The Music Department is excited to announce the winners of the 2024-25 Princeton University Orchestra’s annual Concerto Competition: Sarah Yuan and Jisang Kymm. Both will have the honor of performing as soloists with the Princeton University Orchestra this spring on either February 28th or March 1st at Richardson Auditorium.
The department also recognizes Sarah Lekaj with an honorable mention, to be showcased at reunions on May 24. Congratulations to all!
The Princeton University Orchestra’s Concerto Competition offers all currently-enrolled Princeton University students a chance to perform as a soloist with the ensemble—an internationally-recognized orchestra of over 100 undergraduate and graduate student musicians, conducted by Maestro Michael Pratt. This year’s preliminary round was judged by Professor Wendy Heller and special guest and alumna Hana Mundiya ’20. Praised for her “violin pyrotechnics” (BBC Music Magazine), Hana Miyamoto Mundiya is a versatile performer on the world’s top stages. Having made her solo debut with the New York Philharmonic at age 13 in David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center, she is a multi-faceted artist with a fresh and vibrant approach to her wide-ranging repertoire and a commitment to connect people around the world through music.Hana has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and the United Nations Headquarters, among other world-renowned venues in Italy, Sweden, Japan, Germany, France, Austria, Spain, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Switzerland. She regularly performs with acclaimed Swedish pianist Per Tengstrand, and was featured in the award-winning documentary film, Beethoven – Freedom of the Will (2022), and Piano Rivals (2024), in which she performs Paganini’s Caprice No. 24.
The final round was judged by Marna Seltzer, Director of Princeton University Concerts, and Dasha Koltunyuk ’15, Marketing & Outreach Manager of Princeton University Concerts.
About the 2024-25 Concerto Competition Winners
Sarah Yuan ’27, pianist
Performing Sergei Rachmaninoff – Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18
Sarah Yuan, age 19, is a sophomore at Princeton University. She began piano studies at age seven and is now a student of Dr. Francine Kay at Princeton, having previously studied with Dr. Sharon Mann at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Sarah was a winner of the 2022 and 2023 National YoungArts competitions and is also the pianist of the Aveta Trio, which won the gold medal at the 2021 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. At Princeton, she is a member of Opus Chamber Music. Over the past several years, she has performed in masterclasses for artists such as John Perry, Ida Kavafian, Peter Wiley, James Giles, Támas Ungár, and the Gryphon Trio. Sarah has performed for the San Francisco International Piano Festival and the Noontime Concert series in San Francisco and has attended international summer music programs such as Aspen, Bowdoin, and PianoTexas.
Jisang Kymm ’28, violist
Performing Concerto for Viola and Orchestra, Alfred Schnittke
Violist Jisang Kymm is a freshman from Englewood Cliffs, NJ planning to major in Mathematics. Jisang currently studies viola with Jessica Thompson, and formerly studied at the Juilliard Pre-College with Yi-Fang Huang and Molly Carr. Jisang has spent his past three summers at the Perlman Music Program under the tutelage of Itzhak Perlman, Carol Rodland, and Kirsten Docter. Jisang is a National YoungArts Finalist, National YoungArts Silver Award recipient, and first-prize winner at the Enkor International Music Competition. At Princeton, Jisang is an active member of the Princeton University Orchestra and Opus Chamber Music, and teaches viola lessons through Trenton Arts at Princeton. Outside of music, Jisang enjoys going to coffee shops to drink tea and reading books with his cat, who does not yet know how to read.
Honorable Mention
Sarah Lekaj ’25, mezzo-soprano
Performing Songs of a Wayfarer by Gustav Mahler
Sarah is from Kingston, NY, and is a senior in the Molecular Biology Department at Princeton, where she is also pursuing minors in Vocal Performance (studying under David Kellett) and in Global Health and Public Policy. Outside of her academic work, Sarah is an active member of the Princeton University Glee Club, where she serves as the director of the Glee Club’s Opera Scenes Program. She has also enjoyed singing with the Princeton Sinfonia orchestra and has participated in two opera productions at Princeton, performing in the ensemble for Dido and Aeneas and as the Third Lady in Die Zauberflöte. Sarah is excited to conclude her Princeton journey by performing this Mahler song cycle with PUO at Reunions!
In Other News
Announcing the Launch of Princeton in Leipzig
Jan 7, 2025
The Princeton Music Department is excited to announce the launch of Princeton in Leipzig, a summer study abroad program organized in conjunction with the Princeton German Department. Students selected to …
Announcing the 2023-2024 Concerto Competition Winners
Jan 11, 2024
The Princeton University Orchestra’s Concerto Competition offers all currently-enrolled Princeton University students a chance to perform as a soloist with the ensemble—an internationally-recognized orchestra of over 100 undergraduate and graduate student musicians, conducted by Maestro Michael Pratt.
Faculty Appointments: Anna Yu Wang, Arnie Tanimoto, Brennan Sweet, Yousun Chun & Julius Tolentino
Nov 3, 2023
The Department of Music at Princeton University is thrilled to welcome to the faculty five renowned music practitioners: music theorist and ethnographer Anna Yu Wang, viola da gamba and Baroque cello specialist Arnie Tanimoto, violinist Brennan Sweet, oboist Yousun Chung, and saxophonist Julius Tolentino.
