Dayton Nguyen is currently a sophomore at the Dublin High School. With his perfect pitch, Dayton started learning piano and drums at the age of six. He also played saxophone in the Fallon Middle School’s marching band. Dayton entered the San Francidco Conservatory of Music at the age of 10 and has been focusing on piano studies. He is interested in classical music, music composition, piano collaboration, and especially music theory. He is currently a student of Dr. Chia-Lin Yang and coached by Dr. Mihyun Kim in piano chamber music. Dayton has awarded the top prize winners of multiple local and international competitions including the Silicon Valley Music Competition, Canadian International Music Competition, Great Composer International Music Competition, Glory International Music Competition, Franz Liszt Centre International Competition, Pacific International Competition, ENKOR International Music Competition, Singapore International Music Competition, and Amadeus International Competition. Dayton was also one of the finalists of the 37th Annual Celia Mendez Young Pianists’ Beethoven Competition and the finalist of the Golden State Youth Orchestra Competition. He will be performing with the Golden State Symphony Orchestra Season 2023-2024. Dayton also won the Exceptional Creative Youth Award for his composition work with the Bay Area Creative Foundation. Besides performing and composing music, Dayton loves math and chemistry and enjoys playing chess. He also is the piano accompanist for the Dublin High School’s choir and is an active member of the Teen Advisory Group for the Dublin Library.
Rohan Ramkumar, 16, is a 10th grader at the Harker School in San Jose, CA. He has been studying the piano since he was 4 years old and he is currently a student of Dr. William Wellborn at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He has won multiple prizes in music competitions, including Outstanding Gold Medalist and several medals at the United States Open Music Competition and MTAC’s Thera Rabinovich Piano Competition. He has performed at numerous events hosted by the Music Teacher’s Association of California, in showcase concerts and chamber performances at SFCM and at the Carnegie Hall. Rohan also studies the violin with Mr. Davis Law and he is coached in piano chamber music at the SFCM by Dr. Mihyun Kim. At the Harker Conservatory, Rohan is the Assistant Conductor of the Harker Orchestra and plays first violin. He is a member of the Tri-M Music Honor Society and helps organize and perform in various concerts at local senior centers.
You can find the duet’s 2023 20th Century Music Competition performance here.