Paloma Chaprnka, 14, is a freshman at Interlochen Arts Academy. She has won first prizes at the Houston International Classical Guitar Competition, University of Florida, Florida State University, and Pensacola State University classical guitar competitions. She has performed in master classes conducted by Manuel Barrueco, Jason Vieaux, Celil Refik Kaya, and Gohar Vardanyan. Paloma has performed for Guitar Sarasota and the Florida Guitar Foundation. She has also recorded videos at Guitar Salon International and Sicca’s Guitars. Paloma studies with Irina Kulikova and Matthew Cochran. When not practicing guitar, Paloma enjoys cooking, writing, going for long walks, and studying biology.

Hilbert Chen, 15, is a sophomore at Valley Christian High School and a Conservatory Honors fellow. He has played classical guitar since he was three. He currently studies with Robert Miller at the California Conservatory of Music. He has won prizes in the: Kithara Project Guitar Competition, United States International Music Competition, Denver Guitar Festival Youth Competition, SF Bay Area Guitar Competition, Society of American Musicians Guitar Competition, James Stroud Classical Guitar Competition, and GFA International Youth Competition. Hilbert has performed in master classes of: Manuel Barrueco, Andrew York, Steven Aron, Ben Verdery, Jonathan Leathwood, Raphaella Smits, Montenegrin Duo, Meng Su, Marco Tamayo, and Jason Vieaux.

Elle Davisson,16, is first-place winner of the Junior Division of the Guitar Foundation of America’s 2022 International Youth Competition. She has recorded with Guitar Salon International and performed for the Omni Foundation for the Performing Arts and Peninsula Guitar Series. As a member of the Davisson Duo, she has appeared on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert Series and From the Top. Elle has also performed numerous outreach concerts for non-profits all over the California Bay Area and enjoys teaching veterans at a local VA hospital. Elle studies with Christopher Mallett at the California Conservatory of Music and is a D’Addario and Strings by Mail artist.

Laurel Harned, 18, began guitar lessons at age 9. She currently studies with Jack Sanders, and has participated in master classes with Manuel Barrueco, Ana Vidovic, the Beijing Guitar Duo, Jason Vieaux, Los Romeros, and others. In 2023, she received First Prize in the Denver Guitar Festival’s Youth Competition, and was also a recipient of the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award. She has appeared on NPR’s radio program From the Top (show 447), and also had the opportunity to record several pieces with Guitar Salon International. In addition to practicing guitar, Laurel enjoys teaching a few guitar students, trail running, and hiking with her family.

Preston Hong, 15, studies guitar with Christopher Mallett. He has been featured on NPR's From the Top and won prizes in guitar competitions including: the GFA IYC Junior Division and James Stroud Classical Guitar Competition. He has been honored to have lessons and master classes with Bokyung Byun, Evan Hirschelman, Christopher Parkening, Raphaella Smits, Duo Sonidos, Meng Su, Marco Tamayo, Benjamin Verdery, and TY Zhang. To give back, he provides free guitar lessons to other youths. Preston is a Boy Scout, plays in school/club volleyball teams and plays clarinet in his school's marching band, County Honor Band and California All-State High School Concert Band.

Brandon Kim, 16, will be a junior in high school in Austin, Texas. Brandon has been playing guitar since he was 7 years old, and for the past two years, Brandon has studied classical guitar under Adam Holzman. In 2022 and 2024, Brandon placed First in the Dallas Guitar Festival in both Division III and Division II, respectively. Brandon is also part of the Orpheus Honors Quartet, which has played at the Southern Guitar Festival and the Brownsville Guitar Festival, among other venues. Besides guitar, Brandon's hobbies include watching movies, cooking on weekends, and going hiking in the woods.

Matthew Kuplack, 18, is from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He began his classical guitar studies at age 14, working with Mike Lorenz. He now studies with John Arnold and John Marcel Williams. Matthew has played for and worked with other outstanding musicians including: Jason Vieaux, Raphael Feuillâtre, Isaac Bustos, and Badi Assad. Matthew recently won first prize in the high school division of the CSU Guitar Competition. He was also selected to play on a New Music concert, performing chamber works with musicians from the Allentown Symphony. When not playing the guitar, Matthew runs his company that he started when 11, making and selling gourmet beef jerky.

Kiran Lee, 16, is a prizewinner in the high school and collegiate divisions of the 2023 Chicago Guitar Festival Competition and First Prize winner of the 2022 Sierra Nevada Guitar Festival Youth Competition. Kiran is a finalist in the upcoming California Guitar Competition of the American String Teachers Association. She was one of six performers invited to the 2023 Pre-College Guitar Virtuosos master class with Manuel Barrueco, and opened for Stephanie Jones and Gaëlle Solal at the South Bay Guitar Society. She is a student of Scott Cmiel at the Pre-College Division of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and volunteers at the Pets In Need animal shelter.

