Junior Division Finalist

Ivan Kostornyi, a fifteen-year-old violinist, began his musical studies at the age of five  with Alla Zhitnitskaya in Sydney, Australia. At the age of nine, he gave his first solo concert  in Sydney. When he was ten years old, Ivan and his family moved to Orlando, Florida, where  he started studying with Olga Kolpakova at the St. Andrew‘s Conservatory of Music, located  in Sanford. Currently, Ivan studies with Rimma Bergeron-Langlois, who is the  concertmistress of the Orlando Philharmonic, and Olga Kolpakova. He has also studied  under Professor Julia Bushkova, Dr. Alvaro Gomez, and Dr. Lev Gurevich. Ivan has also  participated in masterclasses and received individual lessons from Antal Zalai, Evgeny  Bushkov, David Kim, and Professor Routa Kroumovitch. Ivan also has participated in and  received top prizes in various competitions including the MTNA National Competition and  the FSYO Concerto Competition. Besides violin, Ivan also studies organ (as a second  instrument) with Dr. Terry Yount, a former professor at the Rollins College.

Ayra Karlin is a 16-year-old violinist from Miami, Florida who is part of the New World Symphony College Track program.  Ayra was born in Santiago, Chile, and started playing violin at the age of 7.  She studies at Coral Reef Senior High School, and is the concertmaster of the school’s Chamber and Symphony Orchestras. Ayra is in her second year of the New World Symphony College Track mentorship program, where she studies with professional orchestra musicians. She performed in the New World Symphony Side-by-Side Orchestra in 2023 and 2024, an experience that has deepened her passion for music. Ayra won first place in the Carmen Seepersad Memorial Scholarship competition, performed with the National Pathways Fellowship Orchestra in Nashville, and earned recognition in the Florida All-State FMEA Orchestra from 2022 to 2025.  She has participated in summer programs such as the Sphinx Performance Academy at the Cleveland Institute of Music, the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival in Vermont, VIA Music Academy, and UM’s Frost School of Music.  In these intensive programs, she developed her skills in solo and chamber music. Ayra is deeply committed to sharing her love of music, aspiring to attend a top-level conservatory, where she can continue to grow as an artist and perform as a professional musician.

Madelyn Urbine is a 17 year old french horn player from Gainesville, Florida, attending F.W. Buchholz High School. She has been playing the french horn for six years under the guidance of her teacher, Margaret Dixon. In her high school career, Madelyn has been selected for the FMEA All-State Concert Orchestra, Concert Band, and Symphonic Band. As a sophomore and a junior, she was selected as a finalist in the US Navy Band’s Young Artist Solo Competition, performing with the band twice. Along with this, she was the 2024 winner of the First Coast Wind Symphony Concerto Competition in Jacksonville Florida. Outside of music, Madelyn enjoys doing CrossFit and weightlifting.

I am studying flute under Dr. Francesca Arnone. Since middle school, I have actively participated in ensembles, competitions, and other musical events that have shaped my development.  In eighth grade, I served as the principal flutist for the Florida Music Education Association (FMEA) All-State Middle School Band. By ninth grade, I earned a position in the FMEA All-State High School Concert Orchestra, and in tenth grade, I became the principal flutist for the FMEA All-State High School Concert Band. I have participated in Solo and Ensemble competitions annually since sixth grade and have been awarded Blue Lake’s Merit Scholarship. In the summer of 2022, I attended the Interlochen Flute Intensive Summer Camp, a transformative experience that deepened my understanding of the flute.  Since 2020, I have played with the Tampa Metropolitan Youth Orchestra (TMYO). In 2023, I won the Florida Flute Association Convention High School Masterclass.  In 2024, I was selected for the National Flute Association High School Flute Choir (San Antonio, TX, July 30-August 4, 2024) and won First Prize in the Young Artist Category of the 2024 Bach International Music Competition UK and of the Vivaldi International Music Competition. Additionally, I earned Third Place in the Do Re Mi International Music Competition and received an Honorable Mention from the London International Music Competition, where I was the only musician representing the United States.  In addition, I had the honor of being named the Florida Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Senior Performance Woodwind Winner (Alternate).

Since 2021, I have volunteered as a recruitment director and tutor for the Do Re Mi Project (https://www.doremiproject.org), a platform providing free online music lessons to underserved communities worldwide. I have been teaching five students from low-income households in New York, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. Additionally, I mentor younger musicians in person in the Tampa metropolitan area, sharing guidance and encouragement to foster their growth. These efforts earned me the President’s Volunteer Service Award (Bronze) in 2024, recognizing my dedication with over 100 service hours annually.  

Sophie De (16) began playing the violin at the age of six at a music school in Armenia. She currently is a Dual Enrolling Junior in high school and holds the title of concertmaster in the Alachua County Youth Orchestra. She was also the concertmaster of the Super String Orchestra conducted by Itzhak Perlman. Besides having exceptional academic grades, Sophie has won numerous competitions around the world – in Ukraine, Slovenia, Poland, Malta, Serbia, Armenia, Belgium, and Switzerland. She has First Prizes from the State Concerto Competition by the FSMTA, the Solo Instrumental division of the International Festival Project “Kaleidoscope of Talents” in Poland, and the Junior String Competition in Florida State by the MTNA. Sophie is also a winner in the violin concerto, solo, ensemble, and fiddle categories of the FFMC competition. She was a First Prize winner, gold medalist and an outstanding instrumental soloist at the 4th Annual Sacred Music Florida Competition. In 2021, Sophie received the Best Violinist Award in the “Debut” Talent Development Masterclass Program in Armenia. She currently works with Jennifer Guzman, Stephen Fine, Eduard Tadevosyan, Aram Asatryan, and Nina Ter-Nikoghosova.

