Rising Stars: Lang Lang Foundation Young Scholars Concert

Yidi Ding was born in Shanghai, China in August, 2011. At the age of 5, he began his formal piano study.

After one year, he showed promising talent, and went on to win 15 first prizes in America, China and Europe. At six years old, he was invited to perform at NYC’s Carnegie Hall, and The Golden Hall in Vienna, Austria.

Now, Yidi Ding resides in the U.S. At seven years old in 2019 he was accepted to The Juilliard School Pre-College program, and became their youngest enrolled student. Later in the year, he performed at a Thanksgiving Piano Recital in Shanghai, and at the Trump National Golf Club.

In 2018, Yidi won First Prize of Preschooler Class and First Prize of Chinese Music Grading Test Class at the 8th Hong Kong International Piano Invitation Final Competition. He also was awarded First Prize of Children Class and the Exceptional Young Talent Special Prize at the Golden Classical Music Award International Competition, after which, he was invited to perform at The Golden Hall in Vienna Austria.

In March 2018, he released his first CD at the age of six, titled “A Collection of Piano Works”. In April, he was selected at the first prize winner of the Young Musicians, and received the Exceptional Young Talent Special Prize at the Grand Prize Virtuoso International Music Competition. He was then invited to perform at Carnegie Hall.

He gave his first public recital at six years old at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center, and was awarded first prize at the Franz Liszt International Youth Piano Final Competition.

In 2017, he made his debut at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center. Later that year, he was awarded first prize at the Zhu Jiang International Youth Piano Final Competition, and first prize of the Children’s Class at the Yangtze River Delta Music Final Competition.

Sophia Suwiryo is a 10 year old scholarship student in the preparatory department at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and studies with Dr. Takako Hayase Frautschi. Sophia began her studies at 4 years old.

Since then she has received numerous awards and performance opportunities including a couple national TV broadcastings on ABC News and Steve Harvey TV Show. In both shows, she was featured as a 9-year-old child prodigy. Sophia has received many awards as a soloist. She received a first place in numbers of competitions such as Chopin International Piano Competition (Hartford, CT), Golden Classical Music Awards International Competition, American Protégé International Competition of Romantic Music, and ENKOR International Music Competition. She is also a two-time winner at Carmel Klavier International Piano Competition. She is also known as the gold medalist of 2017 AADGT International Young Musicians Festival, a grand prize winner of 2017 Rising Talent Music Festival and a winner of the exceptionally young talent special prize of 2017 Golden Classical Music Awards International Competition. She also holds a gold medal for scoring the highest in State of Ohio and National Gold Medal for the 2016 Royal Conservatory Certificate Program.Her special talent as a soloist has also been recognized by orchestras.

Sophia has performed with Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, conducted by Maestro John Morris Russell who described Sophia as “amazing” and “brilliant”. Her concerto competition awards include first place in 2017 Jack & Lucille Wonnell Young Artist Concerto Competition of the Blue Ash Montgomery Symphony Orchestra and 2019 American Fine Arts Festival International Concerto Competition. All these prizes have led Sophia to perform at the CarnegieHall in New York for five times.Sophia’s musical career has also been extended to the international level. This past summer, Sophia made an international debut at the XXV International Chopin Festival at Busko Zdroj, Poland. During the festival, she attended in master classes given by Dr. Krystian Tkaczewski who is known as a “Polish Virtuoso.”In summer 2019, Sophia was invited to attend Cincinnati Young Artist Chamber Music Festival and it has opened the door to be an active chamber musician. She currently has a piano trio group.

Sophia musical gift as a pianist has been awarded in many competitions but also been appreciated by charities. She has performed to raise funds for Dragonfly Foundation, Diocesan Catholic Children Home Center, Gino DiMario Foundation, and California Biochar Association. Her hobbies include baking, drawing, and competing in chess tournaments.

Raditya Muljadi is 10 years old and he started learning piano from his mother when he was 4. He is currently studying piano with Jasmine Steadman in Aurora, Colorado.

Raditya has placed 1st in many piano competitions in Colorado: The Rising Star Festival by Colorado State Music Teacher Association in 2016, Schmitt Music Piano Competition in 2015 and 2018, Yamaha Competition in 2018 and 2019, and the Steinway Competition in 2019. He placed 2nd in 2017 Schmitt and 2018 Steinway Competitions.

In 2018 he was invited to perform Mozart Piano Concerto no 23, I in A Major with the National Repertory Orchestra in Breckenridge, Colorado. In 2019 he had an opportunity to play a recital in Jaya Suprana School of Performing Arts in Jakarta, Indonesia.

He sings and accompanies the children choir in church and enjoyed his experience being part of the Colorado Children Chorale. He also enjoys playing the Baritone in the Beginning Band class in his school.

Raditya is a student at Ascent Classical Academy in Lonetree, Colorado. He loves learning Latin, Mathematics, Literature, and History. He also participated in Parker Teen Court, where he learns about basic judicial system and its real application to local youth community.

