Musicians from the Cal Poly Pomona Piano Ensemble — pianists Josiah Kemp ('29) and Caitlin Yang ('25), vibraphonist Anai Hernandez ('25), drummer Jesus Aguilera ('27), and marimba player Kyra Johnson ('28) — won first place in the Ukrainian Music Competition’s 19-24 age group and will perform at the Ukrainian Institute of America on Dec. 7 and Jan. 16 at Carnegie Hall.

The upcoming performances strike a sweet note following the cancellation of a planned New York trip in spring 2025 due to department budget cuts. “I thought it was a pretty cool full circle moment to like win this huge competition, and in my senior year, the last chance I had, and now I get to go to New York still with Cal Poly [Pomona]," Hernadez says.

Also featured in the story is Grammy-winning Music Professor Nadia Shpachenko-Gottesman, whose son Mondy won first place in the 14-18 category.

This article was originally published by Claremont Courier on June 10, 2025.