Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts’ Competition Awards $21,000 to Nine Young Classical Musicians

A 15-year-old cellist won the $5,000 Grand Prize at Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts’ 39th Instrumental Competition, held February 21 at Barrett Hall on the Pasadena Conservatory of Music campus.

Xuanrui Gu was the youngest of nine high school finalists, ages 15 to 18, who competed for prizes totaling $21,000. A panel of Los Angeles Philharmonic musicians judged the competition, which awarded prizes in strings, woodwinds, and brass to students from Los Angeles, Diamond Bar, Irvine, La Crescenta, Pasadena, and San Marino.

Gu, a student at the Colburn Music Academy in Los Angeles, has played the cello for eight years. He chose the instrument, he said in the press release, because the cello provides the “sounds that are the most human and warm.” He has earned First Prize honors in international competitions including the Global Music Competition, American Protégé, and Crescendo International Competitions, according to the organization.

The judging panel was led by Amy Jo Rhine, third horn of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, who was appointed to the position by conductor Gustavo Dudamel during the 2014/15 season, according to the press release. Other judges included David Rejano Cantero, Gregory Roosa, Isabella Brown, Elise Shope Henry, Anne Marie Gabriele, and Jason Lippmann — all LA Philharmonic musicians.

Stephanie Ho, a 17-year-old violinist from Taiwan who studies at the Colburn Music Academy, won First Prize in strings. Ho has played the violin since the age of four and has won competitions across Europe and Asia, according to the press release.

Qingyang Wang, an 18-year-old clarinetist at the Colburn Music Academy, won First Prize in woodwinds. Wang, the first in his family to play an instrument, said he finds the clarinet’s sound “so beautiful and impressive,” according to the press release. He said he plans to use his prize money to attend a summer music program in Aspen.

Second Prize in brass went to Lillian Walker, a 16-year-old junior at Crescenta Valley High School, for her horn performance. “I knew it was for me right away,” she said of choosing the instrument after a school demonstration, according to the press release.

Two musicians shared Second Prize in strings: Minji Choi, 16, from Irvine, and Noah La Porte, 17, from Pasadena. Choi, the concertmaster of the Colburn Music Academy’s conductorless chamber orchestra, debuted with the Southern California Philharmonic at 13 — an experience she called “the most unexpected and amazing feeling,” according to the press release. She has also appeared as a soloist with the Pasadena Community Orchestra, the Bellflower Symphony, and the Orchestra Collective of Orange County. Choi was named a 2025 and 2026 National YoungArts Winner in Classical Music, according to the organization.

La Porte studies music at the Colburn School and attends Polytechnic School in Pasadena. He won the 2024 Colburn School Youth Concerto Competition and has participated in the National Youth Orchestra, according to the press release.

Yang Zou, an 18-year-old flutist at the Colburn Music Academy, won Second Prize in woodwinds. Zou practices about six hours a day and said she hopes to one day serve as principal flutist with the LA Philharmonic, according to the press release.

Antonio Shyu, an 18-year-old senior at Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, received an Honorable Mention in strings for his cello performance — his second consecutive Honorable Mention, having also placed at the 38th competition in 2025. Shyu serves as president of “Love Through Music,” a student-run nonprofit at Los Angeles County High School for the Arts that brings music to underserved communities, according to the press release.

Sophia Zhou, a 17-year-old junior at Diamond Bar High School, received an Honorable Mention in woodwinds for her flute performance. Zhou is the principal flutist of the Claremont Young Musicians Orchestra, according to the press release.

Dotty Ewing, president of Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts, said in a statement that the competition represents the organization’s commitment to the future of classical music.

“By fostering musical excellence at the high school level, we ensure that the power and beauty of classical music will inspire generations to come,” Ewing said. “It continues a legacy that began with our long-standing relationship with the LA Phil.”

Jessica Harrison, chair of the 2026 competition, said that it was humbling to witness the finalists’ talent.

“The years of dedication and passion each of these high school students have put into mastering their instruments came through with every note they played,” she said. “Every single one of them is a winner.”

The Pasadena-based nonprofit, an all-volunteer organization founded in 1948, has awarded more than $740,000 in competition prizes since the event began in 1985, according to the organization.

This year’s $21,000 in prize money was donated by Kathryn and Charles Hofgaarden.

Funding for the competition and the organization’s other programs comes from the annual Pasadena Showcase House of Design, which opens April 19 at Baldwin Oaks Estate in Arcadia and runs through May 17. Tickets and information are available at www.pasadenashowcase.org.

Gu, the Grand Prize winner, said he volunteers his time teaching cello to younger students — a choice that, like his instrument, reflects what drew him to classical music in the first place: its human connection.