The "Back to BACH" Project
Students for the Arts!
Liv Bobby
Member Since Fall 2018
Liv Bobby is 14 years old and will be attending Rye Country Day School as a sophomore. Liv attends the American Ballet Theater Summer Intensive in NYC, 2018/2019 and Greenwich Ballet Academy during the school year. Liv placed top ten at the 2019 Connecticut Classics Competition and received a scholarship to the French School of Classical Ballet Premiere Division. She started dancing at 2 years old and at 12, she started training seriously at the Gelsey Kirkland Academy. She danced in many Nutcrackers over the years as Spanish, Russian, Party Doll, Snowflake, Flower, and Angel and has performed ballet solo variations and solo contemporary pieces. Liv is an ambassador for ThePointeShop. She loves outdoor sports and has won Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals at the Mamaroneck School Foundation Junior Triathlons and a Gold medal in the Sprint to Flint Junior 5K. In 2017, Liv founded a community service program, "WeBallet" to highlight ballet's potential for inspiring wellness to every child. Liv is also passionate about history and research. In 2019, her team won First Place in Group Performance at regionals and is moving up to the next level of competition. In 2018, they won 1st place at regionals and states and the Special Prize for Native American History at The National History Day Finals in Washington D.C. In her free time, Liv enjoys cooking healthy inventions, writing songs, and singing. Her original science research studies how self-identification affects healthy habits in preschool children.
Max Bobby
Member Since Fall 2018
18 year-old Max Bobby is a freshman at Harvard University. He studied cello at the Juilliard Pre-College Division with Richard Aaron and Sieun Lin. Max was a YoungArts 2018 finalist and was invited to Miami for YoungArts week. He was also winner of the 2015 Juilliard Pre College Concerto Competition, a semi-finalist at the Stulberg International String Competition and winner of the concerto competition at Indiana Summer Strings Academy. Max has won top prizes at other national and international competitions, including the International Virtuoso Competition (grand prize), New York Music Competition (gold prize), Stamford Young Artists Concerto Competition (first prize), American Fine Arts Festival Competition (gold prize), American Protege Concerto Competition (gold prize), the Morningside Music Bridge Chamber Competition (second prize), Yonkers Philharmonic Concerto Competition (second prize) and the Pasadena Chamber Music Competition (Beethoven prize). In past summers, he has attended the Indiana Summer Strings Academy, Meadowmount School of Music, Morningside Music Bridge, Bowdoin international Music Festival, and Music@Menlo.
Li-Yu Chen
Member Since Fall 2018
Li-Yu Chen is currently a high school freshman, and has been studying violin in Mr. Masao Kawasaki’s studio, at the Juilliard Pre-College School since she was 12 y.o. She has frequently performed in chamber music concerts at the Juilliard School, as well as in school concerts and events. She started piano at the age of 4, and developed an interest in the violin when she was 6. When she was 11 years old, she was awarded Gold Medal at the AADGT International Competition "Passion of Music 2015", as well as First Place in the American Protège International Concerto Competition. In 2018, she was awarded the Grand and First Prize at the Sound of Manhattan Festival and Competition at Adelphi University.
James Curto
Member Since Fall 2018
Jimmy Curto is a high school junior who studies Tuba with Andrew Bove at the Juilliard Pre-College School. He is passionate about music and is signed up for anything that involves music. He’s in the Juilliard Pre-College Symphony Wilton High School Marching & Symphonic Band, High School Symphonic Orchestra, High School Jazz I, II, III Ensembles, Norwalk Youth Symphony Concert Orchestra (Tuba & Viola) & Brass Ensemble, Middlebrook School Band, CT including Sixth Dimension, Stage Band, Westport Community Band, CT Western Region Music Festival (Tuba & Viola), CMEA Western Region Music Festival. His second instrument is the Viola and he is a member in a Quartet at Talent Education Suzuki School, CT. He was in the Performance Tour of Prague, Vienna, & Salzburg with NYS, Fairfield County Strings Festival in Honors Orchestra. Jimmy’s third instrument is the bass guitar. His fourth instrument is the euphonium! He has spent his last few summers at Kinhaven Music School in Weston, VT, and the New England Music Camp (NEMC) - Sydney, Maine. Awards and recognitions include: Wilton Warrior Marching Band Squad of the Year, All-Star Brass Award, Wilton Warrior Marching Band, Rookie of the Year, Wilton Warrior Marching Band, Excellence in Band Award 3 years in a row in Middlebrook School, and Music Adjudication Trip - Middlebrook Concert Band 1st Prize.
