Active Members

Minji is a senior at Ridge High School. She started learning the violin at the age of seven. She is currently studying the violin with Bela Horvath at the Manhattan School of Music Precollege, where she has received the named scholarships such as the Kate Bamberger Memorial scholarship and the Hansoree scholarship. As the scholarship recipient she gave the recitals. At the Precollege she won the second prize of the Repertory Strings Concerto competition and performed in a master class with Grigory Kalinovsky.
She has won numerous competitions and performed at famous venues such as Carnegie and Merkin Hall.
Recently she won the first prizes in VIVO International Music Competition, the Great Composers Competition, the Rondo Young Artist Vanguard Competition, the Charleston International Music Competition, and the “London” Grand Prize Virtuoso International Music Competition. She was the Grand Prix Medalist in the Young Maestro International Music Competition. She also won the first prize in the New York International Music Concour for an Ensemble. Minji performed as a soloist with the Queensboro Symphony Orchestra and the Ridge High School Symphony Orchestra. She also performed in the Young Musician's Concert and the Hansoree Benefit Concert. In the past, she attended the Heifetz Institute PEG program three consecutive summers. Last summer in 2023, she participated in the Bowdoin International Music Festival.
At Ridge High School, she serves as the concertmaster in the Symphony Orchestra. Minji is actively involved in various clubs. She is the co-president of the ASL club and the vice president of the Tri-M Music Honor Society and the ASL Honor Society. She is also the Web-Public Relations officer of Ridge Productions and a member of National Honor Society. She received the Bronze pin in the Ridge High School Community Service Awards. Minji joined the Bernards Ensemble in 2017 and has been an active member since. She is devoted to bringing music to those unable to enjoy live music performances and bringing joy to the community.

Michael is a senior at Ridge High School. He has been playing jazz and classical piano for the past 11 years. He has won various competitions and performed at recitals, including the Piano Teachers Society of America (PTSA) Competition in the Popular Styles category. Besides playing the piano, Michael has been practicing Taekwondo for 10 years and has a 3nd-degree black belt. He is a Taekwondo instructor and has received the President's Volunteer Service Award 3 times. Michael is also a member of the National Honors Society, while also being the Vice President of Membership and Records for the American Sign Language Honors Society.

Madeline is a senior at Union County Magnet High School. She also attends the Manhattan School of Music Pre College and paticipates in Columbia University's Science Honors Program which focuses on science and mathmatics. She has been playing classical piano for 12 years but has participated in her middle school’s jazz band with both piano and flute. She has performed at Carnegie Hall 3 times after winning 1st and 2nd place in the Golden Key Music Festival and the Crescendo Competition. Outside of music, she enjoys drawing and spending quality time with friends. She is also passionate about engineering, as she attends a school specialized for it, and is currently in her school’s robotics club.

Alice is a senior at Ridge High School, and has played the piano for fifteen years and the violin for eight. She grew up in Madison, NJ and moved to Basking Ridge in 9th grade. She has competed in the Golden Key Music Festival and Music Fest for rising talents, winning the Gold Award, Silver Award, and the Grand Prix Prize. She has performed at the prestigious venues Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York City. Alice is a member of her high school orchestra, where (in addition to violin) she performed as a piano accompanist multiple times. In her free time, she volunteers, listens to K-pop, plays volleyball, and spends her weekends managing her parent’s sushi restaurant.

Nina is a senior who goes to Ridge High School. She has been playing the piano for 12 years and the flute for 5 years. She plays the piano for the New Jersey Youth Symphony and has recently performed a piano concerto with their full orchestra, after winning the New Jersey Youth Symphony Concerto Competition. At school, Nina continues to pursue her love for music by rearranging pieces for small ensembles formed within the Tri-M Music Honors Society. In the community, Nina shows her passion for music and the cause of celebrating neurodiversity through the organization "Neurodiversity Ambassadors", in which she is the founder and president of. Through her organization, Nina runs music programs at the local YMCA for children with special needs and was invited by a local senior program to share the joys of music to elders with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease through interactive activities. As the liaison officer of the Bernards Ensemble, Nina hopes to successfully promote the organization's initial mission to share music with people in need.

Noah is a junior at Seoul Foreign High School who has been a member of the Bernards Ensemble since 2017. He has played the cello for 7 years, participating in his previous school’s symphony orchestra as well as independent organizations including the Veritas Orchestra. Over the years, Noah has held multiple officer positions in extracurricular activities and plans to progress the Bernards Ensemble further with his experience.

