Scholarship Winners 2024-2025

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Coco is pleased to announce our 2024-2025 Music Scholarship awardees. The scholarships are available to student musicians residing in Delmarva and attending either middle or high school, public or private.  Scholarship awards may be used for music camps, university courses, instrument purchases or repairs, or for private music lessons.  All musicians are eligible.

 

Dorothy and Elizabeth Music Scholarship Award

Sophia Allan

 

High School Musicality Award

Marcos Salvador Riera

Peter Jin

 

Middle School Musicality Award

Emily Zhou

 

Sussex County Council Award

Anna Liang

Sophia Allan

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The annual scholarship program is just one element of Coastal Concerts’ comprehensive commitment to promoting classical music appreciation on Delmarva.  Other initiatives include school-based performances by professional concert artists; free youth and discounted student admission to concerts; free community lectures and performances; and collection of used buy playable musical instruments for donation to local schools.

 

Since the introduction of the scholarship program in 2002, 65 students have received awards totaling $61,800.

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Meet the Winners

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Sophia Allan was born in Guangxi, China and adopted as an infant by her American parents. Presently, she lives in Seaford, Delaware with her family. Inspired by her mother and older siblings, Sophia began her musical journey at the age of three, and her passion for music grew with time. 

 

Sophia’s professional training has come from respected music instructors Kara Comparetto, Krista Reeder, Jeff Scott, and Professor Lyubov Paskova Anderson. She continues to study privately with Professor Paskova Anderson. Sophia has had the honor of participating in two Salisbury University Piano Master Classes given by Dr. Ham Chan and Prof. Dynasty Battles.

 

Sophia's most notable achievements include:

• Performances at the University of Salisbury, Maryland ”Celebration of Great Composers" 2024 and 2025

• National Piano Guild Audition (2024)

• Performances at Salisbury Wicomico Arts Council 2024 fundraising events

• Recognition in three international music competitions (2024)

    ~Finalist, Charleston International Music Competition

    ~First runner-up, International Youth Music Competition

    ~First place, Crescendo International Music Competition

• Performance at Weil Hall, Carnegie Hall (February 2025)

 

Currently, Sophia is preparing for her upcoming international student exchange program to Japan in July 2025, following an invitation from Crescendo International Music Competition. In addition, she is preparing for college entrance applications to Curtis Institute of Music and Liberty University. In the fall of 2026, Sophia hopes to be pursuing a Bachelor’s in Piano Performance. Her dream is to one day play with an orchestra.

 

Sophia is a piano accompanist, and recently she performed with Somerset Intermediate Choir in Maryland. She has also recently begun offering private piano instruction. In her spare time, Sophia enjoys baking, painting, fashion sketching, and many arts and crafts.

 

Sophia is very grateful to Coastal Concerts Scholarships, and she will be using the scholarship money towards furthering her music education.

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Marcos Salvador-Riera is a 16 year-old vocalist and violist at Cab Calloway School of the Arts in Wilmington.  He performs as a tenor in the vocal program at Cab, and has been selected to sing with DE All-State Senior Choir for the last 3 years and DE Governor’s School vocal program at University of Delaware in 2024. As a soloist, Marcos competed in the 2024 Greater Philadelphia Region NATS competition, placing 1st in Musical Theatre (TBB), and 2nd in the Classical division (TBB).  He also has won the Robert T Sataloff Award for Best Overall High School Performance in both 2023 and 2024.  Last Spring, he placed 1st in the NATS Eastern Regional competition and placed 1st in both HS Classical and Musical Theatre divisions.  In Summer 2024 he was selected as a Semi-Finalist for NATS Nationals (TBB).  

