2025 SCMTA Concerto Competition Winners’ Concert

Sunday, December 14th
2:00 pm Rosehill Community Center

Admission: FREE

Introducing the 2025 Snohomish County Music Teachers Association (SCMTA) Concerto Competition Winners! This year’s Concert features 5 rising stars: Simone Chai, Isabel Yang, Lucas Popescu, Radmila Sabirova, and Courtney Tam.

Simone Chai

Simone will be performing
Concerto no. 17 in G major, K. 453, 1st mvmt – Wolfgang A. Mozart

Simone Chai is a 7-year old pianist from Bellevue, Washington, currently studying with Mr. Allan Park. Despite her young age, Simone has demonstrated exceptional musical maturity and artistry, earning numerous top prizes at national and international competitions.

In 2024, she received First and Gold Prizes at the Russian Chamber Music Competition and the Orbetello Piano Competition, as well as Platinum and Gold Awards at the Pacific Northwest Piano Competition. Her accomplishments in 2025 include First Prizes and a Rising Star Award at the Performing Arts Festival of the Eastside; First Place (Gold) at the San Francisco International Piano Competition Finale; First Place at the Vancouver International Music Festival; First Prize at The Royal Music Competition; Gold Award at the International German Music Piano Competition; and recognition as Alternate Concerto Winner at the 2025 SCMTA Concerto Competition.

Beyond her musical pursuits, Simone enjoys skiing, climbing, playing chess, drawing, and building with Legos. Her creativity, curiosity, and joy for learning continue to shape both her musicianship and her vibrant personality.

Isabel Yang

Isabel will be performing
Concerto in A minor Op. 54, 1st mvmt – Robert Schumann

An elite scholarship student of Mr. Allan Park, 16- year old Isabel Yang combines exceptional discipline with a profound passion for music, infusing her performances with sensitivity, intelligence, and expressiveness.

A decorated young artist, Isabel was awarded First Prize at the 2024 Oxford Grand Prize Virtuoso Competition, where she performed at the historic Sheldonian Theatre at the University of Oxford. She made her Carnegie Hall debut as Second Prize Winner of the 2023 American Protégé International Music Talent Competition, returning the following year as a winner of the American Virtuoso International Music Competition. In 2024, she was a multi-prizewinner at the UK International Music Competition, earning the Young Artist First Prize, Classical Absolute First Prize, and the Expressive Performance Special Prize.

Her numerous accolades also include Gold Medals at the 2025 Chopin Northwest Competition, 2025 Pacific International Piano Competition, 2024 Russian Chamber Music Competition, and the Seattle International Piano Festival Classical Viennese Division. As winner of the WSMTA Chapter and Regional Competition (CRC), she was invited to perform at the 2024 Washington State Convention Recitals.

Beyond her solo artistry, Isabel is an accomplished collaborator, serving as pianist in her school orchestra and performing with the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra at Benaroya Hall and Meany Hall. A versatile and multi-talented young musician, she also plays the violin and pursues figure skating, dance, golf, and volleyball with the same passion and commitment that define her musical pursuits.

In March 2026, Isabel will perform Schumann’s Piano Concerto with the North Corner Chamber Orchestra (NOCCO) as Grand Prize Winner of their annual concerto competition.

Lucas Popescu

Lucas will be performing
Hungarian Fantasia S. 123 – Franz Liszt

Twelve-year-old Lucas is a student at Northshore Christian Academy in Everett. He has a keen interest in mathematics and science and aspires to become an architect one day. Outside of his academic pursuits, Lucas enjoys competitive swimming, which has nurtured his strong sense of teamwork, as well as tennis and chess. A curious and adventurous traveler, he was especially inspired by a recent trip to Vienna, which sparked his dream of living there in the future.

Lucas began studying piano with Mr. Allan Park in 2024 and quickly distinguished himself through numerous competition successes. In his first year of study, he earned Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medals at the International French Piano Competition, Chopin Northwest Competition, Sonafest, Virtuoso Artists Festival, Time Era Festival, Russian Chamber Music Competition, and Pacific Northwest Piano Competition. His continued musical growth was recognized with the Grand Prix Prize at the 2024 Pacific Northwest Piano Competition and a Gold Medal at the 2025 Chopin Northwest Piano Competition.

In 2025, Lucas won Second Prize at the International Remember Enescu Music Competition in Bucharest, Romania, after performing an hour-long solo program over two days of competition. This year, Lucas made his orchestral debut as soloist with the Eastside Symphony, performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto in D Minor, K. 466.

Radmila Sabirova

Radmila will be performing
Concerto no. 1 in F# minor, Op 1, 1st mvmt – Sergei Rachmaninoff

Radmila is a 16-year-old pianist from Ufa, Bashkortostan. She began studying piano at the age of six at the Special Music School for Gifted Children under Professor Karimova. Radmila is a laureate of numerous national and international competitions in Russia and has performed with the National Symphony Orchestra (Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 1) and the Chamber Orchestra (J. S. Bach Concerto in F Minor). She won the national scholarship from the Andrey Spivakov International Music Foundation.

After moving to the United States in 2023, Radmila was accepted into the International Conservatory Studio, where she became a student of Dr. Yelena Balabanova. Over the past two years, she has won numerous awards at competitions including Best of Festival in the Jazz Festival, Baroque Time Era Festival, Classical Era Festival and French Music Competition, WA State Honors recitalist, Gold Medal in the Chopin competition, Gold Medal and 1st Place in the Performing Arts Festival of the Eastside, Silver Medal in the Bellevue Symphony Concerto competition and received the Outstanding Performance Award at the German Music Competition.

Throughout her studies, Radmila has participated in masterclasses with renowned musicians such as Mikhail Voskresensky, Michelle Cann, Kevin Ahfat, Ekaterina Nemirovich-Danchenko, Andrey Gugnin, and others.

Courtney Tam

Courtney will be performing
Concerto no. 2 in Bb major, Op. 83, 1st mvmt – Johannes Brahms

Courtney has been a student of Dr. Yelena Balabanova at the International Conservatory Studio since 2011.

Previously, she performed with the Everett Philharmonic Orchestra as the 2023 Grand Prix winner of the SCMTA Concerto Competition, and with the Mukilteo Orchestra in 2022. In 2023, she also performed in Carnegie Hall as the 1 st prize winner of American Virtuoso. Courtney’s other awards include Platinum medal from WPTA Singapore IPC; Adjudicator’s Choice from International German MPC; Gold medals at Pacific NW, Chopin NW (solo and concerto), and Northern Lights International Competition; EMTA Best of Festival for three consecutive years; 1st prize at Charleston International Competition; two times finalist at the Seattle Symphony Concerto Competition, and many more.

She passed the ARCT performance examination and comprehensive level 10 RCM with High Honors. In addition, Courtney attended the Fulton Summer Music Academy, Vancouver Piano Sessions, Seattle Chamber Music Society Academy, and the Seattle Piano Institute at UW. She was the only high schooler to win the 2025 Clara Wells Fellowship from the American Matthay Association.

Courtney is the president of ConChord Music, a nonprofit promoting mental health awareness through music events, and she has performed in and helped arrange over 30 concerts as part of the organization. She is also the accompanist of her school’s choir. In March, she presented a solo fundraising concert with an hour-long program.