CATEGORY A

Carlos Ozuna

Since Carlos was born, he has been around music his entire life. His mom is involved in the performing arts, and his dad is a working musician. When Carlos moved to Ventura and began going to Balboa Middle School in 2017 (he was in the 7th grade), that’s when he was introduced to playing the violin and the orchestra. Before he moved on to high school, he was awarded the “Director’s Award for Orchestra” in 2019 and was accepted into the string orchestra honors class his freshman year. At Buena High School, he was recognized with multiple “Outstanding Performer” awards and the “National School Orchestra” award his senior year in 2023. Carlos then attended Ventura College and studied under Dr. Andrew Tholl and Dr. Ashley Walters to achieve his AA for Transfer in music and has served as the Symphonies and Chamber Orchestras concertmaster for about three years. He will be attending Cal State Northridge in the fall for his Bachelor’s in Violin Performance. Besides music, Carlos loves to spend time with his family by playing video games and hanging out with his friends on long car rides and attending concerts.

Isabella Zhou

Isabella Zhou, aged 11, is currently a 5th grader at Lang Rang Elementary School in Thousand Oaks. She has been studying violin at the Colburn School since the age of 5  under Mrs. ShihLan Lavner. Through 2021 to 2025, Isabella has performed in several masterclasses with renowned artists such as Kerson Leong , Martin Beaver and Alexander Treger, and already garnered numerous awards. These include First Places at the Henry Schwab Violin & Viola Competition in the B Category in 2024 and at the 2022 and 2023 Glendale MTAC Concerto Competitions in the Junior Violin Division. Isabella was also a Silver Medalist at the Bach Complete Works Finals in Southern California’s Junior Bach Festival in September 2024, and a prizewinner in the SCJBF All-Strings Regionals of 2023 and 2025, the 2023 Glendale MTAC Contemporary Festival and the 2024 and 2025 MTAC VOCEs. Most recently,  Isabella won Second Place at the Culver City Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition in its Junior Division in 2025 leading to appearances as soloist with the Orchestra. As a chamber musician, she has performed with the Glendale MTAC String Quartet. In her spare time, Isabella enjoys volunteering in her community to clean up parks and beaches, dancing ballet, painting, and making Chinese pasta and dumplings.

Leonora Vukovitz

Leonora Vukovitz (age 14) is a violin student of her mother Deborah Vukovitz and has played the violin since she was a toddler imitating her mom. She has soloed with various orchestras as a violinist including: the Schwab Academy Orchestra (performing the entire Barber violin concerto, winning second prize in the full concerto division), the Thousand Oaks Philharmonic (performing the first movements of the Conus and Barber violin concertos), and she also performed her mom’s “American Legends” Violin Concerto as a soloist with Jennifer Walton’s Instrumental Casting Orchestra (posted on YouTube). Leonora has received additional awards at: the American Virtuoso International Music Competition (performing at Carnegie Hall), SYMF, SCJBF and Topanga Fiddle Festival, and appeared on television performing violin solos on “Father Time” with country music singer Walker Hayes on CBS’s Family Film and TV Awards show 2024. Besides music, Leonora’s passions are fashion design, writing, and acting.

Maya Kim

Maya Lexa Kim began playing the violin in 3rd grade at Sycamore Canyon Elementary school. She took lessons with Deborah Vukovitz before working with her current teacher and mentor, Mrs. Shuwei Liu. Maya was principal second violinist in chamber orchestra at Sequoia Middle School in 6th grade and principal second violinist with Conejo Valley Preparatory Youth Orchestra in 2023-24.   She was selected to play with a quartet for the Thousand Oaks Philharmonic Opus 67 this year. Maya will be a freshman at Newbury Park High School in the fall and is excited to be part of their chamber orchestra. She is honored and grateful to be a finalist at the 15th annual Henry Schwab Violin and Viola Competition. Additionally, Maya is a straight A honors student. She performed en pointe in the Nutcracker with Pacific Festival Ballet in December 2024. Maya has her brown belt in taekwondo and is a double diamond skier. She loves to read mythology and fantasy fiction books and spending time with family and her dog, Aspen. Her favorite subject in school is math and she is interested in neurology.    

