12th Annual
Young Artists Competition featuring From the Top with Host Christopher O’Riley FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016 • 8PM SATURDAY, MARCH 19, 2016 • 10AM SUNDAY, MARCH 20, 2016 • 2PM
Western Health Advantage Season of Performing Arts YOUNG ARTISTS COMPETITION
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MARCH 18–20, 2016
RO BERT A N D M ARG RIT
MONDAVI CENTER
FO R TH E PERFO R M I N G ARTS PRESENTS
Young Artists Competition featuring From the Top with Host Christopher O’Riley FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016 • 8PM SATURDAY, MARCH 19, 2016 • 10AM SUNDAY, MARCH 20, 2016 • 2PM
Individual support for the Young Artists Competition is generously provided by founding sponsors Barbara K. Jackson, Mary B. Horton and John and Lois Crowe. Judges for the 2016 Mondavi Center Young Artists Competition: Richard Andaya, Zsolt Bognar, Kathryn Brown, Richard Cionco, Mirian Conti, Jed Distler, Lara Downes, Charles Letourneau, Adam Neiman, Christopher O’Riley, Mina Perry, Paul Roberts Thanks to our national partners and hosts: Cleveland Institute of Music Napa Valley Festival del Sole Peabody Conservatory Pianoforte Foundation Chicago Portland Piano Company Steinway Gallery Beverly Hills Steinway Hall Dallas Steinway Hall New York Rehearsal pianos provided by: Steinway & Sons, San Francisco
The artists and fellow audience members appreciate silence during the performance. Please be sure that you have switched off cellular phones, watch alarms and pager signals. Videotaping, photographing and audio recording are strictly forbidden. Violators are subject to removal. YOUNG ARTISTS COMPETITION
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2016 Mondavi Center Young Artists Competition
SATURDAY, MARCH 19, 2016 • 10AM | JACKSON HALL
Final Auditions
Talented young musicians from across the United States take the stage before an esteemed panel of judges. This year, the drama of our annual competition unfolds alongside a recording of NPR’s From the Top, as the 2016 Young Artists Competition finalists compete for cash prizes and a spot in the Winners Concert. The Founders Division auditions feature performances of Stardust Etudes, a new work by composer Daniel Felsenfeld commissioned for the 2016 competition. Final Audition Schedule: Young Artists Division-Pianists (ages 12-17): 10-11:30AM Young Artists Division-Instrumentalists (ages 12-17): 12-1:45PM Founders Division-Pianists (ages 18-22): 2:20-5PM 10:00 10:15 10:30 10:45 11:00 11:15 12:00 12:15 12:30 12:45 1:00 1:15 1:30 2:20 2:40 3:00 3:20 3:40 4:00 4:20 4:40
Shiyi Sheng Parker Van Ostrand Ophir Horovitz Josephine Chan Christopher Richardson Elizabeth Zietz Lucy Kim Ellie Kanayama Nicholas Padmanabhan James Poe Aileen Chung Nathan Le Cameron Alan-Lee Hugo Kitano Stephanie Tang Alexander Agate Greg Hartmann Sahun Hong Patrick Elisha Kevin Ahfat Jonathan Mak
Piano Piano Piano Piano Piano Piano Flute Violin Guitar Violin Violin Cello Violin Piano Piano Piano Piano Piano Piano Piano Piano
SUNDAY, MARCH 20, 2016 • 10AM | VANDERHOEF STUDIO THEATRE
Founders Masterclass with Christopher O’Riley
Jury Chair Christopher O’Riley will hold a public masterclass featuring the Founders Division finalists: Alexander Agate, Kevin Ahfat, Patrick Elisha, Greg Hartmann, Sahun Hong, Hugo Kitano, Jonathan Mak and Stephanie Tang.
SUNDAY, MARCH 20, 2016 • 2PM | JACKSON HALL
Winners’ Concert
Young Artists Competition Director Lara Downes hosts the celebratory concert featuring this year’s talented winners of the Mondavi Center Young Artists Competition. A panel of internationally renowned musicians juries the competition, held by live auditions in cities throughout the U.S., with winners in multiple instrumental categories.
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FINALIST BIOGR APHIES Young Artists Division-Pianists Josephine Chan 13, piano, San Francisco, CA Josephine is a scholarship student in the Pre-College Division at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, studying piano performance with Corey McVicar. She was a prizewinner in the 2015 Virginia Waring International Piano Competition, 2015 Enkor International Piano and Violin Competition, 2015 Pacific Musical Society Scholarship Competition, 2013 American Protégé International Piano Competition and 2012 San Francisco Chopin Competition. She was also chosen to participate in the 2011 and 2013 Junior Bach Festival. Performance highlights include: Ojai Music Festival at Libbey Bowl, Ojai at Berkeley Zellerbach Hall, American Protégé Competition Winner’s Concert at Carnegie Weill Hall, SF Conservatory Classical Kickoff Recital, Fanfare Luncheon and Lang Lang 101 Pianists Workshop. In her spare time, Josephine enjoys drawing, reading, travelling, swimming, listening to music and roller coaster rides. Ophir Horovitz 15, piano, Los Altos, CA Ophir is a homeschooled sophomore, in Los Altos, California. He began piano lessons at the age of 6 and currently studies with Tilly Tan. Ophir has received top prizes in numerous categories from the 2012–2015 US Open Music Competition, 2013 Sylvia M. Ghiglieri Piano Competition, 2014 US New Star Piano Competition, 2015 MTAC Santa Clara Branch Concerto/ Ensemble Music Festival Competition, and 2015 MTAC Northern California Concerto Competition, and he performed at Carnegie Hall as a winner of the 2014 American Fine Arts Festival Piano Competition. Ophir has had masterclasses/coaching with Hans Boepple, Greg Anderson, Namik Sultanov, Frank Wiens, Douglas Humphreys, Michael Coonrod, Thomas Lymenstull and Gwendolyn Mok. Ophir is a competitive diver, loves math and listening to music, and trying new cuisines. Christopher Richardson 17, piano, Danville, CA Christopher was the featured soloist with several orchestras including the Minnesota Orchestra, Bainbridge Symphony Orchestra, Federal Way Symphony, Pacific Orchestra and Port Angeles Symphony Orchestra. He was one of the top prizewinners in numerous national and international piano competitions, including the 2015 International Keyboard Institute and Festival, 2011 Virginia Waring Concerto, Tureck International Bach, 2012 LA Liszt International Competition, 2011 Seattle International Piano, and International Russian Competitions. He has attended numerous music festivals and was selected as a scholarship winner at the National Chopin Foundation of the US in 2013 and 2015, and a winner at the National YoungArts Foundation. He appeared on NPR’s From the Top, and recently spoke about and performed piano at the TEDxYouth@Redmond conference in Washington. He will perform across Europe in the next year, and has a recording plan for three CDs with KNS Classical Spain.
