Young Artists

Daniel Chen, 13, began his piano studies with his mother, Hui-Chen Yang at the age of 8, and continued piano lessons with Poh Lin Koh and Natalie Potocka. He is currently a student of Dr. Eugene Skovorodnikov in Vancouver. Daniel's achievements include many first place awards from such competitions as the Kiwanis Festival and the BC Student Performers' Guild who honored Daniel with a trophy. A versatile musician, Daniel also plays trombone and participates in his school band program, where he plays in the Jazz Band. In addition, he plays the 'cello in the Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra. Daniel is excited and honoured to be participating for the first time in the Pianos Galore 2002 Concert.

Top

Helen Cheung, 13, began her piano studies at the age of 5. Her early teachers were Dr. Wu, Ms. Ling, Natalia Potocka, and Saida Matyukov. Helen is currently studying piano with Dr. Eugene Skovorodnikov. Helen's first place standings, medals and scholarships have been won not only in the Hong Kong Youth and Children's Piano Competition and the Hong Kong International Piano Competition, but also in the CDMF Performing Arts Festival, the Kiwanis Music Festival, the BCRMTA, and the Canadian Music Competition. In 1999 Helen was a winner of the Provincial Final of the CMC. Also in 1999, Helen performed in the Gala Showcase Concert of the Kiwanis Music Festival because of her distinguished performances in the Grade 9 Concert Group. She was chosen as a performer of the 9th Edith Lando Gifted Youth Scholarship Recital of the Vancouver Academy of Music. She was awarded the "Nancy Paisley Benn Scholarship" and the "Richmond Academy of Music Performing Arts Medallion", the "Angela Barbour Scholarship", and the "Ann Lesley Bain Memorial Scholarship" Helen was also the recipient of the "Janet Vineberg Memorial Scholarship" at the Vancouver Academy of the Arts. Currently preparing for the ARCT Piano Performer's Diploma, Helen plays drums in her school band and plays the alto saxophone. In her free time Helen enjoys other activities such as skiing, cycling, badminton, and swimming.

Top

Born in San Francisco, Wendy Cheung, 14, began early piano studies in Macau at the age of 5. After moving to Vancouver with her family when she was 7, Wendy began piano training with Karrie Tam with whom she continued until 2001 when she began her piano studies with Dr. Eugene Skovorodnikov. Wendy has received countless awards from various music festivals: the Kiwanis, the Richmond, the Student Performer's Guild, and the Vancouver Music Festival. In all of these competitions, she has won many first places and been invited to play in final concerts. In 1999, she was awarded the "Most Promising Intermediate Pianist" Scholarship from the Kiwanis Festival and in the same year, Richmond awarded her the prestigious "Trudy Morse Scholarship". Her RCM examinations have produced marks of distinction, and Wendy's participation in the national Canadian Music Competitions have resulted in her placement as a Provincial Finalist in 1999 and again in 2000. Besides piano, Wendy enjoys playing violin and cello at her high school, and in her spare time, she enjoys badminton, bowling and cross-stitching.

Top

A first year arts student at UBC, Allison Cline, 18, has participated in Pianos Galore since 1999. Her piano training began with Ria Csapo-Spaetgens, followed by advanced studies with Edward Parker. She currently holds an Associate diploma from the BC Conservatory of Music and also from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Performance, and an Associate Diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Teaching.

A 19-year-old native of Vancouver, Andreas L'Abbé began his early piano studies with Marie Cahill when he was 4 years old. He entered his first competitions that same year and quickly gained recognition for his musicality shown in solo performances as well as in his duet and duo piano work. Andreas began studying piano jointly with Edward Parker at the age of 6 and continued to garner scholarships and awards in every Festival and competition. Andreas won every division --Junior, Intermediate, and Senior, in festivals that he has entered. In 1999 the Burnaby Clef awarded him the "Most Gifted Artist" of that year's competitions and in the same year, he earned the Kiwanis Senior Mozart medallion. His RCM examinations produced marks of distinction, including that on his ARCT Performer's Diploma earned in 2000, when he also received the LLCM from London, England. Andreas has performed in many local venues, playing works from the solo, duet, and duo piano repertoire. He has been heard in the Hyatt Regency, the Michael J. Fox Theatre, the Gateway Theatre, the Metro Theatre, the Hycroft University Women's Club, as well as at the Chan Centre in 1999, 2000, and 2001 as a performer for Pianos Galore. In addition, he plays violin and clarinet and entertains in various Senior Citizens' residences. He has also been a solo pianist in a TV commercial. Now an active piano teacher, and a freshman at UBC, Andreas enjoys tennis, snowboarding, kayaking, swimming, and weight training.

