2026 Competition
Senior Division - April 11, 2026
Junior Division - April 18, 2026
Live Streamed Video > > > >
2025 Prizewinners
Senior Division
HESPER QUARTET
FIRST PRIZE & BIPOC AWARD
Valerie Kim, violin (USA)
Yejin Yoon (South Korea)
Sohui Yum, viola (South Korea)
Connor Kim, cello (USA)
The Hesper Quartet is a Korean-American string quartet based in New York City and their eponym is Hesperus, the “evening star” and Greek mythological personification of Venus in the early night sky, capturing their roles as leaders and storytellers.
In 2024, the Hesper Quartet swept silver medals at the Chesapeake International Chamber Music Competition, Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, Lyon International String Quartet Competition, and the Yellow Springs Chamber Music Competition. They were also awarded the “Special Prize of Encouragement” by the Artsylvia Foundation in South Korea. In 2023, the Hespers were awarded first prize at the Fanny Mendelssohn International Competition, the Servaas International Music Competition, and were selected for the Lauren V. Ackerman Prize at Stony Brook University.
Recent festival appearances include the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival in both 2023 and 2024, the McGill International String Quartet Academy, and the St. Lawrence String Quartet Seminar. They have performed at a variety of venues including Stanford University’s Bing Concert Hall, Capitol Theatre Windsor, Staller Center for the Arts, Temple Beth El, and the JeJu Cultural Arts Center in South Korea and have have had the pleasure of collaborating with renowned artists such as Chiho Han, Lawrence Dutton, Hsin–Yun Huang, Peter Wiley, and Shai Wosner. Highlights of the upcoming season include performances and masterclasses at the Académie musicale de Villecroze, the Chesapeake Chamber Music Festival and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.
The Hesper Quartet was founded in 2022 at Stony Brook University’s Emerson String Quartet Institute.
DRAGONBOOT QUARTET
SECOND PRIZE
Katya Moeller, violin (Iowa City, IA)
Catherine Carson, violin (Northfield, MN)
Sydney Whipple, viola (Oakland, CA)
Lila Holyoke, cello (New York, NY)
The DragonBoot String Quartet is comprised of violinists Cate Carson and Katya Moeller, violist Sydney Whipple and cellist, Lila Holyoke. Built on a foundation of deep musical relationships, the members of this ensemble have fostered musical connections that have survived the test of time. Violinist Cate Carson and violist Sydney Whipple first played together for their own enjoyment at the California Summer Music Festival—over ten years ago. Cellist Lila Holyoke and violinist Katya Moeller have performed together in chamber ensembles for three consecutive years. Most recently, Lila and Cate performed together for seven weeks this past summer, sharing chamber works with children at Kneisel Hall. The DragonBoot String Quartet is the ultimate fusion of these avid chamber musicians, finally coming together after all of these years at The Juilliard School’s Honors Chamber Program. Most recently, the quartet won Grand Prize at the Coltman Chamber Music Competition in Austin, Texas. DragonBoot Quartet has performed in Alice Tully Hall, the Tenri Cultural Institute (as guests of the If Music Be the Food concert series), and with Eleva Chamber Players in Vermont. Upcoming engagements include outreach programs at Rikers Island, performances in Juilliard’s Paul Hall and the David Rubenstein Atrium in NYC and the Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota. As an all-women group, DragonBoot Quartet is particularly interested in performing works by women composers to highlight their contributions to the repertoire and to share with diverse audiences. Dedicated to the exploration of chamber music, these spirited artists have attended various festivals, such as the Verbier Festival, Perlman Music Program, Music@Menlo, Kneisel Hall, the YellowBarn Young Artists Program, and Bowdoin International Music Festival. Members of the group have participated in masterclasses with the Dover String Quartet, the Cavani String Quartet, and the Ying Quartet. The group is currently coached by Merry Peckham and Adam Meyer. Cate and Sydney are currently pursuing their Master’s Degree; Cate, under the tutelage of Laurie Smucker, and Sydney, studying with Misha Amory. Katya and Lila are both working toward their Bachelor’s Degree. Katya is in her third year of studies with Masao Kawasaki. Lila is a BCJ student in a shared-studio of Natasha Brofsky and Clara Kim.
