3rd Place (tie)
Sumin Kang
Sumin is a senior at Melrose High School and a lifelong Melrose resident. She studies piano with Dr. Baekyu Kim and has received top prizes in several international competitions, including multiple first-place awards in the Elite International Music Competition as well as first-place and second-place awards in the Crescendo and Miclot International Music Competitions. In addition to piano, she is a violinist in the MHS Orchestra. Outside of music, Sumin is a Level Excel Diamond gymnast with the YMCA Metro North Twisters and captain of the Melrose High School varsity gymnastics and math teams. She also serves as a member of the MHS Student Government.
3rd Place (tie)
Naya Chankhour
Naya Chankhour is a senior at Wakefield Memorial High School. She is a member of Voices of Steel, her school’s competitive a cappella group, where she has been featured as a soloist and received the Outstanding Soloist Award at the International Championship of High School A Cappella. She has also been a member of the Wakefield Memorial High School Marching Band for three years, performing as both a vocalist and mellophone player. Naya has been accepted to Senior Districts and the MMEA All-State High School Music Festival and was selected for the ACDA Contemporary A Cappella Fusion Honor Choir. She plans to pursue a career in music, studying vocal performance, songwriting, and music business.
2nd Place
Cara Nishino
Cara Nishino is a senior at Wakefield Memorial High School, where she is actively involved in the WMHS String Ensemble and Tri-M Music Honor Society. She is also a violinist in the New England Conservatory Youth Philharmonic Orchestra. She studies violin with Dr. Caroline Lieber and has enjoyed participating in various state, district, and summer chamber music festivals. In her free time, she enjoys creating animations set to musical performances, writing, and exploring the outdoors.
1st Place
Emersynne Jones
Emersynne Jones is a senior at Burncoat High School in Worcester, MA. She is a dedicated euphonium player and an accomplished student musician who has earned First Chair at Districts for three consecutive years and has placed Second Chair and First Chair in All-State ensembles. In addition to playing euphonium, she serves as principal flautist in a youth community orchestra. Emersynne will attend Brigham Young University, where she will pursue a degree in Music Performance on euphonium. Outside of music, she is a multi-sport athlete, playing four years of varsity volleyball - earning All-Star honors her sophomore year and competing in track and field for five years. Through her leadership, discipline, and passion for excellence, Emersynne displays the same dedication on the stage and on the playing field, striving to grow as both a musician and athlete.
Meet the Judges
Kathleen Forgac, pianist, holds a Bachelor’s Degree in mathematics from Caltech and received her Master’s Degree in piano performance from the New England Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Jacob Maxin. She has performed in many solo recitals and chamber music concerts and has appeared as a soloist with orchestras in California, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. She played concerts with violinist Wilson Pedrazas in the XVIIth Festival Internacionale in Trujillo, Peru. Among her awards are a silver medal from the Royal Society of the Arts in London, second place in the International Piano Recording Competition, and the Blossom School Accompanist Award. She is the rehearsal pianist for Opera51 in Concord. Ms. Forgac is on the faculty of the Russian School of Mathematics in Lexington. She resides in Winchester with her husband Mike.
Kathleen Forgac
In the wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Brendan Kenney founded the Firebird Pops Orchestra (FPO) virtually in the summer of 2020 and serves as the music director and president. FPO's virtual collaborations have provided unique and accessible performance opportunities for hundreds of musicians and have reached widespread popularity with praise from Nerdist, Roadway World, WHDG, and Fox's Rightthisminute. FPO now maintains an active in-person performance and touring season from June through December with its accompanying choir, Firebird Vox, and has partnerships with Hammond Castle Museum in Gloucester, Umbrella Arts Center in Concord, Greater Boston Stage Company in Stoneham, and the Museum of Science in Boston. Mr. Kenney has performed at Boston Symphony Hall, Manchester's SNHU Arena, Boston's Orpheum Theater in Boston, and Tanglewood. He has provided back-up vocals for Sarah Brightman's Hymn Tour and Josh Groban's Bridge's Tour.
Brendan Kenney
Wayne Ward, pianist, is a former professor at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he was a member of the faculty for nearly 50 years. Mr. Ward is a graduate of Tufts University and The Eastman School of Music, where he held an opera coaching fellowship. He has over 60 years of experience working collaboratively with singers and instrumentalists. He was a resident music director At Turtle Lane Playhouse in Newton for 30 years where he musically directed 60 productions. He was music director and assistant music director for Longwood Opera Company in Needham for 25 years. Presently Wayne is minister of music at Union Evangelical Church UCC in Hopedale as well as accompanist for The Greater Milford Community Chorus. He accompanies The New England Tenors and the Milford Senior Center Singers. Since 2010 he has been the accompanist for the Massachusetts Central District High School All State Chorus, which performs at Mechanics Hall, Worcester.
Wayne Ward
Congratulations to the 2025 Almost Carnegie Hall Competition Winners!
First Place
Percussionist Christian Ogata
Malden Catholic High School
Second Place
Violinist Sophie Tung
Phillips Academy - Andover
Third Place
Pianist Henry Tushman
Wellesley High School
Almost Carnegie Hall 2026 Finalists
Vocalist Naya Chankhour is a senior at Wakefield Memorial High School
Pianist Sumin Kang is a senior at Melrose High School
Euphoniumist Emersynne Jones is a senior at Burncoat High School
Violinist Cara Nishino is a senior at Wakefield Memorial High School
(L-R) Christian Ogata (1st Place), Sophie Tung (2nd Place), Henry Tushman (3rd Place), Lorenzo Ye, Kate Wieand, and Suyeon Kim
Almost Carnegie Hall 2025 Finalists
Pianist Suyeon Kim is a senior at Acton-Boxborough Regional High School.
Percussionist Christian Ogata is a senior at Malden Catholic High School.
Violinist Sophie Tung is a senior at Phillips Academy - Andover.
Pianist Henry Tushman is a senior at Wellesley High School.
Soprano Kate Wieand is a senior at Arlington High School.
Cellist Lorenzo Ye is a senior at Boston Latin School.
Almost Carnegie Hall
Our annual high school senior soloist competition, is a thrilling event bringing together the most talented seniors from across the state.
This competition provides a chance to witness classical music at its finest as performed by these exceptional high school students.
For Further Information or Assistance, please contact Erin Piedra at erin.mcdermott19@gmail.com
The 2025 Awards Committee Are:
Barbara Morash, Co-Chair (vocalist, pianist, educator, Proprietor of Music Is Art Agency)
Erin Piedra, Co-Chair (pianist, music educator)
Andrew Heath (trumpeter, conductor, educator)
Martin Vazquez (guitarist, clarinet, percussion, educator)
Nancy Vazquez
Thanks to James Horne for the Competition graphic design.
Meet our 2024 Winners
(L-R) Owen Raizin, Lillian Friend, Michel El-Ashkar (1st Place), Lazar Kaminsky (2nd Place), Lazuli Clark (3rd Place) & Samantha Zhu
North Andover, West Newbury, Billerica, Wakefield, Lynn & Reading
Meet our 2023 Winners
First Place
Andrew Gay
Stoneham, MA
Second Place
Emily Dillon
Hanover, MA
Third Place
Eduarda Luiza Braga
Worcester, MA
Questions? Contact Us at