Left to right: William Tran, Shanna Jung, Elisa Hong, Alaina Lily Guthrie, Aylin Ballard, Lexie Moore, Yael Schumacher, Evelyn Keaton.
The Bristol Music Club held its 2025 Scholarship Auditions Saturday, May 3, at First Presbyterian Church, Bristol, Tennessee. Judges were Dr. Kellie Brown, Dr. Matthew Potterton and Beth Perkinson McCoy. They selected eight students to receive scholarships. Winners performed in a recital Sunday afternoon, May 4, at First Presbyterian Church.
Division II entrants are in grades 10 through 12.
The first-place winner in Division II is Shanna Jung, who is a piano student of Micaela Ková?ová. The daughter of Jisun Jeong, she was the Division III second place winner in 2022 and tied for first place in 2024. Jung just completed the 10th grade at the University School, Johnson City, Tennessee.
The second-place winner in Division II is mezzo soprano Aylin Ballard, who studies voice with Ivy Blair. Her parents are Matt and Erika Ballard. She is a rising senior in the Homelife Academy. In March 2025, Ballard participated in the RADDA Voice Festival, then competed in the Classical Singer Music Vocal Competition in April of this year. Also, in 2025 she performed with the Jonesboro Repertory Theatre in “Anything Goes Junior.” Her honors in 2024 include the Honors Performance Series @ Carnegie Hall and a Superior Rating in the auditions of the Appalachian Music Teachers Association. In 2023 she earned first class honors in the Level Seven exam of the Royal Conservatory of Music.
The third place in Division II is Alaina Lily Guthrie, who studies violin with Tim Barrett. She is the daughter of YiYi Guthrie. She recently finished the 10th grade in Sugar Grove, Virginia.
Division III Entrants are in Grades seven through nine.
The first-place winner is William Tran, who studies piano with Dr. Ben Caton. The son of Jill Bui and Martin Tran, he completed the eighth grade at Liberty Bell Middle School. Tran was also chosen as the 2025 winner of the Paramount Chamber Players award. In 2024, he was a state winner in the Tennessee Music Teachers Association auditions for seventh grade and runner up in the Junior Concerto category. He was named the 2024 Tennessee winner in the Junior Division of the Music Teachers National Association auditions. Continuing his 2024 wins, he achieved first place in the Classical and Bach categories and second place in the Chopin Category of the Knoxville International Piano Festival of the University of Tennessee School of Music. In the same festival in 2025, Tran took the first prize in the Junior Ensemble category. In the summer of 2024, he attended the InterHarmony Music Festival in Acqui Terme, Italy.
The second-place winner in this division is Elisa Hong who studies violin with Kim Barrett. Her parents are Jinseok Hong and Eunjyung Lee. She just finished the seventh grade at University School. Barrett has played in the ETSU Sinfonia Orchestra since 2023 and has annually played with the Symphony of the Mountains and the Academy of Strings.
The third-place winner in division III is soprano Lexie Moore, who has studied voice with Ivy Blair for three years. Moore has been a home-schooled ninth grader, and her parents are Drs. Tom and Heather Moore. In addition, she has studied piano with Cindy Josbena for two years. In 2023, Moore was a finalist in the Hal Leonard National Vocal Competition. That same year she was chosen the Middle School Female Vocal Student of the Year at University School. In 2024 she was a state award winner for level three for the Royal Conservatory of Music. Also, she placed second in classical voice and third in musical theater in the 2024 auditions of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. Moore has attended six vocal master classes and has participated in solo performances of the Blair Academy in 2023, 2024 and 2025. In addition, she won superior ratings in the 2023, 2024 and 2025 auditions of the Appalachian Music Teachers Association. She hopes to pursue her vocal and instrumental studies and become a professional vocalist.
Division IV is for students in grades four through six.
The first place in Division IV is Evelyn Keaton, who studies violin with Marianna Brickle. Keaton is a rising fifth grader at Towne Acres Elementary School in Johnson City, Tennessee. Her parents are Anna Keaton and Rodney Keaton. In the past two school years, Keaton has played in the ETSU Sinfonia Orchestra. She won the Parent Teacher Association Reflections Musical Composition Award for the state of Tennessee and a Tennessee State Award of Merit for the year 2024-2025. She has also participated in theater.
The second-place winner in Division IV is Yael Schumacher, who studies piano with Carol Stone. Her parents are Viktoria and Serge Schumacher, and the family is originally from Ukraine. Schumacher has participated in the 2024 Brooklyn Music Teachers Guild Intercontinental Competition, winning first place in Solo and Orchestra category. She performed at the New York Opera Center in November 2024 with the Chamber Orchestra with Maestro Rojas. In March 2025 she was a winner in the International Piano Festival Competition at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. She won first place in the Classical category for ages 7-10. She won second place in the Romantic/Contemporary category for ages 7-10.
