Youth Musician Scholarship - Portland Choir & Orchestra

Results

Portland Choir & Orchestra is pleased to announce the winners of the 2026 Youth Musician Scholarship program. Applications were received and reviewed from high school students throughout the Portland and Vancouver metropolitan areas.

Hailey Youn

Hailey Youn is a senior attending Sunset High School in Portland, Oregon. Starting her viola studies at the age of seven, she is currently under the teachings of Brian Quincey. She has been an active participant of the Portland Youth Philharmonic for the past nine years, has served as Principal Viola in the Youth String Ensemble and now standing as a Co-Principal of the Philharmonic Orchestra and Camerata PYP Orchestra. In addition, she received the Jacques Gershkovitch Award and its scholarship. As an active chamber musician, she has participated in the PYP Chamber Program, the Chamber Music Camp of Portland, and the OMEA Ensemble Festivals for several years. She also won first place in the 2024 OMEA State Championship in Small Ensemble Division, as well as second place in the 2025 OMEA State Championship in Solo Performance Contest. In 2023-2025, she attended the OMEA All-State Honors Orchestra, serving as the Assistant Principal in 2025, and the 2023 and 2025 NAfME All-Northwest Honors Orchestra. Hailey has been selected and participated in OrpheuxPDX Pathway program in summer of 2025, attended the 2023 Brevard Summer Music Festival, where she played as the Principal Viola in the Brevard Concert Orchestra, participated in the Portland String Ensembles in 2024, and played in the Chamber Music Camp of Portland for several years. She has played in masterclasses and received coachings from Scott Rawls, Matthew Lipman, Hae-Jin Kim, Roberto Diaz, Tze-Ying Wu, Zenas Hsu, Margaret Karp, Yoko Greeney, the Calder Quartet, the Brentano Quartet, and the Modigliani Quartet.

Hailey also loves to connect with the community, leading her to launch a nonprofit organization called Music4Harmony with her sister and friends, which aims to introduce the world of music as well as heal, inspire, and positively impact the underrepresented and underprivileged. Hailey will be attending UCLA Herb Albert School Of Music in fall 2026 where she will be majoring in Music Performance and adding a second major in psychology.

Lilia Niebuhr

I started playing flute in 4th grade because it was the lightest instrument offered, (haha) and I have loved it ever since. In 9th grade, I began learning oboe after looking for a new challenge. I was inspired by a MYS concerto competition winner in 2022, which motivated me to practice diligently in both instruments, despite the many challenges involved with both Flute and Oboe.

Since then, I have had the opportunity to perform in ensembles such as MYS, PYP, All State Orchestra, WIBC, and All-Northwest. Through these experiences, I realized that one thing I had not explored much (and one of my favorite kind of performances) was chamber music.

That became the motivation for starting Serenade, originally a small chamber group made up of my musician friends that performed duets and trios with various instrumentations. After receiving positive feedback from the audience and enthusiasm from ensemble members, we expanded the group into a school club. For many of the newer members, it was their first experience performing in small ensembles or solo settings, which made it especially rewarding for everyone involved.

The funds from this scholarship will help me continue to promote chamber music concerts from high school to college and beyond.

Portland Choir & Orchestra congratulates each of the applicants and wishes to encourage their continued pursuit of musical studies and to share their talents with others. Each applicant not listed here will receive $100 for submitting their application.

Portland Choir & Orchestra expresses gratitude to the golfers who participated in the annual PCO Golf Classic Tournament last September. It is because of them that funds were available to offer the Grand Prize award this year. In addition, PCO also wishes to extend thanks to our generous donors without whom these awards would not be possible.

Portland Choir & Orchestra will once again host the PCO Golf Classic at the Stone Creek Golf Course on Saturday 28 June 2025. Registration for this fun event to help raise Youth Musician Scholarship funds to award next year is available here.

Contribution

Please consider contributing to our scholarship fund by making a donation.

2025

Portland Choir & Orchestra is pleased to announce the winners of the 2025 Youth Musician Scholarship program. Applications were received and reviewed from high school students throughout the Portland and Vancouver metropolitan areas.

The Grand Prize Award of $1,000 announced at the 26 April 2025 Brahms Requiem concert went to Emily Liu, a freshman at Camas High School. Emily is principle oboist in the MYS Concert Orchestra and her application includes performances on piano and oboe. You can view the YouTube play list submitted with Emily’s application here. The Grieg Piano Concerto with Central Oregon Symphony at the head of the list is especially compelling.

In addition, Kou Yuasa, a pianist and senior at Sunset High School, received the Executive Director’s Award of $500. Kou’s high school tenure includes Drum Major, Concert, Symphonic, Jazz, and Funk Bands, and Wind Ensemble.

2024

Portland Choir & Orchestra was pleased to announce the winners of its first annual Youth Musician Scholarship program. This inaugural effort resulted in thirteen applications from students from various locations in the Portland and Vancouver metropolitan areas. Two applications were from the sixth grade, one was from the ninth grade, two were from the eleventh grade and six were from the twelfth grade.

The Grand Prize Award of $1,000 announced at the May 11, 2024 Carmina Burana concert went to: Nikita Istratov, a pianist and Senior at Sunset High School. You can view Nikita’s audition YouTube play list here.

Two other major awards were also announced just prior to the concert:

Janae Ausbie, a vocalist and Senior at Tigard High School received the Executive Director’s Award of $750.

Kennadi Jones, a vocalist and Senior at Ridgefield High School received the Artistic Director’s Award of $500.

Portland Choir & Orchestra congratulates each of the applicants and wishes to encourage their continued pursuit of musical studies and to share their talents with others.

Portland Choir & Orchestra expresses gratitude to the golfers who participated in the first annual PCO Golf Classic Tournament July 2023. It is because of them that funds were available to offer the Grand Prize award this year. In addition, PCO wishes to extend thanks to Rob & Kim Perkins, a member of the Choir and an anonymous donor who generously offered funding
to make the other two awards possible.

Thank you for supporting Portland Choir & Orchestra.

We are an Oregon nonprofit corporation registered under IRS section 501(c)(3). Our Tax ID is 26-4239123. Unless otherwise noted, all contributions described herein are fully tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Please consult a tax expert for confirmation of contribution deductibility.