Scholarship recipients for this concert

Jeremy Bird, Piano

Jeremy Bird has been studying piano for four years, having first begun his musical training as a clarinetist. His deep love of music and enthusiasm for learning have propelled rapid growth as he has set out to make up for lost time. He has earned top prizes in numerous regional, national, and international competitions. Recent honors include winning the 2026 Warminster Symphony Concerto Competition, as well as receiving the Special Judge’s Award at the 2026 NLPA International Young Artists Competition. In 2025, he received First Prize at the West Chester University Pre-Collegiate National Piano Competition, the Franz Liszt Center International Piano Competition, and multiple Great Composers competitions, in addition to a Bronze Award among First Prize Winners at the Bellagrande International Music Competition. He was also awarded Second Place in his age group and Second Place in the duet division at the NJMTA Young Musicians Competition. He has appeared in winners’ concerts at both Weill Hall and Merkin Hall. Jeremy has participated in masterclasses with Dr. Amy Yang, Dr. Sylvia Wang, Dr. Chiu- Ling Lin, and Mrs. Chiu-Tze Lin. This season, he was named an Ambler Symphony Scholarship Recipient and will perform Mozart’s Piano Concerto in C minor, K.491, with orchestra. His repertoire has recently included works by Bach, Chopin, Mozart, Schubert, Debussy, Poulenc, and Rachmaninoff. Outside the competition setting, he enjoys sharing music at community fundraisers and informal concerts at local nursing homes. Jeremy studies with Professor Ingrid Clarfield.

Emily Sun, cello

Emily Sun, a thirteen-year-old cellist, began her musical journey in 2021 at the age of eight. Despite the unique challenges of starting her studies via Skype during the pandemic, she demonstrated exceptional talent and was admitted to The Juilliard School’s Pre-College Division the following year. Since the age of nine, Emily has studied under the tutelage of renowned cellist Astrid Schween, a member of the Juilliard String Quartet, under whose guidance she continues to develop her mature artistic voice. Emily won the 2026 Island Symphony Orchestra Young Performers Competition, the 2026 Ambler Symphony Orchestra Scholarship, and the 2025 Sound Symphony Concerto Competition. She was also a prize winner in the 2025 Adelphi Orchestra Young Artists Competition.

Rinka Akayama, violin

Rinka Akayama began her musical studies at the age of two in the Musical Aurora® program at the Belle Arti Center for the Arts in Forest Hills, New York. She began piano lessons with Claudette Munné at the age of four, and became interested in the violin as well, beginning violin lessons with Rachel Varga at the age of six. After one year of study, Rinka had scored 100% A+ on level six (the highest level) of New York State School Music Association exams. She exhibits a great love of music, and learns exceptionally quickly, covering several years worth of repertoire in a matter of months. At the age of eight, Rinka performed the first movement of the Mendelssohn Concerto in e minor in a special Gala performance of the Queens Symphony Orchestra. She displays a musical understanding far beyond her years, prompting musical experts who hear her to comment on her ease of expression and the beauty of her interpretations. In addition to her love for music, Rinka also loves to draw and read. She is an avid learner who enjoys exploring creative pursuits.

Ora Avila, violin

Ora Avila is currently a tenth grader living in Bucks County, PA. She has been playing violin since she was four years old. She spent eight years as a student of JoAnna Basta and is currently studying with Lee Snyder at Settlement Music School. Ora was concertmaster of PRYSM Young Artists orchestra in the 2019-20 season, and then spent three years in the first violin section of PRYSM. She went on to spend two years in PYAO where she was the first place winner of the solo concerto competition and performed the first movement of the Mendelssohn violin concerto with the orchestra. Currently, she is a member of the first violin section of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra. In 2026, she performed the first movement from Mozart Violin Concerto No. 3 in G Major with Orchestra. She is a current recipient of the Settlement Music School Advanced Study scholarship and a member of the Braverman string quartet. Summer music programs that she has participated in include Kinhaven Junior Session, Heifetz Institute, Greenwood Senior Session, and Sphinx Performance Academy at Juilliard where she studied with teachers such as Caeli Smith and Alex Gonzalez. She has played in masterclasses with Chloe Kiffer, Robert Mealy, Benjamin Beilman, Randall Goosby, and others. Some of her favorite chamber pieces to play are Quartet no.1 by Shostakovich and the “Trout” by Schubert. In addition to playing the violin, Ora enjoys practicing Aikido, sailing, sewing, learning about medicinal herbs, and teaching herself to play the piano and guitar. Ora is a Philadelphia Music Alliance for Youth (PMAY) artist.

Jeremy Wong, piano

Jeremy Wong, 18, is a high school senior from Newtown, Pennsylvania. He began his musical studies at the age of four, first studying violin with Marka Stepper and Lee Snyder before transitioning to piano. His piano training has included studies with Sandra Carlock, distinguished faculty of Settlement Music School, and Graeme Burgan, director of Csehy Summer School of Music. He currently studies with the renowned pianist Natalie Zhu. During the 2025–26 season, Jeremy served as the orchestral keyboardist for the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, performing Respighi’s Pines of Rome and Copland’s Symphony No. 3. In the summer of 2024, Jeremy was selected as the orchestral keyboardist for Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra 2 (NYO2), where he performed Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story and Igor Stravinsky’s The Firebird Suite under the direction of internationally renowned conductors. An active chamber musician, he is the pianist of the Gray Charitable Trust Trio, an advanced ensemble at Settlement Music School coached by Mitchell Newman, former violinist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Jeremy maintains a strong interest in collaborative music-making and orchestral performance, and he regularly appears in chamber and concert settings. Outside of music, he enjoys biking, snowboarding, video games, and organizing fundraising concerts with his musician friends from the Csehy Summer School of Music. Jeremy plans to pursue engineering while continuing his musical activities in college.