In December, sophomore Miki Mitarai, who was a second place winner in the fall 2020 American Protégé International Music Talent Competition, gave a performance at New York City’s Carnegie Hall, singing “Voi Che Sapete” from Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro.”
Each year, American Protégé invites young musicians from around the world to submit video auditions for the competition. Mitarai’s invitation to perform at Carnegie Hall was extended after her placement in the competition, but was postponed for nearly two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mitarai, who is a member of the upper school vocal group Cantilena, said the opportunity was “well worth” the long wait.
Prior to her performance, she encountered a group of singers in Central Park, and was greatly inspired “by the emotion and passion in their voices,” determined to carry that inspiration with her into that evening’s performance. “Singing always makes me happy, and that night, the feeling was just amplified,” she recalled. “The concert went super smoothly and I was so proud of how much time, practice and hard work I had put in to get to where I was.”
Over the winter break, ninth grader and chess enthusiast Vyom Vidyarthi’s success continued as he took first place in the under-20 category at the North American Junior Chess Championship in Charlotte, N.C. This placement earned him the distinction of being named a FIDE International Master at age 14, becoming one of only eight IMs in the world who are the same age or younger. Congratulations on this massive achievement!
On Dec. 4, a group of Harker students led by Harker sophomore Nathan Liu partnered with students from other Bay Area high schools to hold the second “Tribute to Fallen Heroes” concert, a special benefit concert supporting the California Fire Foundation.
Held at the Triton Museum of Art in Santa Clara, the event raised $18,000 for the foundation, which provides aid to the families of California firefighters who died while battling the many blazes that have occurred across the state. Last year’s event raised $13,000.
Performers at the event included violinist Ray Iwazumi of the Juilliard School, pianist and University of Utah professor Koji Attwood, pianist Nina Yen and cellist Jennifer Chou. Harker students were on the bill as well, including cellist Lucas Chen, grade 12, and guitarist Vardaan Ghai, singer Shayla He, rhythmic gymnast Anna Lee and dancer Ella Yee, all grade 10 .
As part of the organizers’ sustainability goals, the concert went paperless, holding ticket sales via Eventbrite and enabling ticketholders to receive updates on the concert by scanning a QR code.
In late October, seventh grader Ivanya Sadana traveled to Houston to compete at the Houston Squash Club Junior Gold tournament, where she won bronze in her division. The tournament featured 176 competitors from across the country. Sadana is currently ranked fourth in California in the girls under 13 division. Great work!
Sixth grader and chess enthusiast Omya Vidyarthi won a gold medal at last month’s 17th Annual North American Youth Chess Championship, which hosted more than 400 entrants from the Canada, Mexico and the United States. Vidyarthi competed in the U12 Girls category and won with a score of 8.5 points out of a possible 9. She is now eligible to earn the Woman FIDE Master title from the International Chess Federation. As a bonus, Vidyarthi also took second place in the blitz chess side event!
Chess whiz Vyom Vidyarthi, who starts as a freshman at the upper school this year, was the winner at the 11th Annual Dewain Barber National Tournament of Middle School State Champions, held July 31-Aug. 3 in Cherry Hill, N.J., becoming the Champion of Champions among middle school competitors. The Barber tournament is a meeting of representatives from each state, who then face off to determine the nation’s top player. As a first-place winner, Vidyarthi received a $5,000 scholarship and an invitation to the 2022 US Cadet Championship. His score was combined with those of other top players from Northern California region, which won the team portion of the event.
Gymnasts Anna Lee (pictured, second from left), a rising sophomore, and Bella Chen (third from left), a rising freshman, competed as members of the Diana’s Rhythmics team at the 2021 USA Gymnastics Championships in St. Louis. The team took third place in the ribbons and all-around events. Their performance was impressive in light of the limited in-person practices and competitions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rhythmic gymnastics incorporates the use of objects such as ribbons, balls and hoops and has been an Olympic event since 1984.
Squash enthusiast Sarah Thiru, a rising fifth grader, posted impressive results on both coasts over the last month, taking second place in the GU11 category at both the West Coast Junior Gold tournament in Fremont and the New York Junior Gold tournament in New York City over the July 4 weekend. She finished her run in US Squash’s GU11 division ranked eighth in the country and will soon begin competing in the next division.
June 17, 2021:
Rising fifth grader Sarah Thiru’s squash success continued as she placed first in the GU11 category at the Junior Gold tournament, held June 4-6 at McArthur Squash Center in Charlottesville, Va.
June 3, 2021:
Over Memorial Day weekend, fourth grader and squash player Sarah Thiru took second place at the West Coast Regional Junior Championships, held in Redwood City. Thiru competed in the GU11 category, for girls under the age of 11. Congratulations!
Last month, rising seventh grader Xianyao He qualified for the U13 (under 13) boys national table tennis team following a terrific performance at the national team trials in Pleasantville, N.Y. He is now eligible to represent Team USA at the International Table Tennis Federation’s Pan American U11 and U13 Championships, set to be held in Cuenca, Ecuador, in October. Xianyao has been training diligently at the Spartans Table Tennis Center in Santa Clara and is among the highest-ranked U13 boys players in California.
Last month, rising eighth grader Kira Bardin was named the U-15 (under 15) National Champion for both the individual and mixed relay divisions at the USA Modern Pentathlon National Championship, held in Roswell, N.M. Her performance also qualified her for an invitation to the elite USA Modern Pentathlon Olympic Development program – an intensive, week-long residential training program at the US Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Bardin qualified for the national event after a decisive win at the Wolfpack Regional Pentathlon.
Modern Pentathlon combines swimming, fencing, horse jumping and laser-run (in which competitors run laps and shoot targets with laser pistols) into a single, one-day event. It has been an Olympic sport since 1912. Bardin will compete in the U-17 division next year and hopes to join the USA Modern Pentathlon Junior World Team with a goal towards representing the United States at the international level in 2022 and beyond. To follow her journey, please visit https://www.kirabardin.com.