United Stars Music Competition
Grand Award Winner

Kazusa Masuda (6) Japan

Kazusa Masuda was born in Tokyo,Japan and began playing the piano at the age of 4.She is 6 years old now.Most recently, she has been studying under the tutelage of the world renowned pianist Ms.Rina Sudo.Kazusa has received 2nd place in the 43th “Junior Classical Music Competition in Japan“ in 2022.Her favorite composers are Chopin, Bach, Veethoven, Mozart, Burgmuller and Debussy.She is also practicing "Arabesque No.1/Debussy" 

Yuma Kano (15) USA

Yuma Kano (15) was born In Davis, California, and first started playing the piano at the age of 8. He has attained many awards, including a finalist award in the “23rd international Chopin Piano Competition In Asia”. He has won first prize in “Crescendo International Music Competition” and the “Anselmo Academy International music competition” and top prizes in Millersville International, CAPMT California Junior Piano, MTNA Solo Piano, and the ENKOR Int'l Music Competition. He has participated in the “MusicAlps” camp in France and is a member of the Back to Bach project. Yuma likes going out on bike rides, drinking boba with friends, doing horizontal jumps in his high school track & field team, and speech & debate.

Soma Yoshida (11) Japan

Soma Yoshida(11) is learning piano from pianist Tatsuya Nagashima.

Burgmuller competition Gold Award(2018).

United Stars Music Competition 2nd place(2021). Winner of the same competition(2022).

Winner of Junior Classical Music Competition.

First co-star with the orchestra.Sponsored by Embassy of Japan in Austria Vienna concert appearance.He played Campanella at the Mozarthaus.

Christopher Tillen (17) USA

Christopher (17) started piano at 6 and fell in love with the piano, learning, music making & sharing with audiences. He has been a top prize winner in many piano competitions including Steinway & Sons, Bay State MTNA, URI Piano Bach Award, American Protégé & the A Ramon Rivera Piano Competition. He has been named the Fall Rivers’ Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Concerto winner; the Doreen B. Hertzog Concerto winner; Concerto Festival NYC Grand Prix soloist; and the Sempre Musick Concerto first prize winner. He has performed in many venues, community events and recitals including the Mildred Freiberg piano festival, the NEC A. Ramon Rivera Advanced Senior Piano Seminar & the River School Conservatory Seminar on Contemporary Music. Christopher is a Young Artist level IV diploma candidate at the River School Conservatory and currently studies with Ms. Erin Lindsey. He also enjoys debating, writing, singing, theatre and musical performance, community service & running. He is the Editor in Chief of his school newspaper and the Assistant Artistic Director of Nobleonians acapella group.

Katherine Smith (10) USA

Katherine was born in Dallas, TX and began studying piano at the age of 5. She has studied with multiple teachers, most recently under the tutelage of the world renowned pianist Ms. Daredjan Baya Kakouberi. Katherine most loves the Romantic-period of music; accordingly, her favorite composers include Chopin and Grieg. She is the latest in a long line of musicians, as both her grandfather and great-grandfather were accomplished bayan players.  

Katherine is a honors student at Dallas International School and speaks four languages.  

In addition to playing piano, Katherine is a competitive swimmer for Texas Ford Aquatics and a skilled performance dancer. She is very honored and deeply excited to be involved in the United Stars Music Competition and looks forward to participating in the future competitions.

Matthew Cho (16) USA

Kai Waynen (15) USA

Hanna Fujii (13) Japan

Hanna Fujii was born in Tokyo, Japan.  She began to study piano when she was at the age of four.  She has received 3rd place in the “International Moscow Music Online-Competition” in 2021, bronze medalist in the 20th “Chopin International Piano Competition in ASIA” in 2019, and 1st place in “The France-Amériques International Piano Competition for the young” in 2019, and winning many other competitions. Participated in “Imola Summer Academy” in 2019. She is a student at the Hakodate Junior high school attached to Hokkaido University of Education. Her major teachers include  Akiko Ito and Kazuro Oi. 

Kanon Fujiyoshi (17) Japan

Kanon Fujiyoshi born in Nagoya, Japan, She began playing the piano when she was six. She has received numerous awards including Second Prize Winner in the Nagoya Tournament of Students Music Competition, Second Prize Winner  in the International Moscow Music Online-Competition, Gold Medalist in  the Aichi Piano Competition, and  Silver Medalist in the Chopin International Piano Competition in ASIA .

She is a student at the Music High School attached to the Faculty of Music, Tokyo University of the Arts. Currently, she is studying with Chiharu Sakai and Hideto Nishikawa.

I was born with visual impairment and consequently have lived a life exceptionally aware of the details of the ordinary sounds all around me, the sound of the city and the sound of TV commercials are all vibrant to me. When I started reproducing these sound on a keyboard at three years of age, my parents enrolled me in piano lessons. At the age of three years and ten months, I began playing both piano and classical guitar. I enjoy playing freely by ear, but also enjoy classical music. I attend a school for the blind and play blind soccer. Sometimes practice is difficult, but I always have fun. All sorts of sounds inspire me, and my desire is to be continually involved in this beautiful sound-world each day. 

I'm studying under Ms. Harumi Yoshikawa.