Gerald Kim
Member Since Fall 2018
Gerald Kim is a sophomore at Fairfield Ludlowe High School. He started playing violin at age 7 and is currently studying with Wendy Sharp at Yale School of Music. He is a member of GReater Bridgeport Youth Orchestra. He was a winner of American Chamber Orchestra concerto competition 2018, GBYO concerto competition 2019 and second place in Wallingford Symphonie Orchestra Concerto Competition 2019.
Besides music, he has a 3rd degree black belt in TaeKwondDo and plays tennis at school varsity team. He loves teaching younger kids as a junior instructor in Taekwonddo and as a mentor at McKinley Elementary School in Fairfield.
Emilia Pomo
Member Since Fall 2018
Emilia Poma is a 19 y. o. who attended Juilliard Pre-College for Piano and Opera and LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts. She is an accomplished Pianist, Vocalist, and Actress. She has performed in concert at Juilliard's Paul Hall, the Royal Opera House, and at Ulriksdals Palace Theater. Emilia was in the Stockholm City Theater’s Tribadernas Natt by P.O. Enqvist- the story of August Strindberg and Sofie Von Essen. In 2017/18 Emilia gained her first International acting credits as Zoe Tyler in the Swedish television crime thriller series Modus with Ms. Kim Cattrall and Mr. Greg Wise. Emilia plans to pursue further studies in Music - Opera, and the Dramatic Arts.
Giorgio Pomo
Member Since Fall 2018
Giorgio Poma is a 17 year old cellist who studies with Marion Feldman and Emirhan Tunca at Manhattan School of Music Pre-College. He began playing the cello at the Jr. Conservatory Lilla Akademien in Stockholm, Sweden at the age of six. Giorgio has given numerous performances including Waldemarsudde, Stockholm, Sweden, Berwaldhallen, Stockholm, Sweden Cirkus Concert Hall in Sweden, Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall and Merkin Concert Hall, where he premiered his own composition “Generations” in honor of those we lost in the Holocaust. Giorgio has been a prize winner in several competitions including the 2018 Rondo Competition, The 2018 Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School Concerto Competition, 2017 Regina Rubinoff award for strings, The East Coast International Competition and Rovere d’Oro in San Bartolomeo, Italy. Giorgio has also performed for the royal family of Sweden and for the Nobel Foundation. Giorgio has participated in several festivals including O/Modernt Festival in Stockholm, Sweden and the Gotland Festival in Gotland, Sweden. Giorgio was grateful to receive the Fiorello H. LaGuardia Alumni &Friends Stephen Kates Memorial Cello Scholarship (June 2018). Giorgio attended on scholarship the Boston University Tanglewood Institute- Young Artist Orchestra program this past summer 2018. In October 2018 Giorgio received the Manhattan School of Music Marion Feldman Scholarship.
Kerry Shannon
Member Since Fall 2018
Kerry Shannon is 13 years old and has been dancing for 5 years. She is a YAGP winner placing 3rd in the Pre-competitive Classical Division 2017, 2nd place Junior Classical Division 2018 and 2nd place Junior Classical Division 2019 advancing to the YAGP Finals in NY City . She also won the Gold Medal at The Connecticut Classic Scholarship Competition 2019 and had placed 2nd and 3rd place at this same competition in 2017 and 2018. She performed her variation Odalisque from Les Corsaire at The University Of Hartford's Gala Fundraiser in February 2017 with a full Orchestra for distinguished guests. Kerry was Clara in the 2016 Nutcracker at the University of Hartford & in the 2017 Nutcracker at the Greenwich Ballet Academy. Kerry was Dew Drop, Mirliton lead, and Snow, in the University Of Hartford’s 2018 Nutcracker. She spent the last two summers at the School of American Ballet at Lincoln Center and prior summers at Studio to Stage at the University of Hartford, Walnut Hill School of the Arts and Bossov Ballet Theater. Kerry will be attending the prestigious Canada’s National Ballet School in the summer of 2019. Kerry is currently a home schooled student. In her free time, Kerry likes to sing. She and her two sisters love spending time together having lots of fun making each other laugh.
