The new Pre-College division formalizes a structured pathway that has already produced Juilliard admits, National Youth Orchestra Concertmasters, and conservatory-bound artists from across Georgia.
Previous academy students gained entrance to with scholarship and attended The Juilliard School, New England Conservatory, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Peabody Conservatory, Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Northwestern Bienen School of Music, Vanderbilt Blair School of Music, Columbus Schwob School of Music, University of Michigan School of Music, and more.
ALPHARETTA, GA — May 21, 2026 — William Pu Music Academy (WPMA), one of the Southeast’s most accomplished classical music training institutions, today announced the official launch of WPMA Pre-College — a comprehensive, conservatory-track program for highly committed string players ages 8 to 18 in the greater Atlanta area.
The program, which runs on Sundays and select Thursdays from mid-August through May, combines two private lessons per week with music theory, ear training, chamber music, ensemble performance, and direct engagement with distinguished visiting artists — all under the instruction of a faculty whose students have earned seats in the nation’s most selective youth orchestras, won state and national competitions, and gone on to study at the world’s top conservatories and universities.
Every student admitted to WPMA Pre-College receives the Pre-College Strings Scholars Award, a merit-based scholarship that reduces annual program tuition to $7,500 — against a full curriculum valued at over $15,000.
From left: Bella Song, William Pu
A Program Built on What Has Actually Worked
WPMA Pre-College was developed by drawing on the models of the most respected pre-college programs in the country — institutions that have long understood that access to structured, conservatory-level training during the formative years is not a luxury, but a necessity for students with serious artistic ambitions.
The program is equally informed by more than a decade of WPMA’s own experience developing exceptional young musicians in Georgia.
“Over the years, we’ve come to understand something that isn’t always obvious from the outside,” said William Pu, co-founder of WPMA and Pre-College violin faculty. “The students who perform the best in the long run are not necessarily the ones who appeared most talented when they first began studying music. They are the ones who made the right decisions at the right times — with the right structure and resources around them to support those decisions. WPMA Pre-College exists to be that structure for ambitious students in Georgia.”
The program is open to violin, viola, and cello students who demonstrate the talent, discipline, and commitment to pursue advanced study at the college level. Prescreening applications open July 1, with in-person auditions scheduled for August 2.
The Pre-College Faculty
WPMA Pre-College private instruction is led by three faculty members whose collective teaching has shaped some of the most accomplished young string players in Georgia and beyond.
William Pu, Violin — Co-founder of WPMA and former Associate Concertmaster of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Assistant Concertmaster of the Houston Symphony. William and his wife Amy have been the driving force behind the academy’s growth into one of the Southeast’s most respected classical music training institutions.
Amy Chang, Viola — Co-founder of WPMA and one of the region’s most sought-after viola pedagogues, whose students have repeatedly earned positions in the nation’s most prestigious youth orchestras and been admitted to the country’s top conservatories.
Martin Gueorguiev, Cello — Founding cello faculty and distinguished pedagogue whose individualized approach to teaching has repeatedly guided students to principal chairs and selection to the National Youth Orchestra.
Being part of the pre-college program will help students improve through a more immersive and wide ranging learning experience than just having private lessons once a week.
“The pre-college years are one of the most important stages in a young musician’s development,” said Amy Chang, co-founder of WPMA and Pre-College viola faculty. “This is when strong technical foundations, disciplined practice habits, and artistic identity begin to take shape. The students who thrive in this kind of environment are not only talented, but also curious, disciplined, open-minded, and eager to learn. I especially value students who are willing to trust the process, embrace challenges, and continue striving for growth with humility and passion. Everything about how we’ve structured Pre-College — the combination of private instruction, chamber music, theory, ear training, and ensemble — reflects what we’ve seen actually work over many years of developing students at this level. Nothing in the curriculum is accidental.”
“My approach has always been to treat every student as an individual — no two people learn the same way, and the path toward mastery looks different for each musician,” said Martin Gueorguiev, Pre-College cello faculty. “What excites me about Pre-College is that it surrounds that individual development with everything else a serious musician needs: chamber music, theory, ear training, ensemble experience, and exposure to world-class artists. When all of those elements work together, the growth students experience is qualitatively different from what any single lesson can produce. That is the environment we have built, and I have seen what it does for students who are ready for it.”
Visiting Artist Faculty, David Coucheron and James Kim, and additional guest artists will engage with Pre-College students throughout the academic year through masterclasses, seminars, and performance opportunities.
From left: Hamin You, Didi Stone, David Coucheron, Jaina Alexander, Emily Klayman
A Track Record That Speaks for Itself
While WPMA Pre-College is newly formalized as a structured program, its launch is grounded in years of results. Over the past twelve years, the program’s founding faculty have trained hundreds of young musicians, with dozens earning concertmaster and principal positions in Georgia’s most prestigious youth orchestras and many achieving recognition through highly competitive national auditions. These outcomes reflect not only the caliber of instruction, but the long-term philosophy of artistic and technical development that now forms the foundation of the Pre-College curriculum.
The current students and recent alumni of WPMA highlighted below trained for years with our Pre-College faculty, earning top statewide and national honors and establishing themselves among Georgia’s most accomplished young musicians:
Didi Stone, Violin — A student of William Pu, Didi served as Concertmaster of both the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra and the Emory Youth Symphony Orchestra, held Concertmaster in the Georgia All-State Orchestra, and served as Concertmaster of the National Youth Orchestra (NYO-USA) in 2024 during their South American tour under the baton of maestro Marin Alsop. A consistent top prize winner in concerto competitions throughout Georgia, Didi will attend the Aspen Music Festival this summer before beginning his studies at the Peabody Institute of Music at Johns Hopkins University in the fall, where he has been personally invited to study with Herbert Greenberg, former Concertmaster of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Strings Chair at Peabody.
