THE MUSIC MIND LAB PODCAST

Oliver Tan, raised in the Greater Seattle area, began his musical studies at age 7 on piano and 3 years later on the violin at age 10, initially just playing with his school orchestra and two years later being admitted into the studio of John Kim. In the summer of 2024, he attended Interlochen Arts Camp for violin for 3 weeks on a partial scholarship, and there he was under the tutelage of Dr. Naomi Gjevre. Oliver has won top prizes at various local music competitions, including the Bach Festival and Classical Viennese Festival, and has served as concertmaster in the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras (SYSO). He participated in a chamber music workshop hosted by the Skryos Quartet in the summer of 2025, in which he studied Mendelssohn's first string quartet in A Major, and he has also performed the first movement of Schubert’s Cello Quintet in C Major. He currently serves as assistant principal second violin in the Junior Symphony in SYSO, and plays in the first violin section of his school orchestra. In his free time, he enjoys doing debate, going on runs, and listening to music.

Harry Tao is an 11th grader at Wilton High School in Wilton, CT. He began studying cello using the Suzuki method. Over the years, he has received lessons from various teachers, including Lois Errante, Justin Park, Taeguk Mun, Samuel DeCaprio, Andrew Mark, Paul Katz, Leo Singer, Amir Eldan, Horacio Contreras, and Boubacar Diallo. Currently, Harry studies under Clara Kim in the Juilliard Pre-College program. 

Harry has accumulated awards for numerous competitions over the years, including 1st place in the 2023 Hamden Symphony Orchestra’s Young Musicians Concerto Competition, 1st place in the 2023 Danbury Symphony Orchestra Student Concerto Competition, First Prize Winner in the 2023 VIVO International Music Competition, 3rd place in the 2024 International Grand Music Competition, Finalist in the 47th Hartford Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Competition, 2nd place in the 2024 Marianne Liberatore Instrumental Competition, and 2nd place winner in the Junior II Division of the 2025 Camerata Artists International Competition.

During the summer, Harry attends numerous music camps to elevate his cello mastery. During the summer of 2023, Harry participated in the Junior Division of the Heifetz International Music Institute in Staunton, VA, and the Chamber Music Institute for Young Musicians under the direction of Asya Meshberg in Darien, CT. During the summer of 2024, Harry was a part of the Bowdoin International Music Festival in Brunswick, ME, and was the youngest student accepted into Paul Katz’s studio. For the summer of 2025, Harry joined the Center Stage Strings summer program at the University of Michigan, performing for donors and on outreach with his quartet, the Palindrome Quartet. Harry was also 1 of 4 cellists accepted into the Juilliard Pre-College program in 2023 as a cello major. Furthermore, Harry has served as the principal cellist for the Juilliard Pre-College Symphony for pieces such as “Les Préludes” by Franz Liszt and “Oboe Concerto in D Major” by Richard Strauss.

When he is not practicing the cello, Harry enjoys supporting his community and playing soccer. He currently plays soccer for the Wilton High School Varsity team. He was a starting player for the AC Connecticut U14 National Team, which became the U14 State Champions for Connecticut in 2023. Later that year, the team finished in the top 4 in the Eastern Regional Championships in June. He also co-founded the local music therapy non-profit Artistica Dynamica. Having served as treasurer since 2023, Harry and members of Artistica Dynamica perform “lecture-recitals” at schools and assisted living facilities across New England to educate others about the psychological benefits of music therapy.

Sydney is a 15 year-old violinist from Sausalito and studies with Elbert Tsai at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. As a soloist, Sydney has performed with multiple orchestras including the Mill Valley Philharmonic, the Sonoma County Philharmonic, and the Marin Symphony Youth Orchestra. Sydney has garnered numerous awards and accolades. She is a 2026 YoungArts award winner, the 2025-2026 MTNA California state winner in the Senior Strings category, one of nine national semi-finalists in the prestigious 28th Sphinx Competition, and first prize winner in Pacific Music Society, International Youth Music Competition, and Korea-American Music Supporters Competition. She is the 4-time recipient of the Marin Music Chest and was awarded the Alma Tomlinson Award for Outstanding Performance in 2025.

Sydney is an avid chamber musician and a founding member of the Onde Trio. Her passion for learning and performing chamber music was recognized by Yellow Barn, the internationally renowned chamber music program, with an invitation to participate in a collaborative performance at the 2025 summer music festival. Sydney is a current member of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra (Second Violin Co-Principal 2024-2025) and a past member of the Marin Symphony Youth Orchestra (Co-Concertmaster 2022-2024). In past summers, Sydney has attended Music@Menlo (2024), Center Stage Strings at the University of Michigan (2025, 2024, 2023), and the Sphinx Performance Academy at Juilliard (2022) and Cleveland Institute of Music (2023).  Outside of music, Sydney is a fan of poke, crocheting, and F1 racing.

Charie Chang is a pianist and violinist from Seattle, Washington.