Jordan L'Abbé, now 22, was born in Vancouver and has been playing the piano since he was 5 years old when he began his early studies with Marie Cahill and continued with Edward Parker. Jordan's successes in competitions, festivals, examinations and performances were legion; from a very early age, he was awarded trophies, scholarships, first places and marks of distinction in such festivals as the Kiwanis, the Student Performer's Guild, the Burnaby Clef, the Vancouver Music Festival, and the St. Thomas More Festival. He was consistently awarded top honours and performed regularly in gala concerts. In addition to receiving a scholarship from the RCM for his exceptional performance on the grade 8 examination, Jordan attained the ARCT Performer's Diploma in 1995 and since then, he has been a successful piano and theory teacher and has also taught flute. Also in his active studio, he teaches French grammar and conversation. In addition to his appearances with the Pianos Galore organization at the Chan Centre in 2000 and again in 2001, Jordan, fluent in French, leads a busy academic life, preparing to receive his BA in French in 2002 and enter the MA programme in the fall. His other area of expertise, computers, allows Jordan to teach computer literacy privately and also to work for a local college.

The youngest child of a musical family of four, Tivannagh L'Abbé, 16, began piano lessons at the age of 3 with Marie Cahill. She attracted accolades from judges when she played in her first festival at that age, and was deemed "extremely promising". Her instruction continued jointly with Ms. Cahill and with Edward Parker. Tivannagh's musicianship in both solo piano performance and in duet and duo piano work with her brother brought her many awards. Since 1988, she received the "Most Talented " award, as well as the Junior, Intermediate and Senior championships from the BCRMTA Festival. In the Student Performers' Guild, Tivannagh won numerous scholarships and prizes, including the "Most Artistic", the Junior, the Intermediate and the Senior Duet and Piano championships. Tivannagh is an RCM medallist who received marks of distinction in her examinations, culminating in an ARCT Performer's Diploma, earned in 2001. She also holds an ALCM and an LLCM in piano from London, England. In addition to piano, Tivannagh plays drums, guitar, cornet and violin; she and her brother were busking fiddlers for many summer seasons at Vancouver's Granville Market. She is a vocal accompanist and in 1999 was the Musical Director and accompanist for the Metro Theatre's production of The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole. As recreation, Tivannagh plays on a soccer team and is an active snowboarder, tennis player, and weight trainer.

Jennifer Law, 15, is a native of Hong Kong who moved to Vancouver in 1990 with her family. After arriving in Vancouver, she began piano lessons at age 9 with David Chen, and continued with Karrie Tam. Jennifer currently studies piano with Alex Lim. Through these years of study, she has been very successful in local competitions, playing a wide variety of music from Baroque, to Romantic to Twentieth Century repertoire, in which she has earned many awards, including the mary Ann Cayellano Scholarship in 2000 from the Richmond Music Festival. In her RCM examintions Jennifer has consistently received first class marks and first class with distinction standing. At the age of 10, she also began studying violin and continued playing for 3 years. Her other musical activity involves singing in her school choir which she has enjoyed both at the elementary and at the secondary level. Jennifer shares her time in the community by volunteering at various locations such as day-camps, libraries, and at different festivals. She is an honour roll student and likes to swim, play tennis as well as table tennis, and also play squash and badminton.

