Congratulations to the Winners of the 2023
LMSO Young Artist Competition !
1st Place & Grand Prize Winner
Juliet Swaim
2nd Place & Grand Prize Winner
Caroline Huang
3rd Place & Grand Prize Winner
John Lee
Juliet Swaim has been playing the violin since the age of 7. She is a senior at AC Flora High School and currently studies with Dr. William Terwilliger. She has been a member of the South Carolina Philharmonic Youth Orchestra since 10th grade, and this year, she is the concertmaster. Throughout high school, she has participated in Region, All-State, and District Honors Orchestra, and has served as concertmaster several times. She also plays in the String Ensemble at her church. She recently won the SCPYO Concerto Competition, as well as first place in the Senior Strings Division in the Columbia Music Club Scholarship Competition. Last summer, she attended the Brevard Music Center Summer Orchestral Institute, where she was concertmaster for the high school orchestra’s performance of Dvorak’s 8th Symphony. This summer, she will attend the Boston University Tanglewood Institute in Lenox, MA. Outside of music, she enjoys running, reading, and writing. She is in the top 10 of her graduating class and is the president of her school’s French National Honor Society. In college, she plans to double major in music and French
Caroline Huang is a 16 year old junior at Dutch Fork High School. She has studied cello for 9 years, with the last 5 years with Dr. Robert Jesselson. She was a winner of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) SC State Strings Performance Junior and Senior Divisions from 2021-23. She was also a winner of the Music Clubs Scholarship Audition in 2020, ‘21, and ‘23. Caroline has been the principal cellist of the SC Philharmonic Youth Orchestra since 2020, and she performed the Faure Elegie with the Youth Philharmonic in February 2022. Caroline was the principal of the Midlands Region Orchestra and in the top three chairs of All-State Orchestra from 2021-23. Her string quartet, the Saluda Quartet, has competed in the USC Chamber Day and Competition for Advanced High Schoolers with the Grammy-winning Parker Quartet and received prizes for 4 straight years. In addition to music, Caroline ranks in the top 5 of her class in her school's STEM Program. She is the President of Earth Club, Vice President in the Future Business Leaders of America Club, and a member of Mock Trial. She also enjoys baking, especially macarons, in her free time.
John Lee was born in South Korea and has been playing the clarinet since 6th grade. He is currently a senior at Lexington High School in Lexington, South Carolina, and has been studying privately with Joseph Eller, the clarinet professor at UofSC for two years. This fall, He plans to attend Princeton University to major in civil
engineering and earn a certificate in music performance.
Throughout high school, John has been a member of the Lexington High School wind ensemble and marching band, where he played a role as a drum major since 2021. He has played with the Honor Band of America, South Carolina All-state Band, and South Carolina All-state Orchestra. He has been playing as the
principal clarinetist for the South Carolina Youth Philharmonic Orchestra since 2021. He placed first at the American Single Reed Summit International Clarinet Competition in 2022 and South Carolina Band Directors Association Master Recital Competition in 2021.
Outside of music, John is involved in clubs such as LHS Science Olympiad, Math Club, and Varsity
Tennis Team. He hopes to continue his hobbies throughout college and beyond.
Honorable Mention
MacLean Tollefsen
MacLean Tollefsen is a homeschooled senior and has been playing violin since he was eight years old. He studies with Mr. Neil Casey, played with the SC Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, and frequently performs at his church with his sister, who is a cellist. MacLean was the concertmaster of the String Project Intermezzo Orchestra and performed Kreisler's Praeludium and Allegro. In addition to classical violin, he also enjoys playing fiddle music and performs at open mikes in Columbia. In his spare time, MacLean enjoys painting, drawing, harmonica, accordion, guitar, and observing fish and tadpoles, often with his nieces. This fall, MacLean will be attending the University of South Carolina and majoring in music education with a violin performance certificate.