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The 2007/2008 Menges Scholarship Award Winners


Helenmarie Vassiliou Helenmarie Vassiliou
She has been playing violin since she was 3 ½ years old. Her teachers have included Lingchin Liao Hacker, Julian Meyer and C.J. Chang. She currently studies with Philadelphia Orchestra member Hirono Oka. She has played in orchestras and ensembles at Temple University Music Prep’s Center for Gifted Young Musicians since she was six years old. Last year she was a member of the Temple Music Prep’s Baroque Orchestra and in a string quartet that included fellow Menges scholarship winners Soyeong Park and Bihn Park. Helenmarie also received an Honorable Mention in the 2007 Lansdowne Symphony Concerto Competition. She is a 6th grader at Valley Forge Middle School, where she played in the Select String Ensemble. She was the concertmaster of the Pennsylvania District 12 5th and 6th grade StringFest Orchestra in 2007.
Bihn Park Bihn Park
Bihn Park, 10, currently studies cello with Metta Watts. Bihn began studying cello at age seven. At age nine, he performed as a soloist with Lower Merion High School Symphony hosted by Maestro the Lion. He is a member of the Baroque Players Orchestra and String Quartet in the Center for Gifted Young Musicians since 2006 and has performed at many recitals at Temple Music Prep. Bihn attended the annual Chicago Suzuki Summer Institute in Deerfield, IL and performed solo works in the recital. In the spring of 2007, he won the first place of Reading Olympics at the Montgomery County. In addition to music, he enjoys tennis, baseball, basketball, football and camping. His previous teachers have included Martine Benmann, Blake Brasch, and Karen Meier.
Soyeong Park Soyeong Park
Soyeong Park, 10, born in Seoul, Korea, studied violin under tutorial of Mei Chen Liao since 2004, after she moved into the U.S. She currently studies with Yayoi Numazawa of the Philadelphia Orchestra. At age of 8, she was the winner of Concerto Competition and Kimmel Center Competition in 2005 Strings International Music Festival, where she performed Bach Double Concerto at Kimmel Center with Kimberly Fisher, principal second violin of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Soyeong was selected as a 2007 Menges Scholarship award recipient, and got Honorable Mention in 2007 Lansdown Symphony Competition. In April, 2007, she soloed with Baroque Players of Temple Music Prep at Thomilson Theatre in Philadelphia. Soyeong is also a Math Whiz, Gymnast, and Jwelery Collector.
Carolyn Semes Carolyn Semes
Carolyn Semes is 10 years old has been studying the violin since she was 3 1/2. She currently studies with Amy Lee and Beverly Shin. Carolyn is a student at Temple Music Prep where she plays in the Baroque Ensemble. She has performed with her sisters as soloist with the Olney Symphony and the Ocean City Pops. She was featured as a performer at the WHYY President's Dinner in 2006. In August 2006, she performed a concert at the Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts. She and her sisters were invited to return in 2007 to be soloists with the Macau Youth Orchestra for their 10th Anniversary Concert. They also performed on Hong Kong Radio and Television. Carolyn is home-schooled and enjoys gymnastics and ice skating.
Daniel Song Daniel Song
Daniel Song is an 11-years old 7th grade student at the E.T.R Middle School in Springfield, Pennsylvania. He was born at Korea and came to America at the age of 2. He started to play the piano at the age of 5 with Nelly Berman at the Nelly Berman School of Music in Haverford, Pennsylvania and currently studying with Igor Resniaski for the last 4 years. He performed at many public venues in Philadelphia and New Jersey area. He is also the concert master as a violinist at the orchestra of E.T.R Middle School. He participates numerous public concerts of community services organized by Nelly Berman Music School. Daniel enjoys team sports such as tennis, soccer, baseball, and swim team relays. He is an avid reader of wainscot style novels and enjoys watching Korean epic series.
Allyson Tomsky Allyson Tomsky
Allyson Tomsky, violinist, age 17, is currently the concertmaster of the Mannes Prep Philharmonic. She was the 2006 Mannes Prep concerto competition winner, and performed as a soloist with that orchestra. Allyson has also been featured as a soloist and served as concertmaster of the Mannes Sinfonia. In 2001, she performed as a soloist with the New York Interschool Orchestra’s Concert Orchestra as a winner of their concerto competition. As a member of the New York Youth Symphony, Allyson has played in concerts at Carnegie Hall. She attended Music@Menlo where her chamber music coaches included David Finckel, Wu Han, and Philip Setzer. She also attended the Killington Music Festival and has participated in 2 master classes with Donald Weilerstein. She recently attended the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival. In the spring of 2007, Allyson performed as a soloist in the J.S. Bach Concerto for Two Violins alongside her teacher, Arik Braude, in 3 concerts in France.