Junior Division
SEAL QUARTET
GOLD MEDALISTS
Rachel Won, violin (Fullerton, CA)
Brennan Gregory Wuchner, violin (Murrieta, CA)
Jayden Kim, viola (Irvine, CA)
Sophie Yoo, cello (Pasadena, CA)
The Seal Quartet is currently a part of the Colburn School’s Ed and Mari Edelman Honors Chamber Music program under the mentorship of acclaimed violinist and chamber music coach, Moni Simeonov. The Seal Quartet came together in Fall of 2024, and have since been selected to play in seminars and masterclasses with artists such as renowned violinist Tanja Becker-Bender, Eugene Drucker from the Emerson Quartet, and the internationally acclaimed Trio Fibonacci. Passionate about sharing classical music with the general public to share their love of classical music, the Seals were featured in prominent violinist Karolina Protsenko’s street performance video of Vivaldi’s Winter. The Seal Quartet was also invited to perform in the Austrian Consulate General’s Independence Day function. The Seal Quartet also performed in Colburn’s 2024 Winter Honors Recital and were additionally selected to play through student-composed quartets at the Colburn School. The Seals are always looking for more innovative ways to experiment and find ways to step out of their comfort zones during rehearsals. In their free time, the Seals enjoy going on walks outside in LA together and taking trips to the vending machines during breaks.
CASPIAN QUARTET
SILVER MEDALISTS & BIPOC PRIZE
Lily Sullivan, violin (Bloomington, IN)
Tristan Zhu, violin (Chicago, IL)
Vivian Isabella Van de Sype Cucu, viola (Milwaukee, WI)
Jan Vargas Nedvetsky, cello (Wilmette, IL)
Caspian String Quartet was formed in the fall of 2024 at the Academy of the Music Institute of Chicago, an elite training center for pre-college musicians. Members of the quartet are Academy Merit Scholarship Fellows Lily Sullivan and Tristan Zhu, violins, Vivian Van de Sype Cucu, viola, and Jan Vargas Nedvetsky, cello. The Quartet is coached by the Academy Artist Faculty member Rodolfo Vieira. “Caspian” is Latin word that means light, miraculous, or dazzling. Members of this string quartet would like every performance to be a source of joy and light to the audience. They chose the name “Caspian” to express their gratitude for the miracle of music and its ability to illuminate the world. Representing cultural and geographic diversity in music, members of quartet blend Chinese, Colombian, Russian, Romanian, Belgian, Norwegian, and Irish cultures, speak several different languages, and reside in three different states: Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. As solo performers, members of the Caspian quartet have had many individual achievements throughout their musical careers. Caspian String Quartet is 2025 First Place and Grand Prize winner of Chicago National Chamber Music Competition Open Division, 2025 First Place winner of Rembrandt Chamber Music Competition, and Finalist in the Coltman Chamber Music Competition in Austin, Tx. Caspian String Quartet had an opportunity to perform in the Academy Chamber Music concerts and participate in master classes with Pacifica Quartet and cellist Alex Hirsh at the Academy of the Music Institute of Chicago. Tristan, Lily, Vivian, and Jan are deeply grateful for the opportunity to share their music.
PORPHYRION QUARTET
BRONZE MEDALISTS
Mingshi Xia, violin (Chicago, IL)
Sasha Varchenko, violin (Chapel Hill, NC)
Neena Agrawal, viola (Chicago, IL)
Simon Updegraff, cello (Wilmette, IL)
The Porphyrion String Quartet is comprised of Mingshi Xia and Sasha Varchenko on violin, Neena Agrawal on viola, and Simon Updegraff on cello. All four students are Fellows at the Music Institute of Chicago Academy, a pre-college training program for gifted musicians. The quartet is coached by artist faculty member Claudia Lasare-Mirono. They recently participated in a masterclass with the Pacifica Quartet, performed several times for retirees, and will be featured on Orion Ensemble and Fulcrum New Music concerts in the next few months. By selecting the name Porphyrion, the name of a recently discovered pair of supermassive black holes whose jets extend 23 million light-years and influence galactic structures throughout the universe, we seek to transcend traditional boundaries and delve deep into the souls of our listeners, gazing beyond the event horizon. We aim to create music that resonates with richness and leaves a lasting impression on every audience.