Elena Ariza, cello (Cupertino, CA), is a sophomore at Menlo Upper School. Elena performed with the Palo Alto Philharmonic as winner of their concerto competition in 2013, and was also named as a Grand Prize winner of the Diablo Valley College/Holy Names University Youth Competition in 2014. She has won the MTNA California State competition, Menuhin-Dowling Competition, and the Pacific Musical Society Competition. Elena performed at Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall in 2012, as a winner of both the American Fine Arts Festival and American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition. Elena is currently under the tutelage of Ronald Leonard and Sieun Lin at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Pre-College Division. Elena has been a member of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra since 2011, and currently serves as Assistant Principal. Elena has performed in master classes led by David Finckel, Colin Carr, Ronald Leonard, Joseph Swensen, Ian Swensen, Bonnie Hampton, Irene Sharp, Hakuro Mori, Sang-Min Park, among others. She has attended the Aspen Music Festival and School in 2013 and Music@Menlo Chamber Music Festival and Institute from 2010 to 2013.