Allen Liu, 17, is a junior at Westwood High School in Austin, Texas. He began playing classical guitar at the age of 6, and currently studies with Stephen Krishnan at the Orpheus Academy of Music and Adam Holzman at the University of Texas, Austin. Allen has won prizes in the 2021 Southern Guitar Festival in North Carolina, the 2023 Texas Guitar Festival in Dallas, and the 2024 Southwest Guitar Symposium in San Antonio. He is also a member of the Orpheus Honors Guitar Quartet. In addition to playing classical guitar, Allen participates in his school's choir, robotics club and Chinese yo-yo club.

Joey Malvinni, 16, began classical guitar at four with his father. He has honed his performance skills in master classes throughout the world including:Chigiana (Siena, Italy), Mozarteum (Salzburg, Austria), and Guitar Seminar (Granada, Spain). He has played for luminaries including Eliot Fisk, Oscat Ghiglia, and Christopher Parkening. Winner of the Santa Barbara Symphony competition, he performed the Castelnuovo-Tedesco Guitar Concerto in D under Nir Kabaretti. Joey won First Prize at the Latin American Guitar Festival, Second Prize at the PASF, and Second Prize at the URI Guitar Festival; he has placed in the Boston GuitarFest, Stroud, and Parkening Competitions.

Micah Montgomery, 14, is an eighth grader at Bret Harte Middle School in San Jose, California. He began studying guitar when he was five, and he’s loved it ever since. He currently studies with Robert Miller at the California Conservatory of Music. Micah was a part of the Guitar Foundation of America’s 50th Anniversary Orchestra with Sergio Assad and Ben Verdery, as well as a two-time participant in the GFA Mentorship Program. Micah has performed in master classes conducted by Jason Vieaux, Sharon Isbin, Meng Su, and Marco Tamayo. In his free time, Micah enjoys playing basketball and video games.

Andrei Orasanu, age 15, is a sophomore at Norwalk High School in Connecticut. He began playing classical guitar at five. For the last seven years he has studied with Dr. Tudor Niculescu-Mizil. Andrei has won over thirty prizes in competitions including: Boston GuitarFest, Southern Guitar Festival, Sinaia International Guitar Festival, Altamira International Guitar Competition, International Fringe Virtual Competition, and the GFA Youth Competition (3rd prize winner). He has worked in master classes with prominent guitarists including: Gabriel Bianco, Rene Izquerdo, Benjamin Verdery, and Joao Luiz. His hobbies are jazz, saxophone, tennis, gaming, and ping-pong.

Trent Park, 16, is a student in the Pre-College Division of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he studies guitar with Scott Cmiel and has completed the highest level of the music theory curriculum. In October 2023, Trent performed in Maestro Manuel Barrueco’s “Pre-College Guitar Virtuosos” master class. He has also participated master classes with Judicaël Perroy, Meng Su, Ben Verdery, and Jason Vieaux. Additionally, Trent has completed Level 8 of the MTAC Certificate of Merit program in piano. In his sophomore year, Trent received a score of 5 in AP Music Theory, as well as AP Calculus BC. He attends Proof School.

Owen Wang, 18, is a high school senior from New Jersey with a passion for classical guitar. He has studied under Galina Jitlina, Tengyue Zhang, Denis Azabagic, and Alan Liu. In 2020 and 2021, he was selected to participate in the GFA Mentorship Program. Owen has been a prizewinner in numerous competitions, including the GFA International Youth Competition, Chicago Guitar Competition, Long Island Guitar Competition, Florida Guitar Competition, and Houston Classical Guitar Festival and Competition, among others. Besides practicing guitar, Owen enjoys video gaming, soccer, and has a keen interest in environmental science.

Sonya Wert, 15, is a freshman at Mars Hill Academy in Cincinnati, Ohio. She currently studies with Stefan Schmidt and has been playing classical guitar since she was 5 years old. She is a prize winner in competitions including: Boston GuitarFest, Indiana University, Southern Guitar Festival, App State GuitarFest, Columbus State Guitar Symposium, and Progressive Musicians. She debuted at Carnegie Hall, Weill recital hall, in the summer of 2023 and has opened for the Beijing Guitar Duo. She has enjoyed master classes with Martha Masters, Mak Grgic, and Thomas Viloteau. Sonya loves running, playing golf, waterskiing, puzzles, and caring for her leopard gecko.