Classical Music at the Seminole

Many parents have passed through phases of children and music lessons.

Others have spent years with children in school bands, attending performances and concerts. For some, though, a child’s passion is elevated to a greater level and exceptional skill becomes apparent at a young age.

Anyone who loves classical music will not want to miss this year’s Seminole Theatre Music Scholarship Competition, where four remarkable 12-year-olds will display their abilities with violin and piano. They have each won multiple awards at local and state competitions.

The concert will be Wednesday, May 27, 2026, from 7:30-8:30 p.m. at Seminole Theatre. Admission is free, although donations for scholarships are gladly accepted.

Of note, Oleksii Ivanchenko will accompany all three violinists.

In order of appearance, from honorable mention to first place, Hugo Veronesi will play “Violin Concerto No. 3 in G Major K.216” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He’s a student at International Studies Charter Middle/High School who began his violin journey at the age of two. Aside from also playing electric bass, he is trilingual in Japanese, French and English, as well as a competitive fencer who enjoys exploring world cultures.

Lilah Hahn will grace the piano with “6 Études de concert, Op. 35, No. 2, ‘Automne’” by Cécile Chaminade. She began playing at age five and has dreamed of becoming a concert pianist since she was six.

A homeschooled student, Lilah studies with Efraín González Ruano and Joseph Kingma. When not on the piano, she enjoys violin, choir, baking, art, Girl Scouts and caring for her 15 chickens — each named after a woman pianist.

Sumire Shinano will play “Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26” by Max Bruch. A sixth-grade student in the Orchestra Magnet Program at Southwood Middle School, she began studying violin at age three through the Suzuki Method Violin Program at the University of Miami Frost School of Music.

She also enjoys reading and drawing and has a strong interest in traditional Japanese calligraphy.

Amanda Nunez will perform “Violin Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 22” by Henryk Wieniawski. In the seventh grade at Franklin Academy, she is the winner of the 2026 New World Symphony Side-by-Side Concerto Competition, serves as concertmaster of the Florida Youth Orchestra Principal Orchestra, and performs in the Advanced Chamber Music Program at the University of Miami Frost School of Music.

She’s passionate about sharing music and frequently performs at hospitals, nursing homes and local community events.

Tony Seepersaad founded the scholarships in 2015, originally hosted by Homestead Community Concerts. He did so as a moving tribute to his single mother, who made many sacrifices to ensure her three children took music lessons.

They had already endured the tragedy of losing her husband and their father when Tony was 12, yet she managed to juggle the high cost of instruments and countless hours spent taking the children to lessons, summer camps and competitions.

“The repertoire requirements for this competition are on par with the audition entrance repertoire requirements for the top collegiate schools of music in the country,” Seepersaad explained.

In further describing the concert, he announced a special aspect to the closing number.

“This year’s group of kids are all friends ... three violinists who study with the same teacher, Huifang Chen, concert violinist and conductor of the Greater Miami Youth Orchestra, and a pianist who runs in the same circles with them,” Seepersaad said.

“The four mothers were happy to ask me if they could all play a piece together they have performed before on another concert. So we will conclude the program with ‘Csardas for Three Violins’ by Michael McLean.

Watching these kids behind the scenes of the competition goofing around with each other assures me that, as talented as they are, they are truly 12-year-old kids.”

All the scholarships, which are set aside for students 18 and under who have not graduated high school and are Miami-Dade residents, are made possible by generous donations.

While Seepersaad provides the first-place scholarship, second place is from an anonymous donor this year. Dr. Linda Fagan gives third place in honor of her three brothers who died of cystic fibrosis, and honorable mention is donated by Spitzer Jeep Ram.

To learn more about sponsoring a memorial scholarship or donating to the program, contact Tony Seepersaad at tonyemf@aol.com.

Free tickets for the May 27 performance at 7:30 p.m. are available through the Seminole Theatre box office or online through the theater’s website. Tickets are not required, but registering helps provide a count for planning purposes.