Sophia Nam, viola
Meet Sophia
Sophia Nam, (viola), 17, from Fort Lee, New Jersey, is currently a senior at Bergen County Academies and will be attending Harvard College in the fall of 2025. She began playing viola at the age of 12 and has attended Juilliard Pre-College since 2020 as a student of Sophie Arbuckle. As a 2024 Seattle Symphony Young Artist, Sophia made her debut performing with the Seattle Symphony in February of 2024. She has earned numerous additional accolades, including First Prize and the Scott Sullivan Prize at the 2023 Ronald Sachs International Music Competition, and First Place at the New Jersey Sinfonietta Korean Young Artist Music Competition. She was also selected as a winner of the 2023 National YoungArts Competition and the 2022 Grand Prize Winner of the New York Laureate International Music Competition.
Beyond traditional performance, Sophia enjoys connecting with the younger generations of her community through music. She is the founder and regional director of the Passaic, New Jersey chapter of the non-profit Back to Bach Project, where she organizes programs and presentations to introduce elementary school students to classical music. Sophia is also a two-time fellow with Concerts for Compassion and teaches violin and viola through Future Leaders of Bergen County.
Receiving the Award will allow Sophia to purchase a viola that will support her through her college years and beyond.