Shiyi “Andy” Sheng 17, piano, San Jose, CA Andy has been studying piano for 11 years. He has also performed internationally including a performance of Mozart’s Piano Concerto K488 in A Major (complete) with the Vienna Neustadter Orchestra in Austria and five solo concerts in the U.S, Austria, and Poland. Throughout Andy’s music studies, he has also participated in many international music festivals including the Austrian International Piano Seminar, the Colburn Music Festival in Los Angeles, the Schlern International Music Festival in Italy, and European American Musical Alliance (EAMA) in Paris. In these festivals, he performed and studied in masterclasses with many teachers. Parker Van Ostrand 12, piano, Sacramento, CA Parker is a 7th grader at Merryhill School in Sacramento, California. He began studying piano at the age of 4. He performed at Carnegie Hall at age 5 after winning gold in the AADGT Competition. Since then, Parker has performed in numerous recitals and 10 piano concerts, including concerto appearances with the Merced Symphony and the Stockton Youth Symphony. He currently studies with Linda Nakagawa and Natsuki Fukasawa. Parker’s other interests include swimming, running, painting, and building with Legos. He is also studying Japanese. Elizabeth Zietz 14, piano, Irvine, CA Born in California, Elizabeth is a sophomore at Northwood High School. She began studying the piano at the age of 6 and currently studies with Ethan Dong. At the age of 7, Elizabeth made her debut performance at the Nixon Library. She made her concerto debut at age 13 with the Orange County Symphony. Elizabeth has won Grand Prize at the Glendale Piano Competition, first prizes at the CAPMT Young Musician’s Concerto Competition, CAPMT Sonata Festival, Lansum International Music Festival, and 1st Alternate at the MTAC Southern Region State Concerto/Solo Competition. She has also won first prizes in the open categories of the Southwestern Youth Music Festival for six consecutive years. She has received merit scholarships to the Tanglewood Institute, Warsaw Piano Institute, and Lansum International Music Festival.
Young Artists Division-Instrumentalists Cameron Alan-Lee 17, violin, Sherman Oaks, CA Cameron began violin studies at the age of 4. He was a member of The American Youth Symphony Orchestra this past year. At this time, he has a quartet at The Colburn School and Pasadena Conservatory of Music. His piano trio was a semifinalist in the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition in 2013. He was a first place winner pre-college division of ASTA, and semi-finalist of Music Center’s Spotlight 2015. He has participated in various summer music festivals such as Gold Coast Chamber Music, Montecito Music Festival, YOUNG ARTISTS COMPETITION
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and Idyllwild Music Festival, Mammoth Summer Music Festival. Additionally, Cameron attended Yellow Barn Music Festival in Vermont where he had an intensive chamber music education. His violin and bow are generously on loan by The Maestro Foundation. Currently, Cameron studies with Aimee Kreston at the Colburn School. Aileen Chung 16, violin, Irvine, CA Aileen is a junior at Crean Lutheran High School in Irvine, California. At age 10, she made her orchestral solo debut with the Bellflower Symphony Orchestra. As the winner of the Culver City Symphony’s Parness Concerto Competition, she was featured as a soloist with the Culver City Symphony in April of 2014. She also won second place Alexander & Buono International string competition in 2012 and a semi-finalist of Music Center Spotlight award in 2014. Aileen has participated and performed at festivals around the country, such as Meadowmount School of Music, Aaron Rosand Intensive Violin Program in Summit Music Festival, Interlochen Summer Arts Camp, and Aspen School of Music. Aileen is currently enrolled at the Colburn Music Academy, where she studies with Margaret Batjer. She loves to travel around the world and shop at vintage traditional markets. Ellie Kanayama 15, violin, Albany, CA Ellie began studying the violin at the age of 5. Ellie has received top prizes in the Young Artist Competition in Etude Club of Berkeley, Galante Competition, Sacramento State Chamber Music Competition, US Open Music Competition, and American String Teacher Association. She attended the International Youth Orchestra Summer Program presented by the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra and directed by international acclaimed violinist Cho-Liang Lin. She was invited to play at the Young Artist Showcase hosted by the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra and to the Yehudi Menuhin Chamber Music Seminar and Festival in 2013 and 2015. Ellie participated in the NorthEast tour performance with Young People Symphony Orchestra in 2014, which included a performance at Carnegie Hall and a performance at Harvard’s Sanders Theater. Lucy Kim 17, flute, San Jose, CA Lucy Minju Kim began playing the flute at the age of 7 and quickly advanced with the basis from playing the piano since age 4. She is currently the principal flutist of the Lynbrook Wind Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra and has been the flutist of the San Jose Youth Symphony (SJYS) Philharmonic Orchestra for seven years. Lucy was fortunate enough to receive masterclasses and private lessons from world-renowned flutists such as Jeanne Baxtresser, Jimmy Walker, Jeffrey Khaner, Mimi Stillman, Brad Garner, Robert Stallman, Carol Wincenc, and many more. She has various solo recital experiences including concerts with SJYS Philharmonic Orchestra, American Protege International Concerto Competition Winners Concert at Carnegie Hall, Silicon Valley Youth Music Competition Winners Recital, US Open Competition Winner