Jason Seo, Viola — A student of Amy Chang, Jason was admitted to The Juilliard School dual program with Columbia University as well as the New England Conservatory but ultimately decided to attend Princeton University upon graduating from the Academy. Nonetheless, during his time at the academy, Jason served as Principal Violist of the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra for four consecutive years, Principal Violist of the Georgia All-State Orchestra, placed 1st in his GMTA competition division three separate years, and served as Assistant Principal Violist of the National Youth Orchestra (NYO-USA) in 2022, touring with maestro Daniel Harding and cellist Alisa Weilerstein.
Charlotte Jeong, Violin — A student of both Amy Chang and William Pu, Charlotte now attends the Walnut Hill School for the Arts, one of the nation’s most selective performing arts high schools. During her time at the academy, Charlotte was a multi-year Concertmaster of the All-State orchestras, won the Samuel Fordis Young Artist Concerto Competition and numerous other competitions in the Southeast region, and concertized with numerous orchestras throughout Georgia. In the past year alone, she earned First Place at the Eleanor B. Nelson Concerto Competition, Second Place at the 2025 New England Conservatory Preparatory School Concerto Competition, and was named Runner-Up in the Waltham Philharmonic Concerto Competition. She has since been invited to attend the Heifetz Music Institute, Yellow Barn Music Festival, Meadowmount School of Music — several of the most selective summer programs in the country for young string players.
Ethan Goh, Cello — A current student of Dr. Martin Gueorguiev, Ethan has served as Principal Cellist of the Emory Youth Symphony Orchestra as well as the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra, and is a top prize winner in GMTA auditions and concerto competitions throughout Georgia. He made his solo debut with the Georgia Philharmonic in 2025 after winning the Samuel Fordis Young Artist Concerto Competition and subsequently appeared in 2026 to perform Schumann’s Cello Concerto with the DeKalb Symphony Orchestra. Ethan was recently invited to attend the Montecito International Music Festival and was selected for the National Youth Orchestra (NYO-USA), which admits only twelve cellists nationwide each year. Ethan will join NYO-USA on tour under maestro Karina Canellakis this summer.
“These outcomes are not accidents,” said Amy Chang. “They are the result of students who committed to a serious, structured path of development — and had the instruction, the environment, and the support system around them to make that path possible. Pre-College exists to make that path available to more students in Georgia.”
Program Details
WPMA Pre-College is currently offered in violin, viola, and cello. The program runs from mid-August through May, meeting on Sundays from 10am to 6pm and occasionally on Thursdays from 5pm to 8:30pm.
The full curriculum includes:
Private Lessons — Two 60-minute private lessons per week with Pre-College faculty, providing the compound returns of intensive individual instruction over many years of study.
Music Theory — A dynamic sequence building from foundational topics through advanced form analysis and chromatic harmony, cultivating analytical and listening skills that connect directly to musical repertoire. 45 minutes weekly.
Ear Training — Developing pitch, rhythm, and harmonic recognition through recitation and dictation, with advanced students applying aural skills directly to performance repertoire, score reading, and transposition. 45 minutes weekly.
Chamber Music — Students are placed in string quartets for one hour of rehearsal and one hour of coached ensemble work each week, developing the collaborative musicianship that defines the most advanced levels of the field. Two hours weekly.
Virtuosi Ensemble — A chamber orchestra of approximately 18 musicians performing throughout Atlanta, with rehearsals on campus and concerts presented across the city. Two hours weekly during concert cycles.
Distinguished Guest Artists — Pre-College students have direct access to world-class visiting musicians through masterclasses, seminars, Q&A sessions, and occasional private lessons throughout the academic year.
Performances — Students perform frequently in academy recitals and with the Virtuosi Ensemble. Pre-College presents a collective recital each semester, and senior students are required to give a one-hour graduation recital.
All admitted students receive the Pre-College Strings Scholars Award. Annual program tuition is $7,500. An enrollment fee of $85 applies for students not currently enrolled at WPMA.
Prescreening Deadline — July 1, 2026
Prescreening Results Announced — July 5, 2026
In-Person Auditions — August 2, 2026
Audition Results Announced — August 8, 2026
How to Apply
Prospective students and families can learn more about audition requirements, curriculum, and tuition at wpmusicacademy.com/programs/pre-college/. Families interested in receiving updates on applications and auditions are encouraged to complete the Pre-College Connect form on the program page.
For press inquiries, please contact: Alex Pu, hello@wpmusicacademy.com, 4043699913
From left: James Kim, Thomas Chang
About William Pu Music Academy
The William Pu Music Academy is a private, award-winning, conservatory-style music academy in Atlanta. WPMA offers music education programming taught by the finest musicians and pedagogues in all of Georgia. In addition to taking 1-on-1 instrument lessons with highly-trained faculty, students at WPMA study music theory & sight-reading, participate in monthly recitals, studio classes, masterclasses with guest artists, and perform in chamber and orchestra ensembles. Academy students receive a rich and comprehensive music education, supported by a dedicated faculty. In this environment distinguished by its community and learning opportunities, WPMA students frequently compete and succeed in state and nation-wide auditions. Learn more about WPMA and previous student achievements at wpmusicacademy.com.
