Pictured: (from left) Bronxville Middle School seventh grader Zoe Fong and Bronxville Elementary School fifth grader Mason Liang

By Blaine Malefatto, Syntax

Feb. 5, 2025: Two talented young musicians from the Bronxville School were chosen to perform in the prestigious Symphony of Westchester’s concert on Feb. 2.  They include Bronxville Elementary School fifth grader Mason Liang on piano, and Bronxville Middle School seventh grader Zoe Fong on cello.

The students were selected by audition during a competition in December where Fong earned second place, performing Boccherini Cello Concerto No. 9 in B-flat Major; and Liang earned fifth place, performing Mozart Piano Concerto, No. 23 in A Major, K. 488.

“Zoe and Mason are outstanding musicians due not only to their technical proficiency on the cello and piano, respectively, but also on the basis of their extraordinary level of musicianship, musical expression, and their self-confidence in being able to perform and make beautiful music under pressure,” music teacher Adele Hoffman said. “Additionally, both Mason and Zoe are exemplary students who work so well with others in their leadership roles in the Bronxville elementary and middle school orchestra programs.”

Hoffman performed as a violinist in the orchestra during the Symphony of Westchester’s concert. The Symphony of Westchester is founded and directed by Barry Charles Hoffman, who also performs as a piano accompanist with the Bronxville Elementary School fourth and fifth grade orchestra concerts.

Fong has been studying the cello since she was five. She has performed at Carnegie Hall as second-prize winner of the American Protégé International Concerto Competition and has previously performed with the Symphony of Westchester as a winner of its Young Artist Competition. She is a member of the Hoff-Barthelson Festival Orchestra and has served as principal cellist in the Kinhaven Junior Session Orchestra and the Westchester Elementary All-County Orchestra. Together with her sisters, Fong regularly organizes and performs classical music recitals at senior living facilities. She is also a member of a piano trio with her sister and father and has performed trios by Beethoven, Dvořák, Haydn, Mendelssohn and Mozart in over 25 concerts. She holds a black belt in taekwondo and is a saber fencer who competes at a regional level.

Liang has been playing piano for five years. He was the Grand Prix winner at the New York Concert Festival International Competition in 2021 and 2022, second-place winner in the 2021 Rondo Young Artist Festival and third-place winner in the American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition in 2021. He has performed at Carnegie Hall’s Isaac Stern Auditorium, Lincoln Center and Weill Recital Hall. Besides playing the piano, he also enjoys tennis, reading and traveling around the world.

Photo courtesy of the Bronxville Union Free School District