Miguel Flores-Padilla began his musical journey studying under the 116th Army Band’s Principal Saxophonist, Brandyn Taylor. Serving as the Atlanta Youth Wind Symphony’s saxophone Section Leader, Miguel has performed at Carnegie Hall, The Classic Center, the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center, and other venues alongside the group’s full ensemble and saxophone quartet. A resident of Kennesaw, Georgia, Miguel has enjoyed his time as Drum Major of the North Cobb High School Marching Band, as well as President of North Cobb’s multi-instrumental ensembles: Tri-M Music Honor Society and United Sound. Miguel is a National YoungArts Winner in Classical Saxophone, and a recipient of the Phi Beta Mu All-State Senior Scholarship. Appearing on GPB’s Instrument Quest and The 8 to 5 Club Podcast, Miguel has committed himself to encouraging the youth’s lifelong interaction with music. He is a current Brand Ambassador for the marching arts organization Silent Command as well as a member of the Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps. Miguel will attend Northwestern University in the fall of 2024 to study Music Education and Psychology.

Croft (Didi) Stone began performing the violin in 1st grade with the Fayette Fiddlers. His continuous passion for orchestra led him to perform in the GMEA All-State orchestra every year since 6th grade, Emory Junior Chamber Orchestra, Emory Youth Symphony Orchestra, and the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra. Didi was also one of ten violinists selected for the Georgia Governor’s Honors Program in 2022. In addition to serving as the concertmaster of the Alpharetta High School Symphony Orchestra, during the 2023-24 school year, he held the position of concertmaster in both the Emory Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra. In 2024, in addition to winning the Emory Youth Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition, Didi was selected as a member of the prestigious National Youth Orchestra (NYO-USA) and toured with the orchestra in South America under conductor Marin Alsop.

Didi is also an avid chamber musician. Since elementary school, he has played with Quartet Le Petit. The quartet won the State-level Kiwanis Music & Art Competition in 2022 and top prizes at the Franklin Pond Chamber Music Competitions in 2018, 2019, 2021, & 2023. His newly formed Trio in 2024 was a semi-finalist in the Coltman National Chamber Music Competition and won the Franklin Pond Chamber Music competition that same year.

Apart from his violin skills, Didi is an accomplished singer, winning local competitions in Fayette County, Georgia, and Quanzhou, China. He has been chosen as a soloist for the Georgia All-State Chorus for two consecutive years. In the summer of 2023, Didi had the opportunity to record solo songs for a local composer in Xiamen, China. Beyond music, Didi enjoys hobbies such as solving Rubik's cubes, working out, and playing tennis.

Youyou Zhu has been a member of the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra and the Georgia Music Educators Association All-State Orchestra, where she served as concertmaster of the 11/12 String Orchestra in the 2024 program. She earned superior ratings from the Solo and Ensemble Festival throughout high school and performed in masterclasses as a member of the Franklin Pond Chamber Music Program this past year. She also attended summer intensive programs such as the Sewanee Summer Music Festival and Georgia’s Governors Honors Program in 2021 and 2023, respectively. This past April, she traveled to Europe along with members of the Johns Creek High School Orchestra to perform in France. Youyou will attend Emory University in the fall of 2024, majoring in neuroscience and behavioral biology and minoring in music performance.

Amy Shan started playing piano at the age of 5, and began studying with Mr. Jonathan Klein at 11. She regularly competed in the Georgia Music Teachers' Association State auditions, where she has received the Outstanding Performer award. Additionally, she often participated in local events such as the Athens MTA Sonata Festival, E-Festival, Fall Recital, Intermediate Masterclass, and more. She has played in masterclasses taught by Dr. Evgeny Rivkin, Dr. Liza Stepanova, and Dr. Paul Barnes. For 2024-25, she was accepted into the undergraduate piano programs at Manhattan School of Music, Boston Conservatory at Berklee, and more. Outside of competing, Amy has played piano at her church, cafes, All-State band, jazz concerts, weddings, recitals, and worked as an accompanist, performer, and private teacher.

Alex Woloschinow began playing the cello at age 12. He has performed with the Georgia Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Emory Youth Symphony Orchestra, and the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra. Alex has also attended the 2022 Georgia Governor’s Honors Program and the 2023 Brevard Summer Music Institute. A student of Harrison Cook, Alex has served as the principal cellist of the GMEA District 12 Honor Orchestra, the GMEA 11/12 All-State Full Orchestra, and the Hillgrove High School Mastery Orchestra, leading his section in performances at Carnegie Hall in New York and Harpa Hall in Iceland. At Hillgrove, Alex has held the position of Vice President of the Tri-M Music Honors Society and Co-Founder of the Hillgrove Cello Choir. He has performed as a guitarist with the Hillgrove Jazz Orchestra at the Midwest International Clinic.

Alex has been a student of Franklin Pond Chamber Music and the ASYO Chamber Players. As a member of the Willow Quartet, he has performed at the GMEA State Conference and received the Founder’s Award in the 2024 Franklin Pond Chamber Music Competition. In the fall, he will attend Johns Hopkins University to study Applied Mathematics and the Peabody Conservatory to continue his studies with Professor Alan Stepansky.

CJ Yeager is a euphonium player and a native of Dallas, Georgia, where he attended East Paulding High School. While in high school, Clifton was a member of organizations and groups such as West Georgia Winds, the Atlanta Low Brass Academy, and Atlanta CV Drum & Bugle Corps. In addition, Clifton served as Principal Euphonium for many honor bands and clinics such as GMEA All-State bands & District Honor bands as well as UGA’s Janfest.

Clifton feels very fortunate to have been taught by Mr. Josh Robichaux & Mr. Aidan Lerner, as well as to study under Mr. Michael Brown. This upcoming Fall (2024), Clifton will be a full-time student at the University of North Georgia where he looks forward to studying Music Education. Outside of music, Clifton enjoys hiking, running & walking, food, spending time with friends and family and experiencing new things.