It’s a summer tradition at CBC Music: our annual classical “30 under 30” list, celebrating the achievements of Canada’s emerging classical musicians.
They’re winning big prizes, graduating from top music schools, writing bold new works, making exciting debuts — and we think they’re amazing.
Scroll down to get acquainted with this year’s inductees into our classical “30 under 30” community, from oldest to youngest.
Tune in to CBC Music’s About Time on Monday, July 20, from noon to 3 p.m. (12:30 to 3:30 p.m. NT), for Tom Allen’s special “30 under 30” edition of the show.
And if there’s a rising classical music star you’d like us to know about, tell us about them on X via @CBCclassical using the hashtag #CBC30under30.
Martina Myskohlid, mezzo-soprano
Age: 29
From: Toronto
For the past year, Martina Myskohlid has been a member of the ensemble at the famous Teatro Regio di Torino in Italy. Not only did she debut many roles — Hansel in Hansel und Gretel, Sœur Mathilde in Dialogues des carmélites and (her personal favourite) Tisbe in La Cenerentola — but also fell in love with the accordion: “There’s a guy who plays Bella Ciao on repeat every day not too far from my apartment, and I’ve considered asking him for lessons,” she said. Fuelled by a daily diet of pasta (“the Italians taught me it’s a non-negotiable”), she’ll sing in a production of Il viaggio a Reims in Pesaro next month before moving to Munich, where she’ll spend her first season in the ensemble of the Bavarian State Opera. Fans in Canada can catch her as Dorabella in the Canadian Opera Company’s production of Cosí fan tutte in October, and then, in April, as a soloist in Mozart’s Mass in C Minor with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra.
Maria Gajraj, organist
Age: 28
From: Montreal via Ottawa
Maria Gajraj, who won the $6,000 first prize and the audience prize at the Royal Canadian College of Organists’ 2025 Canadian National Organ Competition, started playing the instrument when she was 19 — “relatively late,” by her own admission, but it’s been a natural fit. “There’s always so much going on in every measure of [organ] music, much like in my brain.” That’s the same impulse that draws her to a wide variety of music: from her dissertation on the Afro-Caribbean composer Edward Margetson (“I received his manuscripts from Columbia University, and have been immersing myself for the last few years”), to her performances with the medieval music ensemble Comtessa, and the contemporary works featured on her debut album, exhale. In October, Gajraj will move to Vancouver to become music director at St. Philip’s Anglican Church. “In addition to starting my new job, I’m most looking forward to being near the ocean and seeing the mountains every day!”
Emma Ahern, oboist
Age: 28
From: Quebec City
The Hague in the Netherlands is a second home for Emma Ahern. “I studied there, and I have many fond memories of biking on the path in the dunes and walking along the beach with my best friends,” she recalls. Now, back in her hometown, she and her duo partner, guitarist Anne-Frédérique Gagnon, have a new album out: François Couture: 3 Suites en 18 Morceaux. They’re frequent collaborators, having shared the stage in 2025 as soloists for Joaquín Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez with l’Orchestre symphonique de Québec — “a thrilling musical moment of shared wonder and joy.” On July 4, Ahern enjoyed playing Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring at the Lanaudière Festival in the oboe section of l’Orchestre de l’Agora. (“There were five of us!”) In addition to obsessions with tea and perfumes, Ahern is totally enamored with her new F. Lorée i+3 English horn (“a beautiful free sound and great projection”) and she’s getting used to her new role as godmother to her friend’s baby girl.
Cameron Breiter, double bass
Age: 27
From: Kinistino, Sask.
Cameron Breiter, who signs his emails “Yours in bass,” received the 2025 Hillis Prairie Musician Award ($3,000) from the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. And while he has just completed his artist diploma at Toronto’s Glenn Gould School, and begins his master’s this fall at McGill’s Schulich School of Music in Montreal, his heart remains in Saskatoon, where he has fond memories of “going to the Sugar Shack for some Dole Whip [and] watching the sunset along the South Saskatchewan River” from one of the city’s many bridges. Last season, he subbed with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and he’s spending the summer at Domaine Forget in Quebec’s Charlevoix region, taking part in the double bass and chamber orchestra sessions. He credits his work ethic to taekwondo (he got his second dan black belt before turning 18), and is obsessed (and we mean obsessed) with J.R.R. Tolkien.
