Beckett Cerón, 15, is a sophomore at Seven Hills School in Cincinnati, Ohio. He has played guitar since age five and currently studies with Adam Holzman. Beckett has earned accolades in national and international competitions. In 2023, he was named to the GFA’s Mentor Program, where Colombian guitarist-composer Carlos Bedoya wrote a Colombian Cumbia for him. Beckett is a passionate performer who has opened for Bokyung Byun and the Beijing Duo. He was recently named an NPR From the Top Fellow, and featured on Episode 440. When not playing guitar, Beckett can be found on the soccer field, playing chess, or studying mathematics.

Paloma Chaprnka, 15, is a sophomore at Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan. She has won first prizes in numerous international and national classical guitar competitions and has performed in multiple master classes. She is the founder and teacher of the Buckley Classical Guitar Project, which provides free classical guitar lessons to young students located in rural, northwest Michigan. Paloma has performed for Guitar Sarasota and the Florida Guitar Foundation. She has recorded at Guitar Salon International, Siccas Guitars, and at Pepe Romero Jr. Guitars. When not practicing guitar, Paloma enjoys gourmet cooking, going for long walks, and listening to music.

Hilbert Chen, 16, is a junior at Valley Christian High School. He has played classical guitar since he was three. He currently studies with Robert Miller at the California Conservatory of Music. He has won prizes in the: Kithara Project Guitar Competition, United States International Music Competition, Denver Guitar Festival Youth Competition, James Stroud Classical Guitar Competition, and GFA International Youth Competition. Hilbert has performed in master classes of: Manuel Barrueco, Andrew York, Steven Aron, Ben Verdery, Jonathan Leathwood, Raphaella Smits, Montenegrin Duo, Meng Su, Marco Tamayo, and Jason Vieaux. In addition to guitar, Hilbert enjoys playing baseball.

Oliver Chen, 16, is a junior at Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, where he studies classical guitar with Dr. Matthew Cochran. Originally from Manhattan, NY, Oliver has participated in master classes with distinguished guitarists including Colin Davin, Thomas Flippin, Joao Luiz, Matthew McAllister, and Gohar Vardanyan. He has performed at notable venues such as Laidlaw Music Centre and Merkin Hall. As a member of the Interlochen Guitar Ensemble, he has contributed to the premiere of new music. In addition to his musical pursuits, Oliver is active in slam poetry club, quiz bowl, and an avid chess player.

Preston Hong, 16, studies guitar with Christopher Mallett in California. He has been featured on NPR's From the Top and won prizes in guitar competitions, including the GFA IYC and James Stroud Classical Guitar Competition. He has been honored to have lessons and master classes with Manuel Barrueco, Bokyung Byun, Evan Hirschelman, Christopher Parkening, Raphaella Smits, Duo Sonidos, Meng Su, Marco Tamayo, Benjamin Verdery, and TY Zhang. To give back, he provides free guitar lessons to other youths. Preston is a Boy Scout, plays in school/club volleyball teams, and plays clarinet in his school's marching band, County Honor Band, and California All-State High School Wind Symphony.

Ruqi Jiang, 17, is a pre-college student at the Curtis Institute of Music where she studies with David Starobin and Jason Vieaux. She began studying classical guitar at ten with Li Le in China, and later with Professor He Qing at the Tianjin Conservatory’s affiliated school. Since 2017, Ruqi has participated in numerous domestic and international guitar competitions. In August 2019, she won the solo championship in Group A at the 5th GTA (Qinling) International Guitar Art Festival. She later won first prize in the Junior Division of the International Network Guitar Competition in The Hague, Netherlands and the youth category at the 10th Changsha Classical Guitar International Network Art Festival. Besides music Ruqi enjoys dancing and painting.

Brandon Kim, 17, will be a senior in high school in Austin, Texas. Brandon has been playing guitar since he was seven years old, and for the past three years, Brandon has studied classical guitar under Adam Holzman. Brandon placed first in multiple divisions of the Dallas Guitar Festival, while also placing in the youth divisions of San Antonio SummerFest, SGF, and CSU. Brandon is also part of the Orpheus Honors Quartet, which has played at the Southern Guitar Festival and the Brownsville Guitar Festival, and other venues. Besides guitar, Brandon's hobbies include watching movies, cooking on weekends, and hiking in the woods.

Tae Kim, 14, attends Stuyvesant High School in New York City. Tae studies guitar with Gohar Vardanyan and previously studied with Robert Miller at the California Conservatory of Music. He has performed in master classes conducted by Eduardo Fernández, Eliot Fisk, Sharon Isbin, David Russell, and Jason Vieaux. Tae has participated in festivals and competitions hosted by Guitar Lab, Philadelphia Classical Guitar Society, Eliot Fisk Guitar Academy, and the Guitar Foundation of America. He has recorded Caprichos de Goya No. 18 by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco with Partita Studio in South Korea. Besides guitar, Tae loves Gong Cha. He is also qualified for the USA Junior Mathematical Olympiad.

