Roberta Wilcox, president of the Pasadena Summer Youth Chamber Orchestra (PSYCO), emphasizes the comprehensive benefits of music education for young students. According to Wilcox, participation in music cultivates organizational skills, teamwork, and appreciation for others’ contributions, which positively impacts students’ overall academic success.
These developmental qualities will be showcased by five of PSYCO’s most talented young soloists in an upcoming concert.
Young Artist’s Concert Details
On Sunday, June 29, PSYCO will hold its Young Artist’s Concert at First Baptist Church, located at 75 N. Marengo Avenue in Pasadena. The free event begins at 4 p.m. and will feature five gifted solo string players: violinists Mallika Sheshadri, Anna Shung, and Victoria Shung; violist Aviv Pilipski; and cellist Josephine Velez.
Soloist Profiles and Repertoires
Mallika Sheshadri – Violin
Senior at Pasadena High School, Mallika Sheshadri studies under Aimée Kreston at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music. She has participated in master classes with notable musicians such as Martin Beaver and Roberto Cani and has earned top awards in various California competitions. Previously, she served as concertmaster of the Pasadena Youth Symphony Philharmonic and won its concerto competition. A chamber music enthusiast, Sheshadri founded her high school’s chamber orchestra and has experience playing both violin and viola. In the fall, she will attend Northwestern University to study under Blair Milton while pursuing a second degree in physics. Beyond music, she enjoys astronomy, reading, walking, and spending time with her dog, Noodle.
Sheshadri will perform the first movement of Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 4 in D Major.
Anna Shung – Violin
Entering eighth grade, Anna Shung attends the Orange County School of the Arts. She is an active member of the Pacific Symphony Santiago Strings (PSSS), its Octet, and the Junior Chamber Music program. Her accolades include wins in solo and chamber music competitions such as the Satori Strings and JCM Competition. Shung has also performed as a solo violinist with the Pacific Symphony Youth Concert Band and served as Concertmaster for the California All-Southern Orchestra and Principal Violin for PSSS. Outside of music, she enjoys musical theater, having played lead roles like Ursula in The Little Mermaid and Sharpay Evans in High School Musical, as well as painting and drawing, with her art featured in Irvine Unified School District exhibitions.
She will perform the first movement of Saint-Saëns’ Violin Concerto No. 3 in B minor.
Victoria Shung – Violin
Also a student at the Orange County School of the Arts and sister to Anna, Victoria Shung participates in PSSS, its Octet, and Junior Chamber Music. Coming from a large musical family, she frequently performs alongside her siblings at community events across Los Angeles and Orange County. Her achievements include multiple awards in solo and chamber music competitions such as Satori Strings and the Music Teachers’ Association of California. Outside her musical pursuits, Victoria is an avid reader, writer, and values time with family and friends.
Victoria will perform the first movement of Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole.
Aviv Pilipski – Viola
Violist Aviv Pilipski studies with Gina Coletti and has been part of the Colburn School’s Ed and Mari Edelman Chamber Music Institute Honors Program since 2021. He won first prize in the Los Angeles region of the American String Teachers Association Strings Solo Competition and was a state finalist. His chamber music accomplishments include top honors from the Music Teachers’ Association of California’s VOCE and American Virtuoso competitions. Pilipski holds the position of principal violist with the Harvard-Westlake Chamber Orchestra and has taken master classes with esteemed artists such as Teng Li and members of the Sphinx Virtuosi. He performed in the 2023 and 2024 McAllister Honors Recitals and will enroll at Yale University in the fall.
His selection for the concert is Bruch’s Romanze for Viola and Orchestra.
Josephine Velez – Cello
Seventeen-year-old cellist Josephine Velez of Yorba Linda began playing cello at age five and currently studies with Dr. Yoshika Masuda. She has participated in the National Youth Orchestra 2 and National Youth Orchestra USA, performing at Carnegie Hall and touring internationally. Velez has won first place in the Great Composers Competition Series and the Satori Summer Music Festival Solo Competition, and is a Young Artist awardee of the Southwestern Youth Music Festival and recipient of the Noumi Fischer Prize.
Josephine will perform the third movement of Haydn’s Cello Concerto No. 1 in C Major.
Concert Conductor Comments
Conductor Fung Ho expressed admiration for the musical talents of the young soloists and the orchestra’s collective progress. He noted that despite their youth, the soloists perform with the skill of professional musicians and finds great joy in observing the ensemble’s cohesion.
Event Information
Date and Time: Sunday, June 29, 4 p.m.
Location: First Baptist Church, 75 N. Marengo Avenue, Pasadena
Cost: Free admission
Contact: 626-797-1994, psycochamberorch.org
Source: Pasadena Weekly
— The Violin Post Editorial Staff
