Thirteen-year-old Rhea Zhu has been studying piano since the age of three. At the age of eight, Rhea received the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) Gold Medal for Level 7 Piano, the highest mark in British Columbia. She has since been awarded the 2022 National Gold Medalist for Level 10 Piano and graduated as an ARCT Alumna; she has subsequently been invited by the RCM to perform in Toronto in January 2023. Striving to enrich her musical skills in ways other than exams, Rhea has participated in numerous piano festivals and competitions and has been awarded numerous prizes, such as in the Canadian Music Competitions and the Kiwanis Music Festival. She is extremely grateful towards the Vancouver Women’s Musical Society (now the Vancouver Westcoast Musical Society) for awarding her a scholarship in 2021 and inviting her to share her music on January 11, 2023, at the Unitarian Church.

Through creating music, Rhea hopes to spread joy and happiness to the people around her and show the power of music in the present world. Besides solo piano, Rhea is currently exploring various ways of musicmaking, such as participating in her high school band, exploring different vocal genres, and arranging compositions for various instruments.

Rhea is currently studying in the University Transition Program and will begin undergraduate studies at the University of British Columbia at the age of 15. She has studied piano with Michelle Mares, Ronald Morgan, Yuko Noble, and Donna Fishwick.

Hailed as a “remarkable young pianist” by the New York Concert Review, 15-year-old Owen Yisu Wang started studying piano at the age of 5. He has since won numerous awards at variouscompetitions, most notably first place at the 7th Rosalyn Tureck International Bach Competition,first place in the 2021 Canadian Music Competition 13-year-old category, the Gala Trophy in the2021 Pacific International Youth Music Competition, third place in the 2022 Conero International Music Competition, and the Audience Favorite Award in the 2022 Seattle International Piano Competition. Other noteworthy accolades include Concerto Class Winner at the 2022 Pacific International Youth Music Competition, first place in the Youth Category at the 2022 Architecture of Music Competition, first place in the 2021 Rome Grand Prize Virtuoso Competition, and the Overall Award in the 2020 Steinway Canadian Young Artist Piano Competition. In 2018, Owen performed at Carnegie Hall, upon receiving first prize in the Crescendo International Music Competition. Furthermore, he has performed in masterclasses for Gary Graffman, Ian Parker, Corey Hamm, Mark Anderson, Henri Paul Sicsic, Kenneth Broadway, Enrico Elisi, among others.

Owen debuted with the Coquitlam Youth Orchestra in 2019, performing the first movement of Mozart’s Concerto No. 16. In 2022, he played Gershwin’s Concerto in F, first movement, with the Vancouver Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Bujar Llapaj, at Vancouver’s Chan Centre. Most recently, Owen played the same concerto with the West Coast Symphony Orchestra at the Christ Church Cathedral, once again under the baton of Maestro Llapaj. Owen is the Gold Medal recipient of Canada’s Royal Conservatory of Music for Level 8 and Level 10 piano examinations. In June 2022, he received his RCM Piano ARCT Diploma with First Class Honors with Distinction. Owen studies piano with Dr. Ronald Morgan in Burnaby, British Columbia.

Owen believes that music, as a universal language, has an innate, unique ability to uplift communities alongside himself. Along with four other talented student-musicians from his school, Owen is a committed participant in the Charity Concert for Easter Seals House, which is an organization dedicated to supporting children and families seeking medical treatment in Vancouver. This year marked the second iteration of the concert, where $16 639 was raised for the renovation of rooms at the House. Owen is also an active member in the community, regularly performing at senior homes around the city.

Apart from piano, Owen plays the violin and the bassoon. He is the bassoonist in the Wind Ensemble at school. In his spare time, he enjoys reading classical literature, writing poetry and short stories, and swimming.