Nine great classical musicians, all age 18 and under, wowed an audience at Trinity Lutheran Church in Vancouver on Feb. 11. On June 2 and 3, three of them will take a larger stage – this time to wow an even bigger audience as they perform as guest soloists with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.
There were two ties in the 24th annual Young Artists Competition, which has a panel of professional musicians select the best audition recordings in three categories: piano, strings and winds/brass. More than 60 young music students in the Pacific Northwest submitted anonymous recordings for the competition, and nine finalists were selected for the big playoff on Feb. 11.
Because the talent is stellar and the audience of family and friends very excited, VSO executive director Igor Shakhman always says, the Young Artists Competition is an especially thrilling event. All finalists receive scholarship funds, but gold-medal winners get $1,000 and that opportunity to star with the symphony in June, under the direction of Maestro Salvador Brotons.
Here are the local winners and finalists.
- Vancouver residents Evan Llafet, who plays the violin, and Shania Watts, who plays the viola, tied for gold in the strings category. Both receive $1,000 scholarships.
- Pianist Jenna Tu of Vancouver took bronze. She gets a $250 scholarship. (The gold-medal pianist was Christopher Yoon of Portland.)
- Brush Prairie resident and trombonist Riley Lyons tied with Camas resident and flautist Sara Shin for bronze in the winds/brass category. They both receive $250 scholarships. (Judges made no first-place award in this category.)
The gold-medal winners will guest star with the symphony and Brotons on June 2 and 3 at Skyview Concert Hall. Visit www.vancouversymphony.org to learn more.
