Kenneth Yu (Age 17)
Kenneth Yu is currently a senior at Bellaire Senior High School in Bellaire, Texas. He is a diligent straight-A student and is a part of various activities such as the debate club, French National Honor Society, and National Honor Society. Kenneth Yu started playing piano since the age of six, and since then, he has continued to play. Throughout the years, Kenneth has gained passion and performed at various venues, even receiving awards along the way. He has accomplished much, winning first place in 6th grade in the Young Pianist Competition at Texas State University in 2009, first place at the TMTA Senior Duet Competition in 2013, and garnering many other titles. He was also given the opportunity to play at the MTNA National Conference in Chicago in 2014 as a finalist in the Senior Duet category along with his partner Kerrigan Quenemoen. He has studied with three different teachers, but has been under current instructor Dr. Matthew Loudermilk for more than 9 years. Dr. Loudermilk has served as a motivation and role model for him. Kenneth devotes himself to playing and sharing his music with others, and he will act as the co-President of this event.
Kenneth Yu is currently a senior at Bellaire Senior High School in Bellaire, Texas. He is a diligent straight-A student and is a part of various activities such as the debate club, French National Honor Society, and National Honor Society. Kenneth Yu started playing piano since the age of six, and since then, he has continued to play. Throughout the years, Kenneth has gained passion and performed at various venues, even receiving awards along the way. He has accomplished much, winning first place in 6th grade in the Young Pianist Competition at Texas State University in 2009, first place at the TMTA Senior Duet Competition in 2013, and garnering many other titles. He was also given the opportunity to play at the MTNA National Conference in Chicago in 2014 as a finalist in the Senior Duet category along with his partner Kerrigan Quenemoen. He has studied with three different teachers, but has been under current instructor Dr. Matthew Loudermilk for more than 9 years. Dr. Loudermilk has served as a motivation and role model for him. Kenneth devotes himself to playing and sharing his music with others, and he will act as the co-President of this event.
Kerrigan Quenemoen (Age 16)
Kerrigan Quenemoen is a junior honor student at Carnegie Vanguard High School in Houston, Texas. Kerrigan has studied piano under Dr. Matthew Loudermilk for ten years. With her duet partner Kenneth Yu, she qualified to compete in the 2014 MTNA National Finals in Senior Piano Duet. The duet also placed first at the TMTA Senior Duet Competition in 2013 and was featured in the “Tuesdays at Methodist” Concert Series. She received the Impulse Young Artist Award twice and has performed at Jones Hall, the Wortham Theater Center, and the Russian Cultural Center.
Kerrigan Quenemoen is a junior honor student at Carnegie Vanguard High School in Houston, Texas. Kerrigan has studied piano under Dr. Matthew Loudermilk for ten years. With her duet partner Kenneth Yu, she qualified to compete in the 2014 MTNA National Finals in Senior Piano Duet. The duet also placed first at the TMTA Senior Duet Competition in 2013 and was featured in the “Tuesdays at Methodist” Concert Series. She received the Impulse Young Artist Award twice and has performed at Jones Hall, the Wortham Theater Center, and the Russian Cultural Center.
Dr. Matthew Loudermilk
Dr. Matthew Loudermilk is the director of the International Music Academy, a school for aspiring young musicians in Houston, Texas. His musical inspiration comes from the music of Bach, Beethoven, and Liszt, composers whose work offers rich reflections of their insights and spiritual revelations. Matthew's goal is to share the depth of thought and emotion in classical music with his students and his audience. Matthew Loudermilk has won numerous competitions, including first prize in the 2008 Young Texas Artist Competition, first prize in the 2005 San Antonio Tuesday Music Club piano competition, and second prize at the 2002 National Career Awards Competition in Florida. His performances throughout the United States include appearances at the NFMC national convention in New Orleans, Severance Hall in Cleveland, the Gilmore Festival in Michigan, the Cincinnati Art Museum, a live performance on WCLV-FM, Cleveland’s classical music station, and a concerto performance with the Clear Lake Symphony. Matthew also performed at the American Embassy in Moscow, Russia. Matthew and his wife, Russian pianist Ekaterina Ryndina, founded the International Music Academy in 2005. International Music Academy students have performed in Jones Hall, The Wortham Center, Miller Outdoor Theatre, the Russian Cultural Center, and have been prize-winners in numerous competitions, including the Music Teachers National Association Competition, the Houston Young Prodigy Competition, the International Chopin Youth Competition, and the Sonatina and Sonata International Youth Competition.