Sophia Ran – Yellow River Piano Concerto
Ryan Yin – Elgar Cello Concerto
Oliver Xu – Brahms Violin Concerto
They will perform with the orchestra on Saturday January 30, 2027.
Xinyi (Sophia) Ran began her musical journey at the age of five. She currently studies piano and voice under the guidance of Dr. Michael Berkovsky and Dr. Charlene Pauls, respectively. Sophia holds both ARCT and LRCM diplomas in Piano Performance from RCM. An accomplished pianist and vocalist, Sophia has received numerous top prizes, grand awards, and scholarships at music festivals and competitions across Canada and internationally. Her distinctions include the Rose Bowl Award at the Peel Music Festival, the Livingston/Fair Memorial Scholarship at the Hamilton Music Festival, the Clara Bookbinder Memorial Scholarship at the Guelph Kiwanis Music Festival, top awards at the CCC Toronto International Music Festival and the International Music Festival and Competition (IMFC), multiple awards at the OMFA Provincial Finals for five consecutive years, First Place in the Piano Category at the 2026 Canadian Music Competition (CMC) National Finals, and the youngest pianist among the six National Emerging Artist Finalists at the 2023 Federation of Canadian Music Festivals (FCMF).
Internationally, she received the Platinum Prize and Outstanding Technique Special Award at the Schubert International Music Competition, First Place and a scholarship at the 2026 IPPA International Piano Competition, as well as Second Prize at the 2026 WPTA Austria International Piano Competition. Sophia has performed at numerous venues across Canada and China, including the Rose Theatre Brampton, Living Arts Centre Mississauga, Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts, Burlington Performing Arts Centre, Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts, Beijing Music Theatre, and Zhongshan Concert Hall. In 2024, she presented a solo piano recital in Toronto. In April 2025, she performed Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A Minor with the Burlington New Millennium Orchestra. She will appear as piano soloist with the Seohan Orchestra in the fall of 2026. In January 2027, she will make her debut with the North York Concert Orchestra, performing the iconic Yellow River Piano Concerto.
In recognition of her artistic achievements and community contributions, Sophia received the 2025 Youth Artist Award from the Town of Oakville and performed at the award ceremony at the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts. Beyond piano and voice, Sophia is a versatile performer who also plays oboe in her school band and is frequently invited to participate in cultural and community events as a pianist, vocalist, dancer, master of ceremonies, and event organizer.
Outside of music, Sophia has demonstrated excellence in debate and writing. She is a multiple-time debate champion and an award-winning speaker at provincial, national, and international tournaments, including being a semi-finalist at the Harvard British Parliamentary Debate Tournament. Her writing has been published by the Toronto Public Library’s Young Voices magazine and Polar Expressions Publishing, and she has delivered speeches at public literary events celebrating young authors.
Ryan Yin started learning piano at 5 years old with Dr. Olga Chichova and cello at 6 years old with Caron Allen. Ryan has great passion for music and enjoys performing and sharing his love of music with others.
Ryan is learning cello in The Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists in Royal Conservatory of Music. His private teacher is David Hetherington. In addition to cello performance, Ryan likes chamber music and composition.
Ryan won 2023 Canadian Music Competition (CMC) National Final scholarships and 1st place in the 15-year age category Chamber Group, 2nd place in the 11-year age category Strings, and 3rd place in the 11-year age category Piano. In 2025, Ryan received the 1st place in lower strings ARCT and the 1st place in Senior Chamber Group in OMFA Provincial Finals. Ryan and his Sacora Trio won the Grand Prize in the 11-14 age group in the 2025 CMC National final and he won the 2nd place in the 11-14 age category Strings for his cello solo.
Oliver (Zihuan) Xu, a 17-year-old violinist began playing at age six and currently studies under Marko Dreher. He was accepted into the RCM Phil and Eli Taylor Academy in 2021 and has participated in masterclasses with renowned violinists including Ida Kavafian, Gwen Hoebig, Mimi Zweig, Sibbi Bernhardsson, Martin Beaver, and William Van der Sloot.
In 2026, Oliver won the York Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition and received second prize at the Oakville Chamber Orchestra Concerto Competition.
In 2025, Oliver received third prize in the Canadian Music Competition age 15-18 Strings category, where he was invited to attend the Gathering with the Stars 2025 after winning first prize in the provincial category. In the same year, he won third prize and the Fondation Tonetti Award at the Geneva Junior Music Competition.
In 2023, he secured first prizes in the Canadian Music Competition and the Phil and Eli Taylor Academy Concerto Competition, alongside multiple awards at local music festivals.
Oliver recently received the Oakville Chamber Orchestra Youth Engagement Scholarship for the third year in a row, joining the orchestra for the 2026-27 season after previously playing in the 2024-25 and 2025-26 season. In addition to this, he was also a member of the Toronto Youth Symphony Orchestra, from 2024-26. Oliver spent the summer of 2024 at the Bowdoin International Music Festival, studying under Nelson Lee.
Oliver is also the violinist of the Inicio Trio. In 2025, they won first prize in the age 15-18 chamber category of the Canadian Music Competition. They also received third prize at the Geneva Junior Music Competition. Additionally, they placed first in the OMFA Provincial Finals as well as in local festivals. In 2023, they won first prize in the age 15 chamber music group in the Canadian Music Competition, various awards in the Peel and Kiwanis music festivals, and the OMFA Provincial Finals.
In addition to music, Oliver enjoys reading, photography, travelling, and math.