2024 Final Round Results

Music Distribution Platform Releases for 2024-25 Top Winners

Dear 2024 Grand Maestro Winners,

Great news—your medals are officially on their way! They were handed over to the post office on March 14, 2025, and are now en route to you.
When your medal arrives, we’d love to see how you celebrate your achievement!

Snap a photo with your medal and certificate, and share your moment of success with us. We’re putting together a special feature to showcase our incredible winners!

A huge congratulations once again—this is a well-earned recognition of your talent!

Best,
Grand Maestro International Music Competition Committee

Dear Finalists, Teachers, and Parents,

As the 2024 Grand Maestro International Music Competition concludes, we extend our heartfelt congratulations to all participants, whether you emerged as prize winners or faced challenges along the way. Your dedication, passion, and hard work have brought immense pride and inspiration to all of us.
To our winners, your achievements reflect the hours of practice, resilience, and unwavering commitment you have shown. We celebrate your well-deserved success and the artistry you shared with the world.
To those who did not reach the podium this time, know that your courage and perseverance are equally commendable. Every performance is a step forward in your musical journey, enriching your growth and building resilience.
Music holds the power to touch hearts and elevate our spirits. Through this competition, we hope you continue to cultivate your love for music, striving to exceed your own expectations and inspire others.

Sincere regards,
The Grand Maestro Competition Committee

Greetings from our Final Round Jury Members

Prof. Izaskun Erdocia Uranga

Dr. Yoonie Han

Dr. Julie-Anne Derome

2024 Grand Maestro International Music Competition (FINAL ROUND RESULTS)

* Outstanding finalists chosen by grand jury for special masterclasses will receive a personal email with all the details.

The following top winners have been selected for Apple Music / Spotify / Youtube Music Platform Publication
Eliaz Nahar - Cello (Israel)
Esme Tran - Piano (USA)
Haoyang Li - Piano (China)
Shamy Arianna - Viola (USA)
Chloey Cho - Violin (USA)
So Ho Ming - Piano (United Kingdom)

Winners Selected for Online Featured Interview
Eliaz Nahar - Cello (Israel)
Esme Tran - Piano (USA)
Haoyang Li - Piano (China)

Winners to be Featured on Grand Maestro Music Magazine
Arianna Shamy - Viola (USA)
Caitlin Chau -Cello (Philippines)
Cara Wang - Cello (USA)
Chloey Cho - Violin (USA)
Christina Giannelou - Piano (Greece)
Claire Wang - Violin (USA)
Eliaz Nahar - Cello (Israel)
Esme Tran - Piano (USA)
Gibson Feng- Piano (Canada)
Haoyang Li - Piano (China)
Melissa Yi Nuo Yang & Melinna Yu Nuo Yang - Piano Duo (Canada)
Saadya Polavarapu - Voice (India)
So Ho Ming - Piano (United Kingdom)
Yuan Yajing - Flute (China)

* We will touch base with each of these winners above by email.

The First Edition of the 2024 Grand Maestro International Music Magazine is now available!

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD 2024 Grand Maestro Music Magazine

** VERY IMPORTANT NOTICE – To be eligible for prizes, medals, and certificates, completing the Medal & Certificate Application Form is mandatory. The deadline for submission is 10 December 2024. Failure to submit the form by the deadline will result in the forfeiture of prizes, awards, and certificates.

APPLY FOR MEDAL & CERTIFICATE

DOWNLOAD 2024 Grand Maestro WINNERS' CERTIFICATES

DOWNLOAD 2024 Grand Maestro Teacher's Certificates

2024 Grand Maestro International Music Competition
Online Prize Winners' Concert

Eliaz Nahar - Collegiate Division - Cello - Israel - Absolute Platinum Medalist - 99%

Esme Tran - Junior Division - Piano - USA - Absolute Platinum Medalist - 98%

Haoyang Li - Youth Division - Piano - China - Platinum Medalist - 96%

Chloey Cho - Collegiate Division - Violin - USA - Platinum Medalist - 96%

Arianna Shamy - Collegiate Division - Viola - USA - Platinum Medalist - 95%

So Ho Ming - Professional Division - Piano - United Kingdom - Platinum Medalist - 95%

Christina Giannelou - Professional Division - Piano - Greece - 94% - Top Gold Medalist

Junior Division - Gibson Feng - Piano - Canada - 94% - Top Gold Medalist

Saadya Polavarapu - Junior Division - Voice - India - 94% - Top Gold Medalist

Cara Yang - Youth Division - Cello - USA - 94% - Top Gold Medalist

Claire Wang - Youth Division - Violin - USA - 94% - Top Gold Medalist

Caitlin Chua - Collegiate Division - Cello - Philippines - 94% - Top Gold Medalist

Yajing Yuan - Professional Division - Flute- China - 94% - Top Gold Medalist

Melissa Yi Nuo Yang & Melinna Yu Nuo Yang - Junior Division - Piano Duo - Canada - 94% - Top Gold Medalists

Winners' Biographies
(More coming soon...)

