Young musicians shine as Atlanta Festival Academy crowns inaugural competition winners | EarRelevant

Violinist Kazuki Kyo captures top prize in the Young Artist Division

Mark Gresham | 8 AUG 2025

JOHNS CREEK, Georgia— A 14-year-old Japanese violinist from the United Kingdom captivated the audience and jury alike to take home a groundbreaking $10,000 Grand Prize as the Atlanta Festival Academy (AFA) held its inaugural Young Artist Competition June 25–26 at Johns Creek United Methodist Church — a regional milestone that reached across continents and generations, culminating in a celebratory concert on August 2.

The two-day contest attracted rising stars from North America, Europe, and Asia. Among them were performers as young as 10, many of whom had already earned reputations as top talents in their home countries.

The headline moment came as 14-year-old violinist Kazuki Kyo claimed the Grand Prize in the Young Artist Division for musicians ages 14–23. Born in Tokyo and trained in both Japan and the UK, Kyo received the competition’s top honor — a $10,000 award, the largest of its kind for youth classical musicians in the Southeast. Her prize included a featured solo performance with the AFA Summer Institute Orchestra at the August 2 Finale Concert, where she performed the first movement of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto. She will also return next summer to open the 2026 AFA festival with a solo recital.

The competition jury included internationally recognized musicians and educators: clarinetist Seunghee Lee, violinist Herbert Greenberg, pianist Ben Kim, and conductor Henry Cheng, the new music director of the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra. Cheng also led the orchestra for the finale concert.

A Stage for the Next Generation

Kyo wasn’t the only standout. The Young Artist Division also awarded:

2nd Prize: Didi Stone (violin, 19) – $2,000
3rd Prize: Melissa Lam (cello, 17) – $1,000
4th Prize: Yiduo Zhao (piano, 20) – $300
5th Prize (tie): Gabriella McClellan (cello, 22) and Sam Vaillancourt (violin, 19) – $300 each

AFA also recognized young talent in its Senior and Junior Divisions, which featured students ages 14–18 and 13 & under, respectively. Winners in these categories earned cash prizes, full scholarships for AFA’s youth orchestra, and future solo performance opportunities.

Senior Division winners included:

1st Prize (tie): Hamin You (violin, 14) and Dahyun Katie Yang (piano, 17) – $1,500 each
3rd Prize: Ellie Kim (violin, 14) – $300
4th Prize: Fisher Yu (viola, 14) – $150

Junior Division winners were:

1st Prize: Ling-Xi Ma (violin, 12) – $600
2nd Prize: Chloe Jung (piano, 11) – $300
3rd Prize: Jessie Wu (violin, 13) – $200
4th Prize: Ling-Rui Ma (viola, 10) – $100
5th Prize: Charlotte Rogers (flute, 13) – $100

For all of the young performers, the experience went beyond prizes. Many participated in masterclasses with the jurors, rehearsed alongside members of the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra, and formed lasting connections with peers from around the world.

Music, Momentum, and Mission

The August 2 concert capped a monthlong summer program that combined orchestral training, chamber music, and mentorship. Alongside Kyo’s solo, the program included Tchaikovsky’s “Waltz” from his Serenade for Strings, a playful rendition of Rossini’s Overture from The Barber of Seville, and two original works co-created by Cheng and Mahlon Berv that reimagined Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 through a 21st-century lens.

The blend of tradition and innovation reflects AFA’s growing identity as a hub for young artists. Founded in 2019, the organization has consistently drawn faculty from prestigious institutions and orchestras, offering Georgia’s youth access to world-class instruction and exposure.

With more than $15,000 in total cash awards, the inaugural AFA Young Artist Competition signals the beginning of something bigger: an international platform rooted in community, creativity, and excellence.

For more information, visit: www.atlantafestivalacademy.org ■

EXTERNAL LINKS:

Atlanta Festival Academy: atlantafestivalacademy.org

About the author:

Mark Gresham is publisher and principal writer of EarRelevant. He began writing as a music journalist over 30 years ago, but has been a composer of music much longer than that. He was the winner of an ASCAP/Deems Taylor Award for music journalism in 2003.

Read more by Mark Gresham.