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~ Honors Recital ~
Junior Category

Mikhail Abraimov
  ~ Tales of an Old Grandmother, Op.31, #4 by Sergei Prokofiev

Hello, my name is Mikhail Abraimov. I am a 12-year-old boy that loves playing the piano. I’m presently playing at Level 6 and have been competing and winning in festivals and auditions. In the past I have participated in Guild Auditions, receiving a top talent rating and earned highest achievements in FSMTA Student Day Exams. I also performed in a master class for Katherine Svistoonoff. I also like photography, especially taking photos of hummingbirds: they are fascinating. In addition, I won the front cover picture for the Killearn Lakes Homeowners Association magazine. My favorite sport is biking; I am a straight-A student, and my favorite subject in school is math. I placed in math competitions in 4th, 5th, and 6th grade.
Melody Yu
  ~ Sonatina in C Major, Opus 20, Number 1, Rondo Movement by Friedrich Kuhlau

Melody Yu is an 11-year-old student who lives in Tallahassee Florida, where she is a sixth grader at Maclay school. As someone who has always been very artistic with a penchant for the arts, she naturally developed a love for piano. She started playing piano three years ago under the instruction of Sandra Palmer. Over the course of her piano study, she has received the highest honors at the Tallahassee Music Teachers Association Sonatina Festival as well as the Florida State Music Teachers Association District Student Day. She was also selected to perform at the Tallahassee Music Teachers Association's Honors Recital in 2019. Her favorite part about playing piano is being able to share beautiful music to bring an extra ounce of happiness into someone else’s life. Playing piano also provides a perfect outlet for her to express herself creatively. She welcomes each day with a smile, following her favorite motto, "Anything worth doing is hard to do."
Suhani Gawde
  ~ Chaconne Op. 62 by Auguste Durand

Suhani Gawde is 12 years old and enjoys the benefits and cultural opportunities of Tallahassee, FL. She attends Maclay Middle School. Suhani is passionate about her piano studies and was recently gifted with an acoustic grand piano after practicing on a keyboard for nearly four years. Since then, her interpretations, touch sensitivity and confidence have brought her performances to heightened dimensions. Suhani studies with Sandra Palmer and enjoys monthly piano exchanges with her peers. Suhani is a true competitor winning top awards, trophies and medals at Guild Auditions and TMTA Sonatina Festival. She will be participating at Level 6 at FSMTA Student Day this year. Suhani has been selected yearly to share performances at TMTA Fall and Spring Honors Recitals. Suhani's extracurricular activities include swim team and soft ball. Besides excelling in math at local competitions, she is a top honor roll student. ​
Parker Wolf
  ~ Rondo Capriccioso by Felix Mendelssohn

Parker Wolf is 10 years old and is in 5th grade. He began piano lessons at the age of 4 and has been under the instruction of Mr. Daniel Nagy since then. Parker participates in many piano events and has won several 1st place prizes. He has also been invited to play as a guest pianist for concerts, luncheons, and fundraisers, and is very active playing hymns for his local church services. Parker began playing as one of his church’s congregational pianists at the age of six. He won the John Leatherwood Concerto Competition when he was eight, and played with the Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra at the Mattie Kelly Hall in Niceville, FL.  Recently, Parker competed in The American Association for Development of the Gifted and Talented (AADGT) 20th annual International Young Musician’s Festival. He won the Gold medal and will perform at Carnegie Hall in April.

~ Honors Recital ~
Intermediate Category

Camille Friall
  ~ Danza de la moza donosa by Alberto Ginastera

Camille Friall has studied the art of piano through Mrs. Sandra Palmer at Key Up Piano Studio since March 2014. Her piano achievements include medals and superior ratings in auditions, festivals, and master class participation. She has been a TMTA Fall and Spring Honors Recitalist. Prior to entering the ninth grade at Leon High School, she completed the 8th grade at Maclay School where she was recognized for her outstanding scholarly academic achievements and numerous top band recognitions as a percussionist. She earned superior ratings in her performances at district in piano, tympani, snare drum, and xylophone. With time on her hands during the pandemic she found a love for baking from scratch, spending time with her labradoodle, creative writing, and a continued love of literature. Camille also enjoys dance and has been studying classical and theatrical ballet under the direction of Amy Lowe at Ballet Arts Conservatory of Tallahassee since she was 3 years old. In addition to her annual spring and winter piano performances, she performs in 2 theatrical ballet performances a year, and has most recently been selected for the role of Clara in their upcoming Nutcracker Suites.  ​
Kevin Wang
  ~ Etude in F Major by Frédéric ​Chopin

Kevin Wang, 14 years old, freshman in high school, currently studies piano at Mrs. Kyungju Lee piano studio. He received multiple Honor recital performance awards for outstanding musicianship at district level and won first place at the sonatina festival. He is also an active band member playing saxophone in school and attended multiple performances and concerts. Last year, he got first chair in all district classical ensemble and second chair in all district jazz. He started to play the piano from six years old, and he loves devoting his time to music.
Fillipo Aldrovandi-Reina
  ~ Sonata No. 1 in G minor - Fugue by J. S. Bach

