Paloma Chaprnka, 16, is a junior at Interlochen Arts Academy. She has won prizes at multiple international and national competitions, most recently being the Traverse City Philharmonic Youth Concerto Competition and performing the 1st movement of 
Joaquín Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez with the TC Phil. Paloma was recently selected as one of NPR’s From the Top Fellows. She has performed along the Camino de Santiago in Spain and for Guitar Sarasota. She is a Strings by Mail artist and has recorded at Guitar Salon International, Siccas, and at Pepe Romero Jr. Guitars. Paloma founded the Buckley Classical Guitar Project. She enjoys cooking, hiking, and listening to music.

Justin Chen, 14, is a classical guitarist from Los Angeles. He began studying the guitar in 2020 at the age of 8 and is currently a student of Dr. TY Zhang. In a short time, Justin has earned recognition in international competitions and continues to grow through focused study and performance. He is especially drawn to Spanish repertoire and expressive lyrical works and enjoys taking on new challenges. Outside of music, Justin enjoys playing video games and basketball.

Wohaan Dissanayake, 15, is a freshman at Mendon High School in Rochester, New York. He began playing classical guitar at the age of 7 and currently studies with Dr. Kenneth Kam and Dr. Lynn McGrath at the Eastman Community Music School at the University of Rochester. Wohaan has won prizes at the Southern Guitar Festival, Albania Guitar Competition, Connecticut Suzuki Guitar Festival, Appalachian State GuitarFest, and the University of Florida Guitar Extravaganza. He has participated in masterclasses with Adam Kossler, Bokyung Byun, and Rupert Boyd. When not playing guitar, Wohaan enjoys playing tennis and clarinet for his school’s Concert Band. 

Augie Ho-Chen, 17, is a Junior at DeLaSalle High School in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He began playing classical guitar at age 5 and currently studies with Alan Johnston. He won the Schubert Club Competition in 2025 and has taken master classes with Adam Holzman and Xavier Jara. Augie was part of a guitar quartet that toured Germany and was selected to be on NPR’s From the Top in 2023. He also plays the double bass in the top orchestra of Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies and plays the piano. Outside of music, he loves tennis, speech, and is a top 0.1% Valorant player. 

Ruqi Jiang, 17, is a pre-college student at the Curtis Institute of Music where she studies with David Starobin and Jason Vieaux. She began studying classical guitar at ten with Li Le in China, and later with Professor He Qing at the Tianjin Conservatory’s affiliated school. Since 2017, Ruqi has participated in numerous domestic and international guitar competitions. In August 2019, she won the solo championship in Group A at the 5th GTA (Qinling) International Guitar Art Festival. She later won first prize in the Junior Division of the International Network Guitar Competition in The Hague, Netherlands and the youth category at the 10th Changsha Classical Guitar International Network Art Festival. Besides music Ruqi enjoys dancing and painting.

Tae Kim, 15, attends Stuyvesant High School in New York City. He studies classical guitar with Gohar Vardanyan and previously studied with Robert Miller. He has performed in master classes for Manuel Barrueco, Eduardo Fernández, Eliot Fisk, Sharon Isbin, David Russell, Jason Vieaux, Franco Platino, Bokyung Byun, Jaxon Williams, and Marko Topchii. He has participated in the Peabody Summer Guitar Institute, Boston Guitarfest, the Long Island Guitar Festival, and the Guitar Lab Intensives. He has earned prizes in competitions hosted by the Philadelphia Classical Guitar Society (first place, Youth Division) and the Guitar Foundation of America (two-time finalist, Junior Division). Outside of music, Tae is a two-time USAJMO qualifier.

Campbell Muffly, 16, is a pre-college student at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he studies guitar with Angelica Artelt and Scott Cmiel. He has performed in masterclasses for some of the world’s most prominent guitarists, including Sergio Assad, Manuel Barrueco, David Russell, Meng Su, Marko Topchii, and the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet. An enthusiastic performer, Campbell has helped open concerts for Leonela Alejandro, David Russell, Manuel Barrueco and Duo Exaudi. Outside of guitar, Campbell is a sophomore at the Woodside Priory School in Portola Valley, California and enjoys acting, playing tennis, reading, and listening to music. 

Andrei Orasanu, 17, is a senior at Norwalk High School, Connecticut. He began playing guitar when he was five. He studies with Dr. Tudor Niculescu-Mizil and Hao Yang. Andrei has participated in and won over thirty prizes in national and international competitions such as Southern Guitar Festival, Sinaia International Guitar Festival, Guitar Extravaganza, CSU Guitar Symposium, and Guitar Foundation of America. He has had the opportunity to work with prominent musicians such as Rene Izquerdo, Judicael Perroy, Matteo Mela, and Joao Luiz. As part of Music for Youth, he performs solo and duo in various venues in Fairfield County. Andrei’s hobbies include saxophone, tennis, and boxing.

Noah Richer, 18, began playing guitar at age 5 and is taught by Multi Grammy Award-Nominated David Veslocki. He has won competitions at the CSU Guitar Symposium, Mid Maryland Festival, Boston GuitarFest, Connecticut Suzuki Guitar Festival, and Kithara Project Festival. He has performed at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, SubCulture NYC, and on top of the World Trade Center. He enjoys producing music, playing electric guitar, composing for the guitar, and playing the piano. Next fall, he will be a junior at Greens Farms Academy. Outside of guitar, he is an avid tennis player and enjoys traveling.

Alicia Suen, 16, is a junior at American Heritage School in Broward County, Florida. She began playing the guitar at the age of eight and currently studies with Andrew Zohn and Christopher Mallet. Alicia has participated in master classes with renowned guitarists Jason Vieaux, Adam Holzman, and David Russell. Outside of her studies, Alicia enjoys sharing music with her community by performing at senior centers. She also runs a small organization that partners with her local library to promote youth readership and donate books to young readers. This year, Alicia hopes to explore different facets of music to further inspire and shape her artistic creativity.