Madeline Chang is a fifteen-year-old pianist from Irvine, California, currently attending Portola High School. She began studying piano at the age of eight and has studied with Xu Khuc since age twelve. At fourteen, she completed the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) Level 10 examination.
Madeline is a two-time Third Prize winner at the Concordia Music Competition (2024, 2026) as a soloist and received First Prize at the same competition in the chamber music division with her duo partner. She is also a First Prize winner at the MTAC Dance Festival and was awarded MSSL’s Outstanding Student Award in recognition of her consistent community service work.
An active chamber musician, Madeline participates in the Chamber Music OC Pre-College Program (2024–2026) and Junior Chamber Music (2026). Her string quartet was recently invited to perform as an honors ensemble at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum.
In addition to her solo and chamber pursuits, Madeline is passionate about sharing music with her community. She teaches younger students and regularly performs in outreach concerts at senior homes. She is currently planning a benefit recital in partnership with CHOC Children’s Hospital, combining her love of music with service.
Madeline is especially drawn to Romantic repertoire, including the works of Mendelssohn, Chopin, and Liszt, and strives to bring both emotional depth and structural clarity to her performances.
Leah Vu is a freshman currently attending Fountain Valley High School. When she was 6, she started taking lessons for piano until she was 11. During that time, she also discovered an interest in several other instruments such as the tỳ bà and guitar but has stuck with the violin since she was 9. Currently, she studies with Sorah Myung. In the past, Leah has been involved in music programs for violin such as Chamber Music OC, Junior Chamber Music, Certificate of Merit, Orange County Youth Ensemble and Strings, Four Seasons Youth Orchestra, Prelude Sinfonia, and Irvine Music Festival. Throughout her violin journey, Leah has grown both musically and emotionally as a person, enabling her to use skills learned through the exposure of music in her daily life. Outside of music, Leah also enjoys other hobbies including baking, drawing, and badminton.
Tara Lee is a Junior currently attending Northwood High School. Her musical journey began at age 7 when she discovered her passion for the cello, with guidance under Evelyn Lee and Jonathan Lien. She passed the Advanced Level 10 Certificate of Merit with state honors and earned winning awards in the Baroque, Classical , Romantic and Contemporary Festivals. Outside of her school orchestra, where she was involved in the Cinderella musical’s orchestra pit, Tara enjoys her experiences performing chamber music with her school friends at elderly homes, church services at EFCI, her string quartet in Junior Chamber Music. They were recently selected to perform in Nixon Library as an honor group from OC Chamber groups. This is her 4th time performing for the city of Irvine on Veterans Day and Memorial Day.
Tara’s curiosity for musical diversity led her to embrace the classical guitar and the traditional Chinese erhu. Inspired by the full orchestra ensembles she attended at the All-Southern, All-State, Irvine District Honor Orchestras, CODA, South Coast Chinese Cultural Association Orchestra, USC California Orchestra Institute with the cello, Tara also learned the clarinet to participate in her school’s marching band for 3 seasons.
Abigail Chua is a currently enrolled Sophomore at Irvine High School. Having started her music journey at the age of 5 with piano and later viola at the age of 7, music has remained a consistent exposure in her life, driving forward her dedication for playing music, allowing for the expression of a range of emotions of vivid colors and imagery. Perceiving music as more than mere sound and note playing, music guides her in different aspects of her life, demonstrating values of resience, perseverance, patience, etc. Beyond just musical development, Abigail’s musicial ability has been extended to serve her community at local events such as senior homes, believing in music’s influence and strength to comfort, uplift, and encourage the community around her. Abigail has completed piano with state honors in Advanced Level 10 Certificate of Merit and has won 1st place in competitions like Satori and Baroque Festival. With viola studying under Hui-Ling Hsu, she has performed in orchestra ensembles such as All-Southern, Irvine District Honor Orchestra and PSSS. Different from full orchestra ensembles, chamber music has allowed her to not only grow individually as a musician but bond and grow in teamwork and communication in a smaller group, requiring active collaboration while also encouraging heightened listening skills.
Watch Madeline Chang, Leah Vu, Tara Lee, and Abigail Chua perform Piano Quartet in Eb major, Op. 47, I. Sostenuto assai – Allegro ma non troppo by Robert Schumann on the piano, violin, cello, and viola for the 2026 Winter Music Competition as part of the Charleston International Music Competition.