We welcome all final round winners (all medalists - from Absolute Platinum to Bronze medalists & Honorable Mention finalists) to submit their photo and biography (under 200 words in prose form). Please kindly do not provide us with a list of all your achievements as a CV.

We would be delighted to post it on our website to celebrate your achievement and success!

Please email your high resolution photo and bio to this email address: [email protected]

Charley, Haoyang Li - Platinum Medalist - Piano - China

Born in 2012, Charley started to study piano from 4 years old and has been studying piano with Dr. Oliver Salonga for five years and with Dr. Yonnie Han for one year.

Charley has received many awards at prestigious international and national piano competitions, including the 3rd Prize for Kindergarten Category at Shanghai Putuo District Piano Competition (2018), the 1st Prize for Grade 2 Group at the 83th Steinway International Youth Piano Competition China Shanghai & The 9th Steinway China Youth Piano Competition (2019), the 1st Prize for Children Group A, the 3rd Liszt International Youth Piano Competition-China Preliminary (2020), The Silver Award for Children Group A, the 3rd Liszt International Youth Piano Competition-China Final (2021), Outstanding Performance for Children Group A, the 3rd Liszt International Youth Piano Competition-Finals (2021), the 2nd Prize for Children Group C, the 29th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition for Children and Youth in China- Shanghai Pre-selection (2020), Special Jury Prize, Children Group C of finals, Pre-selection of the 29th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition for Children and Youth in China (2021), the First Prize, Piano Solo Group B, Shanghai Provincial Competition, China Youth Music Competition Hummingbird Music Awards (2023), the Third Prize, Piano Solo Group B, National Competition, China Youth Music Competition Hummingbird Music Awards (2023), Gold Medalist-Piano-Junior Category, 2024 Nobel Artist International Music Competition, the First Prize, Children Group E, The 11 th International Youth Pianist Competition Shanghai (2024), Outstanding Performance Award in Healing Harmonies: A Worldwide Concert to Fight Cancer 2024, supporting the Canadian Cancer Society.

Yajing Yuan - Gold Medalist - Flute - Professional Category - China

Yuan Yajing embarked from Wuhan Conservatory of Music, where she delved deeply into
musicology during her undergraduate studies and later shifted her focus to flute performance for her graduate studies. This dual refinement in both theory and practice has gifted her a unique musical perspective. During her undergraduate years, while primarily engaged in theory, she also dabbled in flute performance and garnered professional awards, laying a solid foundation for her future artistic explorations. In her graduate phase, the flute became a medium for her emotional expression, with each performance a profound interpretation of the work style. The integration of theory and practice has bolstered her confidence on her musical journey, whether it be the
serene exploration of theory or the passionate stage performances; they are all testimonies to her boundless love for music. With a humble heart, she will continue to navigate through the ocean of music, telling her own stories.

The Impact of This Competition on My Flute Playing Growth and Career Aspirations
Standing on the podium of the 2024 International Music Masters Competition for Flute Playing, my heart is filled with excitement and gratitude. This competition is not only a recognition of my flute skills but also a significant turning point in my musical journey. It has made me deeply realize that every time I play the flute, every note I carefully carve out, is a solid step towards the halls of music. This honor will inspire me to focus more on flute playing, constantly pursuing
excellence and perfection in my craft. Thank you to the competition for providing a platform where I can dance with my flute and play a brilliant chapter on my professional musical path.

Claire Wang - Gold Medalist - Violin - Youth Category - USA

My name is Claire Wang, and I was born in 2008. My birth date was the most monumental moment in my life. While I cannot recall that event in detail, I do recall my first day of Kindergarten. Horrifying. We were taken to my school’s courtyard, where snapping turtles enclosed my 5-year-old self from all directions. That day, I swore turtles as my mortal enemy. Perhaps they still are.

