The Pianists of the Benefit Concert 2025

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Ellie Choi is a junior at Los Altos High School and she started playing piano in 3rd grade with Jeeae Kim as her piano teacher. In the start, she started playing because she was encouraged to, but in later years, decided to continue because of her passion for music. Since 2018, Ellie has gone out on various piano competitions and performances. Ellie has gotten 1st place for the Global Music Organization, 1st place twice, 2nd place five times and 3rd place in a row for the US International Open Music Competition, 2nd place once, 3rd place 4 times and 4th place 4 times for US Open Music Competition, 2nd place for Baroque Music Competition, 2nd place for Beethoven Young Musician Competition, 3rd place for American Soloist International Music Competition, invited to play at Carnegie Hall because of placing in the American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition, and qualified (Invitation) for the Junior Bach Festival, in addition to many others. She plays piano as an accompanist in her church. Outside of piano, Ellie is a part of her school's band for multiple instruments like the flute and percussion. She’s interested in leadership at her school; she was sophomore class president and is now junior class president.  She has been dancing since she was 3 years old and has been TA’ing other classes, and is a part of her school’s Varsity cheer team and competition team! For the past year and a half, Ellie has been an In-N-Out Burger employee and some of Ellie's many hobbies include baking, sewing, crocheting, and spending time with her brother.

Ein Jung is currently an 11th grader at Lynbrook High School. She started playing piano at the age of 10 with Jeeae Kim. While her original motivation practice stemmed from her parents, over time it progressed into her own enjoyment. She has won multiple awards, including 1st and two 2nd places at the US International Open Music Festival, 1st and 2nd place at the San Francisco International Competition, 2nd place in the San Francisco International Innovative Music Chamber Competition, 1st place in the BAMA competition, 2nd place in the Salzburg International Music Competition, 2nd in the Charleston International Music Competition, Best Mozart Performance in the International Music Competition, was invited to play at the American Protégé International after receiving multiple 1st places, qualified to perform at the Bach Music Festival, and has received numerous other awards. She was the former piano and bass section leader for the Lynbrook String Orchestra, and now is part of the Lynbrook Chamber Orchestra as a string bassist. She is currently MTNA Piano Level 10 in both repertoire and theory. Ein is also a part of Almaden Youth Musicians, where she is currently Art Director and regularly participates in Benefit Concerts and Senior Center Performances. Outside of piano, she is a certified Kukkiwon black belt and works at Brighter Future Learning center, where she tutors kids in math. She enjoys volunteering, and has received 4 presidential gold service awards. In her free time, she likes to hang out with her friends and also practice coding. 

Angela Kim, a sophomore attending Cupertino High School originally started taking piano lessons at the age of 6 due to interest, but ultimately decided to continue because of the genuine passion she found in playing piano. She has learned piano with Jeeae Kim since 3rd grade and has participated in various competitions, winning numerous awards including one 2nd place and two 4th places at the United States Open Music Competition. Outside of piano, Angela is passionate about showcasing her leadership skills through being a member of her class’s Student Council in her Freshman and Sophomore years in high school. Angela is also a creative writer, who has won numerous awards such as the Honorable Mention award from the Silicon Valley Youth Channel Essay Contest, three awards in the Scholastic Regional Award, and one Honorable Mention award. She has participated in publishing two books titled “Silicon Valley Student’s Writing Collection” with other creative writers and has donated profits to local libraries and charities. Additionally, Angela is a member of her school’s newspaper called “The Prospector” and an officer of her school’s writing club. Angela loves to help other young students improve their writing abilities through tutoring, both in school and in her own time as well. Aside from writing, Angela enjoys volunteering and giving back to her community as the Newsletter Director of JAC, a nonprofit organization, for almost 3 years and has won the Presidential Gold Service Award twice. Angela has been a member of the Golden Spurs dance team in Cupertino since her Freshman year and has won numerous awards with her team. 

Dongwoo Kim attends Santa Teresa High School and is in the 11th grade. He was inspired from a short music called “Summer” by Joe Hisaishi and began learning the piano at the age of 5 and has been and has been learning from Jeeae Kim for the past 11 years. During these years, he went to compete in many piano events such as US International Open Music Competition, Us International Competition BAMA, U.S. Open Music Competition and American Protégé. He has also participated in the previous benefit concert in 2023. Other musical things he has participated in was volunteering for Joyful Ringers and participating in a marching band and winter percussion program. He only played in marching band for three years and participated in Tri City for their winter season in 2024.

