Athena Zhang (age 16) is a composer, organist, hand bell ringer, Alto of Academy Choir, and a 11th grader at Phillips Academy Andover from Andover, Massachusetts. Athena is a Wildflower alumni and has been honored with many prestigious awards such as MNTA, Tribeca, Australia Artology’s Fanfare, and ASCAP Morton Gould Award. “Puffin’s Plight”, composed under the mentorship of Dr. David Ibbett, Director of Multiverse Concert Series, premiered on Earth Day 2023. Athena attended Jacob’s Organ Academy and is an organist at Andover, performing at school events and New England’s prominent churches. Athena is passionate about music, and wishes to use her musical ability to bring people together and to make this world more harmonious.

Ellie Wu (age 17) is a composer and multi-instrumentalist from Qingdao, China and Seattle, Washington. Her works have been performed by the Seattle Symphony and recognized by the National Federation of Music Clubs, National Guild of Piano Teachers, and the Washington State Music Teachers Association. She is principal clarinet in the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra and concertmaster in the All-Northwest Band. Ellie has played in community concerts and has been a volunteer mentor for young musicians from underserved communities; she was recently an intern with Seattle JazzEd. Her compositions are often inspired by social issues and seek to create a better tomorrow.

Danity Pike (age 15) is a composer and multi-instrumentalist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is currently in 9th grade at The Episcopal Academy. Danity began playing piano at age 7, instigating her love for music and composition. She then navigated to playing various instruments, such as the violin and trombone. Danity has taken part in Wildflower Composers and Luna Lab’s Adventures in Sound, with works being performed by Network for New Music and International Contemporary Ensemble. She has also written for Upper Merion Area Middle School and created a documentary about composing the piece.

Sophia Kunxu Dou (age 15) is a composer based in New York City who aspires to write music that shares her emotions and moves others, the same way that she is moved by music. Her music is often inspired by visual art and poetry. With colorful and folksong-driven melodies, her music creates a soundworld both beautiful, bizarre, and full of action. Sophia studies at Juilliard Pre-College. She is the youngest winner of 2023 ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards. Her works have been performed by the Little Orchestra Society, New York Youth Symphony and members of The Juilliard School.

Elishiya Crain-Keddie (age 16) is a cellist and composer from Vancouver, Washington, currently in her junior year of high school at the Vancouver School of Arts and Academics. She has participated in Fear No Music’s Young Composers Project, won first place for her String Quartet in G Minor at a WSMTA state competition, has been commissioned by Portland’s Metropolitan Youth Symphony, and has had her works performed by members of the Oregon Symphony, and Bang On a Can. Elishiya would love nothing more than to be the second (or third, or fourth, or—hopefully!—tenth) woman to win the Oscar for Best Score.

Samantha Adams-Blanco (age 17) is a cellist and composer from Los Angeles. She studies cello with Benjamin Lash at the Colburn Community School. She began her cello studies at age ten after first hearing the instrument in a film score. Samantha is a member of Colburn’s Honors Chamber Music Institute, where her quartet has gone on to place in competitions including MTAC’s VOCE, Coltman Competition, and American Virtuoso. Samantha is a 2023-24 LA Philharmonic Composer Fellow. She was a member of the 2022 Fortissima cohort and has participated in masterclasses with Clive Greensmith and members of the Sphinx Virtuosi.

Mingfei Shuai (age 14) is a violinist and a composer from Shenzhen, China who currently lives in Powell, Ohio. Mingfei’s journey with music started at a young age. Mingfei played violin in the Columbus Symphony Youth Orchestras for four years and currently studies composition with Meng Wang. Last year, Mingfei took part in the inaugural year of Luna Lab’s Adventure in Sound. Mingfei’s compositions have won third place in the 2021 International JSFest Composition Competition, fourth place in the 2022 Golden Key Piano Composition Competition, second place in the European Art Competition, and two honorable mentions from the 2021-2022 Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Competition.

Chuyi Luo (age 17) is a composer, conductor, and pianist from New York City. She is a composition student at Juilliard Pre-College and is studying composition with Eric Ewazen, John McDonald, and Stratis Minakakis. Chuyi is a fellow of the New York Youth Symphony Composition and Conducting programs where she has conducted and performed several of her own pieces. She has attended Curtis Young Artist Summer Program, Atlantic Music Festival, and Boston University Tanglewood Institute. Her works have been performed in both the United States and China. Chuyi has been recognized by ASCAP, Juilliard Pre-College Composition Competition, and From The Top.

Phineas Lee (age 15) is a percussionist and composer from Seongnam, South Korea and New York City. He played piano for ten years until 2020, when he began to study percussion with Sean Ritenauer. In the summer of 2022, Phineas attended Interlochen Arts Camp; in the fall, he joined the Music Advancement Program at the Juilliard School. He participated in the inaugural year of Luna Lab’s Adventures in Sound where his work was read by members of Decoda. Phineas is particularly fond of writing for percussion ensembles and electronics.