In 2026, sdpa students took all three top spots in the Under-18 division at the MTAC Southern Regional, the largest competition stage in Southern California.
2026 Chopin Festival, SDPA faculty and their students won 17 of the 35 prizes.
Arianna Gago earned an Honorable Mention at the San Diego Concerto Competition, performing Mendelssohn's First Concerto as one of the youngest in her division. Read the story behind her rapid rise, from an easier Chopin Nocturne to a spot in Colburn's Summer Piano Intensive, in under a year.
Luna Lee took first place in Level 10 at the 2024 San Diego Sonata Contest, performing the third movement of Beethoven's Sonata Op. 10, No. 1. Watch her winning performance now.
Four sdpa students had a strong spring in 2024: Khai West and Luna Lee placed at the San Diego Chopin Contest, Luna also won the Encinitas Youth Competition (with a Beethoven concerto performance to come), Arianna Gago earned an ABRSM Distinction, and Lochlan debuted his first original composition to a first-place win. See what's next for each of them.
