2025 Arkady Fomin Scholarship Fund recipient
Valerie Libby Kojongian is a 12-year-old violinist from Singapore. She studied with Min Lee from 2018 to 2025 and, from August 2025, began her studies with Itzhak Rashkovsky in London. She has also attended masterclasses with many distinguished professors around the world, including Evgeny Sinaiski, Lin Wei, Robin Wilson, Mihaela Martin, Li Lin, Sheryl Staples, Wladislaw Winokurow, Vadim Gluzman, Itzhak Rashkovsky, and Hu Kun, continually refining her skills and artistry. In August 2025, she participated in a music camp in Georgsmarienhütte, Germany, under the guidance of Robin Wilson.
Valerie’s passion for the violin began at the age of three, when she was captivated by its melodious sound and beauty. She holds a Distinction in the LTCL Diploma from Trinity College London.
Her competition achievements include:
1st Prize, American Protégé International Music Talent Competition;
5th Prize, Leonid Kogan Competition; 1st Prize, Leonid Kogan Competition;
3rd Prize, Osaka International Music Competition; 3rd Prize, Andrea Postacchini Violin Competition, Fermo, Italy; Gold Prize in Romantic Period Music & Fantastic Technique Special Prize, London Young Musicians; Honourable Mention, DePaul National Concerto Competition, Chicago; Special Prize, Piccolo Violino Magico, San Vito al Tagliamento; 1st Prize, DePaul National Concerto Competition.
Valerie has performed widely in Singapore, the USA, Indonesia, Austria, and in virtual concerts during the pandemic. She has appeared in solo recitals at Victoria Concert Hall and Esplanade Recital Hall, and gave her winner’s recital at Carnegie Hall, New York. In February 2025, she appeared as soloist with the Jakarta Concert Orchestra under Maestro Avip Priatna.
In 2025 she has also been invited to perform with the Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago under Maestro Mina Zikri.
Beyond the concert stage, Valerie is dedicated to using music for charitable causes. In November 2023, she gave a charity concert in Surabaya, Indonesia, to support the Don Bosco Orphanage Centre. She is also a member of the Wolfgang Young Artists Orchestra and frequently volunteers her playing for the Viva Foundation’s charity projects. Valerie aspires to share the beauty of music with audiences worldwide, touching hearts of all ages through the voice of her violin.