RENOWNED AND NATIONALLY ACCLAIMED MUSICIANS TO GRACE THE STAGE AT THE ART OF CARING FOR OTHERS DINNER AND ART AUCTION

We’re delighted to announce the highly acclaimed musical talents of Jayden and Kaitlyn Ouyang as our featured performers for The Art of Caring for Others Dinner and Art Auction, taking place Thursday, February 29, 2024, at the prestigious Dallas Country Club.

Jaden Ouyang, Cellist

Jaden Ouyang is 16 years old and is currently a 11th 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, Joseph Kuipers, and he is currently a student of Nan Zhang. He has been a First Place winner of the Dallas Symphonic Festival for multiple years, 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 Teachers’ Association’s Texas State Competition and was the chosen winner of the South Central division. In 2023, Jaden was the first place state winner of Texas Music Teacher Association’s Performance Contest. Jaden is also the first prize winner of the Vernell Gregg Lewisville Lake Symphony Competition Senior division.

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 athlete. In the same year, Jaden also was selected to representTeam USA as a member of the USA Water Polo National Team for his age group.

In his spare time, Jaden enjoys reading and being a part of his school’s publications. He also loves traveling with his family to explore different parts of the world. He has visited 30+ countries including his most recent visit to the 7th continent-Antarctica.

Kaitlyn Ouyang, Pianist

Kaitlyn Ouyang is 15 years old and a 9th grader at The Hockaday School in Dallas, Texas. Kaitlyn began playing the piano with her mother, Melody Ouyang, since she was 4 years old. Since 2016, she has continued her training under Dr. Cathy Lysinger, Professor of Piano Performance and Pedagogy at Southern Methodist University, and she is now a student of Dr. Alex McDonald. 

Kaitlyn has been a prize winner at numerous competitions in the local, national, and international levels. When she was 4 years old, 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 ArtistCompetition in 2022 and was also the first prize winner at the Vernell Greg Lewisville Lake Symphony Competition’s junior division. In 2021, she made her orchestra debut as a soloist with the Fort Worth Symphony orchestra under the baton of Miguel Harth-Bedoya at PianoTexas’s summer festival. In 2022 and 2023, she was chosen as a winner of the Texas State International Festival’s concerto competition, and was featured as a soloist with the Central Texas Philharmonic. 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 is a fierce debater, enjoys rowing and is and traveling the world with her family. She has visited 30 plus countries and counting, including her most recent trip to Antarctica!