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THE MESA TRIBUNE | MARCH 6, 2022
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At 15, Mesa violinist gaining national recognition BY DANA TRUMBULL Tribune Contributor
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Mesa teen will be performing solos with at least two major U.S. orchestras and on a national classical radio broadcast after winning $10,000 in a contest. Jonathan Okseniuk, 15, won first place and $10,000 in the junior division of the annual Sphinx Organization Competition for his performance of Mozart’s Fourth Violin Concerto. Along with the orchestra appearances in Buffalo and Miami, the Arete Prep student will perform on an online program run by Over Jonathan Okseniuk of Mesa is a veteran violinist at age 15: The Top, a Boston non-profit He started playing when he was 3. (Special to the Tribune) organization that celebrates
the stories, talents and character of young classically-trained musicians. Jonathan is no stranger to the competition run by Sphinx, a nonprofit whose programs are aimed at developing and supporting diversity and inclusion in classical music and that reaches more than 100,000 students and artists as well as live and broadcast audiences of more than two million annually. In 2021, Jonathan won second place performance for his performance in the Sphinx Competition, winning $5,000. Jonathan has studied with Jing Zeng, First Violinist for the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, since he was 3, but fell in love with the art well before that, according to his mother, Desiree Okseniuk. She said he was about 19 months old when she and her husband Ed noticed him watching Dutch violinist Andre’ Rieu on television, mesmerized by the music. “His whole world changed,” she recalled.
Mesa poet publishes his fourth book TRIBUNE NEWS STAFF
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n an age of tweets and Snapchats, poetry may seem as antiquated as a Remington typewriter, especially for anyone under 40. Yet, at 22, Austin Davis of Mesa finds poetry a personally rewarding endeavor that helps him to connect with himself and the world around him. A senior in creative writing at Arizona State University, he just published his fourth book of poetry, It’s not the only way he connects with the world. Davis runs AZ Hugs for Homeless, a program started by Arizona Jews for Justice whose mission is “to spread dignity, respect, understanding, friendship, solidarity, empathy and love to those living on the streets." Every week for the last year and a half, in collaboration with ASU Project Humanities and many other amazing people around Arizona, Davis and his team de-
Mesa resident Austin Davis is an Arizona State University student and a poet who has just published his fourth book. (Special to the Tribune) liver care packs, food, water, tents and special request items to the unsheltered
in the Valley and across the state. The oldest of three children of Emily
“It was obvious. It was like the light switch flipped on. Back then, we didn’t really have YouTube and all that, so we bought two DVDs. One just happened to be Itzhak Perlman and Jascha Heifetz, and that’s all he wanted to watch.” While other toddlers were watching Spongebob Squarepants, Jonathan was watching Rieu, Perlman and Heifetz. “We were looking for a teacher before he turned 2,” said Desiree. One of the teachers she contacted suggested that they buy a foam violin to start with. They did, “but it came with this big wooden stick for a bow. I always thought he would poke his eye out, but he loved that foam violin,” his mom laughed. When Jonathan was 2 1/2, Desiree took him to an educational outreach program put on by the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra. It was intended for children ages 5-12,
see VIOLINIST page 18
and Guy Davis, he credits his family with not only with helping him discover and pursue his passions but also with his own health struggles. “Being a poet is one of my two passions in life,” he said, listing his other as “being a friend to those experiencing homelessness.” “Above all else, I want to help enact positive change in the world through art and activism,” Davis said. “My goal for the future is to keep running AZ Hugs, tour for my new book, and try to spread love and care to as many people as possible through my art and outreach.” Davis published his first book of poetry as a high school senior and also has been involved in other artistic pursuits as well – including a chapbook in 2020 and a jazz-poetry album with musician Joe Allie about homelessness called “Street Sor-
see POET page 18
