Everett C. Leigh
Concert Pianist & Musician | Poet | Social Entrepreneur | Founder & President, EverEverest Non-Profit Organization | President, Opus Music Foundation
At fifteen, Everett C. Leigh embodies the rare convergence of artistic mastery, scientific inquiry, and social leadership that defines transformational change makers.
-
Since age nine, Everett has developed under Professor Ethan Dong's mentorship and risen through the ranks at Opus Music Foundation, now serving as Vice President. His extraordinary talent has earned recognition from world-renowned artists including Professors Boris Berman, William Grant Naboré, Baruch Meir, Robert McDonald, Carol Leone, Inna Faliks, and celebrated pianists Alessandro Deljavan and Eric Lu, among many others.
With victories at prestigious competitions including Bösendorfer and Yamaha USASU International, AD LIBITUM Warsaw (Pianist of the Year), and Pearl River Kayserburg International, Everett has achieved 55+ international wins. He has performed with major orchestras at venues from Carnegie Hall to Disney Hall. As the sole UN Junior Piano Soloist, his "Piano Recital Recording Concert for Refugees" was featured in a UN documentary, demonstrating how artistic excellence amplifies humanitarian causes.
-
Everett's groundbreaking research, "Investigating Distribution Patterns of Neoblasts in Planarian Regeneration," explores how stem cell distribution enhances regenerative outcomes. Using advanced RNA interference techniques, his work promises to inform future human regenerative medicine approaches, applying the same precision that characterizes his musical performances to unlock biological mysteries.
-
From Vice President of Opus Music Foundation to founding EverEverest, Everett transforms personal success into systemic change. At fourteen, he launched EverEverest to serve foster children through direct support, education, and advocacy, building eleven student-led Social Entrepreneur Club chapters across Southern California and Chicago that mobilize hundreds of volunteers each year. A proven fundraising leader, Everett has directed over $70,000 through 48 benefit concerts, co-produced two Music Festivals featuring Yale School of Music professors, and served as entertainment director for two consecutive Foster Love galas, collectively raising over $2 million for foster youth services nationwide. Through EverEverest's tuition-free education programs, staffed by professors from Berklee College of Music and Stanford University, foster children across the country receive free instruction in music, writing, college counseling, and research support, with every dollar of program revenue flowing directly back to the youth it serves. Everett's work is rooted in a single belief: that every foster child deserves access to something no placement change can ever take away, knowledge, skills, and the certainty that their dreams are worth pursuing.
-
Beyond music and academics, Everett excels as a champion swimmer and Taekwondo Black Belt. As a distinguished writer, he has earned national recognition through YoungArts and the National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, with articles featured in school publications and exceptional work selected for prestigious competitions including the Chapman University Writing Contest, the New York Times Student Contest, and the John Locke Writing Competition. His literary work bridges science, the arts, and social justice, crafting compelling narratives that inspire action. Outside the classroom, his deep knowledge of Pokémon lore and passion for world travel reveal a curious, joyful mind that finds wonder in both imaginative worlds and real cultural exploration.
The Vision: At fifteen, Everett has already demonstrated that excellence becomes not a personal achievement, but a tool for collective elevation. Through EverEverest and his continued leadership at Opus Music Foundation, he doesn't just advocate for equal opportunity—he creates it, one student, one performance, and one breakthrough at a time.