14-year-old violinist Kazuki Kyo took the grand prize of $10,000 in the Young Artist division, with additional prizes awarded in the Senior and Junior divisions dominated by young violinists
The Atlanta Festival Academy (AFA) in Georgia held its inaugural Young Artist Competition on 25 and 26 July 2025 at Johns Creek United Methodist Church Sanctuary. The competition is the first international classical music contest for youth and collegiate-level musicians ever hosted in Georgia.
Musicians competed in three divisions: Young Artist (ages 14-23), Senior (ages 14-18) and Junior (age 13 and below).
In the Young Artist division, 14-year-old violinist Kazuki Kyo won the grand prize of $10,000, as well as a concerto performance with the AFA Festival Orchestra on 2 August 2025, plus a winner’s solo recital at the opening of the AFA Summer Music Institute in 2026.
Second prize of $2,000 went to 19-year-old violinist Didi Stone, while third prize of $1,000 went to 17-year-old cellist Melissa Lam. Fourth prize of $300 went to pianist Yiduo Zhao, while joint fifth prize of $300 went to 22-year-old cellist Gabriella McClellan and 19-year-old violinist Sam Vaillancourt.
In the Senior division, joint first prize of $1,500 was awarded to 14-year-old violinist Hamin You and 17-year-old pianist Dahyun Katie Yang. 14-year-old violinist Ellie Kim won third prize of $300, while fourth prize of $150 went to 14-year-old violist Fisher Yu.
In the Junior division, first prize of $600 was awarded to 12-year-old violinist Ling-Xi Ma. Second prize of $300 went to 11-year-old pianist Chloe Jung, third prize of $200 went to 13-year-old violinist Jessie Wu, while fourth and fifth prizes of $100 each went to 10-year-old violist Ling-Rui Ma and 13-year-old flute player Charlotte Rogers respectively.
All the prize winners in the Senior and Junior divisions, plus some selected candidates will receive free masterclasses from jury members. The prize winners also receive the opportunity to perform solo with an AFA orchestra, plus free tuition to enroll in AFA Orchestras for one year.
The 2025 competition jury comprised clarinetist Seunghee Lee, violinist Herbert Greenberg, pianist Ben Kim and conductor Henry Cheng.
’Watching these young musicians up on stage is a powerful reminder of everything that is still good and right in the world,’ commented Greenberg, who serves on the violin faculty at the Peabody Conservatory and is a former concertmaster of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
While this was AFA’s first year hosting the competition, it builds on six years of international programming through its summer institute, youth orchestras, and artist residencies.
Read: Three violinists and a quartet receive 2025 Salon De Virtuosi career grants
Read: Finalists selected for the 2025 Barbash J.S. Bach Competition
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