At the age of 3, Yvonne Law, born in Hong Kong, moved with her family to Vancouver. David Chen was her first piano teacher in that city; she has also studied with Karrie Tam and also with Alex Lim, her current instructor. Yvonne is now 14, and has accumulated a number of impressive credentials for various competitions in which she has played. Most recently at the Richmond Music Festival she was awarded the Trudy Morse scholarship and was also invited, as the trophy winner of the Chopin class, to perform in the honour recital. Yvonne's successes range across the piano solo repertoire, from Baroque, through Classical and then Romantic (in which she achieved gold standing in 2001 in the BCCM Festival) and Twentieth Century works. As well as pursuing her piano studies, Yvonne has studied violin for four years, is a member of her school choir and enjoys playing popular piano music. She is just as active in other areas, including playing on her school basketball and volleyball teams, and enjoys playing tennis, table tennis, and badminton as recreation.

A 14-year-old secondary student born and raised in Vancouver, BC, Sheldon Leung has been playing the piano since he was 4 years of age. His first lessons were with his mother as that age, and he continued his studies with Ms. Louise Wu, and recently with Dr. Steven Ho. Under the tutelage of Dr. Ho, Sheldon has achieved many first class honours with distinction marks on his RCM examinations and has completed all the requirements of the ARCT in Piano Performance. Besides these pianistic accomplishments, Sheldon was the accompanist for his elementary school choir since he was in grade 3, and is currently a pianist at his church. An honour student at his high school, Sheldon also plays the violin and contributes his talents on this instrument to his school's string programme. His musical abilities also benefit the school when he is called on to serve as an accompanist. This is the first time that Sheldon has participated in Pianos Galore, and he is honoured to have been selected to play in the 2002 concert at the Chan Centre. When he is not busy with his musical activities, Sheldon enjoys many sports, such as basketball, badminton, volleyball, and especially hockey. Like many of his fellow Pianos Galore performers, Sheldon is fond of spending time on his computer, exploring the world of the Internet.

Alexander Li, age 10, has been playing the piano since he began lessons at the age of 5. His current instructor in Vancouver is Libby Yu. A pianist in his church since he was 8 years old, Alexander has won awards and marks of distinction in music festivals such as the Kiwanis and the Student Performer's Guild. His musicality has allowed him the privilege of playing in awards presentation concerts and at recitals in various venues, including Senior Citizens' residences. His results on RCM examinations have been just as noteworthy, yielding marks of first class honours with distinction for the last three years. Alexander is also a high achiever in other areas as well; he has been named as one of the top ten mathematics students of Kumon North America since 1998. In his spare time, this young pianist enjoys playing basketball.

A grade 11 honour student in secondary school, Audrey Lim, 16, a native of the Philippines, has been studying the piano with great success from an early age. Her instructors have been Tena Chu, Natalia Potocka and currently Dr. Eugene Skovorodnikov. She has a long list of first class honours and honours with distinction as results of RCM examinations taken. In 1998, she was awarded a trophy for achieving the highest grade 7 examination score in the Richmond Branch of the BCRMTA, and also in 1998, having taken the grade 9 examination, again received the highest score and another trophy as well as the Winifred Proud Scholarship from the Richmond BCRMTA. Audrey has participated in many festivals and competitions and her results are commendable; she has achieved countless first places standings and awards dating back to 1996. From the prestigious Kiwanis Festival she has won a Bach Medallion and a Baroque Scholarship (1996), a Jean Lyons Scholarship (1998), a Classical Scholarship (1999), and in 2001 the Vancouver Student Performer's Guild awarded Audrey a first place in an ARCT level Sonata Class. Using her pianistic talents at her church, Audrey Lim accompanies the Men's and Chancel Choirs and plays for church and the Sunday School singspiration services. Besides the piano Audrey plays flute and plays the clarinet in her school band. She is a member of the church Handbell Choir and also a member of the Cherubim Choir. For recreation Audrey enjoys crossword puzzles, origami, table tennis and badminton.

