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 has been already four years and the 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)
"I am so incredibly excited to learn from the many talented young people out there who want to use the universal language of music to make the world more peaceful. You are an inspiration and your initiatives will inspire us all."
Dr. David Janes
Global Leadership and Philanthropy
Dr. David P. Janes is Vice President for North America at the International House of Japan (IHJ) and Executive Director of the American Friends of the IHJ. With a distinguished career in international education, global affairs, and philanthropy, he has held leadership roles at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, the OIST Foundation, and the United States-Japan Foundation. Dr. Janes serves on the boards of several educational and cultural organizations and has been widely recognized for his commitment to global citizenship. He holds advanced degrees in sociology, international affairs, and Asian religions from The New School, Tufts University, and the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.
“I am very excited to rejoin the competition judges and connect with talented young musicians. We live in very difficult times, and music has the power to heal —I witnessed it during the pandemic, as students found comfort and strength through playing. Together, let's use music to uplift and support one another and make the world a better place.”
Julia Meynert
Concert Violinist
Julia Meynert is an accomplished violinist and educator, currently on faculty at the Rivers School Conservatory and Dana Hall School of Music in Massachusetts. Renowned for her international solo performances in prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall and Musikverein Vienna, she has also appeared with leading orchestras across Europe and the United States such orchestras - Philharmonic Orchestra of Baden-Baden (Germany), KKO chamber orchestraorchestra (Kurpfaelzisches Kammerorchester, Germany), the Academic Symphony Orchestra of Kiev (Ukraine) and the Town and Country Symphony Orchestra of St. Louis.
Ms. Meynert is a sought-after adjudicator, having judged competitions at the Olympic Challenge Competition (Carnegie Hall, New York), the Crescendo Competition (Carnegie Hall, New York) and the Junior Peace and Music Ambassador Competition, and is dedicated to music education through masterclasses and teaching engagements worldwide; in Seoul (Korea), New York (Summit Music Festival) and Rovigo (Italy). This year, she will be holding masterclasses at the International Academy of Music in Castelnuovo di Garfagnana (Italy).