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Recital, and Certificate of Merit Branch Honors Recital. Lucy has been studying under the guidance of Isabelle Chapuis for two years and has studied with Teresa Orozco in the past for seven years. Nathan Le 16, cello, Northridge, CA Nathan is a high school junior and is in his fourth year at the Colburn Music Academy, studying with Ronald Leonard and Ruslan Biryukov. In 2012, Nathan performed the Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto with the St. Petersburg State Hermitage Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Binh Vu. He has performed with the St. Petersburg Russian State Academy Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Residence Orchestra, in Carnegie Hall, and the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. Nathan won first place in the Los Angeles Violoncello Society Competition, and was a finalist at the Mondavi National Young Artists Competition in 2014. In addition, in July of 2014, Nathan won Bronze Medal at the Tchaikovsky International Competition for Young Musicians. Nathan was invited by the First Lady of Armenia to participate in the International New Names of Armenia Festival of Young Musicians, at which he performed the Dvořák Cello Concerto with the Armenian National Philharmonic Orchestra. Nicholas Padmanabhan 15, guitar, Palo Alto, CA Nicholas has received top prizes from the Sierra Nevada Guitar Competition, the Menuhin-Dowling Young Musicians Competition, and the Pacific Musical Society Annual Competition. Selected by audition, Nicholas has performed in the Junior Bach Festival for four consecutive years beginning in 2012. In 2015 Nicholas appeared on From The Top on National Public Radio with his guitar quartet, recorded before a live audience in San Francisco and broadcast nationally. He has performed as a soloist for the Sacramento Guitar Society and was a soloist in the summer of 2013 at the Bear Valley Music Festival in Bear Valley, CA. Nicholas has been a soloist on public radio KPFA in the Bay Area and frequently performs in recitals and in informal performances as a volunteer at a local assisted-living center. Nicholas is a student of Scott Cmiel at San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Pre-College Division, where he also studies music theory, vocal ensemble, and chamber music in his guitar quartet. James Poe 15, violin, Palo Alto, CA James currently studies at Palo Alto High School. He began learning piano with Lena Grozman and violin with Li Lin when he was 5. From 2012– 2015 he studied abroad in Taiwan, continuing his violin studies with Nancy Tsung. James has now returned to the Bay Area and is currently studying with Wei He. James attended the Perlman Music Program, where he studied solo and chamber music with Itzhak Perlman, Catherine Cho, and his former teacher Li Lin. In 2011, James won first at the VOCE Competition for Junior Strings and the Pacific Musical Society Competition in 2012. In Taiwan, he won the Taiwan Academy of Strings Violin Competition in 2013, and performed Mozart Concerto No. 2 with the Academy of Taiwan Strings orchestra at the National Concert Hall in Taipei. Later that
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year he won the Schoenfeld International Violin Competition and performed in Hong Kong. In his spare time, James enjoys playing music at the local charity hospital to comfort elderly patients. For his service to the community, James won the 2010 Presidential Volunteer Service Award.
Founders Division-Pianists Alexander Agate 21, piano, California State University, Northridge, CA Alexander began learning piano at age 11. At 13 he was accepted into the Applied Music Scholarship program at Moorpark Community College, a two-year program during which he worked with Professor Mona DeCesare. He previously studied under concert pianist Robert Thies. Currently, he is a senior Piano Performance major at California State University, Northridge, studying under Professor Dmitry Rachmanov. He has had masterclasses with many distinguished pianists including John Perry, Norman Krieger, Jerome Lowenthal, Victor Rosenbaum and Nina Lelchuk, among others. The summer of 2014 proved a busy one as he attended the John Perry institute, where he worked with John Perry, Wojciech Kocyan and Mina Perry before flying to Vermont to participate in the Adamant Festival where he studied with Seta Tanyel. During the summer of 2015, he attended two summer festivals: the Southern California Music Institute (John Perry, Director), where he worked with John Perry, Sarkis Baltaian, Andrew Park and Edward Francis, and the IKIF Piano Festival in New York where he had lessons with Victor Rosenbaum, Nina Lelchuk and Jose Santana. In February of 2015 Alexander competed in the National Chopin Competition held in Miami, Florida before returning to his home state to perform the Prokofiev Concerto No. 1 with the Redlands Bowl Orchestra. While piano dominates most of his day, he enjoys reading, creative writing, composing and—perhaps too much—napping. Kevin Ahfat 21, piano, The Juilliard School, New York, NY Kevin is a Canadian-born pianist who has appeared as a solo and chamber artist at many venues nationally and internationally, including the Ikeda Theater in Arizona, Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall in New York, Boettcher Hall in Colorado, Benaroya Hall in Seattle, and Fumin Hall in Kyoto, Japan. Kevin has appeared with numerous orchestras across the United States, and has appeared as guest artist at multiple music festivals. Kevin has garnered numerous awards in many national and international competitions, among those being top prizes at the Juilliard Concerto Competition, 5th Schimmel International Piano Competition, Steinway & Sons Concerto Competition, the Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition, the Arthur Fraser and Eastman International Piano Competitions, and the Seattle Symphony International Piano Competition. Currently, Kevin is continuing his studies at the Juilliard School in New York under the tutelage of Joseph Kalichstein after having previously studied with Choong-Mo Kang, as well as with Dr. Lei Weng in Colorado. As a chamber artist, he has coached with Joseph Lin, Vivian Weilerstein, Catherine Cho, David
