Nine Young Musicians To Compete In The Final Round Of Vancouver Symphony USA's National Young Artist Competition

The nine finalists for Washington State's Vancouver Symphony Orchestra 29th Young Artist Concerto Competition were announced today by VSO CEO Dr. Igor Shakhman. The final round of the competition will take place live on October 15, 2023 at First Presbyterian Church in Vancouver, WA, USA and is free and open to the public.

Continuing the exciting competition format of past years, nine of the nation's finest young musicians will compete in three categories: piano, strings and winds/brass. Gold Medal winners in each category will receive the opportunity to perform with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra on January 20 and 21, 2024 at Skyview Concert Hall. All finalists will receive generous cash prizes. Gold Medalists will be awarded $5,000 each; Silver Medalists, $2,000 each; Bronze Medalists, $1,000 each. A special prize that may be awarded to one or more of the finalists includes a mini residency at the El Paso Pro-Musica Festival, at the discretion of the judges. This is a new and exclusive prize that marks the beginning of a partnership between VSO USA and El Paso Pro-Musica.

The final round will be judged by an extraordinary panel of renowned performers and educators:

Mariam Adam: Founding and former member of the twice Grammy-nominated woodwind quintet Imani Winds, multi-award-winning recording artist, and Assistant Clarinet Professor at the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University.

Zuill Bailey: GRAMMY Award winning cello virtuoso, Artistic Director of several major music festivals in the US including Sitka Summer Music Festival, and a professor of Cello at UT El Paso.

Tanya Bannister: Virtuoso pianist and President of the Concert Artists Guild, co-founder and Artistic Director of AlpenKammerMusik in Austria, and co-founder of Roadmaps Festival in New York City.

Dr. Igal Kesselman: Internationally renowned piano educator, Director of Lucy Moses School in NYC, Music Director of Special Music School and Artistic Director of Kaufman Music Center International Piano Competition.

Dr. Stephen Shepherd: VSO Associate Concertmaster, Portland Columbia Symphony Associate Concertmaster, former musician with Westmoreland, Wheeling, and Cedar Rapids symphonies and Vice Principal of Portland's Roosevelt High School.

What: VSO 29th Annual Young Artist Competition Finals
When: October 15, 2023 at 2 PM Pacific Time
Where: First Presbyterian Church
4300 Main St.
Vancouver WA. 98663
Tickets: This event is free and open to the public

A piano will be provided for the event by Michelle's Piano Co. This competition is made possible through the generous support of Paul Christensen.

2023 FINALISTS:

Piano
Cecilia Thendean (age 15), Piano; Amador Valley High School, Pleasanton, CA
Xinran Shi (age 13), Piano; Stanford Online High School, San Jose, CA
Roxane Park (age 15), Piano; Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, NH

Strings
Hyerin Eom (age 14), Violin; Academy of the Holy Angels, Palisades Park, NJ
Nesya Fertel (age 17), Violin; Homeschooled, Salt Lake City, UT
Esme Arias-Kim (age 17), Violin; Colburn School, Hoffman Estates, IL

Brass/Woodwinds
Hannah Cho (age 16), Oboe; Orange County School of the Arts, Tustin, CA
Macy Gong (age 17), Flute; Oregon Episcopal School, West Linn, OR
Diego Capela-Perez (age 17), Alto Saxophone; Andy Dekaney High School, Spring, TX

About The VSO

The VSO, now in its 45th season, has been a cornerstone of Southwest Washington's arts community, providing symphonic music of the highest caliber in live performances and through music education in schools, concert halls, and throughout the community. For more information, please visit vancouversymphony.org.

THE VANCOUVER SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
PO BOX 525 VANCOUVER, WA 98666 PHONE 360-735-7278 FAX 360-906-0355
www.vancouversymphony.org