About the Participants

Mingshi Xia

Mingshi Xia is a freshman at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School and a fellow at the Music Institute of Chicago's Academy program. He started violin at age four and is currently studying with Davis King. Mingshi has won prizes in various competitions: the Society of American Musicians, the Chinese Fine Arts Society, and the Sejong Cultural Music Competition. Mingshi likes to draw in his spare time.

Kelly Kim

Kelly Kim, 16, is a junior at the Glenbrook North High School Academy in Northbrook. She
attends the Academy of the Music Institute and currently studies with Almita Vamos at the Music Institute of Chicago. She has won various prizes and recognitions in competitions including the Granquist Competition, the Chicago International Music Association Competition, the INPASS Music Competition, the Festival in Honor of Confucius, the Society of American Musicians Competition, the Sejong Music Competition, and the Depaul Concerto Festival Competition. In 2018, she was one of the winners at the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra’s Philharmonic Concerto Competition. In 2019 and 2021, she was named twice as one of four winners of the Glenbrook Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition. She was the Concertmistress for the CYSO’s Philharmonic, Debut, and Concert Orchestras as well as Preparatory Strings. She also was a member of the Symphony Orchestra. She was selected to be in the district-wide orchestra (ILMEA) and was selected as principal second violin for the state-wide orchestra.

Esme Arias-Kim

Merit Scholarship Fellow at the Music Institute of Chicago Academy, where she studies violin with Almita Vamos;
She was a featured artist on WFMT’s “Introductions”.

Tara Hagle

Tara Hagle is a 17-year-old violinist from the Chicago area. She currently is a fellow of the Music Institute of Chicago Academy where she studies with Almita Vamos and Davis King. She was formerly a scholarship competition prizewinner at the Merit School of Music’s conservatory program, where she was concertmaster of their top ensemble. In past summers, she has attended the Bendada International music festival in Portugal, Bowdoin International Music Festival, and Northwestern Summer Violin Institute, and has participated in masterclasses with Violaine Melançon, Vadim Gluzman, Blair Milton, and Paul Kantor, among others. In her free time, she likes to read, go for runs, and bake.

Aiden Yu

Aiden Yu (12) is in 6th grade at University of Chicago Laboratory School and is currently studying with Davis King & Julimar Gonzalez. Aiden was the Co-Principal of Concert Orchestra and has sat concertmaster of the Debut Orchestra and Preparatory Strings of Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra. Aiden has won 1st place of 2021 Houston International Music Competition, 2020 DePaul Concerto Competition, 2020 CYSO Concerto Competition of Concert Orchestra, 2019 1st place of Confucius Competition, 2020 1st place of Society of American Musicians Competition, 2nd place of 2019 Sejong Competition and Honorable Mention of 2020 Walgreens Concerto Competition. He is a 2019 MIC merit scholarship recipient. He has performed at Carnegie Hall, New York (American Protege 2019, 2nd place); Museo del Violino, Cremona Italy (Cremona International Competition for Strings 2019, Junior Division 1st place) and Centre of Fine Arts of Brussels, Belgium (2019 International Music Competition Brussels Grand Prize Virtuoso 1st prize). Aiden also enjoys math and recording/editing videos.