Connie Kar Yee Man, 16, was born and raised in Hong Kong where at the age of 4, she began piano lessons under the instruction of Michael Siu. After moving to Vancouver, Connie continued piano studies with Natalia Potocka and is currently studying with Dr. Eugene Skovorodnikov both of whom Connie's talents blossom. She has a long list of honors and awards to her credit from such lower mainland competitions as the BCRMTA, who have recognized her with prizes for both solo piano and for duet performances. Connie holds the ARCT Performer's degree in piano performance and also plays the flute as well as the violin; she played flute in her elementary school band and her violin skills were honed in Hong Kong where she played violin in her school orchestra. Her violin instructor in Vancouver is Nicki Steida of the Vancouver Academy of Music who has guided Connie through six levels of RMT violin exams. Connie has also participated in the high school orchestra in Vancouver as a violinist, and is now the piano accompanist of her school's chamber and concert choirs. In addition to her abilities on piano, flute, and violin, Connie enjoys singing, an interest she enjoyed from her early years in the Hong Kong Children's Choir. In elementary school she was the school choir accompanist and currently she accompanies her high school chamber and concert choirs. Her free time is spent singing, writing letters, surfing the Internet, and playing in the snow.

Esther Sheih, 12 years of age, has been the recipient of many music awards and scholarships since beginning piano lessons at a young age. Her present teacher in Vancouver is Rebecca Kelly. In 2000, the BCRMTA honored Esther with the Morris Dean Memorial tophy and scholarship, the highest award of the Student Performers' Guild Competition. She won the overall Intermediate level scholarship in the BCRMTA Guild Festival in 1998 and in the same year, was awarded first place at the Canadian Music Competition held in Montreal. The Kiwanis Music Festival Gala Showcase concert in 1996 named Esther as its Grand Prize Winner for the year. Her RMT piano examinations have yielded a first class honours with Distinction for Esther in 2000 on her grade 10 exam. At her young age, Esther also has a wide variety of performances to her credit: she has participated in Pianos Galore at the Chan Centre, and also played in Vancouver at the JCC, the Asian Heritage Cultural Society, the BCRMTA Honour Recitals, the Vancouver Women's Musical Club, and at the Canadian Music Competition BC Society Showcase Concert. Esther is an accomplished flutist, and in 2001 was awarded the "Most Promising Award" for her performance in the 2001 Richmond Music Festival. She accompanies a children's choir, is a member of her school's student council, and enjoys participating in sports as her recreation.

Isaac Sheih began his piano lessons at the age of 6. Now 15 years old, Isaac was awarded Honors with Distinction on his RCM Grade 10 piano examination and is preparing for his ARCT Performer's Diploma studying with Rebecca Kelly. He has distinguished himself in many local music competitions and has received awards and scholarships for both piano and violin from such festivals as the Kiwanis, the Burnaby Clef, the Music Man, and from the Student Performers' Guild. In 1999, Isaac performed a piano concerto with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra under conductor Clyde Mitchell. He was selected to participate in the master class of internationally renowned teacher John Perry. Isaac also represented BC in the CMC Competitions in 2001 and won 2nd place in the national finals in Quebec. In the same year, he received his LLCM diploma from London, England. Isaac has performed widely in the lower mainland, playing in such venues as the Hycroft Women's Club, the Vancouver Women's Music Society, the Michael J. Fox Theatre, the Chan Centre, the UBC Concert Hall, Sutton Place, the Asian Heritage Cultural Centre, and also at Laval University. Active in his school's string orchestra, Isaac received the Principal's Millennium Award. Isaac also is the accompanist for the Trinity Children's Choir in Richmond and when not busy with his musical pursuits, enjoys soccer and reading.

Kevin Kin Wing Tam, 15, was inspired to begin his piano studies when he was 7 years of age by his older sister, a piano teacher. A student of Alex Lim for the past 8 years, Kevin has always found his studies pleasurable, and has accumulated an impressive array of first place awards, medallions and scholarships from such competitions as the Kiwanis Festival, the Vancouver Music Festival Workshop, the Richmond Music Festival, the Student Performers' Guild and the CDMF Peforming Arts Festival. In 1999, Kevin was a Provincial Finalist in the Canadian Music competition, in 2000, received the Trudy Morse Scholarship from the Richmond Music Festival, and in 2001 was awarded the Most Outstanding Pupil Trophy from the Alex Lim Studio. An honour student at his high school in Vancouver, Kevin plays the clarinet with the school band. He also enjoys attending concerts given by such master pianists such as Emmanuel Ax, Jane Coop and Fou T'song, looking to their recitals to advance his knowledge and also to enjoy the emotions and feelings conveyed by the performers. Kevin himself enjoys performing on stage, always aiming for a very high standard. He particularly relishes playing Twentieth Century repertoire, and most particularly the works of Prokofiev, Kevin's favourite composer. Kevin participates in many different sports, basketball being his favourite, and he also enjoys spending time on his computer.

