Thank you to everyone who helped make the 2025 KSO’s Arthur D. Montzka’s Young Artists Concerto Competition possible today. We appreciate the 22 amazing musicians, age 11 to 17 years old, who performed in this year’s competition.
Congratulations to our 2025 winner:
Dylan Zhang, piano, age 11, from River Forest, Illinois, performing the first movement of the Concerto No. 1 in C Major by Ludwig van Beethoven.
A 5th-grader at Roosevelt Middle School in River Forest, Illinois, Zhang is passionate about playing the piano and studies under the guidance of Sueanne Metz. In addition, he studies violin and plays in the school orchestra. He loves running cross-country, playing tennis, history, writing and coding.
Zhang’s extraordinary talent on piano has earned him numerous accolades:
• 1st Place: Illinois State Music Teachers Association (ISMTA) Competition (2023 Elementary Division, 2024 Junior Division)
• 1st Place: Music Festival in Honor of Confucius (2024)
• 1st Prize: Franz Liszt Center International Piano Competition (2024)
• 1st Place and Most Promising Young Pianist Award: Chopin with a View International Festival and Competition (2023)
• Gold Medalist: Grand Metropolitan International Music Competition (2023)
• 1st Place: Carmel Arts International Online Competition (2023)
• 2nd Place: Carmel Klavier International Competition (2024)
• 2nd Prize: London International Music Competition (2022)
• 2nd Place: Odin International Music Online Competition (2022)
• 3rd Place: Aloha International Piano Competition (2023)
• 3rd Place: Elevato Piano Competition (2023)
• A Winner: American Fine Arts Festival Competition (2022), culminating in a performance at Carnegie Hall
Zhang’s remarkable achievements continue to establish him as one of the most promising young pianists of his generation.
Congratulations to our runner-up:
Elle Cho, violin, age 16, from Park Ridge, Illinois, performing the Concerto in D Major by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.Elle Cho began her violin studies at the age of three. She is a Merit Scholarship Fellow at the Music Institute of Chicago’s Academy, a training center for advanced pre-college musicians. As the winner of the DePaul Concerto Competition, Elle made her solo debut with the Oistrakh Orchestra at the age of 8. Since then she has been a prize winner at numerous competitions. In addition to her achievements, Elle has taken part in master classes led by Midori, Ani Kavafian, Rachel Barton Pine, Boris Garlitsky, Yair Kless, James Ehnes, Vadim Gluzman, and Ilya Kaler. She has also participated in summer festivals such as Aspen Summer Music Festival, Bowdoin, Heifetz Music Institute, Encore Chamber Music Institute, Musica Mundi, Mozarteum Summer Masterclasses, and the Menton Summer Festival. A dedicated chamber musician, Elle’s quartet, Quartet Meraviglia won Bronze Medal at the 2024 Fischoff National Chamber Competition and she was also the youngest competitor at the 2019 Fischoff National Chamber Musician as a member of her trio. She is currently a student of Almita Vamos.
Congratulations to our honorable mention recipient:
Aleksa Radovic, violin, age 17, from St. Charles, Illinois, performing the Concerto in D Minor by Aram Khatchaturian. Aleksa Tiana Radovic began her music education with the study of violin and piano at the age of four and curently studies violin and viola under the tutelage of Desirée Ruhstrat As a multi-instrumentalist (cello and piano), Aleksa has devoted her life to the study of music performance, theory, and composition. Playing her first solo performance at the age of ten with the Youth Symphony of DuPage, Aleksa has continued to build an accomplished stage presence with multiple competition successes and many solo and chamber performance opportunities with several conductors and orchestras. She will perform her favorite concerto, the Khachaturian, with the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra on May 11, 2025. She also enjoys making and performing silent movies and adding graphics and audio to her skits and historical newscasts over the years. She is especially grateful to those teachers in her community, as well as, those who have inspired her solo and chamber performances, including her violin coach Desiree Ruhstrat, OPUS Naperville coaches, orchestra director Matthew Sheppard, Linc Smelser and her piano collaborator Timothy Mah.
Very special thanks to our judges:
Stephen Balderston, cellist and faculty member at the DePaul School of Music
Cornelius Chiu, violinist and member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Inah Choi, pianist and faculty member at the Music Institute of Chicago
Please check back soon for more information about our upcoming concert featuring today’s winner, Dylan Zhang, which will be held on Saturday, February 22nd, 2025 at 7 PM in the Boutell Memorial Concert Hall of the NIU School of Music.