2020 Concerto Competition Winner!

Congratulations to Jenae Hong on winning the 2020 NYS Concerto Competition. They will perform the first movement of the Weber Clarinet Concerto with Principal Orchestra at the NYS Winter Concert on March 1, at 3pm.

Jenae Hong, a senior at Staples High School, is currently co-principal clarinet at Norwalk Youth Symphony’s Principal Orchestra. Now in their third year in Principal Orchestra, Jenae has been a member of Norwalk Youth Symphony for the last seven years. Jenae started playing clarinet at 10 years old, and now studies privately under Kathryn Taylor in Redding.

From 2017 to 2019, Jenae has participated in the CMEA Western Regional Band and Orchestra, as well as in the CMEA All-State Band and Orchestra. In 2019, Jenae studied under professional clarinet performer and professor David Martins at the Tanglewood Clarinet Workshop. Outside of the clarinet, Jenae also learns piano under Kyong Hee Cho. They were a finalist in the 2019 Danbury Concerto Competition, as well as in the 2019 Norwalk Symphony Orchestra Young Artist’s Concerto Competition. Jenae has also been a participant in Kyong Hee Cho’s annual Playing By Heart benefit concerts for the last six years, raising over $20,000 for various charity organizations such as Amazon Promise, Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services, and KEYS.

Jenae has participated in the Staples Symphonic Band and Orchestra for the last four years at Staples High School. They have also participated in the Staples Pit Band, performing with the Staples Players in productions such as “The Music Man” and “Newsies.” Jenae currently works as a student piano tutor in Westport.

Jenae will continue playing music at Amherst College in the fall.