Elie Boissinot, cellist
Age: 27
From: Montreal via Tours, France
Elie Boissinot recently completed his first season as principal cellist with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. “A very instructive trial by fire,” he reflected. “I couldn’t hope for a better musical environment; the weather is another story.” In January, he braved the elements to go teach at the University of Manitoba’s Desautels Faculty of Music, stepping in for professor Minna Rose Chung during her sabbatical. On May 1, he and his students premiered a new piece by Örjan Sandred for solo cello and cello ensemble — “a special moment.” Motivated by his mother’s “distinguished career” and “remarkable resilience,” Boissinot is currently preparing solo sonatas by Kodály and Ligeti for his debut album. When not making music, he plays chess, goes to the gym, tries fixing stuff (“learning how things work, often the hard way”) and makes repeated attempts at “reliably smoking a juicy brisket.”
Aemilia Moser, soprano
Age: 27
From: Edmonton
Aemilia Moser won first prize at the 2026 Eckhardt-Gramatté Competition, including $6,000 cash and a concert tour across Canada in October and November. “I’m incredibly excited to share the recital, and the works of so many amazing Canadian composers,” she said. The music is guaranteed to be stunning, and so are her outfits: “I’m particularly drawn to the dialogue between music and fashion — two art forms that go hand in hand,” she explained. “I’d love to work collaboratively with a designer to shape the program and visual language so that the recital and clothing could form a unified artistic statement.” She sang Minerva and covered Eurydice in Toronto City Opera’s production of Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld earlier this summer. Then she travelled to L’Opéra des Landes in Soustons, France, to cover the role of Leïla in Georges Bizet’s Les pêcheurs de perles. When she’s not learning new repertoire, she’s watching Disclaimer and working on the perfect headstand.
Emily Rocha, soprano
Age: 26
From: Courtice, Ont.
“I’m a very ambitious person with big goals for my career,” said Emily Rocha, “but at the heart of it all, I want to perform opera at a high level and move audiences with this incredible art form as much as I possibly can, for the rest of my life.” She’s been doing just that as a member of the COC’s Ensemble Studio for the past two seasons, covering lead roles and getting valuable experience singing in mainstage productions. But next May, things will get real when she takes the stage as Adina in the COC’s production of Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’amore. This summer, she’s been in Switzerland, as one of 15 singers chosen for the Verbier Festival’s Atelier Lyrique — “an incredible opportunity to connect with musicians from around the world,” she enthused. Offstage, she enjoys visiting family in Portugal and New Zealand, thrifting, and hanging out with her cat, Brian.
Luke Blackmore, composer
Age: 26
From: St. John’s
The recipient of two SOCAN Young Composer Awards, Luke Blackmore has caught the attention of new music lovers from coast to coast. He combines acoustic instruments with electronic hardware, like transducers and speakers, to create otherworldly sounds. “I find these physical uses of technology much more interesting than digital processing that all happens outside of the audience’s perception,” he explained. Earlier this month, he was at Sound Symposium in his hometown of St. John’s to present his piece Living Room. It starts with “vibrating furniture” (and yes, he’s happy to admit that it’s “a weird one”). Blackmore will head to Vancouver later this summer to workshop a new piece with the Juno-nominated sextet Standing Wave, and then in February he’ll attend the Impuls Festival in Graz, Austria. When he’s not composing, Blackmore enjoys collecting old, obscure and unique video games. “I love games that are cheesy and a product of their time — not aspects I hope to carry into my music.”
Karl-Frédéric Bolte, organist and harpsichordist
Age: 26
From: Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Que.
Karl-Frédéric Bolte describes himself as a “car guy” (“most organists are,” he noted), and his career has shifted into high gear. In January, he’ll give an all-Bach recital on the renowned von Beckerath organ at Montreal’s Église de l’Immaculée-Conception, and in February, he’ll play music for two harpsichords — including two concertos by Bach — alongside his mentor, Luc Beauséjour, at Bourgie Hall. “I aim to play Bach’s complete organ works before I die,” he declared, “and I’m thinking of playing those of Nicolas De Grigny in concert, too.” In addition to his car fixation, Bolte plays in a pickup hockey league, dabbles in chess and loves getting away to his family cottage at Lac Simon, Que., “for the calm, the nature, the memories, and above all the beach.”
Zoe McCormick, soprano
Age: 25
From: Ponoka, Alta.
