Starry Night Entertainment
We are deeply grateful for our collaborations with Howard Lam and the Music Institute of Chicago Academy, which have enriched our event with live musical performances. Our heartfelt thanks go to the talented musicians whose contributions have truly elevated the experience.
Musicians
Howard Lam
Howard Lam is a dedicated pianist, music educator, and Steinway Educational Partner with performances across China, Japan, and the U.S. With nearly two decades of teaching experience, he has inspired students of all ages in the Chicagoland area.
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Mr. Lam holds a Master’s degree in Piano Performance & Pedagogy from the Chicago College of Performing Arts and has studied Music Therapy at the University of Miami and Jazz Improvisation at Berklee College of Music. His teaching blends traditional techniques with therapeutic principles, emphasizing both technical skill and a love for music.
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His credentials include certifications from London Examinations, ABRSM Music Theory, and an ABRSM Piano Performance Diploma, as well as Musikgarten Early Childhood Music Education. Outside of teaching, he is a devoted father to twin children, who have won multiple awards in piano competitions.
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Music Institute of Chicago Academy
The Music Institute of Chicago Academy, located at the MIC Lake Forest Campus, is a nationally recognized training center for gifted pre-college pianists and string players. The Academy offers comprehensive music education, including private lessons with esteemed faculty, chamber music, orchestra experiences, and advanced music theory classes. Students also benefit from master classes with renowned pedagogues, and many are national and international medal winners who progress to top conservatories and universities. On April 5, they will be providing the Caspian Quartet for our event.
The Caspian Quartet, coached by Rodolfo Vieira, is composed of Merit Scholarship Fellows at the Academy of the Music Institute of Chicago. Caspian means miraculous or dazzling in Latin -- which the group hopes their music will evoke similar feelings for audiences. The ensemble has had a rewarding and successful spring season, winning the 2025 Rembrandt Chamber Musicians Annual High School Chamber Music Competition, the 2025 Chicago National Chamber Music Competition (Open Division, Overall Winner and Strings and Piano Category Winner), and advancing to the finals at the 12th Annual Coltman Competition at The University of Texas at Austin Butler School of Music. The four seniors are off to prestigious music programs across the country to fulfill their musical ambitions.
Lily Sullivan, 17, is a distinguished violinist studying under Grigory Kalinovsky at the Music Institute of Chicago's Academy. She has secured top honors in numerous competitions, including the 10th International Louis Spohr Competition for Young Violinists and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra Maurer Young Musicians Contest. Her chamber music achievements feature first-place awards in the Barnett, Rembrandt, and Chicago International Chamber Music Competitions. Lily has been featured on NPR's "From the Top" and WFMT's "Introductions," and has performed with orchestras such as the Ann Arbor and Indianapolis Symphonies. She has participated in esteemed festivals like the Heifetz International Music Institute and the Music@Menlo Young Performers Program.
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Tristan Zhu, 18, a violin student of Almita Vamos and Davis King at the Music Institute of Chicago Academy, has won numerous competitions, including first prizes at the DePaul Concerto Competition and DuPage Young Artists Auditions. He has performed as a soloist with several orchestras, including the Chicago Arts and Fox Valley Orchestras. A winner of the MTNA State and Divisional Competition, Tristan will compete at the MTNA National Conference this spring. He earned Second Prize at the 2023 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, Gold and Haydn Prizes at the 2023 Saint Paul String Quartet Competition, and the 2024 Barnett Chamber Music Competition Grand Prize with the Seraphim String Quartet. Tristan has participated in prestigious programs like Music@Menlo, Yellow Barn, and the Bowdoin International Music Festival.
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Vivian Van de Sype-Cucu, 17, a viola student of Davis King, made her solo debut with the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra at age 11. She won second place in the 2025 Bolz Competition's Final Forte and served as Principal Violist for MYSO's Senior Symphony. Vivian has earned multiple honors at the Wisconsin School Music Associations (WSMA) and was Principal Violist in the WSMA State Orchestra. As a member of the Elysian String Quartet, she won the Gold Medal and BIPOC Prize at the 2024 St. Paul String Quartet Competition. Vivian is also a co-founder of Musicians for Hope, raising over $30,000 to support underfunded school music programs. She has participated in prestigious summer programs, including Heifetz International Music Institute, Bowdoin International Music Festival, and Interlochen Center for the Arts.
