Meet the Reviewers
One of the exciting and unique features of the Radda Rise International String Competition and Achievement Festival is the opportunity to improve your performances as part of the experience.
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Every competition applicant will receive a video review of their competition recordings before the judging round. After receiving the video review and learning from one of the Reviewers below, applicants have the option to resubmit new recordings for the judging round.
Be sure to apply early to take advantage of this exciting feature!
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The Radda Rise String Achievement Festival is a unique opportunity for string musicians of all ages and skill levels to learn and challenge themselves to improve their performances. Rather than competing against other musicians, Achievement Festival participants will submit their initial recording(s) for feedback from a Radda Reviewer. After receiving this feedback, participants will “compete” against their initial performances and strive to improve over the course of 6 weeks. At the end of the 6 weeks, participants will submit their second round of recordings to receive additional comments, awards, recognition, and an official evaluation on their overall performance and improvement between rounds from their Reviewer.
Radda Reviewers
Nikki Naghavi
Instrument: Violin
Languages: English and Farsi
Nikki Naghavi is a performing violinist, teacher, and mentor. She is a violinist in the Boston-based Beacon Street Quartet and frequently plays with the Boston Philharmonic, Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra, and Plano Symphony Orchestra. Currently, she teaches an active private studio of students and is a violin teacher and video content creator for Trala Inc.
Nikki has performed at esteemed halls throughout Europe and the USA such as Royal Albert Hall, Carnegie Hall, the Elbphilharmonie, Concertgebouw, as a part of Tanglewood, Bowdoin, and Round Top Music Festivals. She has soloed with the Baylor Chamber Orchestra and Plano Symphony and currently studies at the New England Conservatory. Nikki has been featured on NPR’s From the Top Radio Show and toured with the National Youth Orchestra of the USA. She has had her students go on to do so as well.
Hailed as "a creative, enchanting, and new" chamber music ensemble, the Beacon Street Quartet was founded in August, 2021 and their most recent seasons have highlighted the juxtaposition between classical and popular music programs, trailblazing the way toward high class and accessible musical experiences for a wide range of audiences. The Beacon Street Quartet has appeared in some of the most acclaimed halls in Boston and regularly perform for the city's Candlelight Concerts, among other performance series in the northeast. For more information, you can find them on Instagram at @beaconstqt.
To Nikki, music isn’t just about the final performance, but the journey that affects the result. She believes in the inherent value of musical education and exposure, and has steered her work toward a direction which is accessible for the vast majority. She is a Co-Founder of Through the Staff, an organization that provides free online music lessons to young musicians who could otherwise not afford or have access to them. In her hometown, Nikki is a member and active volunteer of the Frisco Association for the Arts, where she works with the Association to strengthen and sustain the city of Frisco through cultural, economic, and educational impacts that the arts bring.
Aside from playing the violin, Nikki enjoys traveling and exploring new cultures, as well as spending time with her friends and family, and her dog, Coco. She actively posts educational and informational musical content on her Instagram account, @nikkinaghaviviolin.
Kathryn Hilger
Instruments: Viola and Violin
Language: English
Violist Kathryn Hilger is a Kansas City based freelance musician and music educator. Ms. Hilger holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Viola Performance from the UMKC Conservatory and the Cleveland Institute of Music, respectively.
Currently, Ms. Hilger serves as the Artistic Director and Principal Violist for Midwest Chamber Ensemble, the Acting Principal Violist for the Topeka Symphony and regularly works as a substitute violist with the Kansas City Symphony. When not performing, Ms. Hilger works as a Teaching Artist for Harmony Project KC, a non-profit organization that aims to provide deserving students with a path to higher education through free music instruction and community support. She is currently representing HPKC as a participant in the 2024 Teaching Artist Training Institute Lab Cohort. Ms. Hilger also maintains a small private studio.
Past achievements include: Solo performances with the Medical Arts Symphony and Midwest Chamber Ensemble, Chamber Music Coordinator for Midwest Chamber Ensemble, positions with the Lee’s Summit and Firelands Symphonies, viola instructor at the Cleveland School of the Arts, section viola in the National Repertory Orchestra and Principal Viola for the National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute. Kathryn also has experience in stage managing, box office, string instrument repair and bookkeeping.
For regular updates, follow Ms. Hilger on Instagram (@kathrynhilger.viola) or visit her website, kathrynhilgerviola.com.
Youyang Qu
Instrument: Violin
Languages: Chinese and English
Youyang Qu is a renowned violinist who has made significant contributions to the classical music industry. As the former Concertmaster of The Orchestra Now and the International Chamber Orchestra of America, she has left an indelible mark on the musical landscape. Her numerous achievements include winning the Orfeo Music Festival Concerto Competition and the WMU Concerto Competition, as well as receiving the "Best Performance" and 1st Prize at the Russian "New Names" International Music Festival.
Having shown exceptional talent at the young age of 4, Youyang began her journey in music, and by age 12, her skills were recognized by Mr. Yuan Fang, Chair of the String department at China Conservatory of Music. She became a pupil at the Middle School attached to China Conservatory of Music, where she honed her skills. Later, she graduated from Western Michigan University and Mannes School of Music with full scholarships, earning the distinction of being named the Nancy Monsour-Michael Schubeck Honored Scholar.
Youyang's musical prowess has led her to perform in prestigious venues such as The Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Metropolitan Music Concert Hall, National Centre for Performing Arts in China, Fisher Center for the Performing Art, and others. She made her debut with The Orchestra Now in 2015 and has since established herself as a soloist, guest artist, and chamber musician. Her recordings have been praised by the Downbeat Magazine, which named her work the "Best Classical Recording in the Year".
Additionally, Youyang is the founder of INSTRUMAN MUSIC and currently resides in Shanghai. In addition to her touring engagements as a soloist, she regularly performs as a guest artist and chamber musician at the Shanghai Concert Hall and the Shanghai Performing Art Center of the East among other venues.
Andrew Cody Williams
Instrument: Double Bass
Language: English
As of 2022, Andrew Cody Williams has performed with several orchestras in the North Texas area located in Abilene, Fort Worth, Richardson, Wichita Falls, and Texarkana.
Mr. Williams has been a teaching fellow at the University of North Texas as well as director and teacher for the Bass and Cello Conservatory of Dallas. He has guest taught at the Universidad de Cuenca, Ecuador by invitation of his former teacher Jose Carrion and the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities in addition to teaching in his private studio.
AC Williams is a first prize winner of the Great Composer’s Competition in The Music of America division as well as the Golden Classical Music Awards, which has allowed him to perform solo at Carnegie Hall. He has also performed solo with orchestra as winner of the University of North Texas Concerto Competition.
Cody earned his Master of Music degree and Bachelor of Music degree at the University of North Texas, and is pursuing a doctorate under the study of Jeff Bradetich. He is a graduate of the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, where he studied with Ian Bracchitta.