In February, Zoe McCormick won the $25,000 Wirth Vocal Prize at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music, where she recently completed an artist diploma in voice performance. The next month, she sang the title role in Opera McGill’s production of Handel’s Alcina — “daunting,” she said, but “developing this character taught me so much about my voice and dramatic honesty.” An “absolute dream” for her would be to sing the role of Violetta Valéry in Verdi’s La Traviata some day. Until then, she’s spending the summer “surrounded by nature and incredible music” as a returning voice fellow at the Tanglewood Music Centre, and this fall, she’ll begin her tenure with Calgary Opera’s McPhee Artist Development Program — “particularly meaningful as it is so close to where I grew up and is where I saw my first opera!” Offstage, she and her husband play board games (a lot), and are the personal assistants of two cats.
Gabrielle Turgeon, soprano
Age: 25
From: Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.
Gabrielle Turgeon will be in Scotland next month, singing the role of Noy in the world premiere of Missy Mazzoli’s The Galloping Cure at the Edinburgh Festival. “It will be a thrilling challenge to be the first person ever to sing this opera,” she said. Speaking of thrills, last November Turgeon won the $20,000 first prize at the OSM Competition. “My parents, sister, boyfriend and teacher from U of T all came to hear my performance,” she said. “We celebrated together at Dairy Queen afterwards.” As a member of L.A. Opera’s Young Artist Program, Turgeon sang in a farewell gala for James Conlon in April — “a great mentor to me.” In March, she was a finalist in the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, where she fulfilled a dream of singing on the Met stage. Another dream for Turgeon would be singing Mélisande in Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande. Until that happens, she’ll make her role debut as Pamina in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte at Pacific Opera Victoria next April, and indulge her passion for English history by rewatching The Tudors.
Annie Noël-de-Tilly, flutist
Age: 25
From: Gatineau, Que.
The first thing to know about flutist Annie Noël-de-Tilly is that she’s got a side hustle as a mixologist and bartender. “From quite early on, I knew I needed to find a way to support myself financially while building my music career,” she said. “I genuinely enjoy being behind the bar. It’s a very different world from music, but in some ways, it also teaches me a lot about presence, communication and endurance.” Those qualities were on full display when she won the $10,000 first prize at the NACO Bursary Competition in April. Her secret? “I’ve come to realize that learning how to slow down and intentionally incorporate rest is crucial if I want to build a healthy and fulfilling artistic life.” Speaking of fulfillment, she’ll do a Jeunesses Musicales Canada concert tour with her trio, Ensemble Passamano, in March and April, and this fall, she’s heading to Switzerland to begin her master’s degree at the Haute école des arts de Berne.
Bobby Thompson, bassoonist
Age: 24
From: Carp, Ont.
Last November, Bobby Thompson won the audition for principal bassoonist of l’Orchestre symphonique de Québec. “Right after the audition, I walked around the Old City near Palais Montcalm and it was snowing that evening,” he recalled. “It was magical and I felt truly grateful.” Before taking up the job full-time in May, he completed his master’s degree at Juilliard, where he studied with Kim Laskowski and Judith LeClair. “They taught me how to act professionally, how to be kind to colleagues, how to get opportunities, and how to be the best version of myself onstage.” There is a downside, however: making reeds. “We work with cane and we try to make it into something that can express the varying characters of bassoon playing,” he noted. “I try not to get stressed out when they just simply don’t work.” For work-life balance, he took up tennis last year (“I love the sport and I’m currently awful at it”) and loves nothing more than hosting dinner parties for friends.
Laura Kuri, trumpeter
Age: 24
From: Mississauga, Ont.
It’s been a “demanding but extremely rewarding” summer for Laura Kuri, who joined the National Academy Orchestra of Canada, after taking part in the NAC Orchestra Mentorship Program in June. “I really like how both programs are focused on preparing musicians for professional orchestral work, with training that reflects real orchestral working conditions,” she says. In May, Kuri graduated from the Glenn Gould School with an artist diploma, and subbed with the TSO for the first time (“a surreal experience”). Alison Balsom has been a role model: “I remember going to hear her play with the TSO when I was just starting trumpet, and sitting on the edge of my seat the entire time in awe.” In addition to classical music, Slovenian Oberkrainer music is a big part of Kuri’s life. “My dad plays accordion and sings, my brother plays clarinet and sings, my uncle plays guitar, and a close family friend also sings with us.” Na zdravje!
