2025 - 2026 Winners
Leon Burke III (2011-2013)
Leon Burke III is a native St. Louisan, where he attended Mc Bride High School and John Burroughs School. He holds music degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory and the University of Kansas. Burke studied as a Fulbright Fellow in Paraguay. Burke has served as Conductor/Music Director of the Lawrence Chamber Players, the Hutchinson Symphony, and the McPherson Symphony. He has been on the faculties of Baker University, Sterling College, Hutchinson Community College, and Webster University. Burke is an active member of Unitarian Universalists Musicians Network (UUMN). He served as a member of the UUA New Hymn Resource Task Force, which was appointed in the Fall of 2003 to create a new congregational hymn resource.
Tyler He
First Place Winner
Tyler is a senior at Clayton High School. In addition to piano, Tyler also plays cello. He has participated in the Saint Louis Youth Symphony for all 4 years of his high school career. He has also participated in the Webster Chamber Music program. For piano, Tyler has participated in numerous competitions, including MMTA, Federation, and Guild. Tyler would like to thank all who have helped him along his musical career. These include his private teachers Annette Burkhart and David Kim, his school orchestra teacher Daniel Henderson, and his stand partners during his time in the SLSO.
Kanon Ogura
Deborah Fox Guild Winner
Kanon Ogura, 11, is a fifth grader at Meramec Elementary School in St. Louis, whose passion for the violin began when she was five. She currently studies with Joo Kim. This season, she won First Place in the MTNA Missouri State Junior Strings Competition and will advance to the West Central Division Competition. She was also named the winner of the Belleville Philharmonic Orchestra’s Stars of Tomorrow Competition and will perform as a soloist with the orchestra in March 2026. As the youngest member of the Young People’s Symphonic Orchestra at the Community Music School of Webster University, she performed at Carnegie Hall in April 2025. The following month, she made her solo debut with the orchestra after winning its Concerto Competition. Kanon has also received recognition in numerous international competitions, including Third Prize at the Leonid Kogan International Competition in Belgium, Second Prize (the highest award) at the Junior Classical Music Competition in Japan, the Absolute Prize at the Singapore International Music Competition, and the Grand Prix at the United Stars Music Competition. Beyond her solo performances, Kanon enjoys chamber music and currently performs in a piano quartet through the Chamber Music Society of St. Louis. Outside of music, Kanon loves reading and is an enthusiastic fan of Harry Potter. Fascinated by reptiles—especially snakes—she says she might become a “snake scholar” one day, and even master Parseltongue.
Charis Shing
First Place Runner-Up
Charis Shing, age 14, began playing the violin at age four and is currently a student of Ms. Joo Kim, first violinist of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. At age ten, Shing made her solo debut with the Alton Symphony Orchestra as the Deborah Fox Guild Award recipient. She has since performed with the Town and Country Orchestra, University City Orchestra, and the Community Music School Young People’s Symphonic Orchestra—appearances earned through concerto competition wins. Most recently, she won first prize in the Belleville Philharmonic’s Stars of Tomorrow competition and performed with the orchestra in March 2025. Shing is a two-time winner of the Music Teachers National Association Missouri Junior Strings Competition (2023–2024) and was a national finalist in 2025 after winning the West-Central Division. As a passionate chamber musician, she has participated in the Community Music School Preparatory Program for two years. She was the youngest of six finalists and received the program’s full scholarship for the 2024–2025 season. She was also named a 2024–2025 Radar Young Artist by the Chamber Music Society of St. Louis. She is deeply grateful to her teacher Ms. Joo Kim, as well as Annette Burkhart, Vera Parkin, Rebecca Pantano, Ed Sandheinrich, and her parents for their unwavering support.