Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts (PSHA) held its 39^th Instrumental Competition in February at Pasadena Conservatory of Music’s Barrett Hall. Nine finalists, ages 15-18, demonstrated their musical talents while competing for monetary prizes totaling $21,000. The finalists came from Los Angeles, Diamond Bar, Irvine, La Crescenta, Pasadena and San Marino.

A panel of judges – all professional musicians with the Los Angeles Philharmonic – were on hand to review the finalists’ performances. The panel was led by judging chair Amy Jo Rhine. Rhine was appointed by conductor Gustavo Dudamel as third horn of the Los Angeles Philharmonic during the 2014-15 season. She has also held associate and principal horn positions with several other orchestras. The panel included Isabella Brown, David Rejano Cantero, Elise Shope Henry, Anne Marie Gabriele, Jason Lippmann and Gregory Roosa.      

Dotty Ewing, president of PSHA, said she is proud of the Instrumental Competition because it represents the future of classical music. 

“By fostering musical excellence at the high school level, we ensure that the power and beauty of classical music will inspire generations to come,” she said. “It continues a legacy that began with our long-standing relationship with the LA Phil.”

Jessica Harrison, chair of the 2026 Instrumental Competition, said it was humbling to witness the superb talents of the finalists. 

“The years of dedication and passion each of these high school students have put into mastering their instruments came through with every note they played. Every single one of them is a winner,” she said. 

Xuanrui Gu won the grand prize for showing exceptional talent and musicianship for his performance on the cello. At just 15-years old, he is the youngest finalist in the competition. A student at the Colburn Music Academy, Gu has been playing the cello for eight years. He chose the instrument, he said, because the cello provides the “sounds that are the most human and warm.” Gu has earned first prize honors in several international competitions including the Global Music Competition, American Protégé and Crescendo International Competitions. He’s a math whiz, enjoys basketball, tennis, traveling and likes to teach, volunteering his time to teach the cello to other young students.

Stephanie Ho, a 17-year-old violinist also studying at the Colburn Music Academy, was awarded the first prize in the strings category. Ho has been playing the violin since the age of 4 and has garnered top prizes in many competitions across Europe and Asia. Hailing from Taiwan, she said she loves performing and playing her instrument for others because it makes her feel connected to them. She dreams of a career as a soloist or as a chamber musician, performing around the world. She hopes to use some of her prize money to return to Taiwan to visit her grandmother and to further her music studies. 

Clarinetist Quingyang Wang, an 18-year-old student at the Colburn Music Academy, took home first prize in the woodwinds category. He is a recipient of the Emily Bernstein Scholarship at Colburn and was awarded second prize in the International Clarinet Association High School Solo Competition. The first in his family to play an instrument, Wang began on the piano at the age of 4 but was encouraged by his teacher to try the clarinet. Now playing the instrument for eight years, he said he finds the sound “so beautiful and impressive.” He said he would use his prize money to attend a summer music program in Aspen. He also studies Chinese medicine and enjoys reading when he’s not busy auditioning.

Second prize in the brass category went to 16-year-old Lillian Walker for her performance on the horn. A junior at Crescenta Valley High School, Walker began playing the piano but chose the horn after seeing a demonstration of it at school and has been passionate about it ever since.  

“I knew it was for me right away,” she said. Active in many bands and ensembles, Walker would like to use her prize money to attend music camps over the summer to continue perfecting her playing. She enjoys rock climbing, traveling and participating in escape rooms with her friends. 

Minji Choi and Noah LaPonte were both awarded second prize in the strings category. Choi, a 16-year-old from Irvine is the concertmaster of the Colburn Music Academy’s conductorless chamber orchestra. At the age of 13 she debuted with the Southern California Philharmonic, which she said was “the most unexpected and amazing feeling.” She has appeared as a soloist with the Pasadena Community Orchestra, the Bellflower Symphony and the Orchestra Collective of Orange County. Choi was also named 2025 and 2026 National Young Arts winner in classical music. 

LaPonte, a17-year-old from Pasadena, studies music at the Colburn School. He also attends Polytechnic High School where he plays baseball and enjoys studying history, English and the humanities. He won the 2024 Colburn School Youth Concerto Competition and has participated in the National Youth Orchestra. LaPonte said he is inspired by “the beauty of sound created while playing together with other musicians.” His dream is to play in a professional orchestra and would also like to teach.  

Yang Zou, an 18-year-old flutist studying at the Colburn Music Academy, won second prize in the woodwinds category. Playing since she was 9, she said she chose the instrument because of its beauty and “took to it right away.” She practices about six hours per day but also loves history and would like to learn how to paint. The prize money, she said, will be put towards tuition to continue her music studies. Zou served as principal flute in the orchestra at Idyllwild Arts Academy and hopes one day to be a principal flutist with the LA Philharmonic. 

Antonio Shyu, an 18-year-old senior at the Los Angeles Country High School for the Arts, received an honorable mention in the strings category for his cello performance. A seasoned orchestral and chamber musician, he is currently serving as the principal cellist of the LACHSA Symphony orchestra and as a member of the esteemed Joba Piano Quintet. A well-rounded musician, he started playing the piano at the age of 5, took up the violin at 8 and switched to the cello at 14, which he said is his favorite. Shyu says he has always been inspired to give back to the community and volunteers to teach young students. He has been dedicated for the last four years to “Love Through Music,” a student-run non-profit organization at LACHSA with a mission of sharing music to support underserved communities and currently serves as president.

Sophia Zhou also received an honorable mention in the woodwinds category for her performance on the flute. The 17-year-old is a junior at Diamond Bar High School where she’s a member of the Performing Arts Academy, Wind Ensemble and Symphony orchestra. She started playing the flute at the age of 10, choosing the instrument because of its “elegance and sophistication.” Her favorite school subjects, she said are history and English, but she also enjoys dancing and trained in ballet for 10 years. She serves as the principal flutist of the Claremont Young Musicians Orchestra. 

Since the Instrumental Competition began in 1985, PSHA has awarded more than $740,000 in prizes to promising young music students. Again this year Kathryn and Charles Hofgaarden generously donated the prize money of $21,000 to underwrite the competition. Funding for the program, along with the organization’s other music programs and their Gifts & Grants program, usually comes from the proceeds of their annual fundraiser, the Pasadena Showcase House of Design. This year the Showcase House will be open from April 19 through May 17. 

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.pasadenashowcase.org.