Meet our 2025/26 Grand Prize Winners:

WINNIE (WEITONG) GENG, piano – Young Artist

Winnie (Weitong) Geng is an energetic and thoughtful 11-year-old pianist whose playing combines focus, imagination, and a natural sense of musical storytelling.

She began studying the piano at the age of five in Vancouver and is currently a student of Professor Langning Liu at the Royal Conservatory of Music’s Phil and Eli Taylor Academy, where she is enrolled in the Junior Piano Program.
Winnie has appeared in numerous major national and international competitions and festivals, consistently demonstrating artistic growth and a strong commitment to her musical development. Her recent and notable achievements include First Prize at the Taylor Academy Concerto Competition (2025), First Prize at the Burlington New Millennium Orchestra “Amazing Talent” Competition (2025), and Second Prize in the Piano Category of the Canadian Music Competition (2025). She has also received Special Awards at the Sixth Canadian Chopin Piano Competition (2025) and the Kaufman Music Center International Youth Piano Competition (2024). Earlier highlights include First Prize at the IPPA Conero International Piano Competition (Final Round, 2023), the Gold Award at the Steinway Piano Competition (2023), and the Gold Award at the Vancouver International Music Competition (2021).
Beyond the piano, Winnie enjoys visual art—particularly drawing—as another outlet for creativity and imagination. She is also an active tennis player, valuing the balance between physical discipline and artistic focus. An enthusiastic reader with wide-ranging curiosity, Winnie continually draws inspiration from books and new ideas, which enrich both her musical expression and personal growth.

AUDREY SHIH, cello – Emerging Talent

Audrey Shih is an aspiring cellist who began playing the cello at the age of three.

Audrey is currently studying under David Hetherington at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, Canada, where she is also a scholarship student at The Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists. She is also playing in a string quartet group at the Taylor Academy and has done several community outreaches. Audrey has been actively participating in music competitions, winning first place at the OMFA provincials in 2023 and winning three first place prizes (three different categories) at the 2023 North York Music Festival. Audrey has also attended intensive summer camps like Meadowmount school of music in New York State. Audrey has taken master classes with noted pedagogues Hans Jorgensen Jensen, Oleksa Mycyk, Andre Diaz, Brannon Cho, Thomas Wiebe, Joseph Johnson and Katie Schlikjer. Outside of music, Audrey enjoys figure skating and skiing.

ANNA REGEHR, cello – Advanced Performer

Anna Regehr started playing cello at the age of five in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Since moving to Edmonton, she has enjoyed playing solo repertoire while also participating in various chamber groups such as the Edmonton Endpins and the Chamber Music Academy led by the Garneau String Quartet. She studied with Diana Nuttall for most of her cello education, and is now in her first year of a Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Alberta, studying under ESO principal cellist Rafael Hoekman.