Sungjun is a senior at Princeton High School and is currently attending Manhattan School, and has been studying under Bela Horvath since 2020.
At the Manhattan School of Music, under his private instructor Bela Horvath, he has participated in Honor Recitals held at the Pre-college program and he is currently in the Philharmonic Orchestra.
So far he’s been playing the violin for 8 years.
He competed in the NJMTA Spring Competition, placed gold at the Young Maestro International Music Competition and had the opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall. He also competed in the International Grande Music Competition at the Bloomindale School of Music and placed third in his age category.
He was also recently accepted to the Jacob School of Music Summer String Academy where he hopes to broaden his musical horizons through the program.
He was apart of the William Annin Middle School orchestra as well as the schools Philharmonic program. At Princeton High School he is in the PHS Orchestra and is currently Co-Principal Second.
Next year he will be soloing at his high schools orchestra, and will also be going on tour Europe as a part of his school orchestras program.
At school he is the editor in chief for his schools yearbook which has won many Garden State Scholastic Press Awards. Besides yearbook he is also the co-founder of the Mental Health Awareness club, where he and his co leaders hope to bring greater awarness to issues surrounding mental health.
He is participated in Veritas, a youth orchestra group, Praise Youth Orchestra, and has participated in a few Mockingbird Benefit Concerts.
Aside from violin he likes to watch movies, and listen to music.

Angie is a senior at Ridge High School and has been an active member of her district's school orchestras since third grade. Developing a passion for music at a young age, she has been playing piano since first grade and the violin since third grade. On the side, she also enjoys singing and playing guitar. Throughout middle school and high school, Angie has participated in numerous orchestras around this region including CJMEA and Abbey Orchestra. At Ridge High School, Angie is co-president of the Tri-M Music Honor Society and co-founder of Collegium Musicum. Through these clubs, she actively works to share her love for music with others and give back to the community. Additionally, she is a proud member of Ridge High School's Pit Orchestra, playing in Matilda and Newsies. Besides music, she is an avid hiker and loves to spend her time outside. Throughout her life, Angie hopes to inspire others using the things she loves.

Hyunsu is a senior at Millburn High School, plays a role in the Bernard Ensemble where she searches for venues requiring music concerts and contacts them for scheduling. She started her violin when she was 8. She participated in various orchestras,including the Delaware County Youth Orchestra,Millburn Middle School's orchestra, and Select Strings. She was the lead violinist in an ensemble that played traditional Korean folk music at Luna New Year’s Festival hosted by Millburn Township. Currently, she plays in the Millburn High School Chamber Orchestra and volunteers at Beth Israel Medical hospital in Newark and also enjoys drawing digital art and drew the Table of Contents page for the French magazine"La Parole" at Millburn High School.

Ian Kwak is a senior at Freehold High School who has a strong interest in violin, a journey he began in third grade. His skill and talent were acknowledged when he won High Honors at the NJMTA Spring Recital Auditions. From fifth grade onwards, he's been part of the Manalapan Youth Orchestra, a team that's allowed him to grow musically and personally.
Away from his music, Ian is also a fan of badminton, enjoying the speed and strategy the sport requires. When he's not playing his violin or badminton, you'll often find him hanging out with his friends, watching the latest movies and having a good time. In all parts of his life, Ian tries to find fun and always looks to learn something new.

Yujin Ha is a high school senior at Ridge High School in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. She began playing the violin in second grade, and has been studying at the Manhattan School of Music Precollege Division with Mr. Xiao Wang since 2020.
The recipient of the 2022-23 Chloe Kiffer MSM Precollege Scholarship, Yujin performed her scholarship recital at Miller Hall in MSM. She served as the associate concertmistress of the MSM Precollege Symphony Orchestra for the ‘22-23 school year, and has maintained her position on the MSM Precollege Dean’s List since 2020. Yujin has won prizes for many prestigious competitions and has performed at renowned venues such as Carnegie Weill Recital Hall. She is the winner of the VIVO International Music Competition, the International Young Artists Competition, the American Music Talent Competition, the Great Composers Competition, and the Crescendo Music Competition. As a chamber musician, she has won prizes for the VIVO International Music Competition as well as the Camerata Artist International Competition.
Before entering the MSM Precollege program, Yujin participated in the 2019 Central Jersey Intermediate Chamber orchestra, as well as the NJ All-State Intermediate Orchestra.
Apart from competitions, Yujin has participated in local musical groups such as the Veritas Youth Orchestra and Mockingbird Melody. An avid supporter of music in her school environment, she co-founded a school ensemble called Collegium Musicum that gives high school string players an opportunity to practice and perform advanced repertoire.
Yujin is a member of her high school’s chapter of Tri-M Music Honor Society, where she enjoys making music with her peers. Yujin looks forward to attending the 2023 Tanglewood Violin Workshop in the summer, where she hopes to expand her knowledge and appreciation of music.