Finckel, and Seymour Lipkin. He has also performed for numerous world-renowned artists including Leon Fleisher, Alan Gilbert, Olga Kern, and Richard Goode. He is actively involved in community outreach initiatives, and has worked with the Music Advancement Program at Juilliard and was a mentor and coach for the MERIT Outreach Program at the Music Academy of the West. He is a 2015–16 Artist of the Young Musicians Foundation of Colorado and is especially grateful for their support. Patrick Elisha 22, piano, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN Patrick is a Russian-American pianist who began his musical studies at the age of 6 on piano and cello, continuing his piano studies with James Rivers, Professor at Washburn University. Patrick received Second Prize in the 2015 Indianapolis Matinee Musical Competition, 2012 Kansas City Music Club and Sigma Alpha Iota scholarships, First Place in the 2009 Topeka Symphony Youth Talent Auditions Piano Division, Second Prize in the 2009 Kansas City Symphony Young Artists Competition, and Alternate for the 2008 Music Teachers National Association Piano Competition. Patrick was recognized as a College Board Advanced Placement Scholar, graduated as a Junior from Washburn Rural High School with high honors, and was inducted into the National Honor Society. Patrick is a Boston University Tanglewood Institute Fellow and was a participant at the Boris Berman Piano Academy at Villa Medici Giulini in Italy, Jon Nakamatsu’s masterclass, performed in John Perry’s masterclass during the American Liszt Society’s National Festival, and has performed in the masterclasses of Malcolm Bilson, Dang Thai Son and William Grant Naboré. Patrick studied with Stanislav Ioudenitch at the International Center for Music, Park University, where he was recipient of the Departmental and Trustee scholarships. He was also awarded the Premier Young Artist award at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he recently completed his Bachelor of Music as a student of Menahem Pressler. Patrick is now pursuing his Master of Music with André Watts at the Jacobs School of Music, where he holds an Assistant Instructor Scholarship and Appointment. Greg Hartmann 21, piano, University of Cincinnati College, Cincinnati, OH Greg is a Piano Performance major at the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, where he studies with Michael Chertock. Last season he performed Liszt’s Concerto No. 1 in E-Flat Major with the New Albany Symphony Orchestra as winner of their concerto competition. In addition, he was recently a finalist in the 2015 Jefferson Symphony International Young Artist Competition and the 2015 G. Gershwin International Music Competition. He also placed second in the Concord Chamber Orchestra Concerto Competition in Wisconsin and second in the senior division of the Ohio Music Teachers’ Association statewide piano competition, won first place in the 2012 Wisconsin Music Teachers’ Association senior piano competition, and first place in the Music Teachers’ National Association (MTNA) senior piano competition. Greg has performed for many renowned artists including Robert McDonald, James Tocco, Daniel Shapiro, Eugene Pridonoff, James Giles, and Douglas Humpherys. YOUNG ARTISTS COMPETITION
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Sahun “Sam” Hong 21, piano, Peabody Conservatory of Music, Baltimore, MD Sam brings his unique voice, riveting energy, and uncompromising creative prowess to the stage as a concerto soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. On the roster of Young Steinway Artists since 2010, Sam has been featured as a guest soloist with the Milwaukee, Camerata New York, Fort Worth, Richardson, Racine, Waco, Galveston, and Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestras. His prizes include First Prize in the New York International, Leschetizky International, Lennox International Young Artist, PianoArts North American, Fort Worth Symphony Young Artist, Juanita Miller, and Snowy Range Competitions. This past summer he was one of two pianists selected to participate in the Taos School of Music. Sam is an avid chamber musician, and is part of Trio St. Bernard with violinist Brandon Garbot and cellist Zachary Mowitz. He also performs with and arranges music for the ensemble MercuryCHAMBER. Sam has given music education performances in over 100 schools throughout the country, including 47 in the Dallas/Fort Worth area through the Van Cliburn Foundation’s Musical Awakenings Program. He has also been featured on the nationally broadcast radio show From the Top. At the age of 16, Sam graduated magna cum laude from Texas Christian University (TCU) with a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance, studying with John Owings. He has also studied with Martin Canin and Yoheved Kaplinsky of The Juilliard School. Currently, Sam is a student of Leon Fleisher at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. Hugo Kitano 20, piano, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA Hugo currently studies with Frederick Weldy at Stanford University, and has worked extensively with Hans Boepple and John Perry. He has been the first prizewinner in numerous national and international competitions, including the International Russian Music Piano Competition and the Arthur Fraser International Piano Competition. He was also the highest prizewinner of the Moscow International Frederic Chopin Competition for Young Pianists in the summer of 2014. Last fall, Hugo performed Chopin’s 1st Concerto with the Stanford Symphony Orchestra as first prizewinner of its concerto competition, and Beethoven’s 3rd Concerto with the South Carolina Philharmonic. Hugo has also been awarded first prize at the Young Pianist’s Beethoven Competition, the San Francisco Young Pianists’ Competition, the California Association of Professional Music Teachers’ Concerto Competition, and the San Francisco Chopin Competition for Young Pianists. In addition, Hugo has won awards at the California International Young Artists Competition as its youngest semi-finalist, the New York International Piano Competition, and the International Chopin Piano Competition in ASIA, held in Tokyo. Hugo is also a winner of the 2010, 2011 and 2012 U.S. Chopin Foundation Scholarship Competition. He has performed on NPR’s From the Top broadcast twice, first in Santa Fe in October 2011 and recently at Stanford’s Bing Hall in November 2013. In January 2013, Hugo was a YoungArts Winner in Music.
