Susan notes: Thanks to TED for making TED Talks downloadable and embeddable, and for providing the biographical information that goes along with them.

A violinist since the age of three and a half, thirteen-year-old Simone Porter already has a list of achievements to rival even the most seasoned of performers.

Making her orchestral debut at eight, Simone has since soloed with symphonies including the Seattle Symphony, the Colburn Conservatory Orchestra, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London.

She played on From the Top’s Emmy-award winning live Carnegie Hall broadcast, and in 2008, Simone opened a ceremony honoring the Dalai Lama to an audience of 55,000 in Seattle’s Qwest Field.

Susan notes: Thanks to TED for making TED Talks downloadable and embeddable, and for providing the biographical information that goes along with them.

An accomplished writer and poet, twelve-year-old Maya Ganesan already has a published book (Apologies to an Apple) under her belt.

Active in reading and writing long before she released her poetry collection, Maya was reading chapter books at two years old, writing poems at four, and participating in the the Redmond Spokenword competition at age eight.

Today, Maya continues her writing on the blog Allegro.

Susan notes: Thanks to TED for making TED Talks downloadable and embeddable, and for providing the biographical information that goes along with them.

On the surface, Adrianna Svitak’s glittering clothes, dark eyeliner, and earphones convey an average, melodramatic teen. But the attire is “artistic license”–and the earphones? An appendage constantly transmitting new inspiration into a non-stop mind.

With a wide range of passions including music, poetry, and art, Adrianna studies piano and violin as well as singing. Her musical interests range from Michael Jackson to Mozart, Beethoven to Beyonce, and Liszt to Lady Gaga.

Nine years of practice have led to awards from events including the Seattle Young Artists’ Festival, the Performing Arts Festival of the Eastside, and the Music Teachers’ National Association (MTNA).

Susan notes: Thanks to TED for making TED Talks downloadable and embeddable, and for providing the biographical information that goes along with them.

Stacey Kramer offers a moving, personal, 3-minute parable that shows how an unwanted experience -- frightening, traumatic, costly -- can turn out to be a priceless gift.

Stacey Kramer has traveled the United States and the world helping to create names and brands for growing companies.

Co-founder of Brandplay, a brand strategy firm, Stacey Kramer also founded Word for Word, a naming and branding consultancy serving national and global companies -- from big, recognizable names to next year's newsmaking startups.

Susan notes: Thanks to TED for making TED Talks downloadable and embeddable, and for providing the biographical information that goes along with them.

TEDxRedmond is "by kids, for kids" with a theme of "Power to the Students."

With over four hundred youth attendees watching in the all-youth theater, this was one of the largest TEDx events entirely for youth.

Organized by an all-youth committee headed by former TED speaker Adora Svitak, TEDxRedmond focused on issues (like education) pertaining to youth as well as adults.