Taylor Academy Students Win Prizes Around the World

Published on July 31, 2018

It’s been an incredibly successful summer for The Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists, with several young students winning prizes at competitions around the world, and two others chosen to perform at a celebrated music festival. 

Two musicians earned awards at the 2nd Ilona Fehér International Violin Competition, held in Budapest from July 23–28, 2018. Eighteen-year-old Vivian Kukiel won the first prize in the senior division of the prestigious competition, while 17-year-old Ruth Kim (pictured) took the third prize in the same category. Both Vivian and Ruth are scholarship students in the studio of Victor Danchenko.

Academy students also excelled at the inaugural Geringas Memorial Scholarship Competition, which took place in our own Mazzoleni Concert Hall in June. Fourteen-year-old Catherine He won the top prize, earning a $4,000 scholarship as well as a performance at the Off Centre Music Salon. Catherine is a student of Lang Ning Liu. 

All four prize recipients and finalists of the Geringas competition are students of The Taylor Academy. Joining Catherine in the final round were Eric Guo, a student of Li Wang; Raymond Huang, a student of Dianne Werner; and Elijah Orlenko, a student of Michael Berkovsky. 

Raymond Huang also achieved excellence at the Canadian Music Competition. On June 20, the 15-year-old pianist won a Grand Prize for earning the highest mark of 97 among all participants aged 15 to 18. Raymond is one of more than 20 students and alumni of The Taylor Academy who reached the final round of the celebrated annual competition, which each year attracts several hundred gifted young musicians from across the country.

Two of the prizewinners mentioned above – Vivian Kukiel and Eric Guo – were among three Taylor Academy students selected to perform at the celebrated Toronto Summer Music Festival. Vivian showcased her skills at a solo recital on July 17, 2018, while Eric joined fellow Academy pianist J J Bui on July 25, 2018 for an aptly-named concert: Stars of the Future. 

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