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Jonathan Mak 18, piano, Cleveland Institute of Music, Cleveland, OH Jonathan began studying piano at the age of 3 with Aster Lai. A year later, at age 4, Jonathan made his solo debut with the Canadian Sinfonietta orchestra. Since then, he has been guest soloist with numerous orchestras including the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in Bulgaria, the Toronto Cultural Youth Orchestra, the Chinese Artist Society of Toronto Youth Orchestra, the Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Sinfonietta Orchestra, the Salvation Army Division Youth Band, the Manchester Camerata, and the Krakow Philharmonic Orchestra. In September of 2008, Jonathan was selected to play in a masterclass held in Toronto by world renowned pianist Lang Lang. Jonathan’s international accomplishments include winning first prize (of the 16 and under category) at the 2009 Manchester International Concerto Competition for Young Pianists. In January 2012, Jonathan was also invited by the Orchestra Filarmonica di Udine to perform at the opening concert of their Concerti Aperitivo series in Udine, Italy. In September 2014, Jonathan performed the Schumann Piano concerto with the Krakow Philharmonic Orchestra in Krakow, Poland. In January 2015, Jonathan performed the Liszt Totentanz with the Toronto Festival Orchestra for the New Year’s concert. In April 2015, Jonathan performed Beethoven’s ‘Emperor’ concerto with the Canadian Sinfonietta. Jonathan has attended the prestigious Aspen Music Festival for two years. Aside from playing the piano, Jonathan studies viola and conducting under the direction of Maestro Tak-Ng Lai. Jonathan currently studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music with Dr. Shapiro. Stephanie Tang 21, piano, Colburn Conservatory of Music, Los Angeles, CA A native of Los Angeles, Stephanie began her piano studies at age 7. Since then, she has won 1st prize at the Bradshaw and Buono International Piano Competition, 2nd prize at the Louisiana International Piano Competition, and the top prize at the Young Pianists’ Beethoven Competition. She was also a finalist in the New York International Piano Competition and was awarded the Jury Discretionary Prize at the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Bronislaw Kaper Awards. In 2015, she won 2nd prize at the Susan Torres Award for Pianists and joined the roster for Los Angeles’s Classics Alive Young Artists. Stephanie has performed at Carnegie Hall in New York, the Steinway Gallery in Hollywood, and soloed with the West Covina Symphony Orchestra. She presented solo recitals in Shenzhen Concert Hall in China and The International Holland Music Sessions Summer Concerts. Stephanie has worked with many prominent artists, including Richard Goode, Marc Durand, Julian Martin, Robert McDonald, Matti Raekallio, Jean Yves Thibaudet, and Menahem Pressler. Previously, she studied with Zhaoyi Dan at the Shenzhen Arts School in China and Ory Shihor at the Colburn Academy. She is currently a Bachelor of Music candidate at the Colburn Conservatory of Music, where she studies with John Perry.
Accompanist: Miles Graber Pianist Miles Graber received his musical training at The Juilliard School, where he studied with Anne Hull, Phyllis Kreuter, Hugh Aitken, and Louise Behrend. He has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1971, where he has developed a wide reputation as an accompanist and collaborative pianist for instrumentalists and singers. He has performed with numerous solo artists, including Itzhak Perlman, Sarah Chang, Cho-Liang Lin, Camilla Wicks, Axel Strauss, Mimi Stillman, and Judith LeClair. Graber currently performs frequently with violinists Christina Mok and Mariya Borozina, flutists Gary Woodward and Amy Likar, and clarinetist Tom Rose. He is a member of the chamber groups Trio Concertino, MusicAEterna, and the Sor Ensemble. Graber and Arkadi Serper comprise the two-piano team Scorpio Duo. Graber has been associated with such ensembles as the San Francisco Chamber Soloists, Midsummer Mozart, the Oakland-East Bay Symphony, the California Symphony, the Santa Rosa Symphony, Oakland Lyric Opera, Berkeley Opera, Opera San Jose, and the San Francisco Camerata. He has accompanied masterclasses by such artists as Midori, Joseph Silverstein, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Pamela Frank, Alexander Barantchik, James Galway, and Lynn Harrell. He has been a frequent performance accompanist and chamber player with members of the San Francisco Symphony, the San Jose Symphony, The Berkeley Symphony, the California Symphony, the Santa Rosa Symphony, the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra, the Oakland-East Bay Youth Orchestra, and the UC Berkeley Symphony. He is principal pianist for the Bay Area chapter of the National Association of Composers USA, an organization that sponsors and promotes performances of new works by contemporary composers.
