On Sunday, April 27, 2025, at Koerner Hall, Vancouver Academy of Music, the Friends of Chamber Music hosted the 70th annual Young Musicians Competition. Each competing group of three or more musicians played roughly ten minutes of music in a free public concert. Our aim for the Competition is to encourage young musicians to gain appreciation for and familiarity with the collaborative process and skills needed to play great chamber music from many eras. We hope this begins a lifelong relationship with this fascinating musical genre.
This year our adjudicator was Sara Laimon, solo and collaborative pianist (working with chamber groups and/or singers), and associate professor of piano performance, Schulich School of Music, McGill University, Montreal, QC. She made her decisions, awarded prizes, and gave her performance notes to the musicians after all the groups had performed. Audience members voted for one Junior group (aged 18 years and under) and one Senior group (aged 26 years and younger) to receive audience prizes (donated by a Friends board member) in addition to those awarded by Ms. Laimon. Overall, the standard of music-making by all participants was considered very good.
We would like to thank Sara Laimon, our adjudicator, all the student musicians, their coaches, parents and families, the staff at the VAM who helped with the venue, Friends board members (especially Karen Shuster, assisted by Pat Laimon) who volunteered to make the event happen, our videographer, and the people who attended this free public concert.
Below are the 70th annual Competition results, decided by adjudicator Sara Laimon, along with the audience prizes decided by the audience:
Junior Category (up to age 18):
First Prize (and Junior Audience Prize)
Pi Trio: Adam Ngui, violin; Nini Lu, cello; Allen Ding, piano.
Shostakovich’s Piano Trio No. 1 in C Minor, Opus 8, single movement – andante moderato.
Second Prize
Peak Quintet: Hyden Ho, violin; Michiyo Yu, violin; Irene Lim, viola; Charles Lim, cello; Valery Lou, piano.
Dvořák‘s Piano Quintet No. 2 in A Major, Opus 81, first movement – allegro, ma non tanto.
Additional Junior Participants
Zen Trio: Zephan Wu, violin; Ethan Xia, violin; Natalia Xia, piano.
Milhaud’s Sonata for 2 Violins and Piano, Opus 15.
Montgomery Quartet: Samantha Ku, violin; Claire Liu, violin; Sophie Wong, viola; Hana McRobbie, cello.
Smetana’s String Quartet No. 1 in E Minor, Opus 51 “From My Life”, first movement – allegro vivo appassionato.
Senior Category (up to age 26):
First Prize
Kermode Quartet: Grace Alexander, violin; Annis Lee, violin; Sofiya Zavydovska, viola; Aireleen Zhu, cello.
Debussy’s String Quartet in G Minor, Opus 10, third movement – andantino, doucement expressif.
Second Prize
Owl Quintet: Aaron Kang, violin; Jeffrey Kang, violin; Emma Sha, viola; Joseph Wang, cello; Sunny Li, piano.
R. Schumann’s Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, Opus 44, first movement – allegro brillante
Senior Audience Prize
Calliope Quartet: Thyme Shi, soprano saxophone; Sunny Wu, alto saxophone; Sean Krause, tenor saxophone; Emma Porter, baritone saxophone.
Dvořák’s String Quartet in F Major, Opus 96 “American” (transcription), first movement – allegro ma non troppo.
Additional Senior Participants
Ukiyo Trio: Timothy Li, violin; Da-Yong Chan, cello; Bohan Zhang, piano.
Chausson’s Piano Trio in G Minor, Opus 3
