Our Scholars

Sophia Go is a pianist and violinist from Vienna, VA with plans to study neuroscience, music, and Spanish. She has embraced the full musical experience of playing two instruments. She was a violinist in the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras for seven years, serving as Co-Concertmaster. Sophia has been a member of multiple chamber groups, both as a violinist in the AYPO Chamber Ensemble program and as a pianist in the National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute and the NSO Youth Fellowship Chamber Program, with performances at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage and the National Gallery of Art. Sophia started accompanying her younger sister at the age of nine and is active as a collaborative pianist at studio and Tea Time recitals. Along with private lessons with Professor Mayhood and Professor Sender, she loves the community she has found as a violinist in the Charlottesville Symphony. Sophia hopes to combine her two main interests by studying the relationship between music and the brain, specifically in those with neurodegenerative diseases. She looks forward to growing in her understanding of the healing properties of music and the arts through the interdisciplinary approach of the Miller Arts Scholars program.

Lauren Kim is from Leesburg, VA, and she is planning on double majoring in Music with a performance concentration and Psychology. Lauren has been playing the piano since she was 6 years old, and she has been involved in choir since fifth grade. Some of her most notable piano achievements include her first-place wins in three international competitions which allowed her to perform at Carnegie Hall on three occasions, her first-place win in the Maryland State Gertrude Brown Concerto Competition, subsequently allowing her to play with the Washington Conservatory Orchestra, and her performance at the Newseum for the Human Rights First event awarding the Beacon Prize. Additionally, Lauren attended the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music Summer Piano Academy, an unforgettable experience that sparked her love and passion for music. In choir, Lauren was selected to be in All-County Chorus, All-District Chorus, and VMEA Senior Honors Choir and is currently in UVA’s choirs, U-Singers and Chamber Singers. Lauren is thrilled to be a Miller Arts Scholar, and she is looking forward to connecting with other artists to fuel her passion for music.

Elizabeth Mayhood is from Charlottesville, Virginia, where she began playing flute at 11 years old. In high school, she participated in the wind ensemble and pit orchestra on flute and piccolo. In her marching band, she was the piccolo section leader and woodwind hornline captain during her senior year. She participated in All-Districts and All-State bands, and she won the Charlottesville Band James W. Simmons Solo Competition in 2023. At UVA, she is continuing her studies under Dr. Kelly Sulick and plays in the Charlottesville Symphony, Cavalier Marching Band, UVA Flute Ensemble, and Basketball Band. Elizabeth is thrilled to be an Arts Scholar, and she is hoping to increase her experience in music and the arts in general.

Autumn Hong is an instrumentalist, composer, and conductor from Chicago. She is a double major in Music and History with a minor in Korean. She started her musical journey on clarinet, but quickly was interested in expanding skills to saxophone, bassoon, and flute. Autumn was a drum major in high school which led her to her passion for conducting. At UVA, she conducts the Cavalier Symphony Orchestra and continues her drum major career in the Cavalier Marching Band. Expanding in different types of music, she also conducted the opera All is Apathetic in Love and War with renowned composer, Nathan Felix. Autumn is interested in more than just music; her enthusiasm in different disciplines, such as history, philosophy, visual arts, psychology, and other social sciences, often bleed into her original compositions. With such a deep interest in learning from different spheres, Autumn is ecstatic to be a part of the Miller Arts Scholar community!

Simone Marijic Buljubasic is a musician from Los Angeles, California. Since starting choir and piano classes at age five, she has developed a passion for music and voice, specifically in the classical and musical theater genres. Through the National Children’s Chorus, Simone has had the incredible opportunity to work directly with prominent composers, conductors, and performers including Eric Whitacre, Caroline Polachek, Gustavo Dudamel, and Meredith Monk. She has sung in prominent concert halls including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. In 2019, she was part of a Walt Disney Concert Hall performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 that received two GRAMMY wins for Best Choral Performance and Best Classical Engineered Album. Simone has performed in over ten theater productions and served as President of her high school’s Conservatory Arts Program. Currently, she is an active member of the Virginia Belles a capella group and Usingers on grounds and continues to cultivate her interests in vocal performance and songwriting. Simone is beyond honored and excited to join the Miller Arts Scholar community.

Alex Burijon was introduced to music as a baby swaddled on his dad's keyboard, but as soon as he could walk, he began to dance to Fantasia and Star Wars. He took up piano and violin lessons early, pursuing violin until his senior year of high school, after which he began to study ukulele, electric bass, and acoustic guitar (along with a COVID-19 drum hobby). He began to sing in church and school choirs as soon as they would let him in, and since then he has been unable to stop singing. This led to becoming involved with vocal coaches and opportunities for many features in violin and voice, namely the soprano part of the "Benedictus" from Schubert's Mass No. 2 in G Major and the soprano solo "The Marvelous Work" from Haydn's The Creation. He briefly joined a District Choir of Richmond, his hometown, that extremely inspired him to pursue performance. Outside of school, Alex performed in musicals such as Newsies, Matilda, and Into the Woods, Jr., culminating in his performance as the "Learn Your Lessons Well" soloist of Godspell. Since coming to UVA, he joined the all-gender a cappella group Harmonious Hoos, first arranging for them and then serving as a Music Director. He also tap-danced his way into the theater scene as Oscar Shaprio in Curtains and Nostradamus in Something Rotten with First Year Players, later serving as a vocal director for Hello Dolly and as a Diversity and Inclusion Co-Chair for 2022-2023. Alex is honored and beyond excited at this opportunity to further grow his relationships within the UVA Arts community, and he cannot wait for what the future holds!

Abby Kim grew up in Charlottesville, Virginia and has been playing the violin since she was 5. Before coming to UVA, she participated in many local ensembles such as the Evans Orchestra, Albemarle String Ensemble, and Youth Orchestra of Central Virginia. She is also a member of the Albemarle Chamber Players, a student-lead trio who has performed at numerous weddings and other events. In addition, she auditioned for and was accepted into Senior Regional Orchestra, Virginia All-State Orchestra, and also participated in GSIM (Global Summer Institute of Music) at VCU two summers in a row. She was also awarded the 1st place prize for the Wednesday Music Club Competition (Senior Category) in her senior year. At UVA, Abby is double majoring in Music (and prospectively CS) and is continuing to foster her love for the violin through participation in the Charlottesville Symphony, chamber ensembles, and privatelessons under Professor Daniel Sender. Abby is honored to be a Miller Arts Scholar and is excited to grow as a musician alongside other passionate artists. 

Julia Totten is a Biochemistry and Music major on the pre-med track from Jamestown, Rhode Island. She started playing the flute at 10 years old and has been heavily involved in the arts throughout her entire life.  Before coming to UVA, Julia participated in numerous ensembles such as the Rhode Island All-State Band, the Rhode Island Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, the Southern New England Honors Band, and the John Philip Sousa National High School Honors Band. She participated in solo and ensemble festivals for 8 years and received numerous superior rankings. She was the first chair flutist of her high school band and was deeply involved in the music program at her school, playing in the pit orchestra for the school’s musical theater productions. Julia greatly appreciates the warm and fulfilling community that being a musician provides. In addition to playing, she loves spending her free time listening to all forms of music. At UVA, Julia studies flute under her private instructor Professor Kelly Sulick and is a member of the Charlottesville Symphony Orchestra. Julia is honored to be a Miller Arts Scholar and is excited to become an even more involved member of the larger arts community at UVA.