Youth Programs

Amy is a 16 year old violinist from Oakville, Ontario, with 10 years of violin experience.

Over the course of her musical career, Amy has performed with various youth ensembles, such as in the Young Artist Pre-College Academy, the London Youth Symphony Orchestra. Most recently, she has played with the Oakville Symphony Youth Orchestra, where her musicianship has grown alongside the challenging repertoire. She is also currently the Concertmaster of the White Oaks String Ensemble, performing at Golden Horseshoe Nationals and occasionally playing at the Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital. Outside of group performances, Amy is preparing for her RCM Level 10 examination under the guidance of Laurissa Chitty.

Andrew Zeng is a 17-year-old cellist from Oakville. He began his musical studies on piano at the age of five with Catherine Lu, and later took up the cello at age nine under the guidance of Bryan Lu.

An active and versatile young musician, Andrew has earned numerous awards and has consistently placed in the top three at local competitions in both piano and cello. He is deeply engaged in his school’s musical life at Appleby College, having served as a pianist collaborator for school musicals and as an active participant in the school’s orchestra club. He is also currently a member of the Oakville Symphony Youth Orchestra, where he continues to develop his ensemble and orchestral playing.

Anjali Balan is a young musician from Oakville performing at the RCM ARCT level under the guidance of Amalia Canzoneri. She is a principal violinist with the Oakville Symphony Youth Orchestra, where she has performed for four years, and an active member of the string ensemble at Abbey Park High School. Last April, she had the honour of performing at Carnegie Hall with the OSYO, earning a gold medal. Anjali has also excelled at the Hamilton Music Festival as both a soloist and chamber musician, demonstrating versatility, strong orchestral technique, and refined musical interpretation.

Beyond music, Anjali is an AP student and a dedicated leader in extracurricular activities. She founded an after-school program at two local elementary schools, sharing her passion for engineering through engaging and hands-on activities.

Boxun (Bruce) Zhou is a 15-year-old cellist from Oakville, possessing a deep passion and understanding of music. He believes that music is not only his greatest devotion, but also a language that connects him and others from diverse communities.

A student in Upper Canada College, he won Third Prize in CMC Ontario, First Prize in UMC, Silver Award in the chamber section of MusicFest Canada, and the Laurier University Quartetfest Workshop Scholarship. Currently, he is studying with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra cellist Songhee Lee. His former teachers include the renowned Canadian cellist Andras Weber, as well as Chinese cellists Tingyu Yang, Yichen Yang, and XIaoqi Sun of the Central Conservatory of Music in China. While he recently played as the principal cellist of the CISMF Chamber Orchestra, his rich orchestral experience also includes playing with the Mississauga Symphony Youth Orchestra and the Mooredale Youth Orchestra. On top of all that, he is excited about his future partnership and growth with the Oakville Symphony, in which he will share the joy of crafting music with more fellow musicians in his community.

Edward Wu (b. 2009) is a violinist from Toronto. In 2022, he was accepted into the Phil and Eli Taylor Academy for Young Artists, where he currently studies under Timothy Ying.

He has won numerous prizes in the IMFC (Grand Prize) and 2nd at the Canadian Music Competition. In the summer of 2023, he was selected to participate in the Toronto Summer Music Festival (TSM). Edward has been concertmaster of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra for 2 seasons. He has attended the Heifetz Institute in Staunton, Virginia, and invited at the youth chamber music program at the Banff International String Quartet Competition. He has collaborated with celebrated musicians such as Timothy Chooi, Ida Kavafian, James Ehnes, and the Borromeo String Quartet.

Xinru Lai is a 16 year old violinist studying at the Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy at the Royal Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Ms. Kelly Parkins-Lindstrom and Mr. Jonathan Crow. She is currently in her third season as a violinist with the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra.

In the summer of 2024, Xinru attended the Jacobs School of Music Summer Program at Indiana University, where she studied with Professor Mimi Zweig. She has won first prize in the International Music Festival Concerto Competition, the Yips Music Festival Concerto Competition, the Kiwanis Music Festival, the Ontario Music Festival Provincials, and the North York Music Festival. She has also been a national finalist in the Canadian Contemporary Showcase and a contestant in the Ilona Fehér International Competition.
Xinru has had the opportunity to work with distinguished artists such as Robert Uchida, Andrew Wan, Rebecca Henry, and Mimi Zweig.