NATIONALLY ACCLAIMED MUSICIANS FEATURED AT THE ART OF CARING FOR OTHERS DINNER
We are thrilled to announce that the nationally acclaimed musicians Jayden and Kaitlyn Ouyang will be the featured performers at The Art of Caring for Others Dinner and Art Auction at the Dallas Country Club next Thursday, February 3, 2022 at the Dallas Country Club.
Jayden Ouyang, Cellist
Jaden Ouyang is 14 years old and is currently a 9th grader at St. Mark’s School of Texas in Dallas. Jaden began studying piano with his mother, Melody Ouyang, when he was 4 years old and later studied with Dr. Cathay Lysinger at Southern Methodist University’s Piano Preparatory program for 2 years. He was a winner of many competitions as a pianist, and made his Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall debut in New York City at age 7 as the first place winner of the American Protege International Competition. Two years later, he was invited to perform there again as a winner of the Texas Chopin Society’s Competition. He was selected to be part of the Van Cliburn’s Education Program–“The American Hero,” and was part of the performances at the Bass Performance Hall to over five thousand students in the Fort Worth area.
Jaden began his cello studies in 4th grade with Gayane Fullford. He had studied with Jung-Shin Lewis, Ko Iwasaki, and he is currently a student of Joseph Kuipers. He has been a first place winner of the Dallas Symphonic Festival, Texas Music Teachers Association’s Performance Contest, and has been first chair of the TPMEA orchestra. Most recently, he was the winner at the National Music Teacher’s Association’s Texas State Competition and is representing Texas to compete with other states.
Besides playing the cello, Jaden is an avid water polo athlete. He helped his team to win multiple Texas State Championships. In 2021, he and his teammates won the silver medal at the National Junior Olympics and Jaden was selected as a National Junior Olympics All American. In the same year, Jaden also was selected to represent Team USA as a member of the USA Water Polo National Team for his age group.
In his spare time, Jaden enjoys reading, being a part of his school’s newspaper publications, and spending time with his friends. He also loves traveling with his family to explore different parts of the world. He has visited about 30 different countries including his most recent visit to the 7th continent-Antarctica. Jaden hopes to be a marine biologist in the future.
Kaitlyn Ouyang, Pianist
Kaitlyn Ouyang is 13 years old and a 7th grader at The Hockaday School in Dallas, Texas. Kaitlyn began playing the piano with her mother, Melody Ouyang, when she was 4 years old. At age 5, she started taking lessons with Ms. Vita Zharkova at the Music Institute of North Texas. Since 2016, she has continued her training under Dr. Cathy Lysinger, Professor of Piano Performance and Pedagogy at Southern Methodist University. Kaitlyn has been a prize winner at numerous competitions in the local, national, and international levels. When she was 4 years old and in Kindergarten, she took First Place at the Plano Trophy Competition Fourth Grade Division. She has been awarded First Place in Dallas Piano Solo, Frisco Trophy Competition, DMTA Symphonic Festival, Sonatina and Sonata Competition at Texas A&M, and Carmel International Piano Competition. At age 5, she placed first in the American Protege International Competition and was invited to perform at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City. She was interviewed by the Dallas Morning News and was featured on the cover of the newspaper. At age 7, she placed First at the Texas Chopin Society’s Sonata and Sonatina Competition and was once again invited to perform at Carnegie Hall. She placed First at Ensemble75’s Concerto Competition and was a prize winner for both Solo and Concerto divisions at the Carmel International Piano Competition. Recently, she placed first at the Collin County Young Artist Competition in 2022, and in 2021, she made her orchestra debut as a soloist with the Fort Worth Symphony orchestra under the baton of Miguel Harth-Bedoya. For three years, she was selected to be part of the Van Cliburn’s Education Program–“The American Hero,” and was part of the performances at the Bass Performance Hall to over five thousand students in the Fort Worth area.
Besides playing the piano, Kaitlyn enjoys reading, playing water polo, and traveling the world with her family. She has visited about 30 countries, including her most recent trip to Antarctica! Kaitlyn is an avid debater and has received awards as a speaker. She has been recently chosen as part of her debate league’s All-team and will be competing in Middle School Nationals for speech and debate. She hopes to become a Supreme Court Justice in the future!