Nicole Alexander

Nicole began playing the violin at age 11 in her middle school orchestra and since then, has been studying with Elise Goodman. In those years, she has performed with both the Conejo Valley Youth Orchestra and the Agoura High School Orchestra. In 2019 Nicole traveled to New Orleans with the Agoura High School Orchestra where she attended musical clinics at Tulane University and performed at the Scholastic Music Festival. Additionally, she participated in the Certificate of Merit evaluation program for several years, each year earning honors in both music theory and performance. She has also performed at the MTAC state convention. Nicole has also been awarded gold medals for the MTAC Contemporary Music Festival and Festimantic multiple times. She was a member of the Appassionata program for a few years where she was able to grow as a performer through the many masterclasses they offered. This ultimately resulted in her winning an opportunity to perform a solo with the Thousand Oaks Philharmonic in Opus 58 in 2022. In her free time she enjoys cooking, hiking, traveling, and gatherings with friends and family. In fall of 2024 she studied abroad in Querétaro, Mexico where she attended the Tecnológico de Monterrey and embarked on many new, exciting adventures and met students from all over the world. She attends CSUN where she is studying Economics and Spanish. Finally, Nicole would like to sincerely thank her teacher, Elise Goodman, and her family for their continued love and support throughout the years.  

Yiyi Chang

Yiyi Chang, age 15, is a 9th grader at Viewpoint School. She started playing the violin at age six and currently studies with Elise Goodman. She is a member of the Viewpoint School Orchestra and finds joy in sharing music beyond the concert hall, often performing at retirement communities where she loves bringing smiles through her music.  Yiyi has completed Certificate of Merit Level 8 and attended the Montecito International Music Festival. She has also participated in Junior Chamber Music for 2 years, performing some unique repertoire, including Spanish folk songs. To deepen her musical expression in the 7 Canciones Populares Españolas by Manuel de Falla, she traveled to Spain to better understand its culture and traditions by attending flamenco performances and visiting a museum dedicated to de Falla. These experiences enhanced her interpretation of the work’s passion and rhythmic vitality.  Additionally, as a winner of the Thousand Oaks Philharmonic Appassionata Competition, she has been invited to solo with the Thousand Oaks Philharmonic at two Opus 69 concerts this year.  In addition to violin, Yiyi enjoys teaching violin to middle schoolers, allowing her to share her passion for music and inspiring younger students. She also loves composing music, playing tennis, and competing in robotics. Whether through music, athletics, or STEM, Yiyi is always eager to learn, create, and inspire those around her.

Leo McDonnell

Leo is a fifteen-year-old junior at Laurel Springs Academy. He started his musical journey as a three-year-old, inspired by his older brother to pick up the violin. Since then, he has played in tens of solo and ensemble performances, participated in various music programs, and received honors for his playing. This spring he completed the Advanced Level of the Certificate of Merit for violin. For the past three years Leo has been an active chamber music player, participating in the Junior Chamber Music program and the Colburn Summer Chamber Intensive. He is also a member of the Virtuosi Ensemble, principal violinist of the Laurel Springs Chamber Orchestra, and assistant principal violinist of the Conejo Valley Youth Orchestra. His chamber performances have earned honors, scholarships to the Nelli Shkolnikova Academy in France, the Montecito International Music Festival, the CVYO Summerfest, and invitations to perform in master classes hosted by CSU Northridge and the Idyllwild Arts Academy. In addition to violin, Leo has studied the guitar, marimba, and vibraphone, all with a particular focus on jazz, and has taken advanced music theory and composition classes at Colburn School. His compositions for string quartet, reed quintet, and his symphony for vibraphone and orchestra have been performed by Colburn guest ensembles and the Colburn Youth Orchestra, providing great experience and invaluable feedback. Leo greatly appreciates the support and guidance he has received from his violin teachers, Dr. Keum Hwa Cha of the Colburn School of Music and Viktória Várkonyi of the Vienna University of Music, and from all his other music teachers throughout the years he has studied with them.

Mark Menzies

Mark Menzies is a violinist, violist, conductor, chamber musician, pianist, and composer, known for his work in contemporary music.He has collaborated with composers including Sofia Gubaidulina, Sylvano Bussotti, Brian Ferneyhough, Roger Reynolds, Michael Finnissy, Helmut Lachenmann, Vinko Globokar, Philippe Manoury, James Gardner, Peter Maxwell Davies, Elliott Carter, Liza Lim, Rand Steiger, Christian Wolff, and Richard Barrett. Menzies performed at the Lutosławski Festival in London (1989). Other appearances include the June in Buffalo Festival (1996, 1999, 2000), Mirror of the New Festival in Hawai‘i (1997), Ojai Festival (2000), 09/03 International Festival in Auckland (2003), and Dartington Festival in the UK (2007, 2008).

He began his professional career with a performance of Bruch’s Violin Concerto with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Maxim Shostakovich, at the International Festival of the Arts in Wellington (1988). Other solo appearances include the Alban Berg Violin Concerto (1991) and Brahms Double Concerto (1992) with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, and a Vivaldi Four Seasons tour with the Auckland Philharmonia (1997).

