Samantha Choo,16, began studying violin at the age of 7. She currently studies under Professor Philip Lewis. Choo has had the honor to perform at the 2014 Basically Beethoven Festival’s Rising Star Recital. She also had the privilege of playing at Chamber Music International’s pre-concert. Choo has soloed with the Meadows Symphony Orchestra and Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra as their concerto competition winner. Choo has won top prizes in the Schmidbauer, Juanita Miller, Chamber Music International, Collin County Young Artists, Vernell Gregg Young Artists, and Dallas Symphonic Festival concerto competitions. Her summer activities include attendance of IU Jacobs School of Music’s Summer String Academy and UTA’s Texas Chamber Music Institute where she received merit scholarships.She has also joined the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra International Youth Orchestra Camp, and UNT’s Summer String Institute. Samantha has performed in masterclasses for Emanuel Borok, David Chan, Gary Levinson, and Mimi Zweig. Choo is the 2015 recipient of the Sheila and Werner Harms Young Artist Scholarship. Choo is the co-concertmaster of GDYO and has been in the program for 8 years. She was concertmaster of the Jasper Symphony Orchestra–the 2014 National and Texas Honors Full Orchestra. She also had the honor of playing side-by-side with the DSO on NPR’s From the Top. Samantha’s artwork has won top awards in the Congressional Arts and Texas VASE competitions.She is heavily involved in school clubs and has held many leadership positions such as president of her school’s National Junior Art Honors Society and being an orchestra officer.