Senior Spotlight: Anyah Pilat, Alexander Kang, & Lucas Lauprasert - PYO Music Institute

Name

Anyah Pilat, Alexander Kang, & Lucas Lauprasert

Instrument

Anyah: Double Bass
Alexander: Clarinet
Lucas: Viola

Current Teacher

Anyah: Chip Breaux
Alexander: Daniel Kim
Lucas: Shelley Beard Santore

High School

Anyah: Governor Mifflin High School
Alexander: Cherry Hill High School East
Lucas: Cab Calloway School of the Arts

College / Major

Anyah: West Chester University / Music Education, String Focus
Alexander: University of Pennsylvania / Vagelos Program in Life Sciences & Management (LSM)
Lucas: Johns Hopkins University – Peabody Conservatory / Viola Performance

How long have you been a member of the PYO Music Institute and in which ensembles did you participate?

Anyah: I have been a member of YMDO for only a season. I do not live in the area and I wanted to try a group that would help expand my experiences.
Alexander: I have participated in PYO since 2022.
Lucas: 3 years, Philadelphia Youth Orchestra

If you’re not majoring in music, what role might music play during your college years?

Alexander: I am hoping to get involved with the ensemble and performing arts groups at Penn, whether that be through the symphony orchestra, band, jazz band, or just having a jam session with friends!

Do you have any plans or activities planned for the summer?

Anyah: I plan on visiting WCU campus and having lessons with my professors there. I also play to teach at a children’s string summer camp.
Alexander: I am traveling to South Korea for a month!
Lucas: I’ll be going to LA to participate in the AVS Festival as well as attend Madeline Island Chamber Music.

What is one of your favorite PYOMI memories?

Anyah: Getting to play in amazing venues.
Alexander: Taking pictures at the last PYO concert with my private teacher after he received his plaque as one of the finalists for the PYOMI Ovation Award!
Lucas: Working with professionals through sectional masterclasses and having fun with Maestro.

What are your most recent musical and/or academic achievements?

Anyah: PMEA Region V Orchestra, Academic Scholarships, Speaker for Governor Mifflins National Honors Society Induction.
Alexander: I recently qualified for the DECA International Career Development Conference (ICDC), which will be held at Anaheim, CA this year!
Lucas: Being selected as a quarter-finalist in this year’s Fischoff Chamber Competition.

What are some of your favorite pieces of music that you have performed with PYOMI?

Anyah: Overture to The Barber of Seville, Anderson’s Irish Suites, and Mozart’s Symphony No. 1.
Alexander: I really enjoyed performing Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85 and Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique!
Lucas: Getting to play Gustav Holst’s The Planets and William Grant Still’s Autochthonous Symphony.

When you are not in rehearsal or practicing your instrument, what other activities or hobbies do you enjoy?

Anyah: I love to read and write. I have a personal goal to read double the amount of books I read last year!
Alexander: I love snowboarding, working out, and exploring my interests in biology and business by leading my high school’s Biology Club and DECA Chapter!
Lucas: I enjoy riding my bike, walking my dogs, going on family outings, and catching up with friends.

What is one unique attribute about you that people find surprising?

Anyah: That despite saying I dislike small children, I am actually very good at communicating with them. I helped raise most of my younger cousins.
Alexander: In addition to playing clarinet classically, I also play the baritone saxophone in my high school’s jazz band! I also play Korean traditional drums!
Lucas: I have synesthesia.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? What do you see yourself doing?

Anyah: I see myself teaching at a small school somewhere in the West Chester/Philly area and traveling back to my hometown sometimes to do gigs.
Alexander: I see myself either going to medical school to pursue an MD or going into the corporate world in some kind of management position in the healthcare field! Whatever it is I do, I want to be at the forefront of rallying for universal access to life-changing medicines.
Lucas: In 10 years I see myself being a music teacher, performer, collaborator, and composer.