Later performances include the complete Beethoven violin sonatas with Sandra Brown at the Atheneum of La Jolla (2000); complete Bach sonatas and partitas in Porto Alegre (1998), UC San Diego (1999), and CalArts (2008); soloist with Santa Cecilia Orchestra, Los Angeles (2008, 2010); Rand Steiger’s Template 2 premiere at SICPP, Boston (2015); Schnittke’s Concerto Grosso No. 2 with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra (2014); and multiple performances of Ferneyhough’s Terrain with wasteLAnd and wildUP ensembles (2014–2015).

Since 2006, Menzies has been a member of the Formalist Quartet. His recordings include premieres of works by Michael Finnissy, Roger Reynolds, Barry Schrader, James Newton, Stuart Saunders Smith, Anne LeBaron, and Mark Applebaum, among others. He co-founded The Salomon Ensemble in London (1988–1993) with conductor Thomas Dausgaard. The group released a CD of Edvard Grieg’s complete string orchestra works. After moving to the U.S. (1991), he joined the New Vienna Ensemble in Bloomington, Indiana. He became first violinist and artistic advisor of Ensemble Sospeso (1998–2003), which presented contemporary music in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Miller Theatre, and Alice Tully Hall. The ensemble received the Ernst von Siemens Förderpreis (2000, 2001) and the DNA Grant from Arts International (2002).

His compositions have been premiered in the Netherlands, Italy, the U.S., and New Zealand. He was named an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music, London (2014). Menzies taught at California Institute of the Arts (1999–2016) and was artistic curator for REDCAT concerts in Los Angeles. He became Professor of Music at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, in 2016. He divides his time between New Zealand, the U.S., and other international locations.

Tomasz Golka

Since winning 1st Prize at the 2003 Eduardo Mata International Conducting Competition, conductor and composer Tomasz Golka has appeared with orchestras in North and South America and Europe to great critical acclaim.

He has appeared with the symphony orchestras of Seattle, Fort Worth, Buffalo, Spoleto Festival USA, Xalapa, Jalisco, Warsaw Philharmonic, Baden-Baden Philharmonic, Sinfonia Varsovia, as well as the OFUNAM in Mexico City, and he has collaborated with some of the world’s top soloists, including Susan Graham, Alisa Weilerstein, Gary Hoffman, Inon Barnatan, and his pianist-brother Adam Golka.

Golka has served as Cover Conductor for Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the Cleveland Orchestra. He was a semi-finalist in the 2010 Solti International Conducting Competition and the 2005 Malko International Conducting competition, where he conducted the Frankfurt Radio Symphony and the Danish Radio Symphony, respectively.

Past positions include Chief Conductor of Colombia National Symphony in Bogotá as well as Music Director of the Lubbock Symphony and the Chamber Orchestra at St. Matthew's in Los Angeles. He is currently Music Director of Riverside Philharmonic.

A composer of both film and concert music, he recently scored the short film "Shaking Cup" (2019) and was named Composer-in-Residence of the 2018 Boulder International Chamber Music Competition. His concert works have been performed by the symphony orchestras of California, El Paso, Williamsport, Boca del Rio, and the Suffolk County Festival Orchestra.

At the 2006 Tanglewood Music Festival, Golka conducted a historic performance of Stravinsky's Soldier's Tale with composers Milton Babbitt, Elliott Carter, and John Harbison as narrators – a recording that is now available for sale through the Boston Symphony’s website bso.org. He has also recorded Ciranda das sete notas by Heitor Villa-Lobos for Melo Records.

Born in Warsaw, Poland in 1975, Golka’s family emigrated to Mexico in 1980 and to the United States in 1982. His conducting teachers were David Effron at Indiana University and Gustav Meier at the Peabody Conservatory. He holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees in violin from Rice University, where his teachers were Sergiu Luca and Kenneth Goldsmith. He also studied violin with Tadeusz Wroński and Marina Yashvili. He holds a Certificate in Film Scoring from the prestigious UCLA Extension, where he was the recipient of the coveted BMI/Jerry Goldsmith Scholarship.

• Application Deadline: Saturday, April 6, 2025 (11:59pm)
• CLICK HERE to apply
• Preliminary Round: Saturday, April 12, 2025 (scheduled time slots will be assigned)
• Finals:
  • Category A: Saturday, July 5, 2025
  • Category B: Sunday, July 6, 2025

Applicants must:

• Be 8–23 years old on the preliminary competition date.
• Reside in Ventura or Santa Barbara County OR study with an Instructor who resides in either Ventura or Santa Barbara County OR be enrolled in the 2025 Schwab Summer Academy.
• Contestants must fill out and submit the competition application form by the deadline April 6, 2025 (11:59pm).
• Perform live at the Preliminary Round (April 12) at Ventura College.
• Be available for all required Final Round rehearsals and for the Final Concert

There will be two categories of competition (please specify your category upon entry form submission).

