Associate Members
Associate Members are talented musicians who are committed to performing in Harmony for more than one season.
Kai Bunger-Tang
Piano
2023~
Kai is a student at Palo Alto High School. He is an avid pianist with around 8 years of experience, and has been training under Celine Burnichon. His love for classical piano music (especially pieces by Chopin and Debussy) is what got him started on piano and is what continues to push him everyday to become a better pianist. Outside of music, Kai enjoys running, being out in nature, and hanging out with his two dogs.
Felix Chang
Violin
2023~
Felix is currently a student at Palo Alto High School, and is a student of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music pre-college. He is currently a member of the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra and was the concertmaster of the 2023-24 Camerata Orchestra in the Golden State Youth Orchestra. He has played violin for around 8 years.
Samuel Chen
Oboe
2024~
Samuel Chen is a student at Gunn High School and plays the oboe, currently studying under Yu-Ting Wang. He is the principal oboist of the San Jose Youth Symphony's Philharmonic Orchestra, partaking in their 2025 tour to Europe. He has also participated in the 2024 SJSU Honor Bands. He has previously played the piano and saxophone, and has also performed in Merkin Concert Hall in New York City. Outside of music, he currently serves as the co-president of his school's Science Olympiad team, and enjoys biking, reading, and spending time with friends, making music or just having fun.
Jamie Cheung
Violin & Viola
2024~
Jamie is a student at Gunn High School and has been playing the viola for four years, currently studying under Madeline Prager of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Pre-College Division. Aside from the viola, he also plays the violin. Currently a member of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and the school symphony orchestra, Jamie regards performing music as his lifelong passion. Other than performing, he composes program music and competes on the school Science Olympiad Team.
Darwin Collins
Piano
2024~
Darwin is a sophomore at Palo Alto High School. He started learning piano at age 4 and currently studies with Cheeyin Blume. Besides classical music, he’s passionate about jazz and plays piano in PALY’s jazz ensemble, where he loves mixing technique with improvisation. He also plays violin and enjoys exploring different styles of music. Outside of music, Darwin is part of PALY’s Speech and Debate Club. In his free time, he likes playing tennis and hanging out with friends.
Michelle Fang
Cello
2024~
Michelle started playing cello in fourth grade, after having studied piano since kindergarten. She currently studies cello with Eric Sung and attends the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Pre-College Division. She is also a part of the California Youth Symphony Senior Orchestra.​​​​​​​​
Artin Irani
Violin & Viola
2023~
Artin Irani is a student at Palo Alto High School. He is currently serves as Principal Viola in the Palo Alto High School Chamber Orchestra.
Jack Jiang
Saxophone
2024~
Jack is a dedicated saxophonist and student at Palo Alto High School. He is currently a member of the Palo Alto High School Symphonic Band. He was part of the community band for the RMA Virginia front royal church and was a qualifier for the 2021–2022 Virginia Band & Orchestra Directors Association honors program. Other than music, Jack does tennis, track, and wrestling.
Kavita Karmarkar
Composer & Piano
2024~
Kavita Karmarkar started playing the piano at the age of 10 and composing at the age of 12. Her favorite pieces are “The Lark” by Glinka and Tchaikovsky’s first piano concerto. She wrote her first waltz in August 2022. She studies with Tatiana Catanzaro, a professor of Music Composition at the University of Brazil São Paulo/Stanford.
Lucas Lai
Cello
2023~
Lucas is a junior at Palo Alto High School and has played cello for 4 years. He is part of Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra's Senior Orchestra and was previously the principal cellist of the Galbraith Honors Orchestra in the Golden State Youth Orchestra. Outside of music, Lucas loves playing basketball, writing for the school newspaper, and spending time with family and friends.
Hanting Liu
Clarinet
2024~
Hanting Liu, 16, is an avid musician and has played in various ensembles, foremost as a clarinet player. He is currently playing with the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. Born in China, he grew up in Melbourne, Australia. He is a Junior at Henry M. Gunn High School in which he plays in the Wind Ensemble, Jazz Big Band, Symphony Orchestra, Gunn Sax Ensemble, and Triquetra Quartet, with which he reached the semi finals of the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition - Junior Winds Division. Outside of school, he is a member of Magical Strings West, and was a member of the Golden State Youth Orchestra.
Linda Liu
Piano
2024~
Linda is a sophomore at Palo Alto High School. She started learning piano at age 4 and formerly studied under Yvonne Wang. Linda recently achieved State Honors in CM Piano Level 10. She also posts relatable and funny piano content on Instagram, gaining over 8 million total views along with 5 thousand followers (@_ll.ind.a_) . Aside from piano, she started learning cello at age 10 and previously studied under Minji Kim. Linda is also a self-taught electric guitarist. In addition to music, she is part of PALY’s Speech and Track and Field teams. She also loves dancing, reading, and hanging out with friends.
Kevin Pei
Violin & Viola
2023~
Kevin is a 15-year-old violinist. He studies under Liana Bérubé and has been playing since he was 4. He is currently a member of the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra. In his free time, he enjoys reading, studying, and listening to music.
Jesse Spain
Composer, Oboe, Trumpet, Piano
2024~
Jesse Spain is a composer, oboist, trumpet player, and pianist. He studies composition at the San Fransisco Conservatory of Music pre-college program and plays oboe in the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. He has been studying music since the age of three and hopes to pursue a career in the art, especially in composition.
Tiffany Yiu
Violin
2024~
Tiffany started playing the violin at six and currently studies under Susan Freier. She is a member of the Senior Orchestra of the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra and serves as the co-regional director of the Back to Bach Project Palo Alto Region. She is a member of the 2024 Boston University Tanglewood Institute Young Artists Orchestra, and in 2023, she participated in the BUTI String Quartet Workshop.