Vicky Chen Uses Winnings to Treat Classmates to a Concert
CPO youth competition offers an opportunity to expand classical music fans.
Congratulations to two LJCDS students for earning top spots in the inaugural Coronado Philharmonia Orchestra Concerto Competition. Victoria “Vicky” Chen ’26 placed first and Sequoia Jain-Hong ’33 placed second in their age groups. The competition was open to young instrumentalists ages 7 to 21 who performed on strings, winds, brass, piano, harp, or guitar.
Each competitor stepped onstage with a concerto or a single movement accompanied by piano. Judges focused on repertoire, technical skill, musicality, and memory. Only the top musicians in each age group earned the chance to appear as soloists with a full orchestra, a milestone many spend years working toward.
Vicky earned first place with her performance of Grieg: Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16: I. Allegro molto moderato. Gold medal winners received prize money and the opportunity to perform with the CPO. What made Vicky’s achievement especially moving was what she chose to do next.
Instead of spending the $500 prize on herself, Vicky offered to buy tickets for her classmates so they could experience her performance and explore a musical style they might not hear every day. Her passion for classical music fueled her to share that world with others, and she even created posters and promoted the concert to the LJCDS community.
Her classmates embraced the invitation, showing up to support her and take in a full orchestral performance, many for the first time. Together they attended the CPO’s Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony Orchestra Concert at the Coronado Performing Arts Center on September 6. Middle School strings and orchestra teacher Joe Rowling, a dedicated mentor and member of the CPO, performed in the viola section that night.
The evening became more than a concert. It was a reminder of how talent, generosity, and community can spark curiosity and open doors, and how one student’s passion can inspire many others to explore something new.
Read the interviews with Vicky and Mr. Rowling in The San Diego Union-Tribune article.