Isabel Tenney
Member Since Fall 2018
My name is Isabel Tenney, and I’m a pre-professional ballet dancer from Westchester,
NY. I am 15 years old and have been dancing for about 12 of those years, although I started to take ballet more seriously around age 11. I dance in New York City at the Forrest Academy of Ballet NY where I study the Vaganova system. I am primarily a ballet dancer, but I also dabble in other forms of dance (modern/contemporary, jazz, and flamenco) to enhance my versatility. In the past, I have danced the roles of snow corps, flower corps, Russian corps, and Spanish corps in The Nutcracker, Princess Florine in Sleeping Beauty, a Paquita soloist, and La Bayadere’s jug dance soloist. I love performing so I can share the beautiful art of ballet with everyone! Ballet and dance are wonderful and unique opportunities for self-expression! When I’m not doing something dance or school related, I love reading, writing short stories or poetry, listening to music or a podcast, or spending time with my friends. Fun fact: I lived in Hong Kong for two years (‘08- ‘10) and I have been learning Mandarin Chinese for
almost a decade since then!
Wujin Kim
Member Since Fall 2018
Wujin Kim, 17, currently studies cello under Clara Minhye Kim and is coached in chamber music by Asya Meshberg. He is currently a member of the New York Youth Symphony and served as the principal cellist of Principal Orchestra in the Norwalk Youth Symphony last year. In 2014 and 2015, Wujin was the winner of the Junior Competition and Senior Competition of the Young Artist Festival sponsored by the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed with the American Chamber Orchestra after winning the Concerto Competition. In 2017, Wujin was selected as a winner of the Norwalk Youth Symphony Concerto Competition and to be principal cellist of the CMEA All-State Orchestra. He has also won honorable mention in the New York Music Competition and the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition. In the summer of 2018, Wujin studied with Steven Doane at the Bowdoin International Music Festival. He also has attended the Chamber Music Institute for Young Musicians and attended Elm City Chamberfest as the recipient of the Cello Scholarship in 2016. Wujin enjoys playing chamber music with his friends to support organizations such as Music for Youth, the American Cancer Society, St. Jude Children’s Hospital, Grace Farm’s Community Dinner, and the YMCA of Greenwich.
Alison Shively
Member Since Fall 2018
Alison Shively started playing the violin at age 4. She currently studies with Professor Kyung Yu of the Yale School of Music. She is a member of the Greater Bridgeport Youth Orchestras where she is Concertmaster of their Chamber Orchestra and Assistant Concertmaster of the Principal Orchestra. She was also Concertmaster of their 2018 summer tour to Scotland and Iceland. Alison has appeared as soloist with the GBYO Principal Orchestra (Sibelius concerto, 2017), Danbury Symphony (Tchaikovsky concerto, 2018) as well as Manchester Symphony (Bruch Scottish Fantasy, 2019) both as competition winner and by invitation. She was the recipient of the Marianne Liberatore Memorial Scholarship in 2018. Alison is an avid chamber musician and plays in two string quartets, as well as Vivace, a choreographed string group in Westport that concentrates on non-classical repertoire. Vivace performed a successful tour in Spain over Thanksgiving 2018. Alison has also participated in master classes and workshops with renowned musicians as well as memorable summer camps such as the idyllic Kinhaven Music School in Vermont. In addition to music, Alison enjoys reading, writing, drawing and cycling. She volunteers at the Yale New Haven Hospital and was a member of her school’s mock trial team for 2 years. She hopes to study medicine and become a surgeon. Alison is 16 years old and a junior at Trumbull High School in Connecticut.
Sivan Nemirof
Member Since Winter 2018
Sivan Nemirof began his cello studies at the age of five. He is currently in the Manhattan School of Music PreCollege division where he learns with Deborah Park. During his summer at the Heifetz International Music Institute’s PEG program, he developed an appreciation for the magic of chamber performance. He is a member of a piano trio that rehearses and performs through the New York Youth Symphony Chamber Music program. This summer Sivan’s piano trio went on tour with the New York Youth Symphony and performed at the Teatro de Rojas in Toledo, Castillo de Maglia in Las Navas and in Malaga as part of a tour of Spain. Sivan is a sophomore at the Bronx High School of Science and is the assistant principal of the Bronx Science orchestra. In 2019 Sivan was selected as a second prize winner in the Rondo Young Artist Music Competition. This summer Sivan was involved in a research internship studying the effects of music on patients in the Intensive Care Unit.
Tyler Tan
Member Since April 2019
Connecticut, Southern Region
Tyler Tan is a freshman of Cheshire High School in Connecticut. He is currently studying violin at Juilliard School Pre-College Division under the tutelage of Mr. I-Hao Lee. He is a violinist of the National Youth Orchestra 2 (NYO2) for 2018 and 2019. He had his solo debut with Cheshire Symphony Orchestra at age of 10. He has been concertmaster of CMEA middle school and high school regional orchestra. Tyler is also a scholarship recipient from Joy! Conservatory program.