Nikan Ingabire Kanate, soprano
Age: 23
From: Ottawa
Nikan Ingabire Kanate is one of the newest members of the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio. “I cannot wait to be back in Toronto to be part of such an amazing company,” she said. “I’ll appear in Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos in February as Naiad, and as Gianetta in Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’amore in May.” She joins the Ensemble Studio after winning first prize and the audience choice prize at the COC’s 2025 Centre Stage Competition. Kanate graduated from the Curtis Institute earlier this year (“I couldn’t be more grateful for my time at this incredible institution with the most incredible people”) and she’s constantly inspired by the musicians who surround her: teachers, colleagues and the singers she listens to, including Lisette Oropesa, Renee Fleming and Nadine Sierra. She also says Ariana Grande has been her favourite singer since Kanate was a child, and she was excited to see her on tour in June.
Sabina Sandvoss, cellist
Age: 22
From: Bragg Creek, Alta.
Sabina Sandvoss always knew she wanted to be a cellist: “I was begging my parents for a cello and finally was gifted one on my fourth birthday.” Fast-forward to today, and she’s performing Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada as the recipient of the $25,000 Michael Measures first prize from the Canada Council for the Arts. She’ll spend the rest of the summer performing chamber music, first at the Kaimerata Festival in Denman Island, B.C., and then with Chisel Creek Classical back home in Bragg Creek, Alta. (“I find myself in need of ‘home time’ pretty often, for both work and pleasure.”) After that, she’ll participate in the Banff International String Quartet Festival from Sept. 3 to 6. She plays a cello handcrafted by her father, a renowned luthier, and she’s proud to call her mother, a professional cellist, one of her biggest influences. “She has guided me through life and through the music industry, and will always be one of the biggest reasons why I perform.”
Joey Machin, violinist
Age: 22
From: Toronto
Last December, Joey Machin won the 2025-26 Golden Violin Award at McGill’s Schulich School of Music — a $30,000 prize that will help with tuition and living expenses when he begins his master’s at the Juilliard School this fall. In March, in his hometown, he played Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with the Hart House Orchestra. “Having played it with piano accompaniment for a few years, it was satisfying to finally perform with a full orchestra behind me,” he reflected. A recent fascination for Machin has been historical performance practice using a transitional bow and gut strings, and he says one day he’d love to record the Brahms piano trios and violin sonatas on period instruments. He has a weakness for cheese and chocolate (“but not usually at the same time”), loves word games, and says his ideal day off would include a trip to the aquarium followed by all-you-can-eat sushi.
Angela Suet Kee Ng, pianist
Age: 22
From: Winnipeg
“It’s always great when young musicians get to play with an orchestra,” muses Angela Suet Kee Ng, “as those experiences are hard to find.” And yet, she found herself onstage with an orchestra twice during the past year. In December, as winner of the 2025 U of T Concerto Competition, she played Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the U of T Symphony Orchestra. “My parents flew out to support me, and my professor and other piano profs from the faculty came to watch, too, which was super sweet,” she recalled. Then, in April, she played the Grieg concerto with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra in the final of the McLellan Competition, where she won the $10,000 first prize — an experience she describes as “eye-opening” and “surreal.” She’s currently checking items off her “summer bucket list” — watching The Rookie and exploring Toronto with friends — before beginning her master’s at U of T this fall.
Davin Mar, violist
Age: 21
From: Vancouver via Barrie, Ont.
Davin Mar is currently on tour with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada as the recipient of the $15,000 Michael Measures second prize from the Canada Council for the Arts. In May, he performed in Europe with Curtis on Tour, with stops in Spain, Germany and Sweden. “It was truly one of the best musical experiences of my life, and I had an amazing time playing with great friends.” When he’s not busy performing or practising, Mar can be found on the water. “Every time I go home for the summer, I always enjoy fishing trips with my dad around Vancouver,” he explained. “June was no different, and I had a blast fishing all my favourite lakes!” In fact, Mar loves everything to do with fish, so it’s no coincidence that his favourite composer wrote the Trout Quintet. “I find Franz Schubert’s music to be very meaningful, and the most human,” he reflected. “Life is full of ups and downs, and Schubert expresses this challenge in a very touching way.”
Kevin Wang, pianist
Age: 21
From: Toronto
In October, Kevin Wang will travel to Georgia as the only Canadian contestant in the 2026 Tbilisi International Piano Competition. He’s got wind in his sails, having won the $10,000 second prize at the Bader and Overton Canadian Piano Competition in May. “I had less than a month to prepare for the competition as I was last out of the waitlist,” he explained, “so the result was totally unexpected.” Wang was inspired to pursue music by South Korean pianist Seong-jin Cho, winner of the 2015 International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition, and he describes his piano teacher at the Glenn Gould School, Lang-Ning Liu, as “a true artist.” He enjoyed following the FIFA World Cup this summer, having been serious about playing soccer as a child — even getting invited to try out for Canada’s national team — before piano took over. One day, he dreams of recording all 32 of Beethoven’s piano sonatas.
