Sara Shahriari

OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE ($100)  Sara Shahriari is an 11-year-old who has been playing the piano since she was 4. For 4 years, she has been in the Enriched Program, learning piano with Mary Ficzere. Sara has won numerous trophies from Merriam’s competitive festivals. She also enjoys performing in long term care homes and in her school. Sara loves improvising and composing songs, and sometimes uses her music to create sound effects and songs in her own educational videos. Other than playing the piano, Sara enjoys drawing, reading, writing, coding, exploring nature, and playing badminton. VOTE HERE

Kenna Knott

OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE ($100) Kenna has been a student at Merriam since she was 4 years old. She has been playing percussion for 2 years under the instruction of David MacDougall and is also an Intermediate 1 piano student. She has participated in guitar and vocal lessons but drumming is her passion. Whether it’s dance or music, Kenna loves performing on stage. She loves playing classic rock songs by band like AC/DC. She is currently 9 years old and a grade 4 student at Owenwood Public School. Kenna can’t wait until she’s old enough to join the Merriam Rock Band Camp!  VOTE HERE

David Michalak

OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE ($100) David is 9 years old and is currently in grade 4. He started taking online guitar classes during the Covid pandemic and he has loved it ever since. He joined Merriam Music school in September 2022 and has been practicing his guitar skills with his teacher Brett Leier. His favourite music is pop and rock. At home David and his dad often pick up their guitars and spend evenings playing different songs while David’s 1.5 year old sister Julia, his biggest fan, dances to the music. David has participated in recitals and jam nights at Merriam. He loves the experience of joining the house band at the jam nights and being able to play any song the band is playing by using the chords he learned. In February 2023 David took part in the Merriam Festival and received first place trophy and was nominated to the Merriam Music Outstanding Solo Performance Festival Scholarship which he won. David’s other passions include hockey and soccer. In the winter season he plays as a goalie in the MIssissauga Beast AA Hockey Team and in the summer he is part of the Clarkson Soccer Club. In spare time, he loves drawing, reading, playing basketball, walking his dog and spending time with his sister and his friends.  VOTE HERE

Michael Deng

STAND-OUT ROCK/POP PERFORMANCE – GUITAR ($200)  Meet Michael Deng, a 15-year-old guitarist whose passion for music began when he started playing the piano. At the age of 10, Michael began learning the drums and has since then received several awards in the Merriam Music Competitive Festival. About a year ago, Michael purchased his first electric guitar, marking the beginning of a new chapter in his musical journey. With the guidance of his instructor, Mr. Siracusa, Michael dedicates time every day to practice and hone his skills. He is an active member of the Band Chops program and plays the guitar, drums, and bass, mostly focusing on rock while playing jazz music for his school band. Beyond his love for music, Michael enjoys snowboarding, playing chess, and playing video games.  VOTE HERE

Estelle Rossier

STAND-OUT CLASSICAL PERFORMANCE – VIOLIN ($200)  Estelle Rossier, 10 years old, started playing the violin at the age of 5. She is currently enrolled with teacher Devina at Merriam Music. Estelle has recently participated and won 1st prize at the Merriam Competitive Festival for Violin players in her age and skill group. Estelle enjoys expressing herself through her music and some of her favourite pieces are Minuet in G by Ludwig van Beethoven, Minuet by Luigi Boccherini, as well as Gavotte by Jean-Baptiste Lully. In her spare time, Estelle enjoys gymnastics, reading, baking and cooking as well as spending time with her brother.

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Anishka Lahiri

INTERMEDIATE PIANO ALL-AROUND PERFORMER ($150) Anishka Lahiri is 9 years old and started learning piano at the age of 5. She started with group piano lessons and is in Intermediate-1 level learning from Ms. Devina Gunawan. She competed in many MSM festivals and won a lot of awards. Anishka loves all genres of music, but her favourite genre is pop. What Aniishka loves must about music is that she can flow with the melody and can show her emotions through the dynamics and the tempo of her pieces. Some other hobbies Anishka has include playing basketball, solving creative math problems, playing outside with her neighbour and drawing pictures.        VOTE HERE

Brayden Chan

ADVANCED PIANO ALL-AROUND PERFORMER ($200) Brayden Chan is 12 years old and started learning piano at Merriam Music at the age of 7. He is currently in Advanced 2 under the instruction of Ms. Yolanda Quevedo and is also part of the Merriam Enriched Maestro Program. He has competed in the annual MSM Competitive Festival and placed in several of the categories. Brayden enjoys playing all genres of music but especially enjoys the new age or contemporary classical songs. Some of his favourite pieces are by Yiruma. What Brayden enjoys the most about music is the ability to express himself through the songs he plays and to bring joy to the people listening. He also wishes to inspire his younger brother and cousins to have an appreciation for msuic. In his spare time, Brayden enjoys other hobbies which include playing the alot saxophone in his school band, basketball, vollyeball, chess, and spending time with his dog, Kobe.  VOTE HERE

Angelee Zhao

SENIOR PIANO ALL-AROUND PERFOMER ($250) Angelee Zhao is 11 years old and is currently a grade 6 student at Mentor College. She started learning piano at age 5 in Junior 1 group lessons at Merriam Music, and after 8 months switched to private lessons. She has been playing piano under the instruction of Brie-Anne Meyer for 6 years. For the past 5 years, she has also been a part of the Enriched Piano Program with Mary Ficzere. Angelee has won many trophies and medals from Merriam Competitive Festivals; she also got awarded in Peel Music Festival and Toronto Kiwanis Festival. Angelee enjoys playing all genres of music. Her favourite composer is Chopin. She has been working on refining her performances with expressiveness and sensitivity. Besides music, Angelee likes drawing, dancing, skiing, figure skating, running, playing sports, and enjoys playing video games. VOTE HERE

Marcus Cameron

EXCEPTIONAL ARTIST PIANO AWARD ($300) Marcus Cameron is 17 years of age and has been studying piano at Merriam for nearly a decade. He is a Grade 12 student who will be graduating from his final year of high school. For the past few years, Marcus has been studying classical piano with the Enriched Program Manager, Mary Ficzere, and has been a student of Merriam’s Enriched Program. In addition to his classical studies, he is a member of Merriam’s All Star Band, where he performs jazz, rock, and a variety of other genres. Throughout his musical journey, Marcus’ passion for music has continued to grow. He hopes that as he pursues his post-secondary goals, he can continue to learn and develop as a musician. Marcus is grateful to receive this year’s Exceptional Artist Piano Award, and for the community that has aided him in reaching this achievement.  VOTE HERE