Five talented high school musicians will take the stage at 2 p.m. on Feb. 14 at Truman Crawford Hall at Marine Barracks Washington in D.C. for the final round of the Marine Band Concerto Competition for High School Musicians. These outstanding finalists were chosen from a pool of over 100 competitive applicants, and the winner of the competition will receive a $2,500 scholarship from the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation and a solo opportunity with the Marine Band. Second and third place winners will receive $1,000 and $500 scholarships respectively.

Learn more about the Concerto Competition

The finalists will perform prepared concertos before a panel of judges consisting of Marine Band Director Lt. Col. Ryan J. Nowlin, Associate Director Capt. Darren Y. Lin, Assistant Director 1st Lt. Jose Toranzo and guest adjudicator Maestro José-Luis Novo, artistic director and conductor of the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra.

This free performance is open to the public; no tickets are required. The performance will take place at Marine Barracks Washington at 8th and I Streets SE, Washington, D.C. Free parking is available in the gated lot under the I-695 overpass. Patrons should enter Marine Barracks Washington through the main gate at the intersection of 8th and I Streets SE. Please allow extra time for ID checks at the gate.

Come cheer on these exceptional young musicians. Learn more about the finalists below!

Alexander Fiszer of Hopewell, New Jersey, is a senior at Liberty University Online Private High School and has played the cello for 12 years. He is the principal cellist for three orchestras in New Jersey and is a member of the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. In 2023, Fiszer won second place at Nebrija University’s Forum Musikae in Madrid and placed second place in the Radda International Competition for the bass and cello division. Fiszer also won first place in the International Academy of Music Competition in Italy in 2024, and in 2025, placed second place in the OPUS Music Competition. Fiszer won the Concerto Competition for the Youth Orchestra of Central New Jersey and will be featured in National Public Radio’s ‘From the Top’ in the coming months. Fiszer has organized and performed in recitals for the past three years as a way to fundraise for various causes such as California Wildfire Direct Giving Fund, funds for a new performing arts center and a scholarship fund for music summer camps. Fiszer will perform Joseph Haydn’s Moderato from Cello Concerto No. 1 in C, Hob. VIIb:1.

Crystal Pang of Long Island, New York, is a sophomore at The Hotchkiss School. She has played piano for 10 years and currently studies with Dr. Ernest Barretta at Juilliard Pre-College in New York. Pang has received first prize at the Vladimir Nielsen International Piano Competition, third prize at the 12th César Franck International Piano Competition, as well as first prizes at the China–Singapore International Piano Competition and the New York Solo Competition. She has also performed in venues such as Teatro La Fenice and Basilica di Sant’Anastasia in Italy, as well as Carnegie Hall, Paul Hall and the Tilles Center in New York. Pang will perform the first movement of Robert Schumann’s Allegro affettuoso from Piano Concerto in A minor, Opus 54.

Sunjoo Lucas Park of Old Tappan, New Jersey, is a junior at Northern Valley Regional High School. He began violin studies at age 4 and transitioned to viola at age 9, studying with Sun Boon Jeong. He started Juilliard Pre-College at age 11 under Molly Carr, and currently studies with Yi-Fang Huang. Park has performed at many venues in New York, including Carnegie Hall, Bruno Walter Auditorium, Alice Tully Hall and DiMenna Center. He has earned top prizes in competitions such as East Coast International Competition, Lyra Music Festival Competition and Vancouver International Music Competition. As a soloist, he performed with the New York Classical Youth Orchestra, and he has held principal positions in Juilliard Pre-College String Ensemble and Symphony, as well as New Jersey regional and all-state orchestras. As a 2026 YoungArts Winner with Distinction, he is selected as a finalist in the Senior Solo Competition of the 2026 American Viola Society, to be held in June. Park is an active member of Emergency Medical Services (EMS), currently completing his Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) training, committed to not only music but to also service. He will perform Franz Anton Hoffmeister’s Allegro from Viola Concerto in D.

Olivia Shidler of Short Hills, New Jersey, is a junior at Millburn High School and Juilliard Pre-College in New York where she studies with Nancy Allen. She has played the harp for 10 years, having studied with Stacey Shames until 2021. At age12, she made her Carnegie Hall debut as a Music Fest Grand Prix Winner and was featured at Symphony Space in the Anselmo Competition's Winners' Concert. At age 15, she won third prize in the American Harp Society’s National Competition 18 and under division and First Place in the Young Artist Harp Seminar Mock Audition Competition. Shidler was featured on the April 2024 ‘Rising Stars’ episode of Public Broadcasting Service’s Now Hear This and won first prize in the 2024 Charleston Romantic Music Competition. She was recently invited to join Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute’s National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America this upcoming summer. She has performed under the batons of Adam Glaser, Xian Zhang, Daniele Rustioni and Gustavo Dudamel with the New York Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. Shidler will perform Claude Debussy’s Danses sacrée et profane.

Elizabeth “Poppy” Song of Haworth, New Jersey, is a violinist studying with Dr. Masao Kawasaki at Juilliard Pre-College in New York. In 2025, Song received third prize at the Johansen International Competition, 4th prize and best performance of the commissioned work at the Klein String Competition and was named a 2025 National YoungArts Winner with Distinction. Song is also the first prize winner of the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra’s Elizabeth Loker Concerto Competition; the Suburban Music Study Club Scholarship Competition; the Riverside Symphonia Caprio Young Artists Competition; the Capital Philharmonic of New Jersey’s Youth Concerto Competition; the New Jersey Intergenerational Orchestra’s Young Artist Concerto Competition; the Juilliard Pre-College String Orchestra Concerto Competition; and a third prize winner of the 2023 Piccolo Violino Magico Competition. She serves as the concertmaster of the Grammy award-winning New York Youth Symphony and the Good Neighbor Ensemble, a community outreach group dedicated to performing in senior homes and hospitals. Song will perform Camille Saint-Saëns’ Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, Opus 28.