On December 6th, we held our second ever annual End-of-year Awards Ceremony at Montgomery College. Although the PVSA is currently on hold, we wanted to hold this celebration to honor and to appreciate all of the wonderful volunteers, teachers, donors, and supporters that make our organization possible. After two years of spreading the joy of music throughout the community, we are grateful for each and every one of you.
This year, MusicAid invited some of our most dedicated volunteers, but also the figures that have guided many of our musicians in the past 2 years.
These include some of the most accomplished and hardworking people in the spheres of music and education here in Maryland and Virginia. Their impact on the community and on us cannot be described with words. These are the teachers that guide musicians in and outside the schools, the leaders in the field of education, and important figures dedicating their career to the community. We are honored to work with them, and they truly represent our mission to enrich through music and to create positive and real impact in our community.
Our esteemed guest speakers this year included the wonderful Mrs. Michelle Cammarata, the PVYO Symphony Orchestra Assistant Conductor and the Orchestra & Band Director at Cabin John Middle School, as well as amazing Ms. Julie Yang, the President of the Montgomery Board of Education. We thank them both for their thoughtful and gracious words.
Ms. Yang was also kind enough to award us with a Certificate of Appreciation on behalf of the Montgomery County Board of Education, for dedication to expanding music opportunities for students and enriching our communities through education, service, and performance. Ms. Yang mentioned how the seniors are a fast growing group in our area and how she is very pleased that our talented musicians are willing to dedicate their time to perform for them. We could not feel more honored and grateful for her kind words.
Our event also would not have been possible without Ms. Carolyn Oh, a talented flute teacher, who helped us secure our venue for the ceremony. We sincerely thank her for all she has done for us.
We are also deeply grateful to Mrs. Andrea Cameron, the Orchestra & Band Director at Robert Frost Middle School and the MCYO Concert Orchestra Director, for handing out awards to our volunteers. Lastly, we would like to thank all the music teachers and community leaders who came to support us, including but not limited to Mr. Cameron, Dr. Choi, Mr. Fu, Mrs. Gu, Dr. Kim, Ms. Ma, Dr. Zhang, Mr. Zhang, and Mr. Zhou.
Each and every one of our honored guests received a customized MusicAid cup as a gift to thank them for their service and contributions. After the ceremony concluded we provided dinner with a buffet of an assortment of Asian food, pizza, and desserts also being included. We hope everybody enjoyed themselves!
Ceremony Performance
We also wanted to spotlight the performances at our ceremony this year, which featured not only our talented boardmembers, Vivian, Mila, Richard, Daniel, Gloria, Ella, Ethan, Melinda, Charles, Alex, and Aaron, but also some of our amazing volunteers. Andy Yan, Faratimi Olufon, Alyssa Rachlin, Nyah Magsino, Logan Liu, Sophia Liu, and Alvin Xu all gave beautiful performances at this years' ceremony.
There was a wide range between these performances, with soloists, duets, and even trios and quartets. From classical performances like an elegant Quartet by Rabl, to traditional music, such as a magical Guzheng solo, to the whimsical music of the Ghibli world of Joe Hisaishi, and even vocal performances of pop songs from John Legend to the Greatest Showman and Frozen 2.
Each performance showcased talent and the beauty that lies within music, evoking that irreplaceable and indescribable feeling as the first note begins. The performances mirrored a typical MusicAid concert, with a variety of different acts, and we hope our guests were able to vicariously experience what it feels like at each of our monthly concerts, a sense of community and appreciation for music, even at its simplest. We applaud each of these musicians for their amazing performances.
Finally, last but not least, a huge thank you to all the parents, of all of the board members but also all of the volunteers. Your support is invaluable, and your work does not go unnoticed. Thank you for placing time, energy, resources, and love into this community. It is your support for the children's talents that makes this possible.
Thank you to all of you! We hope you enjoyed the ceremony! You can watch our concluded ceremony here.
To Our Volunteers
First and foremost, we need to celebrate our achievements! MusicAid has accumulated 1.5k+ accumative volunteers with 500+ unique musicians. We have expanded beyond the DMV area to Lexington Massachusetts as well, with 100+concerts being held by MusicAid in total.
We cannot forget our volunteers, who are the lifeblood of this organization. At each concert, it is every one of you that make it all possible. We are grateful for everyone, but we would like to specially recognize some of our most dedicated volunteers and most familiar faces this year:
Sriram Bhamidipati, Heena Brooks, Yuna Brooks, Vince Cao, Iv Chen, Yuan Fu, Jason Hua, Aaron Huang, Emma Lee, Hannah Li, Stella Li, Logan Liu, Joanna Liu, Sophia Liu, Milo Lopez, Samuel Lu, Nyah Magsino, Sunny Meng, Biligt Munkhbat, Carl Ni, Mayowa Obatusin, Faratimi Olufon, Alyssa Rachlin, Leeann Sun, Jeremy Shu, Isabella Teshome, Joel Teshome, Edwin Thai, Evelyn Thai, Divya Umamahesh, Alexis Washirapunya, Matthew Wong, Alvin Xu, Andy Yan
If you did not make this list this year, not to fret! 2026 will present even more opportunities to win awards and perform! We are more than excited for what's to come in the future!
