Siblings shine at NYC music competition

Aanya Jha, a ninth-grader at Upper St. Clair High School, and her brother Reyansh Jha, a fifth-grader at Boyce Middle School, each earned first place for their guitar performances at the Crescendo International Music Competition held March 29, 2026, at Carnegie Hall.

For Aanya, the recognition marked her fourth first-place finish at the competition. In addition to her musical achievements, she recently earned first place at the regional Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science competition for her project, Computational Analysis of Planet Detection Methods, advancing to the state competition. Aanya is also a member of the Upper St. Clair robotics team, ROGO Lotus.

This year marked Reyansh’s first time competing in the Crescendo International Music Competition. In addition to his musical accomplishments, he is a member of the Upper St. Clair robotics team Next Gen Builders, which earned sixth place in the robot game performance at the FIRST LEGO League regional competition. Earlier this year, Reyansh also placed second in his school’s spelling bee.

The Crescendo International Music Competition is open to students ages 4 to 24 and features junior, intermediate and advanced divisions for instrumentalists, vocalists, duets and chamber ensembles. Held annually since 2007, the competition aims to inspire young musicians to pursue their passion for music through performances, master classes and educational opportunities.