London Towne Fall 2024

Emma-Grace Kim, violinist, is a sophomore at Oakton High School. Emma-Grace has won numerous competitions, including Virginia MTNA Competition, NVMTA Achievement Awards, AAMS Competition, and NVMTA Concerto Competition among others. She gave her first solo performance with an orchestra at nine years old. Since then, she has performed solos and recitals at venues such as the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, and the National Gallery of Art. Last year, Emma-Grace was featured at WETA Classical’s Annual Salon Series at the House of Sweden, and also performed at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the US-ROK Alliance. In 2022, she participated in NPR From the Top’s Learning and Media Lab Fellowship, which culminated in a recording of Six Duos by Robert Schumann, arranged by Alfredo d’Ambrosio, for radio premier, with concert pianist Peter Dugan and Grammy-award winner Charles Yang. 

Emma-Grace has been a member of the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestra (AYPO) for the last seven years, and is currently concertmaster of American Youth Philharmonic (AYP). This past summer, Emma-Grace attended Boston University’s Tanglewood Institute where she took on the role as concertmaster of the Young Artists Orchestra, and was invited to perform in a masterclass with Boston Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Nathan Cole. Most recently, she was selected as a Kennedy Center National Symphony Orchestra Youth Fellow and is a private student of Jing Qiao, first violinist of the NSO.

Emma-Grace volunteers her time with children in underserved communities through ITZArt4you, a non-profit organization she and her sister founded in 2021. She is also involved in her school club, ITZArt4Oakton, where she organizes music performances at Oakton High School, providing fellow high school musicians a place to share music with the Cat B community. 

Jonathan Lee is a junior at Chantilly High School, where he is a member of the Chamber Orchestra. He began his musical journey with the piano at the age of four and took piano lessons for ten years. In fourth grade, he started playing the cello through his elementary school’s strings class. After starting private cello lessons in eighth grade, his passion for the cello blossomed.

Jonathan was a member of the Bow Lightlys cello ensemble from 2022-2024. In 2022, the Bow Lightlys performed at a gala benefit concert to support World Central Kitchen and the people of Ukraine. The Bow Lightlys also performed in Progressive Musicians’ Laureate Gala at Carnegie Hall. In October 2023, Jonathan was selected for the Northern Virginia Senior Regional Orchestra. In May 2024, he placed 1st in the NVMTA Achievement Awards Competition for Strings. Jonathan is also a member of the American Youth Philharmonic (AYP) and a volunteer with The Tacy Foundation, where he performs music at retirement communities.

Outside of music, Jonathan enjoys spending time with his family, friends, and his dog Sunflower, playing basketball, skiing, and volunteering in his community.

Ady is a sophomore at Oakton High School and has been playing the piano for 10 years. Aside from piano, she does club swim and coaching for special needs swim team. Her hobbies include volunteer work, watching shows, and spending time with friends and family.

My name is Adriana, I’m a junior at Westfield HS, and I play viola. I started playing at Cub Run Elementary in 4th grade and began private lessons in 5th grade where I realized I loved learning new pieces and playing non-classical songs I enjoyed. As of now, I am in Chamber Orchestra at WHS, as well as Symphonic Orchestra with TCSYO. My love of music extends outside of just viola though. Currently, I’m teaching myself piano and guitar, and I’m taking a class to learn music production, mixing, and sound design with computer software. I’m excited to share my experience and passion, and I hope to inspire another generation of great musicians just like my mentors did for me.

My name is Thomas Duong and I’m an 11th grader at Chantilly High School and have been playing the Violin and Piano for ten years being in my school orchestra and with private lessons. In my free time I enjoy playing the Violin and Piano. When I’m not practicing my instruments, I enjoy being outdoors and playing sports like pickleball and rock climbing to help me relax and clear my mind.

Sarah Park is a 15 year old sophomore at Lake Braddock Secondary School in Virginia. She has been playing cello for six years and is currently studying under Sunghee Choi. Over the past few years, Sarah has been a member of the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras, and was principal for the 2024 District XI Senior District Orchestra. In 2024, Sarah has won Second Prize for the Great Composers: Rising Talents of the World, Third Prize for the chamber category of Charleston’s Summer Music Competition, and the Excellent Achievement Award for AMMA. She also was given the opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall for receiving Third Prize in the Concert Artists International Competition. Outside of music, Sarah enjoys drawing and photography.

Maritza Becker is currently a sophomore at Westfield High School’s concert orchestra. She has been playing violin for six years and has been in the ITZArt program for three! She has also been taking private lessons for two years. Maritza’s main goal is to always improve and help others when they need it.  When she’s not practicing, she enjoys painting, reading, playing softball, and running.

Diya is a 15-year-old at Westfield High School who has played viola for 6 years, starting in 4th grade. Other than viola, She loves to bake, play sports, and read. She is excited to volunteer for Itzart4you again and is looking forward to sharing her music!

My name is Chris Martinez Alfaro, but you can call me Chris! I have three years of experience playing the viola, and have previously played the violin as well. I prefer viola because I have learned the viola these past three years and I am feeling more confident about playing viola. I also have more knowledge about the viola and less about the violin. I have also participated in Solo and Ensemble and received blue ribbons for my performances in addition to receiving the Most Outstanding Orchestra Student Award in 2023. I love music and sports! A few of my hobbies are football, tennis, volleyball, and badminton.

Kenneth is participating as a sophomore in Westfield High School’s orchestra. He’s been practicing the violin for six years. Apart from mentoring other musicians, he has volunteered to teach kids to swim in a local developmental program for three years. Other passions of his include running on the track and cross country team, swim, and mathematics.

Ireh is currently a freshmen (14) in Westfield High School. She has been playing the violin since summer of 2018, which makes this her 6th year playing. She has played in Junior District Orchestra in 2024. Other then playing the violin, she currently is playing drums and played other instruments like guitar and piano. Out of music, she does various sports like volleyball, cross country, track, and dance. 

Stephanie is a multi-instrumentalist ; She plays piano, violin and 6-string guitar. She also attends a music school called Bach to Rock (B2r). Stephanie is approaching her tenth year playing piano and her sixth year playing violin. She is very passionate about music whether that’s playing, listening, or even making! When she isn’t doing anything with music, she is shopping, playing video games, baking, or spending time with her friends. Stephanie loves teaching because she thinks with the right person and a little motivation, you can create so much!