Salma Khakimov – Wieniawski Violin Concerto (in full)
Louis Li – Grieg Piano Concerto (3rd movement)
Harrison Meng – Walton Viola Concerto (1st and 2nd movements)
They will be playing with the orchestra on Saturday October 4, 2025
Salma Khakimov (she/her) is an aspiring young musician who shows equal love and interest towards both the piano and the violin. She has won multiple awards at provincial and national competitions since she was 5 years old.
In 2019, Salma was accepted to the Phil and Eli Taylor Music Academy for Young Artists, and in 2021-2024, she was generously offered full scholarship tuition.
In 2021, Salma participated in the OMNI Competition and won the Yannick Nézet–Séguin Prize, with a $2000 scholarship. In addition, she won 1st place at the Ontario Music Festivals Association (OMFA) provincials Gr. 10.
During the COVID–19 pandemic, Salma and her brother Karim organized a series of online concerts and charity events that were live-streamed to friends and music lovers worldwide. Salma regularly performs at recitals, outreach concerts and local retirement homes.
In 2022, Salma became a semi-finalist in the International Classicalia competition in Vienna, Austria. In the same year, Salma won two Canadian concerto competitions, including the Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artist Concerto Competition and the North York Concerto Competition. Following that, she was awarded 3rd place in the CMC National Finals in Quebec City in the 11-year-old age category. Additionally, Salma and her friends from Taylor Academy formed the Sacora Trio and, in 2024, organized a charity concert for Ukraine and raised over $2,500 to support children suffering from the war. Later in the year, Salma became a member of the TSYO in the 2024-25 season.
In 2025, she advanced to the finale of the Burlington New Millennium Concerto Competition and played the 2nd and 3rd movements from Wieniawski’s 2nd Violin Concerto, where she was awarded 2nd place.
While Salma envisions that classical music will be woven into her future professional life, her versatile interests include reading, history, drinking coffee, and photography, and she constantly works on expanding her intellectual and spiritual horizons. Salma currently plays a 19th-century Georges Chanot violin on loan from the RCM. Salma studies violin with Marie Bérard, a renowned violinist and concertmaster of the Canadian Opera Company.
Louis Li, a 13-year-old pianist born in Hong Kong and now based in Toronto, Canada, discovered his deep passion for classical music at the age of five when he first touched the piano keys. To Louis, music transcends borders—it is a universal language that connects people from diverse backgrounds and resonates with the human spirit.
Since 2023, Louis has been studying under Dr. Michael Berkovsky, a distinguished member of the piano faculty at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Canada. Prior to this, he honed his artistry under the tutelage of esteemed pianist Ms. Vanessa Wai Yin Wong at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. He has had the privilege of participating in masterclasses with distinguished musicians, including Dang Thai Son (Canada), Vanessa Latarche (U.K.), Gabriel Kwok (H.K.), Eleanor Wong (H.K.), Tamás Ungár (U.S.), John Owings (U.S.), Igor Resnianski (U.S.), William Fong (U.K.), Caterina Grewe (U.K.), David Ball (Hungary), Charlotte Hu (U.S.), Tony Yang (Canada), and Xin Wang (Germany).
A decorated young performer, Louis has had the honor of being recognized in the world of classical music, earning top prizes in several prestigious international competitions. Some of his notable achievements include the Grand Prize at the Tokyo International Youth Music Competition (Japan, 2019), Purcell International Competition (U.K., 2019), Neapolitan Masters Competition Asia Edition (Malaysia, 2020), Young Euregio Piano Award (Germany, 2021), Artepiano International Competition (Italy, 2022), IPPA Conero International Piano Competition (U.S., 2024), and the Steinway Piano Competition Canada (2023 & 2025).
In addition, Louis had the privilege of showcasing his artistry at the PianoTexas Concerto Competition in both 2021 and 2023, where he was selected to perform with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra at the PianoTexas International Festival and Academy in both 2021 and 2023, under the baton of Miguel Harth-Bedoya at the Van Cliburn Concert Hall in Texas. In 2025, he won first prize in the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Orchestra’s Concerto Competition and is slated to perform under conductor Matthew Jones. That summer, he will appear as a featured soloist with the Karlovarský Symfonický Orchestr at the Elevato Piano Festival in the Czech Republic, conducted by Sébastien Bagnoud.
Beyond competitions, Louis has had the privilege of performing on distinguished international stages. In 2022, he was invited by the Chopin Society of Hong Kong to appear as a soloist in the Young Talents Series of tthe Hong Kong Joy of Music Festival. These events were broadcast live between Hong Kong and Vienna, allowing global audiences to enjoy his performance despite pandemic-related travel restrictions. In 2023, Louis was honoured to present a full-length solo recital at the Zenél a Kastély Festival, held at the majestic Gödöllői Királyi Kastély in Budapest, Hungary. In 2024, he had the special opportunity to collaborate on piano and bassoon duets, culminating in a memorable performance at Carnegie Hall in New York.
Moreover, Louis is deeply committed to using music as a way to make a positive impact. In 2023, he organized a charity concert to support music education programs for underprivileged children, with the goal of providing greater access to classical music training for youth from disadvantaged backgrounds. In 2025, he organized another charity concert in support of a hospital for sick children (SickKids) in Canada, raising funds for children’s healthcare. Additionally, he was honored with an invitation to perform on RTHK 4 in Hong Kong, where his broadcasted performance reached a wider audience. Overall, his dedication to the piano is reflected in his passion for sharing his music with audiences worldwide.
Louis Li continues to grow as an artist with a deep sense of purpose, blending musical excellence with a heartfelt desire to connect and give back through music.
Violist Harrison Yang Meng, is a passionate full scholarship student at The Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists. Harrison began violin at age seven with his mother and studied with her until he began viola at 14. He has performed at Koerner Hall, Roy Thomson Hall, Cleveland Blossom Music Centre, and many other prestigious halls.
Harrison is the grand prize winner of the 2024 International Music Festival and Competition. He is also a winner of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition and will perform solo with the TSYO in 2025. Harrison is a prize winner of the Canadian Music Competition, Ontario Music Festivals Association Competitions, and first prize winner of the North York Music Festival and Kiwanis Music Festival. In the 2025–2026 season, he will perform a full solo concerto with the Kindred Spirits Orchestra.
Harrison has performed solo with the Canada Youth Chamber Orchestra in 2024. He has attended the Heifetz International Music Institute. Harrison’s quartet is also invited to the 2025 Banff International String Quartet Competition (BISQC) Youth Program. Harrison played in masterclasses with Juan-Miguel Hernandez, Ayana Kozasa, Steven Tenenbom, Michael Van der Sloot, Annemarie Moorcroft, Jonathan Crow, Violaine Melançon, and many other great musicians.
A dedicated chamber and orchestral musician, Harrison sits as principal violist for the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra and the RCM Taylor Academy Chamber Orchestra. He currently studies with Theresa Rudolph at The Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists.