1. Hana Mizuta, 17, senior at Homestead High School, started playing the piano at age 5 and
currently studies with Heidi Hau at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music PreCollege. Hana
was recently named a National YoungArts Foundation Finalist and a Presidential Scholar in the
Arts Semifinalist. She is also a member of the Music Teachers’ Association of California Young
Artists’ Guild, through which she has the opportunity to perform full solo recitals throughout the
state at branch-sponsored recitals for five years. Additionally, she has received awards at the San
Francisco Chopin Competition, the Menuhin-Dowling Music Competition, the Pacific Musical
Society Competition, the American Fine Arts Festival Golden Era of Romantic Music
International Competition, the Music Teacher’s Association of California State Solo
Competition, and the Henry and Carol Zeiter Piano Competition. Hana also participated in the
Aspen Music and the Bowdoin International Music Festivals, where she studied with John
O'Conor and Boris Slutsky. She has also performed in Master Classes for Anton Nel and Choong
Mo Kang.
Hana is an avid chamber musician, and attended the Music@Menlo Chamber Music Institute
Young Performers Program for two summers. She is also a member of the Sophos Trio in the
Young Chamber Musicians Program directed by Susan Bates, with which she won the Galante
Competition this year. In addition, she is in a piano trio coached by Bettina Mussumeli in the San
Francisco Conservatory of Music PreCollege Chamber Music Program. She has received master
classes and coachings from members of the Lee Trio, the Dover Quartet, the Escher Quartet, the
Telegraph Quartet, the St. Lawrence String Quartet, and the Borromeo Quartet.
Furthermore, Hana is the president of Hope of Music, a student run music organization. Through
Hope of Music, she has performed at various benefit concerts, senior centers, and weddings.
Aside from piano, Hana has been playing taiko for the past eight years, and is currently a
member of the San Jose Junior Taiko Performing Ensemble and performs with the adult
performing company at various festivals. She also played percussion in her school's band for five
years.
Hana will participate in the Music@Menlo CMI YP Program for her third and final year this
summer, and will attend Columbia University as an Electrical Engineering Major in the fall. She
plans to continue studying piano with Gilles Vonsattel next year.