Composer: Daniel Felsenfeld Daniel Felsenfeld (b.1970) has been commissioned and performed by Simone Dinnerstein, Opera On Tap, the Chorus of Trinity Wall Street, Metropolis Ensemble, Meerenai Shim, Two Sense (Lisa Moore and Ashley Bathgate), ASCAP, San Jose Opera, ETHEL, Great Noise Ensemble, American Opera Projects, the Da Capo Chamber Players, Transit, Redshift, Nadia Sirota, Blair McMillen, Two Sides Sounding, Parhelion Trio, Alcyone Ensemble, Friction Quartet, Kristin Elgersma, Eleanor Taylor and Jen Devore, Holly Chatham, Momenta Quartet, Nouvelle Ensemble Moderne, Cornelius Duffallo, Stephianie Mortimore, Mellissa Hughes, Corey Dargel, Jenny Lin, New York City Opera (VOX), ACME, Redshift, New Gallery Consert Series, Gabriella Diaz, Sarah Bob, Jody Redhage, Caroline Worra, New England Conservatory Philharmonic in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Galapagos Art Space, The Kimmell Center, Jordan Hall, the Kitchen, Miller Theatre, Stanford University, Harvard University, The Stone, Brown University, Le Poisson Rouge, City Winery, and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. as part of the BEAT Festival, MATA Festival, Make Music New York, 21c Liederabend, Opera Grows in Brooklyn, New Brew, Serial Underground, and John Wesley Harding’s Cabinet of Wonders. Future projects include pieces for Sequitur (based on unpublished writings of David Foster Wallace), an opera based on the life of Dr. Kinsey for Opera on Tap, Kathy Supove, Michael Zegarski, Great Noise, Ashley Bathgate and Ensemble 212, Vocallective, Cadillac Moon Ensemble and Vision Into Art. When rapper Jay-Z performed at Carnegie Hall, along with Alicia Keys and Nas, backed by a full orchestra, Felsenfeld was asked to do all of the orchestrations and arrangements. He also collaborated with The Roots (offering music on their Grammy-nominated record Undun, appearing with them and the Metropolis Ensemble on the The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon) and ?uestlove with Keren Ann and David Murray. He also wrote arrangements for both ShuffleCulture and Electronium, a show at the Brooklyn Academy of Music with ?uestlove, Sasha Grey, Deerhoof, How to Dress Well, Reggie Watts and the Metropolis Ensemble. Residencies include Yaddo, the MacDowell Colony, The Hermitage, and the Atlantic Center for the Arts.
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Jury Chair: Christopher O’Riley
Director: Lara Downes
Acclaimed for his engaging and deeply committed performances, pianist Christopher O’Riley is known to millions as the host of NPR’s From the Top. His repertoire spans a kaleidoscopic array of music from the pre-Baroque to present-day. He performs around the world and has garnered widespread praise for his untiring efforts to reach new audiences. Now in his 15th year on air, Christopher O’Riley introduces the next generation of classical music stars to almost a million listeners each week on From the Top, broadcast by 250 stations across the United States. O’Riley also hosted the Emmy Award-winning television series From the Top at Carnegie Hall, and has collaborated with Yo-Yo Ma, Bobby McFerrin, Midori, Béla Fleck, Joshua Bell, Hilary Hahn, Sir James Galway, Michael Feinstein, and many more. O’Riley has performed as a soloist with virtually all of the major American orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, National Symphony, and San Francisco Symphony. He led the Academy of St Martin in the Fields on a two-week tour of 10 American cities performing concertos by Bach, Mozart, and Liszt. He has worked with such renowned conductors as Alan Gilbert, David Robertson, Leonard Slatkin, Neeme Järvi, Marin Alsop, Semyon Bychkov, Hugh Wolff, and many others. In addition, O’Riley has performed recitals throughout North America, Europe, and Australia. Living by the Duke Ellington adage “There are only two kinds of music, good music and bad,” O’Riley—a proponent of the former in all of its guises—has received the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant and an equally coveted four-star review from Rolling Stone magazine. O’Riley strives to introduce new audiences to classical music with an almost missionary zeal by performing piano arrangements of music by Radiohead, Elliott Smith, Pink Floyd, and Nirvana alongside traditional classical repertoire. He has performed recitals featuring these arrangements at such diverse venues as the Istanbul Jazz Festival, Highline Ballroom (NYC), the Knitting Factory (LA), and South by Southwest (Austin, TX). A prolific recording artist, O’Riley has recorded the music of Beethoven, Stravinsky, Scriabin, Liszt, Ravel, Gershwin, Debussy, and John Adams for Sony Classical, Oxingale Records, RCA Red Seal, Decca, and Harmonia Mundi. His most recent solo recording featured two discs of Liszt’s transcriptions, including songs by Schumann and Schubert, the opera paraphrase on Mozart’s Don Giovanni, the “Don Juan Fantasy”, and Liszt’s own transcription of Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique, liberally re-imagined by O’Riley.
American pianist Lara Downes has been called “a delightful artist with a unique blend of musicianship and showmanship” by NPR, and praised by The Washington Post for her stunning performances “rendered with drama and nuance”. Known for her eclectic presentations of the piano repertoire, her solo and chamber performances bridge musical genres and traditions, and engage a wide range of audiences with what San Francisco Classical Voice has called “an elegant example of how accessibility and a breezy relevance can exist, organically, in a classical music concert.” Downes is the 2016 laureate of the Sphinx Organization Medal of Excellence award, recognizing her influence as an extraordinary artist of her generation and her leadership in expanding audiences for classical music. Downes’ European training under Hans Graf and Rudolph Buchbinder led to early debuts at the Queen Elizabeth Hall London, the Vienna Konzerthaus and the Salle Gaveau Paris. She has won over audiences at diverse venues ranging from Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center to Le Poisson Rouge and Zinc Bar. Recent performances include the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, Bargemusic, Maverick Concerts, the Montreal Chamber Music Festival, Portland Piano International and the University of Washington World Series, among many others. Downes’ performance and recording projects have received support from prominent organizations such as the National Endowment for the Arts, the Barlow Endowment for Music Composition, the Mellon Foundation, the Sorel Organization, the Center for Cultural Innovation and American Public Media. Her recordings have met tremendous critical and popular acclaim, called “ravishing” by Fanfare magazine, and “luscious, moody and dreamy” by the The New York Times, and are heard regularly on national radio programs with features including NPR Music, Marketplace, Performance Today, Sirius XM Symphony Hall, WNYC’s New Sounds, and WFMT’s Impromptu. She is the producer and host of The Green Room, a radio show about the lives of classical musicians, distributed nationally by the WFMT Radio Network. She is the founder and director of The Artist Sessions, a pop-up concert series featuring international soloists and ensembles at the forward edges of classical music. Downes serves as Artist in Residence at the Mondavi Center, where she mentors the next generation of young musicians as Director of the Mondavi Center National Young Artists Program.