Category A: Perform a full concerto from memory at the Final Round (July 5) if chosen to advance from Preliminary Round.

Category B: Perform a Concerto movement (sheet music allowed) at the Final Round (July 6) if chosen to advance from Preliminary Round.

• Contestants must provide their own piano accompanist.
• Sheet music allowed for Category B only.
• Auditions times will be assigned between 8 AM – 4 PM

Repertoire:

• Category A: One movement from the final round concerto (memorized) + one movement from J.S. Bach’s Sonatas/Partitas (violas may choose a Cello Suite).  Sheet music is allowed for Bach.
• Category B: One movement from a 17th/18th-century concerto (19th/20th-century pieces require approval) + one movement from J.S. Bach’s Sonatas/Partitas (violas may choose a Cello Suite).  Music is allowed for Bach.
• PDF copies of all selections must be emailed to vcschwab@vcccd.edu by April 6, 11:59 pm.
• If chosen as a Finalist, the Concerto or Concerto movement you perform at the Final Round must be same as you performed in the Preliminary audition.

Judging Information

Two judges will view preliminary auditions:

• Category A: Up to three contestants will be chosen to advance to the Final Round.
• Category B: Up to five contestants will be chosen to advance to the Final Round.

Category A

Rehearsals

• July 2: 5:30 - 8:30pm (50 minute time slots assigned)
• July 5: dress rehearsal: 11:30 - 2:30pm

Final Performance

• July 5: 4:00 PM
• Awards to be presented immediately following concert.

Category B

Rehearsals

• July 3: 5:30 - 8:30pm (30 minute time slots assigned)
• July 6: dress rehearsal: 12:00 - 3:00pm

Final Performance

• July 6: 4:00 PM
• Awards to be presented immediately following concert

Final Round Contestants must submit a recording of themself playing through their Concerto and submit it prior to June 15th. Accompaniment not required. Professional recording quality is not required; cell phone videos are fine.

All participants will receive a certificate of achievement  

Judging Criteria: - Finalists will be chosen based on their stage presence, accuracy, articulation, intonation, and overall musicianship skills. Judges will consider the difficulty of the repertoire as well as accurate interpretation of style.

• Awards – Category A:
  • 1st prize $2000
  • 2nd prize $1500
  • 3rd prize $1000
• Awards – Category B:
  • 1st prize $1000
  • 2nd prize $750 
  • 3rd prize $500

(Winners must complete a W-9 form and invoice to receive their monetary prize.)

Henry Schwab Violin and Viola Competition winners by year

2025

Judges: Mark Menzies, Tomasz Golka

2024

Judges: Sarah Thornblade, Sara Parkins

• Category A
  • 1st: John Wu
  • 2nd: Leonora Vukovitz
  • 3rd: Not awarded
• Category B
  • 1st: Isabella Zhou
  • 2nd: Kyler Chu
  • 3rd: Carlos Ozuna

2023

Judges: Mark Kashper, Melissa Phelps

• Category A
  • 1st: Skyler Lee
  • 2nd: Beatrice Jiang
  • 3rd: Karl Baumgartner
• Category B
  • 1st: Leonora Vukovitz
  • 2nd: Kyler Chu
  • 3rd: Carlos Ozuna

2022

Judges: Martin Chalifour, Andrew McIntosh

• Category A
  • 1st: Skyler Lee
  • 2nd: Zephan Bornfreund
  • 3rd: Bryan Huang
• Category B
  • 1st: William Chen
  • 2nd: Kyler Chu
  • 3rd: Karl Baumgartner

2021

Judges: Melissa Phelps, Diane Gilbert

• Category A
  • 1st: Rebecca Beerstein
  • 2nd: Skyler Lee
  • 3rd: Zephan Bornfreund
• Category B
  • 1st: Sophia Holdorf
  • 2nd: Anya Mozeck
  • 3rd: Bryan Huang

2020

• All events cancelled due to COVID

2019

Judges: Sharon Cooper, Melissa Phelps

• Category A
  • 1st: Rebecca Beerstein
  • 2nd: Skyler Lee
  • 3rd: Zephan Bornfreund
• Category B
  • 2nd: Anya Mozeck
  • 3rd: Bryan Huang
  • 3rd  Sophia Holdorf

2015

• Jaimee Cao (1st)

2010

Judges: Robert Lawson, Irving Weinstein, Jack Ullom

• 1st: Jonathan Tang
• 2nd: Mina Hong
• 3rd: Curtis James

2009

Judges: Yue Deng, Robert Lawson, Yihuan Zhao