We are thrilled to announce pianist Solar Manley as winner of the 2025 BSO Youth Concerto Competition. In October 2025, Solar will perform Felix Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto No. 1, Mvt 1: Molto allegro con fuoco with the BSO.
Solar Manley, a senior at Bloomington High School North and a piano student of Fred Hammond in the Indiana University Young Pianists program since 2022, began his musical journey at age four under the guidance of his grandmother, Janelda Barnett.
Solar is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist whose passion for music spans numerous genres and ensembles. He performs in the school’s Symphonic Band, Chamber Choir, and Jazz Lab Ensemble. In the 2024 marching band season, he was featured as an accordion soloist in their show “Death of the Tango.” Solar is also an active accompanist for his fellow students at ISSMA competitions and has earned gold medals with distinction at the State level for both clarinet and piano performances.
We are also pleased to announce our runners-up, pianists Eleanor Barco and Bach Kieu.
Eleanor Barco, a junior at Martinsville High School, has received gold with distinction ratings in piano solo at the ISSMA State Contest in both 2023 and 2024. She provides piano and organ music, as well as vocals, at local Martinsville churches and has been both a cast member and a member of the pit orchestra for high school musicals. Eleanor’s instructor is Ilya Friedberg. She attends Martinsville High School where she is currently first in her class and was named All-Conference in soccer, cross country and track and has been a state qualifier in cross country and track. In her free time, she enjoys composing music and dreaming up ideas for musicals based on Andrew Lang’s compilation of colored fairy books.
Bach Kieu, a sophomore at Bloomington High School South, is a student of IU’s Young Pianists program, currently studying under Chaojeng Yu. Outside of piano, he is sometimes a violinist for the Bloomington Hoosier Youth Philharmonic, a string orchestra for high schoolers. He also enjoys competing in math competitions and the occasional team chess event. In between all of that, Bach like to swim, lift weights, and play with his dog.