Grégoire Abadie, pianist
Age: 20
From: Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Que.
In April, Grégoire Abadie won the $8,000 first prize at the Shean Piano Competition, held online this year. This gives him the opportunity to perform with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra in the coming concert season. And it won’t be his first solo appearance with an orchestra: in 2025, he performed a movement from Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with Les Violons du Roy, and enjoyed playing the role of tourist during his stay in Quebec City. He’ll return to that “magnificent city” for a solo recital on Oct. 11, a presentation of the Piano et Compagnie concert series. For Abadie, André Laplante and Charles Richard-Hamelin have been a major source of inspiration — “able to make virtually any piece of music extraordinary,” he said. This fall, he’ll begin studying with the latter pianist at the University of Montreal, which happens to be where his fingers first touched the keys of a grand piano. Full circle!
Ashton Latimer, composer
Age: 20
From: Calgary
Ashton Latimer’s music has taken off like a rocket. In January, he participated in the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra’s Michael Nesbitt Composer Institute — “my first orchestral premiere, and it was a fantastic experience,” he recalled. And he’s got another orchestral premiere to look forward to in the near future: he’s been selected as a composer fellow for the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, and will write a new piece for the orchestra to perform in April. Latimer is also a finalist for the Graham Sommer Competition for Young Composers, taking place in Montreal this September. He’s as passionate about science as he is about music. “I really love to learn about where science is going and how current models and theories shape how we view our world and beyond,” he said, adding, “I think my dream project would be a collaboration between an astronomical association and an orchestra.” We think that idea is out of this world!
Sirui Li, pianist
Age: 20
From: Edmonton
On June 13, Sirui Li won the $50,000 first prize at the annual Prix d’Europe Competition, securing a performance on March 13, 2027, with l’Orchestre symphonique des jeunes de Montréal. While she makes it all seem effortless, there’s always work to do on making clean jumps and playing consecutive octaves: “difficult enough tasks by themselves,” she said, “but put them together and that makes for an egregiously, head-claspingly agonizing time!” Li is currently working on her master’s in piano performance at l’Université de Montréal, where she’ll play Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with her school’s orchestra on Dec. 4. Fun fact: she completed her undergrad at McGill not in music, but computer science. In her spare time, she loves to draw, which explains why visiting the Musée d’Orsay in Paris for the first time left such an impression: “I recall getting there fairly early and staying until closing, and I felt I could have easily and happily spent a week there.”
Brian Sun, pianist
Age: 19
From: New Westminster, B.C.
On April 10, Brian Sun played Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with the UBC Symphony Orchestra at Vancouver’s Chan Centre — “the best experience of my life so far,” he said. It was the result of his first prize at the 2026 UBC Concerto Competition. In September, he’ll have another opportunity to perform with an orchestra as a finalist in the Robert and Ellen Silverman Piano Concerto Competition. This time, he’ll play Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto, and he said he “simply cannot wait to show the majesty of the work to the audience.” When he isn’t trying to master the technical skill of voicing big chords with his left-hand pinky (“my weakest finger,” he conceded), he’s mountainbiking, listening to Chet Baker and creating speedcubing content for the 28,000 followers of his YouTube channel. Some day, he’d like to compose his own piano concerto.
Kalvin Rowe, clarinettist
Age: 18
From: Saint John
“My dream project would be to premiere a clarinet concerto,” mused Kalvin Rowe. “I would feel super honoured to be chosen by a composer to fulfill their wishes of hearing their piece played.” He’s been making great strides toward that goal over the past year. Last summer, Rowe won the $5,000 grand award at the FCMF National Music Festival — “reassurance that my dedication to my instrument is paying off,” he said. He built his foundations at Sistema New Brunswick and the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra, performing as a soloist with the latter ensemble in Debussy’s Première Rhapsodie in 2025. This fall, he’ll return for his second year at the Glenn Gould School, studying on full scholarship with Joaquin Valdepeñas. During his spare time, he reads history books, hits the gym (“it makes me feel like I’m doing something productive while having fun”), and avoids cats (“super allergic”).
