Jaden Kim, Lucie Kim, and Amy Jong

Amy Jong, sixteen year old cellist, is a junior at the Orange County School of the Arts. She is a member of the American Youth Symphony, Junior Chamber Music, and studies with Sarah Koo Freeman. Amy was chosen as a member of Carnegie Hall’s NYO-USA 2022 European Tour. She is also a prize winner of the 2022 National YoungArts Foundation. Amy has performed for renowned musicians such as Alan Stepansky, Susan Moses, Derrett Adkins, and Joel Krosnick. She is passionate about sharing her music with the community through groups like The Endpin Project. She started teaching cello online at the beginning of the pandemic, and has continued to inspire young cellists. She spends her free time learning American Sign Language and taking care of houseplants.

Minjae (Jaden) Kim, age 16, is a tenth grader at the Orange County School of the Arts. He currently studies with Yuki Mori and Min Jung Park. Jaden performed at Carnegie Hall at age 10 and has received numerous prizes since then at international competitions such as First Prize at the Cecilia International Music Competition and the Espoir Prize at the Osaka International Music Competition. Jaden has also participated in prestigious music programs, including the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America in New York City, where he was selected as a principal violinist, and was the only violinist from California to be selected into the All Nationals Symphony Orchestra. He was also selected as a finalist for NPR’s From the Top radio show and was a JCM Honors member over the last five years. Jaden has performed in masterclasses with renowned artists, including Julian Athayde, Amy Oshiro Morales, and David Chan. In his free time, Jaden enjoys reading and playing ice hockey.

Lucie Kim, age 16, is an eleventh grader at the Orange County School of the Arts. Lucie began taking piano lessons at age six and currently studies with Ariel Yang at the Opus 119 School of Music. She made her Carnegie Hall debut at age nine, and has won top prizes at numerous competitions. Lucie received First Prize at the San Jose International Piano Competition along with the “Most Promising Young Talent Award,” Gold Medal at the Southern California Junior Bach Competition, First Prize at the Steinway Junior Piano Competition, and First Prize at the Carmel Klavier International Piano Competition. She is a two time First Prize winner at the Los Angeles International Liszt Competition, and was a Silver Medalist at the quadrennial Virginia Waring International Junior Solo Competition. She also won First Prize in the SoCal Philharmonic Young Artist Concerto Competition, and will perform with the orchestra this spring. Most recently, she was a Gold Medalist at the Piano Star International Competition. Lucie has performed in masterclasses with world-renowned artists including Stanislav Ioudenitch, William Grant Naboré, Dang Thai Son, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Robert Shannon, Bernadene Blaha, and George Li. In her spare time, Lucie loves to play golf with her friends and family.

You can find the trio’s 2023 Classical Music Competition performance here.