Kiran Lee, 17, attends high school in Palo Alto, California, and is a student of Scott Cmiel in the Pre-College Division of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She is the first-prize winner of the 2025 Texas Guitar Competition and the 2022 Sierra Nevada Guitar Competition. She is also the second-prize winner of the 2024 Philadelphia Classical Guitar Competition and the 2023 Chicago Guitar Competition. Kiran opened for Stephanie Jones and Gaëlle Solal at the South Bay Guitar Society and recently performed with her guitar quartet for the Omni Foundation’s concert series in San Francisco. Kiran volunteers at the local Pets In Need animal shelter.

Allen Liu, 18, is a senior at Westwood High School in Austin, Texas. He began playing classical guitar at the age of 6, and currently studies with Stephen Krishnan at the Orpheus Academy of Music and Adam Holzman at the University of Texas, Austin. Allen has won prizes in the 2021 Southern Guitar Festival in North Carolina, the 2023 Texas Guitar Festival in Dallas, and the 2024 Southwest Guitar Symposium in San Antonio, Texas. He is also a member of the Orpheus Honors Guitar Quartet. In addition to playing classical guitar, Allen participates in his school's choir, robotics club, and Chinese yo-yo club.

Micah Montgomery, 15, is a freshman at Leland High School in San Jose, California. He began studying guitar at the age of five with Robert Miller at the California Conservatory of Music. Micah placed second in the James Stroud Classical Guitar Competition in 2024. He performed in the GFA’s 50th Anniversary Orchestra with Sergio Assad and Ben Verdery, and has opened concerts for Paul Galbraith and Kevin Loh. Micah has performed in master classes given by Jason Vieaux, Sharon Isbin, Meng Su, Marco Tamayo, and Bin Hu. He has also received instruction from Rene Izquierdo and Thomas Flippin. Besides guitar, Micah enjoys playing basketball and volleyball.

Andrei Orasanu, 16, is a junior at Norwalk High School in Connecticut. He began playing guitar when he was five. He studies with Dr. Tudor Niculescu-Mizil and Hao Yang. Andrei has participated in and won over thirty prizes in national and international competitions including the Southern Guitar Festival, Sinaia International Guitar Festival, Guitar Extravaganza, CSU Guitar Symposium, and the Guitar Foundation of America. He has had the opportunity to work with prominent musicians Rene Izquerdo, Judicael Perroy, Matteo Mela, and Joao Luiz. As part of Music for Youth, he performs solo and duo in various venues in Fairfield County. Andrei’s hobbies include saxophone, tennis, and boxing.

Noah Richer, 17, is a freshman at Greens Farms Academy in Westport, Connecticut. He began playing guitar at age 5 and is taught by multi Grammy Award-Nominated David Veslocki. He has won competitions at the Columbus State Guitar Symposium, Mid-Maryland Guitar Festival, Boston GuitarFest, Connecticut Suzuki Guitar Festival, and Kithara Project Festival. Noah has performed in prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, SubCulture NYC, and on top of the World Trade Center. He enjoys producing music, playing electric guitar, composing music for classical guitar, and playing the piano. Outside of guitar, he is an avid tennis player and enjoys traveling.

Mia Embree Stone, 17, is a student at Stratford High School in South Carolina. She began studying guitar at the age of 10 with Christopher Teves, who has mentored and inspired her throughout her musical journey. Mia has had the opportunity to learn from other artists through programs such as the Peabody Preparatory Summer Guitar Intensive and the Eastern Music Festival. Her passion for music extends beyond classical guitar, as she sings and leads in her school’s treble and chorale choirs. Mia enjoys performing on stage in plays and musicals, sketching, and taking photos of her cat and dog.

Alicia Suen, 15, is a sophomore at American Heritage School in Florida. She began playing guitar at 8, and has studied with Young Jun Lim, Erdong Li, and Raphael Padron. She currently studies with Dr. Andrew Zohn and Christopher Mallet. Alicia has won prizes at the Marlow Guitar Festival, Southern Guitar Festival, CSU Guitar Symposium Columbus, Florida Guitar Festival, and UF Guitar Extravaganza. She is the VP of her school’s guitar club and a regular soloist at her school concerts. Alicia’s passion for music extends beyond guitar as she enjoys creating original songs. She likes to challenge herself with difficult courses and has a love for Biology and other sciences.

Sonya Wert, 16, is a sophomore at Mars Hill Academy in Cincinnati, Ohio. She studies guitar with Stefan Schmidt and is mentored monthly by Stephanie Jones. She is a prize winner in the following competitions: Boston GuitarFest, Indiana University, Southern Guitar, App State, CSU Guitar Symposium, and Progressive Musicians. She debuted at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall in 2023 and has opened for the Beijing Guitar Duo and Thu Le. She has enjoyed master classes with Martha Masters, Mak Grgic, and Thomas Viloteau. Sonya loves running, studying biology, puzzles, watching movies with her family, and hanging out with her two cats, Baloo and Bagheera.