Something truly special has happened: we now have four (4!!) studio alumni who are attending Juilliard for advanced music study in piano and viola.
Masters in piano: Shiv Yajnik, studying with Julian Martin
Bachelors in piano: David Choi, studying with Soyeon Kate Lee; he is an alumnus of Colburn Music Academy
Pre-college in piano: Benjamin LeSeur, studying with Julian Martin
College in Viola: Warner Yan, studying with Misha Amory
TMTA solo performance for 2026
McDonald Studio has had a first place winner in the TMTA competition for more than 15 years in a row. We are deeply proud of these students amazing success!
1st place - Kaitlyn Ouyang, Senior 3 Solo
2nd place - Jenna Tran, Junior 2 Solo
3rd place - Kiana Sharp, Senior Concerto 1-2
Also receiving recognition:
In the Junior 2 division:
Roi Song, Leo Zhang, and Nathan Kang were all Honorable Mentions.
In the Junior 1 division:
Mason Lee was an Honorable Mention
Finally, in concerto 3-4, Esther Zhou was an honorable mention.
Performance Opportunities for McDonald Studios students -
We want to celebrate the performance opportunities of our students outside of competitions! Here are a few highlights -
Jenna Tran performed Mendelssohn’s concerto in g minor, mvt. 3 with the Plano Symphony in the concerts for kids 10 times in Spring 2026. She was dynamic, engaging, and inspirational. Way to go!
Lucas Pei will perform in the Basically Beethoven Festival as a Rising Star Recitalist - he will perform works of Mozart, Liszt, Stravinsky, and Fazil Say. It is held at Moody Performance Hall in Downtown Dallas. It is free and open to the public, and will be held July 26.
Evelyn Cheng will perform outreach concerts with the Richardson Symphony in Fall 2026. She will perform Haydn’s concerto in D major, mvt. 3.
While not strictly speaking a “concert”, Kiana Sharp performed a full rehearsal with Dallas Symphony Orchestra, under Fabio Luisi. She performed the complete Schumann concerto. What an incredible opportunity!
Last but NOT least, no fewer than 12 young performers (well… one of them is in her 50s! She is young at heart) performed movements of concertos with the Mozart Academy of North Texas Chamber Orchestra. Dylan performed MacDowell; Christine performed Rachmaninoff 2 mvt 3; Kiana performed Brahms 1, mvt 3; Roi performed Beethoven 1 mvt 1; Ethan performed Mozart d minor mvt 1; Henley performed Mozart F major K 459 mvt 1; Nathan performed Mozart G major K 453; and many others! Alex McDonald conducted.
TMTA Solo Performance Results for 2025!
This is a very incomplete list, but we want to congratulate some of our first place state-level winners from last year’s TMTA solo performance contest:
Kiana Sharp - 1st place! (Senior division 1)
Kaitlyn Ouyang - 1st Place (Senior division 2)
Niyati Iyer - 1st Place (Piano Concerto Senior Division 3/4)
We also had an exceptionally strong showing in the Senior Concerto Division as a whole: Niyati received 1st place; Shawn Guo received 2nd prize; and Christine Choi received 3rd prize. Way to go!
We also want to congratulate Cece Liang for receiving 2nd prize in Junior 1. She performed so beautifully.
Dallas Symphonic Festival Results!
McDonald Music Studio’s students again showed why they are the strongest music students around! First prizes went to:
Catherine Choi (viola)
Evelyn Cheng (Haydn concerto in D, mvt. 3)
Lucas Pei (Mozart a minor, mvt. 1)
Jenna Tran (Mendelssohn concerto in g minor, mvt. 1)
Julia Xiang (Haydn Sonata in C, HOB XVI:35 mvt. 1)
Blythe Chen (Haydn Sonata in F, HOB XVI:23, mvt. 1)
Mason Lee (Mozart sonata in G major, mvt. 1)
This means that our piano students won one third of the total divisions for the entire competition (there were 18 total divisions). Congratulations to all!
Shawn and Melody Guo take 2nd prize at MTNA Nationals
Siblings Shawn and Melody Guo took home 2nd prize at the MTNA National level competition for duet piano (four hands). They played a spectacular program of Carl Vine, Greg Anderson’s arrangement of Bach Brandenburg G major, and Alex McDonald’s arrangement of Horowitz’s transcription of Dance Macabre by Saint-Saens. You played fantastically!
Shawn and Melody also took home 2nd prize at the Ohio International 4 hands/Duo Competition, as well as first prize at the Northwest Competition in Canada. Congratulations to you!
Kaitlyn Ouyang takes grand prize at the TASO Juanita Miller competition!
Kaitlyn Ouyang wowed the judges with her spectacular performance of Prokofiev’s concerto no. 3, mvt. 3. She was not only the first prize winner for piano but also won the grand prize for all divisions. Congratulations Kaitlyn!
Alex and Marcy McDonald give keynote masterclass for MTNA national conference in Atlanta
Marcy and Alex McDonald were invited as a featured masterclass for intermediate level students for the national convention for Music Teachers National Association in Atlanta. Thank you Peter Mack for the kind invitation!
Symphonic Festival senior concerto division - a clean sweep
Results like this don’t happen often, so when they do, we celebrate them.
In the competitive Dallas Symphonic Festival senior concerto division:
1st place - Jack Rouche (Tchaikovsky, mvt. 1)
2nd place - Melody Guo (Rachmaninoff 1, mvt. 3)
3rd place - Judy Yan (Saint-Saens 2, mvt. 1)
4th place - Emma Oba (Rachmaninoff 2, mvt. 3)
5th place - Tae Han (Schumann, mvt. 1)
Incredible work - we are so proud of you.
Emma Oba takes first prize at TASO Juanita Miller Competition
For the second year in a row, McDonald Music Studios students have taken the top prize in the piano division of the Juanita Miller Competition. Emma Oba gave a brilliant and expressive performance of Rachmaninoff’s concerto no. 2, mvt. 3. She also receives a nice cash prize. Bravo, Emma!