The winner of the 2025 Young Artist Competition (Junior Division) violinist Minji Choi joins the Pasadena Community Orchestra at our March 14 concert. She will perform the first movement of the Sibelius Violin Concerto. You will be thrilled by the playing of this outstanding young artist!
About our Young Artist Competition Junior Division winner. Minji Choi is a 15-year-old South Korean violinist who aspires to share her passion and connect with the audience through music. She has played for renowned violinists such as Donald Weilerstein, Stefan Jackiw, Jessica Lee, Jinjoo Cho, Paul Kantor, Qian Zhou, Margaret Batjer, and Bing Wang. Choi has appeared as a soloist with the Bellflower Symphony, the Sierra Vista Chamber Orchestra, and the Southern California Philharmonic. Significant awards include the 2025 YoungArts Winner, the Young Artist Award at the Singapore Violin Festival, and honorable mention in the 2024 The Music Center’s Spotlight Awards. She has also received firsts from the Music Teachers National Association California State Competition, the American String Teachers Association Solo Competition, and the California Association of Professional Music Teachers Concerto Competition, where she also received the overall grand prize titled the Andrys Basten Award.
An active ensemble player, Choi has participated in the Chamber Music OC Pre-College Program, and has played in chamber music masterclasses for Julian Martin, Jean-Michel Fonteneau, Natasha Brofsky, Seth Knopp, Rohan de Silva, Margaret Batjer, Paul Katz, and Pei-Shan Lee. Choi was also a member of the Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra, and previously served as the concertmaster of the Pacific Symphony Santiago Strings, selected for its Quartet and Soloist.
Choi is an active volunteer and performer at Smile Train OC and is a regional director of Back to Bach and the Doremi Project. Choi has spent her time in festivals like the Encore Chamber Music Institute Summer Academy, Online Solo Strings Intensive, Yellow Barn Young Artists Program, and the National Youth Orchestra 2. She currently studies with Chloe Chiu.
About the Competition: Since 1986, the Pasadena Community Orchestra has offered solo performance opportunities for young instrumental artists each year through our Young Artist Competition. We plan to continue this tradition with the 2025-2026 Young Artist Competition, which will open for new applications the fall of 2025. Stay tuned!