While the same cannot be said for turtles, I had a fascination for birds. More specifically, I had this idea that somehow my violin was a secret fairy-wand that could summon flocks of birds to my side. Birds that would otherwise fear man. So, when COVID hit me in the 6th grade, I spent most of my time playing violin in the backyard. In hopes that, perhaps through my playing, I’d discover some new species of bird. While I could lie, the truth is, no birds came to me. Rather, they flew away. Even my dog was scared of my violin playing.

That is the origin story of who I am today. A girl, 16 and sad that no animals stood by her side during any point in her life. All animals, for some odd reason, hate me. I reach my hand out to pet my friend’s dog, and he runs away. I try to carry my house counselor's cat, and she wiggles out of my arms. Even fish fear me. When I step towards the fish tank at the dentist’s office, all the clownfish swim the other direction. That’s basically all you need to know about me.

My musical journey began at the age of four, when my pre-school teacher made our class put on a “drum performance” for our parents (by drums, I actually mean random bins and containers that made sounds akin to a drum). I assume my “drum performance” was something close to virtuosic, because immediately after, my parents enrolled me in the nearest violin group-lesson they could find. “You were born to perform”, they’d explain.

Albeit my memories of those days faded with age, I’d like to believe my parents' story as to why I started the violin. That I had a performing flame within. Performing became my impetus. Every time I’d walk onto the stage, a new “Claire” would take over. A version that deviated from Claire my friends saw, and instead displayed a commanding gravitas. When performing, all else exits my being, leaving only me, and my music. A music which pervades each vein of my body, each fiber in each muscle, compelling me to sway left or right or back or forward. A music which plasters on my face a poignant expression and furrowed eyebrows when appropriate, or perhaps a light smile during the bouncier phrases. Performing allowed me to, for a moment, escape all else in my life.

Maurive Ravel’s Tzigane is my favorite piece to perform. Tzigane paints a picture unique to itself: when playing it, I envision swirls of orange, pink, and light blue. A butterfly flies through those swirls. It’s definitely an experience you can only understand once you play it, which is why Tzigane resonates with me so much.

Christina Giannelou - Piano - Gold Medalist - Professional Category - Greece

Christina Kl. Giannelou, Phd – Pianist – Piano Professor in Music Scholl of Karditsa (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens)

Christina Kl. Giannelou was born in Karditsa (Thessaly – Central Greece) in 1981. In the age
of six she takes her first piano lessons with the pianist Aikaterini Kouvelou (student of Krino Kalomoiri) and afterwards she completed her piano technical education with the famous pianist Effie Agrafioti. Under the supervision of Effie Agrafioti she completed her Piano Degree and Piano Diploma with honors. Since then, she takes Repertoire Masterclasses with the famous maestro and pianist Dimitri Toufexis. Dimitri Toufexis, also prepared Giannelou for her entry exams in the Boston Conservatory on 2007.

In 1999, Giannelou gets the first place in the entrance exams of Department of Music
Studies of National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and at the same time she
completes with honors Harmony, Counterpoint and Fugue in the National Conservatory of Athens.

Also, she participates in numerous of seminars that concern the improvement of piano technique, piano pedagogy, the promotion of works of Greek Composers under the supervision of pianist George Hadjinikos, the pianist Effie Agrafioti and the Master Degree
Greek Music Seminars of Katy Romanou and Nikos Maliaras.

In the period of 2000-2004 she participates as an active pianist in the “Laboratory for the promotion of Works of Greek Composers” and she gives performances in the Athenian Municipal Theater, The Parnassos Music Hall, the Cultural Center Benetatou in Psyhiko (Athens), the Athens Megaron Hall, the Ancient Conservatory “Odeon of Herodus Atticus”.

In 2004 she graduates from Department of Music Studies in Athens with honors. She posseses a Post Doc and a Phd in Historical Musicology (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens). She completed with honors and National Scholarship (IKY) her
dissertation on Rena Kyriakou under the supervision of Katy Romanou, Ioannis Foulias and Nikolaos Maliaras.

Her Phd thesis is: “Rena Kyriakou. Her compositions: Historical Overview and Thematique Catalogue of Works”. On 2017 the Athens Megaron Hall, the Thessaloniki Megaron Hall and the Music Library Lilian Voudouri dedicated many annual concerts in the composer Rena Kyriakou (1917-2017).

