Short Bio

Laurentia Woo is a violinist who studied under Professors Itzhak Perlman, Li Lin, Stella Chen, and Areta Zhulla in the Pre-College Division of the Juilliard School, where she was honored with the Kovner Fellowship. She previously studied at the Colburn School under Professor Robert Lipsett and began her musical journey at age four at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts with Professor Michael Ma. This fall, she will join Yale University as a freshman, planning to major in Economics and Computer Science.

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At age 12, Laurentia made her debut with the Salzburg Chamber Soloists and has since performed major concertos by Beethoven, Sibelius, Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn, and Saint-Saëns with renowned orchestras including the National Philharmonic and the Pannon Philharmonic. She won First Prize at the 2019 Zhuhai International Mozart Competition, became the youngest First Prize winner of the 2022 Johansen International Competition, and is a 2023 National YoungArts Winner with Distinction and Gold Medalist. She was recently awarded the 2025 Stulberg Competition Gold Medal and will perform Brahms’s Violin Concerto with the Kalamazoo Symphony, as well as Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 4 with the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra in 2026.

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Laurentia received the Hong Kong Jockey Club Music and Dance Fund Scholarship in recognition of her prodigious international achievements, and the Davidson Fellows Scholarship for her research project, Examining the Cultural Barriers in Contemporary Classical Music. She has participated in leading music festivals such as Aspen and La Jolla, and is the youngest student ever admitted to the Perlman Music Program, where she studied on scholarship. 

 

She plays a violin by Gennaro Gagliano (Naples, c.1774), “ex-Kyung Wha Chung,” and a modern violin by Ansaldo Poggi (Bologna, c.1933).

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Long Bio

Violinist Jinan Laurentia Woo first rose to fame after gaining recognition by “The Strad” Magazine at the Zhuhai Mozart International Competition. She studied under Professors Itzhak Perlman, Li Lin, Stella Chen, and Areta Zhulla in the Pre-College Division of the Juilliard School, where she was honored with the Kovner Fellowship. She previously studied at the Colburn School under Professor Robert Lipsett and began her musical journey at age four at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts with Professor Michael Ma. This fall, she will join Yale University as a freshman, planning to major in Economics and Computer Science.

 

Laurentia made her solo recital debut, sponsored by the Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation's Prodigy Series, at the age of 10. By age 12, she made her orchestral debut with the Salzburg Chamber Soloists and went on to collaborate with esteemed orchestras worldwide, including the National Philharmonic Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra, South Czech Philharmonic, and Incheon Philharmonic Orchestra. Notably, she stands as one of the youngest violinists to have performed a repertoire encompassing all the major concerto works with orchestra, including the Beethoven, Sibelius, Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn, Bruch, Saint-Saens, Wieniawski, and Mozart Violin Concertos. 

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In 2019, she won 1st Prize and the Young Jury’s Award at the prestigious Zhuhai International Mozart Competition for Young Musicians. That same year Laurentia was invited to perform at the opening of the Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center in La Jolla, California, alongside acclaimed violinists such as Hilary Hahn, Gil Shaham, Kyoko Takezawa, and Cho-Liang Lin. 

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In 2021, Laurentia was selected by Maestro Gilbert Varga as one of 4 violinists from each continent to represent the USA to tour across Hungary, performing multiple concerts with the Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra across Pecs, Gyor, and Budapest. She performed a wide range of works including Mozart’s 1st Violin Concerto, Mendelssohn Violin Concerto, Falla’s Danse Espagnole, Ysaye’s Sonata No. 2, and Sarasate’s Carmen Fantasy. 