In his spare time, Raditya enjoys Tae Kwon Do where he is working on achieving his second degree black belt, swimming, skiing, camping, chess, and reading detective/mystery books.

After returning from Japan where he was featured on Japanese national TV, Joshua performed for the historical inauguration of Chicago’s first black female mayor at Wintrust Area this past Spring.

Last summer he performed at Carnegie Hall with The National Youth Orchestra and in Miami with The New World Symphony.

Spring of 2018, he did a 12-day tour in Germany where he performed to a sold-out audience in Berlin. He has appeared on ABC TV’s Windy City Live TV three times and on WTTW’s Chicago Tonight. In 2013, Joshua was invited to perform for the Vice Premier of China at the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park.

Joshua has performed at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and Steinway Hall in N.Y. He has opened for the Jackson’s, Ramsey Lewis and TV’s Nick Canon. He has played in England, France, Greece, Turkey, Austria, Germany, Italy and Spain.

Joshua is 16 and in 11th grade at Whitney Young Magnet High School in Chicago.

Awards and Honors

• Walgreens National Concerto Competition (2018, 1st Place Senior Division) – First time a Freshman won the Senior Division
• Emilio del Rosario Young Artist International Piano Concerto Competition (2017, Junior Division winner)
• DePaul Concerto Competition (2016, overall winner)
• Walgreens National Concerto Competition (2015, overall winner)
• SAVLER Competition (1st Place, Junior II Division)
• CAMTA Sonata Festival (2015, Level C)
• Granquist Music Competition (2011, overall winner)He also won honors at the National Junior Music Festival two years in a row.

In early April 2014, Joshua won first place in a Merit Music Conservatory competition.

10-year-old pianist Xinran Shi, born in Cambridge, UK, lives in San Jose, California. She is a 5th grader at Challenger School. She started her first piano class at age 4 ½ with Ms. Yijia Ho, then later with Ms. Lena Grozman, and she currently studies with American pianist & Steinway Artist Professor Hans Boepple.

She has received top prizes at numerous piano competitions, and has been praised for her artistry and musical sensitivity.

Xinran won first place at the 2019 China Grand Canal International Piano Art Festival and Lang Lang Piano Competition in Hang Zhou, China, and was honored to attend the master class with Lang Lang. She won Silver medal at the 2019 Seattle International Piano Competition and was awarded Teachers’ Favorite Prize in the winner concert held in Benaroya Hall, Seattle. In 2019, Xinran also won first place at the Pacific Musical Society & Foundation Competition and the Steinway Junior Piano Competition, first alternate at the MTAC solo competition, and she was invited to perform at the Junior Bach Music Festival Concert and its Honor Concert at the Rossmoor Retirement Community in Walnut Creek. For further music study, in 2019 summer, Xinran attended John Perry Academy International Piano Festival, where she took master classes and private lessons with John Perry, Mina Perry, Jean-David Coen, Sasha Starcevich, Chun-Chieh Yen, and shared her music with other young musicians in the one week festival. Previously, she also took master classes with Madam Ruth Slenczynska and Christopher O’Riley. Xinran appreciated the chances to learn with so many great teachers, musicians and pianists, and she gained invaluable insight into the music by their comments and compliments.

Xinran not only performs in concert hall, she also likes to perform in senior centers and her school. She likes to share her music with all ages and spread her happiness and joy by music. Her dream is to become an artist and pianist who has the ability to use the power of music to inspire others positively.

Besides playing piano, Xinran loves dancing. She had learned Chinese/Jazz dance for more than 6 years, and has been in a dance competition team for the past three years winning twice National Grand Champions and many national champions. Since Fall 2019, Xinran started her professional ballet training and got chances to perform in the San Jose Nutcracker with world famous ballet artists. Among her other interests are reading and swimming.

Ruochong “Steven” Cui started studying piano at the age of four under teachers in his region and started showing potential in music.

After his family immigrated to the U.S. in 2015, he started studying piano with Ms. San-Qing Lu-Bennaman, a former soloist with the Shanghai Symphony and a graduate of the Peabody Conservatory.

While working with Ms. Lu-Bennaman, Steven won numerous regional competitions as well as the first prize in his age group at The 24th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition for Children and Youth in Szafarnia, Poland and The 3rd Catholic University of America Piano Competition in Washington, D.C. He also became a From The Top alumni during this time. After being admitted into the Pre-College Division of The Juilliard School in the fall of 2017, he started studying with Dr. Yoheved Kaplinsky and Dr. Yi-Heng Yang. Steven currently attends both Juilliard and the Dwight-Englewood School in New Jersey. At school, he is actively discovering other interests outside of the performing arts. He is the premiere member of the Middle School Ethics Bowl team at his school which holds debates on ethical worldly issues and participates in the annual ethics bowl competition. He is also contributing to the arts at school as he is a member of the show choir which performs a diverse repertoire of musical works each year. During his free time, you can find him scrolling through Instagram, watching Netflix, or conducting prestigious orchestras on YouTube while brushing his teeth.