Rianne Lee (15) is a homeschooled sophomore from Orlando, Florida. She began her cello studies at the age of 8 and has received many solo and concerto awards from the Florida Federation of Music Clubs Junior Convention, where she was invited to perform as a soloist in their ceremony in 2022. Rianne is a member of the Florida Symphony Youth Orchestras, and has participated in summer programs such as the MasterWorks Festival and the OPO Summer Music Camp on scholarship. She has also performed in a masterclass with David Kim, concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Rianne is currently a student of Elise Jimenez at the Saint Andrew’s Conservatory of Music, where she also studies pipe organ with Dr. Terry Yount.

Regine Lee (14) is a homeschooled ninth-grader from Mt. Dora, Florida. She began her violin studies with Olga Kolpakova at the age of 6 at the Saint Andrew’s Conservatory of Music and has received solo and concerto awards from the Florida Federation of Music Clubs Junior Convention (FFMC). She has participated in programs such as the MasterWorks Festival, the OPO Summer Music Camp, and the Stetson String Institute. She is in her second season with the Florida Symphony Youth Orchestras (FSYO) and plays in the Saint Andrew’s Conservatory of Music Youth Ensemble led by Sharon Chang, as well as the Youth Choir there directed by Todd and Andria Alexander.

Matthew Phan of Jacksonville, Florida, is a senior at Bishop Kenny High School. He currently studies piano with Peggy Edwards, and his former teacher is Mary Lou Krosnick. He is a two-time winner of the American Protégé Piano Competition and performed twice at Carnegie Hall in New York. In 2020, he won the Florida MTNA Junior Piano Competition and Junior Chopin Prize. In 2022, he won the FSMTA Senior Concerto Competition, the Florida MTNA Senior Piano Competition and the Senior Chopin Prize, and the Senior Division of the Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra’s John Leatherwood Concerto Competition, resulting in two solo performances with them in January 2023. In 2023, Matthew won the Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestra’s Concerto Competition and as a result, soloed with the Jacksonville Symphony in May 2023. Also in May 2023, he won the FFMC Senior Concerto Competition, which earned him a nomination and reception of the Irene Muir Memorial Award. He also has participated in masterclasses, including one with Meng-Chieh Liu, and he enjoys playing for his school and church.

Elyse Schlesinger is a 16 year old French Horn player in the Chicagoland area. She is Co Principal of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Allen Tinkham and is coached in a Woodwind Quintet (Windy City Winds) by Dr. Donald DeRoche and is a part of the CYSO Ambassador Program. Elyse has also attended many music camps and festivals, including ILMEA District 7 Band, ILMEA All State Honors Band, the ILMEA District 7 Orchestra, and the ILMEA All State Honors Orchestra. She also performed in the D211 Honors Band, Honors Chorus, and Honors Orchestra, in addition to the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp Masterworks Orchestra. She is also a current winner of the Fremd High School Concerto Aria Competition. Elyse currently studies with Melody Velleuer and CSO member David Griffin.

Isabelle Tseng (17) is a violinist from Gainesville, FL. She has played violin in numerous festivals including the BUTI Young Artists Orchestra, All-National Symphony Orchestra, and the Honor Orchestra of America. Awards have included First Prize at the New York International Young Musician Competition and the top prize of the Florida Federation of Music Clubs, the Connie-Tuttle All-Performance award. As concertmaster of the Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra, she enjoys chamber music as well as her soloist endeavors. She currently studies with Ms. Rimma Bergeron-Langlois. Previous mentors have included Dr. Lev Gurevich, Ms. Bing Wang, Dr. Klaudia Szlachta, and Ms. Melissa White. Outside of violin, Isabelle is an avid debater, composer, biker and journalist.

Quang Vo, a 17-year-old pianist from Vietnam, is currently a freshman piano performance major at Florida Gulf Coast University where he studies with Dr. Michael Baron. Mr. Vo was awarded a Certificate of Merit from the Prime Minister of Vietnam, honored as “The Promising New Face in Culture and Arts of Vietnam”. During his studies, Mr. Vo has won many First Prizes and Special Prizes at domestic and international music competitions. His most recent competition win was the Kayserburg International Piano Competition where he was awarded first prize as the best pianist in Vietnam, and was given a piano as part of his award. He has also participated in many solo performances as well as performances as soloist with orchestras in Vietnam and Malaysia. Besides multiple performances in his native Vietnam, he has also performed in Thailand, Malaysia, China, Hungary, Germany, and the United States. He is well known for his brilliant facility, strong musical personality and his passion for also playing the violin and cello. He was recently chosen the winner of the Tampa Bay Symphony Competition. He was also awarded First Place in the state of Florida Senior Piano by the annual Music Teachers National Association Competition.