Emily Seo, 16, is a sophomore at Jesuit High School. She began playing the cello at the age of 5 and currently studies with Professor Hamilton Cheifetz. Emily is a member of the Camerata Ensemble and the Portland Youth Philharmonic, where she serves as assistant principal. She won the 2024 MetroArts Young Artists Debut! Competition and placed second in the 2024 OMEA State Solo Contest. In 2023, Emily was a recipient of the Monday Music Club Scholarship and earned an honorable mention in the Oregon MTNA Senior Strings Competition. Since her freshman year, she has been selected for the Oregon All-State Orchestra, and in 2025, she will take part in the All-Northwest Orchestra. During the summer of 2024, Emily served as principal cellist at the National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute (NSO-SMI) at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., on a full scholarship. She also attended the Center Stage Strings summer program at the University of Michigan with a Merit Scholarship. In 2023, she participated in the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music Summer String Academy, where she received an Artistic Merit Award. Emily has had the privilege of performing for distinguished cellists such as Richard Aaron, Amir Eldan, Horacio Contreras, Norman Fischer, Peter Prosser, Dennis Parker, Danielle Cho, and Bion Tsang. Outside of music, Emily enjoys running and competing in cross country and track and field.

Kaylee Nah, 15, is a sophomore at Sunset High School and has studied violin under Hae-Jin Kim since the age of five. She has been a member of the Portland Youth Philharmonic (PYP) organization since 2018 and currently serves as co-concertmaster of the PYP orchestra. Kaylee was also selected as concertmaster for the OMEA All-State Symphony Orchestra for 2024 and 2025. Kaylee won first place in both the state and Northwest divisions of the 2023-2024 MTNA Junior String competition, advancing as one of seven national finalists. In 2024, she won first place in the Oregon ASTA solo competition, OMEA State Championships for both solo violin and chamber ensemble, and the Monday Musical Club Award Competition, where she received the Phillips Award for best instrumental performance. In the same year, she won the MetroArts Young Artists Debut! Competition and the Jewish Community Orchestra Young Artist Competition. Kaylee has performed for many renowned artists, including Ray Chen, Vadim Gluzman, Benjamin Beilman, and Jessica Lee. She attended the Heifetz International Music Institute and the Interlochen Arts Camp, where she served as concertmaster of the World Youth Symphony Orchestra on a full scholarship. In addition to her violin studies, Kaylee has been studying piano since the age of five.

Andrew Lee, a 17-year-old junior at Sunset High School in Portland, Oregon, has played the violin for 11 years and studies with Carol Sindell. Since joining the Portland Youth Philharmonic in 2021, Andrew has served as the assistant principal second violin, having previously held the position of concertmaster in the Portland Youth Conservatory Orchestra (PYCO). As a soloist, Andrew was featured in the Eugene Symphony Park Concert Summer Series and earned first place in the 2024 ASTA Senior Competition. His awards include third place in the 2023 Oregon State Solo Contest and the 2022 ASTA Junior Competition, as well as being a winner of the 2024 Jewish Community Orchestra Young Artist Competition. Andrew will also perform with the Jewish Community Orchestra in an upcoming concert. Additionally, he was named an alternate winner in the MTNA Junior String Competition and received an Honorable Mention in the MTNA Senior String Competition. Andrew is a 2023 National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute graduate at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, where he studied with Jennifer Kim. His orchestral leadership roles include serving as associate concertmaster of the 2023 Oregon All-State Orchestra and being a member of the 2023 All-Northwest Orchestra. This summer, he attended the Center Stage Strings Institute at the University of Michigan, further honing his craft.