Genevieve Louise Tabby Genevieve Louise Tabby
Genevieve Tabby is a junior honors student at Lower Merion High School. She has studied cello since age eight, currently in the private studio of Gloria DePasquale. She studied with Yehuda Hanani at the Bowdoin International Music Festival in the summer of 2007. She has played piano since age four with Anna Kopansky and won the 2002 West Chester Piano competition. She is principal cellist of the Main Line Youth Chamber Orchestra for which she has had many soloist appearances on piano and cello. She is a member of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra and toured Brazil in the summer of 2007. As a member of the Seraphina string quartet, she appeared on the PBS television show “From the Top” at Carnegie Hall and on their National Public Radio show from Columbus, Ohio. The quartet was a quarter finalist at the national 2007 Fischoff competition in South Bend, Indiana. She is an accomplished ballet dancer and has performed with the Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet and the Donetsk Ballet.
Sabrina Carlotta Tabby Sabrina Carlotta Tabby
Sabrina Tabby is a junior honors student at Lower Merion High School. She has studied violin since age seven, currently in the private studios of Estelle Kerner and Xiao Fu Zhou. She studied with Muneko Otani at the Bowdoin International Music Festival in the summer of 2007. She was a winner of the Atonement Bach Scholarship Competition 2007. She has played piano since age four with Anna Kopansky and won the 2002 West Chester Piano competition. She is concert mistress of the Main Line Youth Chamber Orchestra for which she has had many soloist appearances on piano and violin. She is a member of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra and toured Brazil in the summer of 2007. As a member of the Seraphina string quartet, she appeared on the PBS television show “From the Top” at Carnegie Hall and on their National Public Radio show from Columbus, Ohio. The quartet was a quarter finalist at the national 2007 Fischoff competition in South Bend, Indiana. She is an accomplished ballet dancer and has performed with the Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet and the Donetsk Ballet.
Maria A. Scott Maria A. Scott
Maria Adele Scott, 15, began studying the piano at age 7 with her father. She quickly achieved success at the local level, winning several Southern Delaware Music Teachers Association competitions. She has been awarded National Membership in the National Fraternity of Student Musicians for 7 years receiving Superior Plus ratings. At the age of 13, Maria began studying with Liliya Maslov at the Wilmington Music School where she continues today as an Honor Award Student. In May of 2007, she performed at Carnegie Hall, Weill Recital Hall, as a Gold Medal Winner in the Golden Keys Music Festival. Maria enjoys sharing her music in church and with the local retirement community.
Brianna Leary Brianna Leary
Fifteen-year-old Brianna Leary lives in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. She attends Central Bucks South High School, where she participates in the school’s orchestra. She began playing the violin at age two, and has studied with Lee Snyder since age four. She is an Advanced Strings Scholarship student at the Settlement Music School. As a member of the school’s Chamber Orchestra, Brianna performed as soloist with the orchestra as winner of their concerto competition. She currently participates in a piano trio, coached by Sandra Carlock, and the Gabriel Braverman Advanced Study String Quartet, coached by Sidney Curtiss. She soloed with the Pottstown Symphony Orchestra in a series of 6 concerts for children; and with the Central Bucks High School Symphony, of which she has been a member since the fifth grade. She has been a member of the Philadelphia Young Artists Orchestra and was named First Chair Violin for the 2005 Bucks County Music Educators’ Association Festival orchestra. In 2007, she progressed through the Pennsylvania Music Educators’ Association (PMEA) District and Region orchestras to the PMEA All State Conference in Hershey, PA. She has soloed with the American Harp Festival at West Chester University and at Historic Bristol Day. She has won the Bucks County Symphony Orchestra’s Concerto Competition, the Warminster Symphony Orchestra’s Young Artist Competition, and the Newtown Chamber Orchestra’s Young Musician competition, all resulting in performances as soloist with those orchestras. She has performed twice as soloist with the Ocean City (NJ) Pops. As First Place winner of the Loeb Performing Arts Fund of The Philadelphia Foundation Competition in Instrumental Music, Brianna performed in the “Free in the Plaza!” series at Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center, and received a grant that enabled her to enjoy her second summer studying chamber music at Kinhaven Music School in Vermont. As a young violinist, she performed as soloist in many concerts at her elementary school, and she was the Overall Winner in a local talent show. She has participated in master classes with David Kim, Ida Levin, Diane Monroe, and Lee Snyder. Upcoming performances include soloing with the Ambler Symphony. When she’s not playing the violin or studying, Brianna enjoys art, poetry, singing and acting. She participates in her school’s chorus and plays, and was a member of the 2006 Bucks County Music Educators’ Association High School Chorus. She has received numerous awards for her works of art, and had a poem published in a collection of poems. She also loves playing tennis, swimming, hanging out with friends, making movies, playing guitar and piano, and writing songs.