The Yen Liang Young Artist Competition is an annual concerto competition presented by the Diablo Symphony Association, showcasing the depth of the young local talent in Contra Costa County and beyond. The competition is dedicated to the memory of Yen Liang (1908-2000), a noted artist, architect, and long time resident of Rossmoor who also played second violin in the Diablo Symphony for many years. The competition rotates every year between strings, winds / brass / percussion, and piano.
The 2026-2027 competition is now open to string players born after April 1, 2003. Please click here for details and a link to the 2026-2027 application.
Since the competition’s inception, the Diablo Symphony has been delighted to showcase extraordinary young musicians, many now enjoying successful careers in the United States and internationally. Find snapshots of the most recent winners below—and go to the “Past Winners” and “Winners Today” links on the right for details of earlier winners.
Ellie Xuan, piano, first place winner, 2025–2026
Cayden Bloomer, oboe, first place winner, 2024–2025
Starla Breshears, cello, first place winner, 2023–2024
Nicholas Weathers, clarinet, first place winner, 2021–2022
Chuxuejie Zhang, viola, first place co-winner, 2019–2020
Grace Huh, violin, first place co-winner, 2019–2020
Christopher Richardson, piano, first place winner, 2018–2019
David Davisson Richardson, flute, first place co-winner, 2017–2018
Omar Wahby, clarinet, first place co-winner, 2017–2018