A native of Taiwan, Jean Tsai moved to Canada at the age of 10 with her family. Now, at the age of 17, Jean has been a successful participant in such competitions as the Richmond Music Festival where she was honoured to receive the Noteworthy Music Scholarship. Jean, who studies piano with Patricia Rolston, successfully completed her ARCT Piano Performer's examination in January, 2002, and is currently working towards her LRSM diploma as well. Very active in her school, Jean plays oboe in the school's Senior Ensemble, she accompanies the school's Senior concert Choir, and is also a member of the Vocal Jazz group. Besides continuing her music studies, Jean intends to study law and psychology at university.

Born in Taiwan, Sue Tsai, 20, is studying piano with Patricia Rolston. She is an honor roll student majoring in biochemistry at Simon Fraser University. Presently, Sue is involved in the Co-op program offered by the university and works at Inflazyme Pharmaceuticals Ltd. In addition to her appearance with Pianos Galore, Sue participates in recitals and music festivals and is now preparing for her LRSM piano examination.

Now 18 , Raymond Wong began piano lessons at age of 4, studying with Ivy Yang and Dr. Eugene Skovorodnikov. Raymond's success in music competitions, such as the Kiwanis, the SPG, the Richmond and the Coquitlam Festivals has been consistent. Most recently, he was the 2001 Kiwanis Festival Senior Piano representative at the Festival of the Arts competition where he received 2nd place, and won the " Colonel George Peacock Scholarship" for the most promising senior pianist of the festival. Raymond's pianistic talent enhanced his school choir and vocal jazz group whose appearances range from Italy to California. Raymond's Lower Mainland performances include SFU, and string quartet performances for Starbucks, Stanley Park, Four Seasons Hotel, Big Brothers and the Heart and Stroke Foundation. His school honored him with the "Principal's Performer of the Year" and the "Top Graduating Student in Performing Arts" awards. Raymond, taught by Alicia Au, is also a busy violinist; he participated in his schools' orchestras as well as in the orchestra of the Broadway Church musical, The Singing Christmas Tree. Besides all his musical activities, Raymond's community service resulted in the "Kiwanis International Youth Recognition" scholarship for outstanding efforts. He is a Summer Camp Leader at the "UBC Engineering Camp"and a youth leader for "Summer at St. George's". In 2001, he was the "Destination Imagination" Canadian representative at the World International Finals finishing 10th. From 1989 to 1995, Raymond was a gymnast at the South Vancouver Children's Festival. He also enjoys skiing, snowboarding, and hip hop dance lessons.

A native of Hong Kong, Wilson Wong, age 15, began his piano studies at the age of 6, and he currently studies with Alex Lim in Vancouver. At the present time, Wilson is completing the RCM Grade 10 level of piano and is simultaneously a candidate for a piano performer's diploma (DipABRSM) from the Royal Schools of Music which he will complete in April, 2002. He has participated in a variety of competitions and festivals, such as the BCRMTA, the BC Conservatory of Music and has won numerous awards. Wilson's musical talents extend beyond the piano, as he is also an accomplished violinist and violist who has been a successful member of the Vancouver Academy of Music's Intermediate Strings Orchestra. Academically, Wilson is an honours with distinction student at his high school and was awarded Captain's Cup in 1999 for Head Boy of the Junior School. His school has also honored him with a top essay prize in 2001. In 2002, Wilson will complete the requirements for the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Prize. Wilson has placed 2nd regionally for Destination Imagination, and will be heading to the provincial competition this April.
Later in 2002, Wilson will be attending the Cambridge Prep. Experience in England. When he is not engaged in musical or school activities such as the 2002 theatrical production of Twelve Angry Men, Wilson can be found swimming in the Vancouver Regional swim meets, enjoying the visual arts, or travelling internationally.