2025 Arnold Draper Award Recipients Announced!
Chamber Music Kelowna is pleased to announce the selection of two winners of the Arnold Draper award— Elliot Kim, piano and Elise Wiesinger, violin. We hope to present them in a pre-concert this season.
Elliot Kim is a fifteen-year-old pianist who lives in Kelowna. He is currently working on his ARCT diploma and has consistently been awarded First Class Honours with Distinction on his RCM exams. At the Penticton Kiwanis Festival in 2025, Elliot earned first place in the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Sight Reading categories and was chosen to be the provincial representative at both the Penticton and Kelowna Kiwanis Festivals. Also this year, he was the recipient of the Fraser Trophy, the Carol Taylor Award, in addition to the Arnold Draper Award. Most notably, at the Performing Arts BC Provincial Competition, Elliot earned the title of Honourable Mention (3rd place) in the Canadian Class. He hopes to study piano performance and composition in his post-secondary studies. In his spare time, when he is not honing his musical skills, you can find Elliot on the basketball court, at the gym, or sending tricks at the ski hill or skateboard park.
Elise Wiesinger, born in Penticton, holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance from the University of Toronto, where she was awarded the University of Toronto Scholar’s Award upon acceptance and graduated with honours. She studied with Erika Raum.
Starting her violin studies at age 4 in British Columbia, Elise has performed as a soloist with the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra, Okanagan Symphony Youth Orchestra, and Kelowna Pops Orchestra. Elise has received several awards from festivals throughout B.C., and has recently played in the violin section of several orchestras in B.C., Ontario, Manitoba, and Quebec. Elise is also an avid chamber musician and has enjoyed performing in summer festivals in Canada and abroad, including in Italy, Slovenia, and Switzerland.
This autumn, Elise will continue her studies in London U.K. at The Guildhall School, studying with Jacqueline Ross. She is honoured to have received the Arnold Draper Award, and is grateful for the support in her artistic endeavours.