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From the Top Live with Host Christopher O’Riley FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016 • 8PM | JACKSON HALL
Rondo a capriccio, Op.129 Roger Xia, piano Sonata for Solo Cello, Op.8 III. Allegro molto vivace Nathan Le, cello
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
Partita No.1 in B-flat Major, BWV 825 I. Prelude II. Allemande III. Courante Hilda Huang, piano
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
“Tzigane” for violin and piano Geneva Lewis, violin Christopher O’Riley, piano Piano Trio No.3 in F Minor, Op.65 II. Allegretto grazioso Alexi Kenney, violin Brannon Cho, cello Christopher O’Riley, piano
Maurice Ravel (1875–1937)
Zoltán Kodály (1882–1967)
Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904)
Program order and repertoire subject to change.
This episode will air nationally the week of May 2. NPR’s From the Top with Host Christopher O’Riley may be heard locally on Capital Public Radio on Sundays at 3:00 PM. To download the podcast, listen online, or check for local listings, visit www.fromthetop.org. Based in Boston, From the Top is an independent non-profit organization that celebrates the power of music in the hands of extraordinary young people – thanks to the charitable gifts made by many individuals and institutions each year. From the Top’s radio program is made possible in part by an award from the National Endowment of the Arts, a grant from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, corporate underwriting from U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management, and partnerships with radio stations nationwide. From the Top’s founding partners are New England Conservatory and WGBH. Learn more at www.fromthetop.org.
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BIOGR APHIES
Brannon Cho (cello), is an undergraduate student at the Bienan School of Music at Northwestern University, studying with Hans Jensen. Brannon appeared on NPR’s From the Top with Host Christopher O’Riley on show 231 in New York City in 2011. He received second prize at the 2015 Naumberg International Cello Competition and first prize at the 2015 Minnesota Orchestra Competition. Recently, Brannon was the highest ranked American in the cello division of the 2015 International Tchaikovsky Competition in Russia. Hilda Huang (piano), is a third-year chemistry major at Yale College and studies the piano with Melvin Chen. She has been a long-time student of pianist John McCarthy and harpsichordist Corey Jamison. She was a student in the preparatory division of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She was the first American to win first prize at the Leipzig International Bach Competition and the first American to win top prize at the Würzburg International Bach Competition. She first appeared on NPR’s From the Top with Host Christopher O’Riley on show 180 in Berkeley, California, in 2008. Alexi Kenney (violin) is from Palo Alto, California. Currently, he is an artist diploma candidate at the New England Conservatory in Boston where he studies with Donald Weilerstein and Miriam Fried on the Charlotte F. Rabb Presidential Scholarship. He is the recipient of top prizes at the Yehudi Menuhin International Competition in 2012, the Mondavi Center Competition in 2010, and the 2013 Kronberg Academy Master Classes. He appeared on NPR’s From the Top with Host Christopher O’Riley on show 200 in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, in 2009. Nathan Le (cello), 16 See page 6. Geneva Lewis, (violin), 18, is originally from New Zealand, and now lives in Irvine, California. She studies violin with Aimee Kreston at The Colburn School. Her string quartet won the gold medal in the junior division of the 2015 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. Geneva has also won the Grand Prize of the ENKOR Competition. In addition, she competed in the Menuhin competition in 2014. Geneva plays on a 1991 Terry Borman violin, loaned by the Doublestop Foundation. In her free time she loves to play tennis, dance, and travel.
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Roger Xia (piano), 13, is an eighth grade student at the Oliver Wendell Holmes Junior High School in Davis, California. He studies at the preparatory school at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and he is a member of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. He studies piano with Dr. Natsuki Fukasawa. He has won many awards and prizes such as first places in United States Open Music Competition, Sylvia Ghiglieri piano competition, CMTANC International Youth Music Competition, Classical Masters Music Festival Competition and the most recent 2015 Mondavi Young Artists Competition. Aside from music, Roger enjoys math, computer games, movies, swimming and playing soccer and Ping Pong. Joanne Robinson (Announcer) has a broad arts and communications background. She has performed and toured with several children’s theater companies and worked on production teams of two children’s television programs. In addition to being From the Top’s announcer, she serves as From the Top’s Senior Designer. You can follow Joanne’s adventures on tour with the show on our blog at www.fromthetop.org/blog Christopher O’Riley (host/piano) See page 10.
ABOUT FROM THE TOP Based in Boston, From the Top is America’s largest national media platform celebrating the stories, talents, and character of classically-trained young musicians. Through live events, NPR and YouTube broadcasts, scholarships, and leadership programs, we empower these extraordinary young people to engage and inspire music lovers of all ages.
Our Education and Outreach programs empower young musicians to reach new audiences and create positive change through music. Every musician who appears on From the Top receives intensive leadership training, exploring unique leadership paths and the skills needed to take music beyond the concert hall. They then apply this training by creating and performing customized outreach activities in every community we visit.
Programs Our signature media program, From the Top with Host Christopher O’Riley, is the most popular weekly one-hour classical music program on public radio. Now in its 15th season, From the Top is heard on more than 220 radio stations and recorded before live audiences across the country, uniting communities around the joy and promise of great young talent.