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In 2022, she was awarded the 1st Prize and Best Performance of the Commissioned Work Prize from the Johansen International Competition as the youngest winner in its history. As a winner, she was offered scholarships and concert opportunities including a Young Artist scholarship to Morningside Music Bridge Program and Brevard Music Festival. Laurentia was also awarded the Gold Prize in the Vancouver Symphony Nationa; Young Artist Competition, Grand Prize in the Camerata Artists International Competition, and the Gold Prize amongst the finalists at the 2023 YoungArts Foundation National Arts Competition. In 2024, she won 1st Prize at the Annual Juilliard Pre-College Concerto competition and performed Saint-Saens Violin Concerto No. 3 with the Pre-College Orchestra at Peter J. Sharp Theatre. She has also been selected to represent the Juilliard Pre-College at various events, including the 23'-24' Member Season Opening Concert, Chamber Music at Alice Tully Hall, and with the New York Phillharmonic at David Geffen Hall premiering 2 pieces. 

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In 2024, Laurentia had the honor of performing at both the UNESCO International Day of Education Conference at the United Nations Headquarters in New York and the Sion Festival in Switzerland. She was recently awarded the 2025 Stulberg Competition Gold Medal and will perform Brahms’s Violin Concerto with the Kalamazoo Symphony, as well as Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 4 with the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra in 2026.

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Laurentia has participated in various music festivals, including the Innsbrook Institute, Center Stage Strings, and the Aspen Music Festival and School. In 2021, she was accepted into the Perlman Music Summer Program as the youngest student and has spent 4 summers studying with Itzhak Perlman, Li Lin, and Catherine Cho as a scholarship recipient. She has been selected to perform and represent the program at 4 Annual Summer Galas, the Annual Wine Gala, Winter Concerts in Palm Beach, multiple concerts at Neue Galerie, and a performance with the Oxford Philharmonic. She has received masterclasses from renowned musicians Augustin Hadelich, Mihaela Martin, Koichiro Harada, Ladu Blidar, Yura Lee, Stefan Jackiw, Tian Wa Yang, and Jean-Yves Thibaudet.

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In addition to her solo pursuits, Laurentia has long been passionate about chamber music and humanitarian efforts. Her dedication was ignited by her first violin teacher, Ms. Jennifer Moberg, whose journey to Afghanistan to teach music to children in a conflict-ridden region deeply inspired her. This led Laurentia to co-found Trio Camelia in Hong Kong, where she actively participated in benefit concerts aimed at supporting the "Build A Music School" Foundation. Through this initiative, she strived to offer young children in Myanmar the opportunity to explore music education. Moreover, Laurentia has been involved in the Doremi Project since 2020, where she teaches children in underserved communities, aiming to enrich their lives through the power of music. In 2023, she established the Sylvan Quartet alongside fellow students from Juilliard Pre-College. Together, they utilize their musical talents to perform at rehabilitation centers, spreading joy and hope through their music. Their impactful endeavors earned them an invitation to share their mission and music on the nationally acclaimed radio show "From The Top."

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Laurentia has given concerts and recitals all across the globe at venues such as the Kodaly Center, Zeneakadémia (Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest), Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, David Geffen Hall, New World Center, Conrad Prebys Hall, and The Music Center at Strathmore.

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In 2022, Laurentia received the Hong Kong Jockey Club Music and Dance Fund Scholarship, totaling $100,000 and funded by the Government of Hong Kong, in recognition of her prodigious international achievements. She was also awarded the Davidson Institute’s Fellows Scholarship in both 2023 and 2024 for her project Clexical, a platform designed to make contemporary classical music more accessible worldwide. In 2025, Laurentia was selected as a $50,000 Davidson Fellows Scholarship recipient for her research project, Examining the Cultural Barriers in Contemporary Classical Music.

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Laurentia’s discography includes an album of her performance at the 20th anniversary of the Kumho Prodigy Concert Series at Kumho Art Hall, “Here and Now”, containing works by Handel, Kreisler, and Mendelssohn. She has also recorded a contemporary album in collaboration with composer Jessica Krash, for Albany Records. She plays a violin by Gennaro Gagliano (Naples, c.1774), “ex-Kyung Wha Chung,” and a modern violin by Ansaldo Poggi (Bologna, c.1933).