The Members of the Jury
Jr. Peace & Music Ambassador Competition
Being chosen as a peace ambassador is a wonderful steppingstone for a young musician, helping to open a door into a broader stage in the world. I encourage all young musicians to try for this opportunity.
Dr. Yeou-Cheng Ma
Developmental Pediatrician and is a musician. A graduate of Radcliffe
College and Harvard Medical School, she works with children with
developmental disorders, performs chamber musician, and teaches
violin, viola, and chamber music with The Children's Orchestra Society.
She has given talks internationally on Music and Healing.
Her work as Executive Director of the Children's Orchestra Society has
been recognized by multiple awards. She studied violin with Dr. H. T.
Ma, Firmin Touche, Arthur Grumiaux, and Koji Toyoda, piano with
Germaine Mounier, and chamber music with Leon Kirchner, gave her
first recital on violin and piano at age 7, was the winner of French National Competition,
Royaume de la Musique at age 10, played Mendelssohn Violin Concerto at age 11 with the
Denver Symphony Orchestra, and more recently performs in chamber music groups with COS
faculty and friends, including Hai-Ye Ni, Stephanie Chase, and the Lark Qu
"I’m proud and excited to participate in the Jury team for HARMONY FOR PEACE. I am looking forward to hearing some amazing new talent in this year's competition.
Music is the universal language and it brings people together from all over the world. Through music we can create a better world for our next generations and strive for peace around the world"
Johan De Meij
Conductor & Composer
Maestro De Meij's award-winning oeuvre of original compositions, symphonic transcriptions and film score arrangements has garnered him international acclaim and have become permanent fixtures in the repertoire of renowned ensembles throughout the world. His Symphony No. 1 The Lord of the Rings was awarded the prestigious Sudler Composition Prize and has been recorded by myriad ensembles including The London Symphony Orchestra, The North Netherlands Orchestra, The Nagoya Philharmonic and The Amsterdam Wind Orchestra. His Symphony No. 2 The Big Apple, Symphony No. 3 Planet Earth, Symphony No. 4 Sinfonie der Lieder as well as his solo concertos, T-Bone Concerto (trombone), UFO Concerto (euphonium) and Casanova (cello) have been enthusiastically received at many of the world’s finest venues.
“We live during highly volatile times. The raging Russian - Ukrainian war that erupted over one year ago and the recent global COVID pandemic has changed our lives in many ways. During those times, art and music can provide a welcome relief. As talented young musicians, I urge you to follow your intuition, work hard, experiment, strive to do your personal best, be a leader, create something unique, beautiful, touching, and meaningful that humanity needs most at moments like this.
I am so excited to join the panel of the competition judges once again, after a few years of interruption. I look forward to hearing many beautiful music and inspiring performances! Wishing you all the best of luck!”
Dr. Inesa Sinkevych
Currently Piano Faculty/Piano Department Co-Head, Manhattan School of Music.
Guest faculty at the Interharmony (Italy), Euroarts (Halle, Germany), Manhattan in the Mountains (Catskills, NY), Summit (New York), and Forum Musicae (Madrid, Spain) summer festivals. A head of the jury for the International Shostakovich Piano Competition in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine, she also serves as visiting faculty at the FaceArt Music School in Shanghai and as an honorary advisor to the Leaves Music School in Nanjing, China.
“I am thrilled to see all the applicants for the competition. It has been my pleasure and honor to meet young musicians. Music makes the world beautiful. Your notes change the world for a better place. Thus, this competition is special. Thanks all the participants and wishing you good luck!”
Yoonhak Baek
Conductor/Composer
Music director, ConcertOPERA, Philadelphia
Associate Professor, Yeungnam University、Korea
Guest conductor of: KBS Symphony Orchestra,
Seoul Philharmonic, Pusan Philharmonic, Daegu Philharmonic
The 70th Commemoration Concert of Hiroshima Victims
Jury of Ministry of Culture, Korea
Visiting Scholar, Musik und Kunst Privatuniversität Wien(2022-23)