Drawing on the energy of one of America’s most vibrant music communities, our Center for the Development of Arts Leaders in Boston engages Greater Boston’s young musicians as performers, teachers, and leaders, working with Boston’s educational and service organizations to share the power of music.
As part of our commitment to expanding audiences for classical music and amplifying the voices and talents of our outstanding young musicians, From the Top’s YouTube channel is getting a makeover. With a focus on reaching new and younger demographics, the channel now features epic and entertaining music videos, behind-the-scenes exclusives, celebrity interviews, and more.
Scholarships Since 2005, From the Top and the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation have awarded more than $2 million in scholarships to over 200 exceptional young musicians with financial need. In addition to providing these young artists with an opportunity to perform on From the Top’s national broadcasts, recipients are awarded up to $10,000 to support their musical studies.
Visit www.youtube.com/fromthetop to subscribe.
Learn more about how you can support our young musicians at www.fromthetop.org.
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FROM THE TOP STAFF LIST Co-CEO & Executive Producer Jennifer Hurley-Wales
Development Assistant Shirley Barkai
Co-CEO & Executive Producer Gerald Slavet
Director of Marketing & Communications Jodi Beznoska
Executive Assistant Cullen Bouvier
Tour Producer David Balsom
Senior Radio Producer Tom Voegeli
Associate Director of Marketing & Communications Robin Allen LaPlante
Director of Content & Production Tim Banker
Senior Graphic Designer & Radio Show Announcer Joanne Robinson
Production Manager Elizabeth DeVore
Associate Video Producer Noah Craigwell
Associate Music Producer Erin Nolan
Director of Finance & Administration Dianne Collazo
Associate Producer for Radio & Video Mark Williams
Finance & Administration Associate Dorothy Zarren
Director of Admissions & Alumni Relations Tim Lienhard
Information Technology Manager Jeremy Loudon
Scholarship Manager Claire Shepro
Human Resources & Administration Assistant Brianna Mackey
Admissions & Alumni Relations Assistant Matt Dykeman
Technical DIrector R. Berred Ouellette
Recruitment & Alumni Relations Assistant Janet Fagan
Sound Engineers Lauren Caso John Escobar Dan Hallas Claes Nystrom Chris Rando John Servies
Director of Education & Community Partnerships Linda Gerstle Program Manager, National Tour Michael Dahlberg Program Manager, Greater Boston Shea Mavros Program Assistant Mindy Cimini Director of Development Lynne Rutkin Associate Director of Development Nicole Wittlin Major Gifts & Events Manager Kara O’Keefe Manager of Institutional Giving Nicole Leonard Senior Development Associate Marissa Finer
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------------Board of Directors Jeffrey F. Rayport, Chair • John L. Pattillo, Vice Chair Stephen L. Symchych, Clerk • Kent Baum • Deborah Chipman Cynthia K. Curme • David Feigenbaum • Corinne Ferguson Jennifer Hurley-Wales • Elaine Lindley LeBuhn Stephen J. Shapiro Gerald Slavet • Michael Thurber Janet Whitla In memoriam, Frances O. Hunnewell, Founding Chair Board of Overseers Elaine Lindley LeBuhn, Chair • Susan Beckerman • Eran Egozy Guy Forman • Constance Freedman • Phil Griffin John Humphrey • Dicken Ko • Jordan Kretchmer • José Lopez Nancy Lubin • Meredith McPherron • Linda Dyer Millard Matt Pillar • Inmaculada Silos-Santiago • Elizabeth Sikorovsky Anthony K. Tjan • Gabrielle Wolohojian
YOUNG ARTISTS COMPETITION
A HISTORY
YAC 2009, Photo by Rik Keller
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n 2006, as musicians around the world celebrated the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth, Lara Downes produced a concert of his music at Mondavi Center, inspired by a saying from the great pianist Artur Schnabel, who said that Mozart’s music was “too easy for children, and too difficult for artists.” Lara invited some talented youngsters from the region to perform Mozart’s chamber music with her on the Mondavi Center stage, to explore the potential of this music. It was a glorious concert, and at the reception afterwards, a miracle happened. John and Lois Crowe, and Barbara Jackson, all major donors of Mondavi Center, came to Lara and told her that they wanted to establish a scholarship fund to ensure that such gifted young musicians would become a permanent fixture of Mondavi Center programming. That was the beginning of the Young Artists
“I cannot express my gratitude and appreciation for the commitment that our founding sponsors have shown to the competition, not only through their generous financial support, but also through the care, personal investment, and vision of the future that they have maintained during these most miraculous 10 years.” —Lara Downes
Competition. Soon afterwards, Mary Horton also offered her support as a founding sponsor, and everyone began to put the pieces in place to build the nationally-renowned, prestigious and uniquely impactful effort that is the Mondavi Center’s Young Artist Competition. For the past decade, they have enjoyed seeing firsthand the impact of their support on so many young artists’ professional development. It is with special pride that they follow the careers of violinist Stephen Waarts (2008 YAC winner) and Alexi Kenney (2010 YAC winner). Stephen since has received global acclaim, winning top international awards at the 2015 Queen Elizabeth competition, the 2014 Menuhin Competition, the 2013 Young Concert Artists International
Auditions, and the 2013 Montreal International Competition. Alexi is an international prizewinner who has appeared on some of the world’s most prestigious stages, and who releases his debut CD this year, featuring works that he performed in his critically-acclaimed 2015 Carnegie Hall debut recital. Alexi joins us at Mondavi Center’s taping of From the Top this weekend.
To learn about ways in which your support can benefit the Young Artists Competition, please contact Nancy Petrisko at 530.754.5420 or npetrisko@ucdavis.edu.
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