Benjamin Barish, Nyack, New York, United States

Benjamin Barish is a pianist, violinist and composer from Nyack, New York. As a composer, he has won many awards, including First Place in the Smederevo International Composition Competition, First Place in the National Federation of Music Clubs Composition Competition, and the MTG Classical Competition. His song, "Vulnerable," was performed by the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra in 2023. Thank you so much for the opportunity to practice scoring a short film.

Kevin Fan, Oakville, Ontario, Canada

Kevin Fan is a high school senior from Toronto, Canada. He draws his creative inspiration from the melodic tapestries of his beloved cinematic masterpiece, Jurassic Park, which have fueled his ventures into the realm of film scoring. As a pianist, Kevin has earned the Licentiate Diploma in Piano Performance (LRCM) from the Royal Conservatory of Music in 2022. His piano abilities have been showcased through awards in various provincial and national-level piano competitions.

Matthew Lee, New York, New York, United States

Website

My name is Matthew Lee and I am a passionate young composer and pianist. From classical piano to playing the drums and guitar in parks with my friends, I immersed myself in music since I was 7 years old. Inspired by the scores of my favorite animated kids movies like Kung Fu Panda and Up, I found passion in the creative liberties of film scoring. After fiddling around on GarageBand with my sister's hand-me-down MacBook, I gradually sank into composition in pursuit of music I could proudly say was mine. I have been honored as a finalist for the 2024 Ruth Crawford Seeger Prize and won the Gold Prize for Original Composition in the World Grand Prix International Music Contest.

James Mihalka, Atlanta, Georgia, United States

James Mihalka was 4 years old when he began his music studies with piano. He later began studying the violin, and joined his school orchestra in third grade. Although he now focuses on violin, he enjoys playing any instrument he encounters. He began composing music in 6th grade, and has since written across many genres ranging from classical to electronic. He has also composed and arranged pieces for his school's orchestras. James has now started 11th grade, and has written over 100 compositions.

Zepiur Nazarians, Yerevan, Armenia

I am studying at Romanos Melikyan music high school in vocal and piano section, Along side playing the piano for 9 years now my first self written piano pieces were at the age of 5_6. Its worth mentioning, I performed in our orchestra as lead guitarist and vocalist later on as bassist. I participated in national Art Music competition winning few first awards and a grand prix over the last few years.