For 25 years, Coastal Concerts has enriched the community by presenting live concerts, outreach and educational activities by internationally known musicians.
As part of its mission to further music education and appreciation, and nurture artistic talent, Coastal Concerts awards annual music scholarships to talented middle and high school students.
The winners this year include pianists Sophia Allen, Emily Zhou, Peter Jin and Anna Liang, and vocalist Marcos Salvador Riera.
Sophia Allen was awarded the Dorothy and Elizabeth Music Scholarship Award and the Sussex County Council Music Scholarship Award. She is finishing her junior year of high school and will be participating in a student exchange program in Japan this summer. Her scholarship will help to further her education.
A tenor, Marcos Salvador Riera, 16, is the recipient of the High School Musicality Award. This summer he will be participating in a residency with the National Youth Orchestra 2 and will be performing in concerts in Edinburgh Scotland and Carnegie Hall.
Currently, an eighth-grader, Emily Zhou won the Middle School Musicality Award. She finished first in the 2024 MTNA Delaware State Competition and many others. She is also a competitive figure skater.
Peter Jin, a sophomore, was the winner of the High School Musicality Award. In addition to piano, he plays violin as concertmaster of his school’s orchestra and the Salisbury Youth Orchestra. Jin was awarded first place in the International Youth Music Competition and the Crescendo International Competition.
Anna Liang, 11, won a Sussex County Council Music Scholarship Award. She was certified as the level of Prep A (high school freshman) by the National Guild Program. Liang has also participated in and taken second-place in the United States International Duo Piano Competition with her partner.