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Jan Vargas Nedvetsky, 18, studies cello performance at the Music Institute of Chicago Academy and the Academy of Music in Liechtenstein, where he is a scholarship recipient. He has won numerous competition awards and performed as a soloist with orchestras in the U.S. and Europe. Jan is nominated for the 2025 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts and will have upcoming performances, including recitals on WFMT Introductions and From the Top, soloing with the Academy Chamber Orchestra and Northbrook Symphony Orchestra, and a recital in Liechtenstein. He recently won the 2025 West Suburban Symphony Solo Competition and will perform with the orchestra in June. Jan has attended prestigious summer programs, such as Musica Mundi, Meadowmount, CIM Chamber Music Intensive, and Gstaad String Academy. He is a founding member of Musicians for Hope, supporting music education in public schools, and performs regularly at senior homes, schools, and community events.
Vermillion String Quartet
The Music Institute Of Chicago Academy
VERMILLION STRING QUARTET
THE MUSIC INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO ACADEMY
Emily Chen & Magdalena Masur, violins • Brayden Wu, viola • Gabi Raviv, cello
The Vermillion String Quartet, coached by Music Institute of Chicago String Department Chair and Academy faculty member Sang Mee Lee, is comprised of violinists Emily Chen and Magdalena Masur, violist Brayden Wu, and cellist Gabi Raviv. All four students are Merit Scholarship fellows at the Music Institute of Chicago’s Academy, a training center for advanced pre-college musicians. The word “Vermillion” is of French origin. Relating to the color, it represents the passion, energy, and excitement the group hopes to bring to audiences. The group recently performed on the Pilgrim Chamber Players Rising Stars Concert, has just advanced to the live quarterfinal round of the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, held in South Bend, IN, each May.
Violinist Emily Chen, 16, studies with Academy faculty members Injoo Choi and Almita Vamos and is a Fellow at the Music Institute of Chicago’s Academy. She is the Grand Prize Winner of theChicago International Music Competition (2024), Winner of the DePaul National Concerto Competition (2023), and the Junior String Winner of the Walgreens National Concerto Competition (2022). In 2024, her string quartet, Quartet Meraviglia, won the Bronze Medal at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. Emily has also had the honor of playing in masterclasses for James Ehnes, Mihaela Martin, Jinjoo Cho, Benjamin Beilman, David Taylor, and many more.
Violinist Magdalena Masur, 16, a Fellow at the Music Institute of Chicago’s Academy, is an eleventh grader who commutes each week from the Milwaukee area. She won the Racine Symphony Orchestra Young Artist competition in February 2024, and the 2022 Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra (MYSO) concerto competition. Magdalena also serves as one of the concertmasters inthe MYSO Senior Symphony, and has played in a piano trio as part of the Advanced Chamber Music Institute at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music for the past three years. Magdalena currently studies violin with Alexander Mandl.
Violist Brayden Wu, 16, studies with Sang Mee Lee and is a Scholarship Fellow at the Music Institute of Chicago Academy. He has previously been a member of the Midwest Young Artists and Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra programs, and has been accepted to the top orchestras. Additionally, he has served as principal violist for the Illinois Music Education Association All-District and All-State orchestras, and has been selected for the Honors orchestra. He has received awards from the DePaul National Concerto Competition, the Society of American Musicians Competition, the New Trier Fine Arts Association Scholarships, and the MIC Merit Scholarship Young Artist of Tomorrow program. Brayden has performed in masterclasses with Davis King and Eric Nowlin, and attended Center Stage Strings this past summer at the University of Michigan.
Cellist Gabi Raviv, 16, is a student of Academy faculty member Tanya Carey and Professor of Cello at the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University, Hans Jorgen Jensen. Gabi most recently won the DePaul Concerto Competition, duo strings division, and the Music Teachers National Association, Illinois Senior Strings Competition. Other awards include those from the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition, multiple DePaul Concerto Festivals, the MTNA Illinois Junior String Division, the International Grande Competition, multiple Society of American Musicians Competitions, and multiple Chinese Fine Arts Society Music Festivals. Gabi played with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra for three years, most recently as a principal in the cello section. Togetherwith his brother, Eytan, Gabi frequently performs as a rock, pop, and heavy metal cello duo. Some of their most recent appearances include pre and halftime shows for Northwestern Wildcats basketballand the Chicago Blackhawks.