She has given numerous of recitals of Greek works and she promotes the compositions of Rena Kyriakou worldwide. She has obtained four International Music Competitions as a Platinum and Gold Medalist (Concert Perfomance Division in Solo Piano Category) in the
International Federation of Music Competition (Nobel – Artist Competition International Music competition, Grand Maestro International Music Examination, Béla Bartok International Music Competition, Global International Music Competition).

As an official member of Research Group Relmus she has promoted the artistry of Rena Kyriakou in numerous congresses and symposiums worldwide such as the IMS Congress in Athens (2022 – she gave the final concert where she performed only works of Rena
Kyriakou), the Ramsb 2023 Congress in Thessaloniki, the Interdepartmental Musicological Conferences of Greek Musicological Society which is a permanent member from September of 2015.

She participates as an official member in the editor team of IAML Conference Proceedings. Her main research interests are Greek Music and the expansion of human consciousness through music.

Joseph Zhang - Gold Medalist - Piano - Junior Category - Canada

Joseph Zhang is from Toronto, Canada. He is 8 years old and started learning the piano at age of five. Joseph has won more than 20 top prizes in various international and Canadian music competitions during the past 2 years, including the 1st place of the Crescendo International Music Competition, the 1st place of the CCC Toronto international Music Competition, the platinum prize of UK Best Classical Musicians Awards, the gold medal of Steinway Piano Competition Canada, the gold medal of Canadian International Music Competition, and the 2nd place of OMFA provincial finals. Joseph also loves playing ukulele, singing, dancing, and making arts. He performs at local charity concerts and hopes he can help and inspire people in the communities by sharing his music.

Gibson Feng - Gold Medalist - Piano - Youth Category - Canada

Hi, I'm Gibson Feng, and I was born on December 23, 2012. I have a natural talent in music, as I play four instruments; the piano, guitar, drums and saxophone. However, my main talent is focused on piano. In the summer of 2024, I finished my level 10 piano exam, and now I'm in the middle of my ARCT performer's exam. I have recently received several international certificates from the competitions I've entered. Piano really is my life support.

At five years of age, my mom enrolled me in a huge variety of classes. The intention of this is so she can find out what my talent is, and try to get me to go pro. That plan worked magnificently. I hope to earn more achievements in the future, and I’ll work hard for it. Wouldn’t want to let this talent go to waste.

Needless to say, my whole personality isn’t just piano, I also have other foundations such as sports and academics. I play a variety of sports, but I’m mainly set for European Football. I play center-defensive midfield. When I have time, I’ll stay after school to run some drills with my football(soccer)-based friend group. In academics, I do pretty well in math. By the time I was in second grade, I was already working on the grade 5 curriculum at home.

My life is pretty interesting if I were to say, but I’m totally ready for everything that’s coming next. Especially my piano competitions!

Rishi Raju - Silver Medalist - Violin - Collegiate Category - Qatar

Hello. I’m Rishi Raju from India. Born in 2007, I am currently a 12th Grade student at Nord Anglia International School Al Khor. I play the violin, piano, and drum kit. I began learning piano and violin at the age of 6 with the assistance and guidance from local teachers and started playing the Drum kit in 2017. I have completed Grade 8 in the Trinity Rock and Pop Drums syllabus, Grade 5 in violin, and Grade 8 in keyboard. At age 8, I played in my first major concert, organized by my teacher, in Doha, Qatar. Music has always been a passion of mine that has shaped who I am today. I am eager to continue and refine my skills as a musician.

Cheng-Shiun, Li - Composition - Open Category - Taiwan

The composer, Cheng-Shiun Li (aka Piggy), lives in Taoyuan, Taiwan, in Asia.
I was deeply attracted by the performance of the school's Chinese Orchestra since the sixth grade of elementary school. I hoped to learn an instrument and become a
band player. a member.

In middle school, I joined the school's wind music club and learned
the flute; in high school, I joined the wind band and chorus, and
continued to play flute, piccolo and tenor. I was baptized in high
school and became a Christian. I was taught the basic piano playing
method by church brothers. When I was in college, I often played
the piano in the church.

When I was a soldier, I participated in the army military band,
served as a piccolo player, and participated in the performance of
the National Day Music Team that year.

Now I work as a security guard in the Taoyuan Junior High School. I usually write lyrics and music. Because I am interested in music, I also play the flute occasionally. I hope my music can have a good impact on the world