Musicians from the Cal Poly Pomona Piano Ensemble — pianists Josiah Kemp ('29, music industry studies) and Caitlin Yang ('25, architecture), vibraphonist Anai Hernandez ('25, music performance), drummer Jesus Aguilera ('27, music performance), and marimba player Kyra Johnson ('28, kinesiology) — won first place in the ’s 19-24 age group and will perform at the Ukrainian Institute of America on Dec. 7 and Jan. 16 at Carnegie Hall.
The upcoming performances strike a sweet note following the cancellation of a planned New York trip in spring 2025 due to department budget cuts. “I thought it was a pretty cool full circle moment to like win this huge competition, and in my senior year, the last chance I had, and now I get to go to New York still with Cal Poly [Pomona]," Hernadez says.
Also featured in the story is Grammy-winning Music Professor Nadia Shpachenko-Gottesman, whose son Mondy won first place in the 14-18 category.
This article was originally published by on June 10, 2025.