Young Musicians
As part of Sora Music Society’s mission, we aim to provide young musicians in our community with meaningful opportunities to collaborate with our artists and participate in outreach concerts. We are excited to work alongside the following students this concert season.
Rex Xavier Ambatali
Piano
Pianist Rex Xavier Ambatali, is a 9-year-old fourth grader at Rocklin Academy Gateway in Roseville, California. He started his love for piano music at a very young age and began taking lessons at the age of four. He was recognized for his ability to memorize songs easily, and at the age of five, he successfully performed his first piano solo concert playing 12 songs.
Xavier appeared as a soloist with the Rome Orchestra at Music Fest Perugia in July 2025. He has received numerous awards, including a trophy at the Classical Masters Music Festival (2024), Third Place at the CAPMT Go for the Gold Music Competition (2024), First Prize and the Carnegie Hall Award at the Golden Classical Music Awards International Piano Competition (2024), First Prize at the Charleston International Music Competition (2024), and top honors at the United States International Music Competition (2025). He also earned First Place in the CAPMT Honors Competition (2025) and First Place at the United States International Music Competition (2025).
He is now studying piano under the tutelage of Ms. Akiko Gaffney to hone his techniques, dynamics, expressions, and musicality. Xavier loves to listen to 12 Etudes by Chopin played by Maurizio Pollini. His favorite pianists and composers are Chopin, Mozart, Franz Liszt, Bach, Evgeny Kissin, Lang Lang, and Pollini. When he is not playing piano, he enjoys reading books, coding at Code Ninja, playing chess, Pokemon Trading Card Game, and soccer with his friends.
Eliana Liu
Cello
Cellist Eliana Liu, 11, began studying the cello in June 2020 and currently studies with Jiamo Chen. She has already distinguished herself in both national and international competitions, earning top honors including 1st Prize at the Milan International String Competition (China Division, 2025), 1st Prize in the Strings Division at the CAPMT Go for the Gold Competition (Sacramento, 2025), the Outstanding Gold Award at the 10th Hong Kong International Music Festival (2023), and 2nd Prize at the 9th My Chinese Dream Nanjing Children’s Talent Competition (2021).
Iroha Tanno
Piano
Iroha Tanno is 11 years old and has been playing piano since she was five. She is dedicated to her practice, and her hard work is evident in her performances. In 2025, she won Second Prize in the Showcase Piano Solo Junior Group and Fourth Prize in the Treasury of Baroque Composers Intermediate Group at the United States Open Music Competition. She also received Fifth Prize in the 2024 CAPMT Go for the Gold Music Competition. Iroha enjoys sharing her music with the community and looks forward to continuing to grow as a musician. In her free time, she enjoys reading and drawing.
Kanako Hayashi
Piano
Kanako “Kana” Hayashi is a junior at Davis Senior High School in California. She began studying piano at the age of four and has studied with Akiko Gaffney for the past eight years. Kana has earned top prizes in competitions, including First Place in the 2024 CAPMT Go for the Gold Music Competition and Second Place in the 2025 United States International Music Competition.
Her musical growth has been enriched through master classes with Alexandre Moutouzkine, Sasha Starcevich, and Ilana Vered. In addition to piano, Kana studies violin with Christine Choi and performs in the Davis Senior High School Symphony Orchestra. She has also received First Place in the String Division of the 2025 CAPMT Go for the Gold Music Competition. As a passionate chamber musician, she participates in Susan Lamb Cook’s Rising Stars chamber program. Kana loves sharing music with her community through festivals, outreach concerts, and volunteer performances. Outside of music, she enjoys reading and spending time with family and friends.
Jenna Son
Violin
Violinist Jenna Son, 16, is a senior at Davis Senior High School and a Pre-College student at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music under the instruction of Professor Nancy Zhou. Jenna made her soloist debut with the Solano Symphony Orchestra in 2024 and appeared at the Mondavi Center and Carnegie Hall with the DHS Symphony Orchestra as the DHS Concerto Competition winner. Most recently, Jenna soloed with the Auburn Symphony as the Grand Prize winner of their Young Artist Competition. Additionally, Jenna won first place in the Enkor International Music Competition, KAMSA Music Competition, DVC-HNU Young Artist String Competition, and Solano Symphony Young Artist Competition, and she has been invited to the Junior Bach Festival in Berkeley every March since 2021. Jenna was a violinist of Young Chamber Musicians’ Quartet Soleil, which received a masterclass from the Miró Quartet and intensive coachings from Susan Bates, Samsun van Loon, Zakarias Grafilo, Natasha Makhijani, Jori Fankuchen, Lisa Lee, and Eric Chin. Jenna has played first violin in the California All-State High School Symphony Orchestra for three years. In past summers, Jenna attended the Heifetz Institute, Mellon Music Festival, and Online Solo Strings Intensive and played in a masterclass for Augustin Hadelich. In the summer of 2025, Jenna served as principal second violin of Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra 2 for NYO2’s European debut at the Edinburgh International Festival in Scotland. Jenna is currently a member of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and Regional Director of The Back to BACH Project Davis.