Jolene is a freshman at Newton South High School in Newton, MA. She is 14 years old. She has studied piano for almost eight years under Mr. Fan Li, a famous pianist In Massachusetts and winner of many outstanding teacher awards.
Jolene performed Little Floating Bamboo Raft at Carnegie Hall and earned a second-place finish in the Crescendo International Music Competition in 2022. She also performed Etude Op. 10 No. 5 (Black Keys) at Carnegie Hall and was awarded first place in the Crescendo International Music Competition in 2023. Additionally, she received the Second Prize in the Charleston 2023 International Piano Competition.
Jolene carries this piano spirit to other aspects of her daily life, such as her school, social life, and relationships. In middle school, Jolene was the Newton Speech Team captain and led the team to compete in the Massachusetts Middle School Speech League tournaments where she won numerous awards. She won an award in a mixed Middle & High School tournament as an 8th grader. Continuing her journey in speech in high school, Jolene achieved awards in the Massachusetts Speech & Debate League (MSDL) tournaments. She also won second place in Declamation in the Cavalier Invitational national tournament in North Carolina. Outside of school, Jolene likes to contribute to the community. Jolene enjoys working with children and wants to make a difference in their lives. She volunteered as a teaching assistant, event organizer, and tutor in the summer programs to help younger students with their academic studies, supervised activities, and have fun in the process. Jolene received the President’s Volunteer Service Award with these meaningful experiences. In her free time, Jolene enjoys reading, traveling, drawing, and spending time with family and friends.
You can find Jolene’s 2023 International Piano Competition performance here.
Watch Jolene Yiyi Wong perform Piano Concerto No.3 in C minor, Op 37 – I. Allegro con brio by Ludwig Van Beethoven on the piano for the 2025 Virtuoso Music Competition as part of the Charleston International Music Competition.