2026 Student Honors Recital

Student Honors Recital Performers

​Melody, Sophie, and Leilani Yu all take lessons with Sandra Palmer at Key Up Piano Studio in Tallahassee, Florida. The sisters come from a variety of grades: Melody and Sophie both attend Maclay School as a high school senior and sophomore, respectively, while Leilani attends the School of Arts and Sciences as a fifth grader. All three girls participate in FSMTA’s Student Day Exams, where they have earned honors in all categories. 
 
Outside of piano, the sisters excel academically at school. Melody also enjoys hiking and traveling, and Sophie enjoys crocheting and watching movies. Meanwhile, Leilani spends her time tending to plants in her garden and drawing.  All three girls are looking forward to performing their rendition of “Stars & Stripes Forever" by John Philip Sousa, which they played at Tallahassee’s 2025 Veterans’ Day Parade to the cheers and whoops of the community. 
​Yumi Mimura is 9 years old, in 4th grade. She is studying under the guidance of Ms. Huifang Chen. Her violin journey began at the age of 4 with Dr. Hattie Ahn. She also participates in the first violin of the Florida Youth Orchestra's symphony orchestra. In 2025, Yumi was honored with the Irene Muir Memorial Award at the Florida Federation Music Club Junior Convention. She is very passionate about playing the violin!
​Soohyun Lee is a student at Florida State University, pursuing a Doctor of Music degree under the guidance of Dr. David Kalhous and a Specialization in Piano Pedagogy under Dr. Diana Dumlavwalla. At FSU, she is supported by a Graduate Teaching Assistantship in a group piano setting. Previously, she received her Bachelor of Music degree under the direction of Dr. Luis Sanchez at East Texas A&M University (ETAMU) and received her Master’s degree at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where she studied with Prof. Evelyne Brancart and Prof. Jean-Louis Haguenauer and served as an Associate Instructor in Piano.
 
Ms. Lee’s notable competition recognition includes Second Prize at the American Virtuoso International Music Competition (Classical Period category), First Prize at the Texas Music Teachers Association Performance Contest, Overall Winner of the ETAMU Concerto Competition, and Honorable Mention at the Yamaha Young Performing Artists Competition and the Texas MTNA Competition.
​Yucheng Zhang was born in Tianjin, China on Nov.9th, 2014. He moved to Tallahassee with his family when he was 3 years old and started to learn piano at 5 years old. He loves to play jazz, ragtime, boogie woogie and classical music. He passed the 2026 Student Day at Level VII which was hosted by the TMTA. He has also performed for the past 3 years in the TMTA's Sonata-Sonatina Festival through Level 8!  He likes reading and playing pickleball in his spare time.
​John Garrett Hughes is a seventh grader at Christ Classical Academy. He has been studying piano for five years. He has been selected to perform at numerous TMTA honors recitals, as well as performing specials at his church and school. Besides playing the piano, he enjoys running, watching and playing soccer, reading, and jumping on the trampoline. 
​Jolin Zhu is a 14-year-old musician who has been studying piano for nearly a decade. She has been studying with Sun Yue since 2023. Under Sun Yue’s guidance Jolin’s piano skills have tremendously improved, earning all honors in every year she has participated in Student Day (Levels IV, V, and VII). She has also earned the Award of Merit in TMTA Sonata-Sonatina Festival at level V, while also obtaining superior scores in all other years she has participated in the festival. Outside of piano, Jolin is an avid learner and hard worker that thoroughly enjoys reading, playing violin, board games, and building objects. (Legos, DIY projects, etc.) 
​Joseph Hughes is a ninth grader at Christ Classical Academy. He has been playing piano for six years, and he especially enjoys the ragtime music of Scott Joplin. He has been selected to perform in numerous TMTA honors recitals as well as playing numerous specials in his church. Besides playing the piano, his hobbies are raising chickens, running, reading, and sleeping. 
​SolMia Ensemble
 
Zoe Chen
Zoe, an 11-year-old violinist with the Greater Miami Youth Symphony, began her musical journey at age 4.5. She is the GMYS Concerto Competition Overture Winner and a multi award recipient at FSMTA and FFMC state competitions. She is devoted to personal and professional excellence and to community outreach, sharing music with senior living communities and underprivileged groups to inspire and build meaningful connections across different walks of life.
 
