The 32nd Young Artist Competition Winners
Jay Julio, viola – Senior Division Winner
From Uniondale, New York, first-generation Filipino-American Jay Julio (25) began studying music formally at the age of 14; since then, Jay has been recognized in national competitions held by the National Federation of Music Clubs, the Music Teachers National Association, and the YoungArts Foundation. Festival appearances include the Thy, Pacific, Spoleto, and Aspen Music Festivals (the latter as a New Horizons Fellow), as well as the New York String Orchestra Seminar and Music Academy of the West. Jay is grateful for crucial support in recent years from the Virtu Foundation, the American Viola Society, the FilAm Music Foundation, and the WeInspire Foundation, which named Jay a WeInspire Ambassador for justice work in 2021. Jay was a full-scholarship student at the Manhattan School of Music (BM) and the Juilliard School (MM), studying with Karen Ritscher, Misha Amory, Matthew Lipman, and Heidi Castleman, and has recently joined the Opera Philadelphia Orchestra as their Assistant Principal Viola.
Isabelle Tseng, violin – Junior Division Winner
Isabelle Tseng 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.
Watch them perform with the Ocala Symphony during “Youthful Renderings.“