angel, & Dr. Thomas Tatton 

2023 winners: Jennifer Kang, 1st place, Best Bach & Best New Piece Awards; Colin Breshears and Jenna Kim, 2nd place tie; Katherine Yang, 3rd place

Congratulations to all of our 2023 Finalists: From San Jose, Bomin Kim, from Cupertino, Michelle Choi, from Saratoga, David Kim, from Mountain View, Jennifer Kang, from Los Gatos, Jenna Kim, from San Mateo, Katherine Yang, and from San Pablo, Colin Breshears.

From 2022 - 7th Annual NCVS Young Violists Competition

Final Round Concert Video:
Sunday March 13, 2022, 

2022 Adjudicators: Ethan Filner, Jodi Levitz, Cassandra Lynne Richburg, Dr. Thomas Tatton & Jonathan Vinocour.

2022 Young Violists Competition Winners:

Andrew Ahn, 16, from Atherton

Andrew Hwang, 14, from Palo Alto

Chanhee Park, 16, from San Jose

 

 

 And...from 2021:

Congratulations to winners of the 2021 competition: 

1st place: tie - Pearl de la Motte & Michelle Koo

3rd place: Hannah Lam

Best Bach: Pearl de la Motte

Best New Piece: Michelle Koo

Our YVC 2021 Finalists:

Michelle Koo, from Palo Alto, California.

Hannah Lam, from San Ramon.

Wyeth Minami, from Palo Alto

Pearl de la Motte, from San Francisco.

Ingrid Nordberg, from Walnut Creek

---

QUESTIONS? EMAIL NCVS@NORCALVIOLA.ORG