Jiseop Kim is an 11th-grade student at Lynbrook High School in San Jose, California, who has maintained a deep connection to music since his early childhood in South Korea. He began piano lessons at the age of six and pursued an uncommon path for students in Korea. While many of his peers typically discontinue extracurricular activities, such as piano, to focus entirely on academics and college entrance preparation, Jiseop took a different approach. He recognized the emotional and spiritual enrichment that music brought to his life and chose to balance both his musical journey and academic pursuits with equal dedication. This steadfast commitment has shaped his identity, allowing him to grow as both a musician and an individual.

In June 2022, Jiseop’s life took a dramatic turn when his family relocated to the Bay Area, transitioning him from middle school in South Korea to high school in the United States. Despite the challenges of adapting to a new environment, Jiseop continued to nurture his love for piano under the guidance of Jeeae Kim, his current teacher. Over the past two and a half years, music has served as his sanctuary, providing comfort and stability during this significant life transition. For Jiseop, the piano is more than an instrument—it is a source of resilience and strength, empowering him to navigate change with maturity and grace.

Jiseop is passionate about fostering equity and inclusion in our society through understanding and embracing multiculturalism. He also has a deep love for programming and mathematics, with a particular interest in using his talents to develop technologies that connect people and improve the quality of life for all.

Mark Lee, a freshman at Archbishop Mitty High School, was introduced to the piano at 4 years old, under the teaching of Jeeae Kim. At age 5, he won 2nd place in his debut competition at the US International, but it wasn’t until the beginning of middle school that Mark’s passion for the instrument began to truly unfold. Quote, “Piano became a complete other world to me when I learned not to play notes written on sheet music, but to play the song in the way that I would sing it.” Interest fueling from immersing into classical music and the unwavering drive to get better, Mark began entering more competitions, receiving 2nd place in the US International once again (2023), 2nd in the US Open Contemporary Senior Division (2023), 1st in the US International (2024), 3rd in the Beethoven Young Musician Competition (2024), 2nd in the Charleston International Music Competition (2024), and gold in the Quebec International Music Competition (2024). Furthermore, he received the MERIT Award for the Bay Area Piano Competition (2024) and the Director’s Award for his role as the pianist for the Moreland Symphonic Orchestra’s Beethoven Triple Concerto in C Major (2023). At Mitty, Mark is a member of the student government for his class, alongside doing Speech and Debate. His love for music stays immense, playing piano as an accompanist in his church and occasionally dropping killer freestyle raps in the car. In addition, Mark loves basketball, hanging out with his friends and family, and most importantly, McDonalds.

Dahyun Katie Yang, 16, began her piano journey at age 5 with Jeeae Kim in San Jose, CA, and achieved 1st place in her debut competition at age 6. Since then, she has won numerous top prizes at the US Open and US International Competitions, invited in the Bach Festival, and was a finalist at the San Jose International Piano Competition. After moving to Georgia, she continued her musical journey, achieving multiple awards. To highlight a few, she won 1st place in several competitions, including the Romantic Impressionistic Piano Competition (2022 and 2024), the NDMTA Bach Competition (2024), the Opus Music State Competition (2023), and the GMTA Concerto Competition (2022). Beyond her 1st place accolades, she has received numerous other honors, such as the 2024 Piano Scholarship from the Atlanta Music Club, recognition as an honor recitalist at the UGA Summer Music Institute, performing Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 1 at the GMTA State Conference, and participating in masterclasses with Simone Dinnerstein and Bertrand Giraud. In addition to her individual accomplishments, Katie served as a pianist with the Emory Youth Symphony Orchestra during the 2022-2023 season and was an alternate pianist with the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra for both the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. She performed at the Atlanta Young Artist Concert with the Nova Trio which also received 3rd place at the Franklin Pond Chamber Music Competition. The chamber team has since evolved into the Nova Piano Quartet, where she continues to perform and further her studies in chamber music. Additionally, Katie serves as a pianist for the Narae Band at her church. Passionate about using music to make a difference, Katie and her musical friends organized the Sounds of Support benefit concert, successfully raising funds in June 2023. Excited for a return appearance at this event in January 2025, she continues to inspire others through her performances and dedication to the arts.