Byron Liu
Byron is a 13-year-old pianist from Florida who began studying piano seven years ago. He is especially devoted to piano chamber music, with a focus on the piano trio repertoire. At the Florida Federation of Music Clubs (FFMC) Junior Convention, he earned the highest award in the Piano Trio category and received multiple honors in piano solo performance. He is recognized for his musical maturity and expressive artistry.
 
Marcus Tatar
Marcus is a 17-year-old cellist who began studying at age six in Seattle and continued his musical development in Miami, Florida. Studying under the tutelage of Jason Calloway and Ross Harbaugh, he has also participated in masterclasses with Richard Aaron, Darrett Adkins and Tommy Mesa. A prize winner at the 2026 Miami Cello Institute Competition. Marcus has earned selection to Florida All-State and serves in a leadership role with the Miami Youth Orchestra. 
​Eric Zhu is currently sixteen years old and has been studying piano with Dr. Sun Yue for over nine years, first picking up the instrument at the age of seven. Throughout the timespan Eric has been selected and excelled in various summer camps, recitals, examinations, festivals, orchestras, and accompanied many other musicians. Eric was selected to perform in many Honors Recitals and has passed all Student Day examinations. He has also participated in many TMTA Sonatina Competitions and won in the level 10 group. Outside of piano, Eric plays other instruments including violin and saxophone, participating in his school marching band. Besides music, he enjoys tennis, basketball, math, and video games. 
​Leila Warren, Junior at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in Jacksonville, Florida studies violin with Dr. Shannon Thomas (FSU). Leila will be participating in the National Youth Orchestras of America for the fourth consecutive year having performed as concertmaster in 2025, under the baton of Gianandrea Noseda during their tour of Asia. She has participated in FMEA All-State Orchestra and was selected as Concertmaster for the 2026 season. Locally, she is the current Concertmaster of the Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestra’s Philharmonic Division where she has been a member since age five.
 
Outside of music, Leila participates in silent events including those at the Florida School for the Deaf. Having passed the American Sign Language Proficiency Interview assessment (SLPI) in 2025, Leila was accepted into a fully ASL immersive summer program at Gallaudet University. Leila is honored to play on a 2022 Douglas Cox violin generously on loan from the Virtu Foundation. 
​Chi Le is a senior attending Lawton Chiles High School. She began taking piano lessons at age 6 under Debbie Titlow. When Mrs. Titlow moved to San Diego, Chi was 8 years old. It is at this time that she began lessons at Key Up Piano Studio under Sandra Palmer, where she has continued her formal training up to the present day. Under her teacher's guidance, she has competed in city-wide competitions such as the Sonata-Sonatina Festival, where she has won in her category twice. She has also participated in the Florida State Student Day and been selected by a judge to be featured at TMTA Honors Recitals many times. She has also been selected as the Florida Junior Representative for the Music Teachers National Association Composition Competition, proceeding to the United States Southern Region division. Academically, she excels in her class and regularly competes in and places at regional math competitions. 
​IQN Project, saxophone quartet

The IQNProject is a saxophone quartet currently based in Tallahassee, Florida. The IQNProject is made up of Caleb Wolf, soprano; Steven Waterston, alto; Kaiden Klingler, tenor; and Ash Stewart, baritone who all currently study at Florida State University under Doctoral Candidate Johann Koh and Dr. Geoffrey Deibel to receive various degrees in music education and music performance. As a group, the IQNProject has recently been accepted and performed at the 2026 Great Plains Saxophone Workshop and the 46th International U.S. Navy Band Saxophone Symposium. The IQNProject is also proud to be heading outreach and volunteer initiatives in the Tallahassee community to serve, teach, and inspire growing K-12 musicians.