 

Marcos was also Delaware’s 2023 MTNA Senior Voice Winner. Marcos loves being on stage and could recently be seen playing the role of Mark in Cab Calloway’s production of RENT, and Dmitry in The Everett Theatre’s production of Anastasia. As a violist, Marcos is an Advanced Studies Scholar at the Settlement School of Music in Philadelphia, participating in the Snitzer Quartet coached by William Polk of the Philadelphia Orchestra.  This summer, he will be playing with NYO2 (National Youth Orchestra 2) participating in an intensive residency in NY culminating in concerts at Carnegie Hall and the Edinburgh Music Festival in Scotland. Marcos is a National Honor Society Inductee, AP scholar with honor, and National Merit Scholar semi-finalist, and has recently been named a 2025 Carson Scholar. ​

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Peter Jin, a sophomore at James M. Bennett High School from Salisbury, Maryland, has been playing piano for the past ten years under the instruction of Ms. Luba Paskova. Peter is passionate about channeling music to support the community: last year, he chaired the student board of Classics for a Cause, an annual student-produced music concert which raises funds for instruments and musical education for underserved local students. Peter has been involved with
Classics for many years. He has also won 1 st prize in the International Youth Music Competition and the Crescendo International Music Competition, and was invited to perform at Carnegie Hall, the Kaufman Music Center, and the DiMenna Center for Classical Music in New York City.

 

Peter has been awarded multiple times the Salisbury Wicomico Arts Council’s (SWAC) Douglas I. Smith Memorial Grant, a scholarship given to talented young artists for musical education and projects. He participates in the Royal Conservatory of Music Certificate Program, where he is a 4-time State winner, and the National Piano Guild Auditions. He also plays violin as Concertmaster of his school’s orchestra and is part of the Salisbury Youth Orchestra. On the violin, Peter has qualified for the Maryland State Solo & Ensemble for several years. Aside from music, Peter also enjoys research; he has published scientific papers in journals and international conferences, and participated in a summer research program for undergraduate students at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. When he is not making music, Peter often can be found playing lacrosse for his school, swimming, and volunteering at a local hospital.​

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Emily Zhou, an 8th grader at Newark Charter Junior High, serves as Vice President of the Student Government and has been studying piano under the guidance of Lotus Cheng in music school of Delaware. She has earned numerous musical accolades, including 1st place in the 2024 MTNA Delaware State Competition and 2nd place in the Delaware Piano Competition. Emily has also excelled in various other competitions, winning the 12-and-under category at her first concerto competition in 2023 and receiving high honors in ABRSM exams. She was awarded the Grand Prix Prize at the 2022 Rising Star Music Festival, which led to a performance at Carnegie Hall, and has consistently earned Superior Plus and Superior ratings at DSMTA Solo Piano Festivals. 

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In addition to her musical achievements, Emily has been passionate about figure skating since the age of 4. She earned gold medals at the International Solo Ice Dance Competition 2025 and 2024, and a bronze medal at the 2024 US National Solo Dance Competition. Emily is also an active member of the National Junior Honor Society and the Public Speaking Club, and she volunteers at the Delaware Food Bank.

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Anna Liang, an 11-year-old pianist from Lewes, DE, is in sixth grade at Sussex Academy. She has studied piano with Ms. Meldene Gruber since 2020.  Anna was evaluated by the National Guild Program annually. Last year, she was certified as the level of Prep A (High School Freshman). Prior to that, she and her partner won 2nd place in the 2023 United States International Duo Piano Competition (USIDPC). She attended the 2024 Master Class Program organized by Delaware State Music Teachers Association (DSMTA).

 

Additionally, she has participated in the annual Henle Piano Competition since 2022, and performed in semiannual Musicale piano recitals organized by Ms. Gruber and other fellow piano teachers. Anna also enjoyed playing piano in public environments, including but not limited to the morning service at the Lutheran Church of Our Savior in Rehoboth Beach, DE and a Sing for Hope piano at the World Trade Center station in New York, NY. At Sussex Academy, she plays keyboard for the school’s Jazz Band. Outside of music, Anna is in Sussex Academy’s Honor Roll. She was the 3rd place winner in the 2024 Southern Delaware Spelling Bee, and the Bronze (2022-2023) and Gold (2023-2024) medallion recipient of the President’s Volunteer Service Award. In her leisure time, she loves immersing herself in arts, tennis, reading, and Chinese.

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Congrats to All!

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