Filippo Aldrovandi Reina started playing violin at age four and viola at age seven. He is currently studying violin with Shannon Thomas and viola with Pamela Ryan at the FSU College of Music. He is a member of the Tallahassee Youth Symphony Orchestra and the TYSO Sunrise Quartet. He has played in a violin master class with Ray Chen, and in viola master classes with Atar Arad, Victoria Chiang, and Kerry Ryan. He performed solo violin with the BBCO in Tallahassee as winner of the BBCO Young Artist Competition, and with the Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra in Niceville as winner of the Junior Division of the NFSO Young Artist Competition. In 2016 and 2018 Filippo has been one of six finalists in the Junior Category for the National Solo Competition of the American Viola Society.
Annika Lagy
  ~ 1st Movement from Partita No. 5 in G ​by J. S. Bach

My name is Annika Lagy. I go to Rickards High School. I am in the 10th grade. I have been playing piano since I was in 1st grade. I really enjoy spending time playing the piano.
Bryden Reeves
  ~ Valsa da Dor by Villa-Lobos
​
My name is Bryden Reeves and I’m a sophomore in high school. I’ve been studying piano since I was 4, and I love it! While I enjoy other things like baking or composing and arranging, playing music is my true passion. I’ve played piano in other competitions, taught lessons, and played for a nursing home here in my town, loving it every second. In addition to the piano, I’m a snare in my school’s drumline, the first chair oboist in the top band at my school, and the jazz pianist for their jazz band.

~ Honors Recital ~
Senior Category

April Le
  ~ Nocturne in E minor, Op.71 No.1 by Frédéric Chopin

April Le is a senior at Lawton Chiles High School, Tallahassee, Florida. Since taking piano lessons with Mrs. Sandra Palmer in 2017, April has received musical awards and honors such as TMTA Honors Recitalist (2019), District Winner - Top Talent Rating, Intermediate Class, in the National Piano Auditions (2019), and TMTA Sonatina Festival Winner Level 7 (2019). April is presently preparing a senior recital featuring works of Scarlatti, Purcell, Mozart, Chopin, Debussy and Khatchaturian. Besides playing piano, April spends her free time preparing for math competitions. She is a top competitor meriting regional awards in Statistics. April also enjoys helping children and volunteers at community youth learning centers. April's future collegiate interest includes a focus on computer science.
Nikolai Abraimov
  ~ Prelude and Fugue in D Minor, Book 1, BWV 851 by J. S. Bach

Hello, my name is Nikolai Abraimov. I have played piano for about ten years. I am currently studying with Sandra Palmer. Her expertise and patience have allowed me to grow greatly as a musician. I have done DSD for five years, and got superior every time I tested. In addition, during the Tallahassee Sonata-Sonatina Festival I won in the level 11-12 division. Finally, I have participated in several TMTA Honors Recitals: both in the fall and spring. Outside of piano, I am a 12th grader at Lawton Chiles High School. I am currently involved in the Chiles MAO and App Development clubs. I plan to pursue a career in the sciences past high school. My major will be in either the fields of engineering or applied physics.

~ Honors Recital ~
Collegiate Category

Xinshuang Jin
  ~ Piano Trio in C major, mvt. I, Hob.XV:27 by Joseph Haydn

A native of China, Xinshuang Jin is an active soloist, accompanist, and chamber musician in both Asia and United States. Xinshuang is prolific with a wide range of repertoire and styles, and has successfully given numerous solo concerts and ensemble performances. She won the Honor Student Scholarship from Middle School attached to Shenyang Conservatory of Music and was selected into the Ameri-china International Elite Class of 2010 by world-renowned concert pianist Chu-Fang Huang. Xinshuang received her Bachelor of Music degree from East Tennessee State University and graduated summa cumda laude in 2015. Xinshuang received her Master’s Degree from Texas Christian University, where she worked as a graduate assistant in accompanying. She is currently pursuing her Doctor of Music in Piano Performance at Florida State University.

Apart from her performing and accompanying career, Xinshuang is also a devoted instructor with ten years of teaching experience and works with piano students of a wide age range both in the United States and China. She is currently a graduate assistant teaching Secondary Applied Piano lessons to undergraduates at FSU. As an educator, she has been invited to perform and give presentations in conferences including Music Teachers National Association, Florida State Music Teachers Association, CMS (College Music Society) Regional Pacific Northwest Conference, CMS Regional Great Plains Conference, and CMS Sixty Third National Conference.

​Xinshuang has participated in and performed solo pieces and chamber music at Brevard Music Festival, Heartland Chamber Music Festival, and Chautauqua Music Festival. She also won scholarships, grants, and prizes in various competitions including the Powell Piano Scholarship, James Streem Scholarship, TMTA Collegiate Piano Solo Competition, FSMTA enrichment grants, TMTA Collegiate Piano Ensemble, and “Young Masters” of the II Future Stars International Piano Competition, and FSU X. Annual Competition.

Xinshuang’s demonstration of extraordinary excellence in musicianship, scholarship and character has led to her prestigious membership of Theta Alpha chapter of Pi Kappa Lambda, a national music honor society. She is also an active member of Music Teachers National Association.
Alyssa Orantes
  ~ Romance in F major Op.50 by Ludwig Van Beethoven

Alyssa has served as concertmaster of FSU’s University Philharmonia Orchestra during the past two seasons and was featured as soloist in Tchaikovsky’s Suite from Swan Lake last year. Alyssa has soloed with the Florida Symphony Youth Orchestras, the Maitland Symphony Orchestra, and the Young Artists Youth Orchestra with performances taking her around the globe including Carnegie Hall, Vienna, Salzburg, Munich, Beijing, Hangzhou, Xian, and Shanghai. Last summer, Alyssa also participated in the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival.