YSC 2024 – 2025 Winners
First Place Winner
Hongrae Kim – Alto Saxophone
Hongrae Kim is a senior student at River Dell Regional High School in New Jersey. At an early age, he received private violin and cello lessons along with performing in an orchestra. Later, he first picked up a saxophone when he took an interest in his middle school band. He has taken private lessons with classical saxophonist Dr. Wonki Lee for nearly five years. Since attending high school, he has participated in his school’s select choir, concert band, Drama club, jazz band, and became a Tri-M Music Honors Society member. Moreover, outside of school, he also participated in MPulse summer camp at Michigan University, Future Leaders of Music Technology Institute for Music Leadership at Eastman School of Music, and the Amadeus Youth Winds Ensemble, where he was once even a featured soloist.
Second Place Winner
Spoorthy Gundra – Saxophone
Ms. Spoorthy Gundra resides in New Jersey, U.S.A. and is in the 11th grade at Union County Vocational Magnet High School and has been studying the saxophone for five years. She was selected as principal chair of both the 2025 New Jersey All-State Symphonic Honor Band as well as the 2024 Central New Jersey Region Honor Wind Ensemble. In 2024, she won the coveted First Prize in New Jersey’s Union County Talent Competition, “Union’s Got Talent.“ In 2023, Ms. Gundra was the “lead alto sax” in the New Jersey Youth Symphony’s (Wharton Arts) Big Band Jazz Ensemble. Since 2022, she has been the recipient of the Grand First Prize in the American Allegro Fine Arts Association Solo Competition for four consecutive years, leading to performances at Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall in New York. Other Gold Prizes Ms. Gundra has won prior to 2022 are: Little Mozarts and Crescendo International Competitions. Additionally, she is a member of a humanitarian aid student organization, Del Forzza Chamber Music Society, a three-year project dedicated to raising money for victims of national and international natural disasters through music..
Third Place Winner
Eric Sigalov – Alto Saxophone
Eric Sigalov is a junior at Montgomery High School. He has been studying both the alto saxophone and piano for seven years. He has been a part of the New Jersey All-State Band and Central Jersey Region Band and has performed at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall and Merkin Hall multiple times. Eric placed second in the United States Navy Band Young Artist Solo Competition and had the opportunity to perform at the Washington Navy Yard. He has achieved distinction on all ABRSM exams up to and including Grade 8 for both instruments. At his high school, he is an active member of the jazz band and pit orchestra, where he performs on the alto, tenor, and soprano saxophone.