Matthew Keng – 1st Prize with Special Mention, Violin
Matthew is a junior at Montgomery High School who has been playing the violin since he was 4 years old, currently studying with Dr. Ilmar Gavilán of the Manhattan School of Music and Pala Garcia at the Juilliard Music Advancement Program, where he has served as concertmaster of both the orchestra and string ensemble and has also served as a representative of the program at Interlochen’s NYC Partnership Concert at Merkin Hall in March 2025. Matthew has won numerous awards and accolades including being named a Top 15 Exceptional Performer and First Prize Winner at the Charleston International Music Competition, a Platinum Award winner at the Brahms International Music Competition, and winning the Grand Prize and a scholarship at the Westminster Conservatory of Music Scholarship Competition, where he began his studies. In addition to his awards, Matthew has been invited to perform in masterclasses with internationally acclaimed musicians such as Nicola Benedetti and Charles Yang of the Grammy-award winning trio Time for Three. Matthew spent last summer at Boston University Tanglewood Institute’s Young Artists Orchestra where he served as concertmaster and studied with violinist Miguel Pérez-Espejo Cárdenas and returned this summer to their String Quartet Workshop, studying with the 2-time Grammy award-winning Attacca Quartet and Grammy-nominated cellist Sergey Antonov, along with Boston-based Arneis Quartet. Outside of music, Matthew loves enjoying food with friends and family, spending time outdoors, watching soccer and tennis, and taking pictures.