Anna Yin, violinist
Age: 18
From: Edmonton
The past 12 months have been huge for Anna Yin. Last summer, touring with the NYOC, she enjoyed not only being concertmaster for Debussy’s La Mer, but also the “spontaneous rehearsals and late-night bonding” with her fellow musicians. After that, she began her studies at the RCM’s Glenn Gould School, where she won first prize in the Robert W. and G. Ann Corcoran Concerto Competition, giving her the opportunity to play Korngold’s Violin Concerto with the Royal Conservatory Orchestra and Tania Miller on Nov. 27, 2026. This summer, she has returned to the Domaine Forget Academy’s solo violin session, where she’ll practise music by Prokofiev (currently her favourite composer) and work on her right-hand fluidity while taking in the scenery from her practice room — “the hills overlooking the St. Lawrence River are a dream view!” To unwind, she makes clay sculptures. “My favourite things to make are miniature replicas of everyday objects,” she said.
Forest Benson, pianist
Age: 18
From: Vancouver
“My biggest inspiration is not a pianist, not even a musician, but a figure skater by the name of Yuzuru Hanyu,” said Forest Benson. “He completely entranced me when I first saw him on YouTube in 2018 [and] he showed me the importance of expression that I carried into my piano playing.” Benson’s expressiveness at the keyboard recently earned him first prize in the senior division of the VSO School of Music’s Future of Excellence Concerto Competition, securing an opportunity to play Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the VSO next season. This month, he’s attending Pianofest in the Hamptons, and in September he’ll begin his studies at the Glenn Gould School in Toronto. And yet, there’s more to life than piano for Benson: he practises kendo and iaido (sword-based martial arts) and he loves singing. “I may not have the most beautiful tone or impressive range,” he admitted, but “the rawness of the voice touches my heart the most.”
Ryan Gu, percussionist and erhu player
Age: 16
From: Markham, Ont.
Ryan Gu credits his Grade 3 teacher for introducing him to music. “Mr. Williams is the one who first got me into playing percussion, and taught me how to play the djembe, an African hand drum,” he remembered. “To Mr. Williams: I still remember drum club!” In recent years, Gu has become passionate about traditional Chinese music. In May 2025, he performed the percussion concerto Flying Dragon, Leaping Tiger on the paigu with the Canadian Chinese Orchestra. He followed that up with a trip to China, where he took part in the Chinese Canadian Youth Summer Camp (“we played many performances that included onstage and flash-mob experiences”) and visited his family’s hometown for the first time in eight years (“they were surprised at how much I grew!”). Mastering new stick tricks is an ongoing pastime: “Catching, flipping, throwing and more — all made harder due to the shorter length of Chinese drumsticks.”
Ryan Huang, pianist
Age: 15
From: Oakville, Ont.
This fall, Ryan Huang will enter the pre-college division of the Juilliard School in New York — “my favourite city in the entire world,” he said. “There’s an energy that is unlike anywhere else, a sort of electricity that always leaves me inspired.” Last September, as a young scholar of the Lang Lang International Music Foundation, Huang was invited to perform an encore following Lang Lang’s performance with the TSO. Huang returned to the stage of Roy Thomson Hall in February to play the first movement of Grieg’s Piano Concerto during the TSO’s Lunar New Year concert. “One of the most meaningful aspects of the experience was having my grandparents travel all the way from Shanghai to attend the performance,” he recalled. In June, he took part in the Gina Bachauer International Young Artists Competition in Salt Lake City; later this month, he’ll be a semifinalist in the Cleveland International Piano Competition for Young Artists. Believing that “every child deserves the opportunity to experience the transformative power of music,” Huang gives free music lessons to primary school students. Not surprisingly, in March, the Town of Oakville, Ont., officially named him its music ambassador.
Daniel Milliea, violist
Age: 15
From: Richibucto Reserve, Elsipogtog First Nation
The youngest musician on this year’s list has already crossed “perform at Carnegie Hall” off his bucket list. Last December, as a third-place winner in the American Protégé International Music Talent Competition, he played music by Telemann at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. He travelled to New York with his teacher, Swan Serna, who’s centre director of Sistema New Brunswick in the Elsipogtog First Nation. “I think the [viola is] just suited perfectly for him and his character,” Serna told CBC. As a member of the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra, Milliea has performed at Ottawa’s National Arts Centre, Montreal’s Maison Symphonique and Toronto’s Koerner Hall. He draws inspiration from Dave Mustaine, the famed guitarist who got kicked out of Metallica only to form his own thrash metal band, Megadeth. “His story caught my eye because no matter how hard life gets, you keep on making music,” Milliea said.
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