PRINCE WILLIAM SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA with NOVEC ANNOUNCES YOUNG ARTIST COMPETITION FINALISTS! Six Area Youths Selected to perform
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Manassas, VA—October 21, 2008—The Prince William Symphony Orchestra proudly announces six local students that have been selected to perform in the final round of Prince William Symphony Orchestra’s (PWSO) Young Artist Competition. The Finalist Recital, sponsored by NOVEC, is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 26, 2008 at Bethel Lutheran Church located at 8712 Plantation Lane in Manassas. The public is invited and encouraged to attend this performance. Admission is free!
The finalists in the senior division are: Caitlin Beare, clarinet, from Manassas; Nicholas Tavani, violin, from Haymarket; and Phillip Munck, cello, from Woodbridge. Finalists in the junior division are: Samantha Kline, violin, from Manassas, Helen Jung, violin, from Gainesville, and Daniel Tavani, cello, from Haymarket. These students were selected after competing in the preliminary round on October 19.
The Senior Division of the competition was open to youth ages 16-21 who reside in Prince William County, Manassas, or other communities within the physical boundaries of Prince William County. First, second and third prizes of $1,000, $500 and $250 respectively will be awarded. The Judging Committee may also award the First Prize Winner in this division an offer to perform with the Prince William Symphony Orchestra or with the Prince William Baroque.
Senior Division Finalists are:
Caitlin Beare ,17, is home-schooled and has been playing the clarinet for eight years. She began playing in a homeschool band, and later joined the Youth Orchestras of Prince William's (YOPW) Wind Symphony upon its inception in 2003. She has placed first in the Winds, Brass, and Percussion division of YOPW's 2007 Young Artist Competition and the Winds division of the Woodbridge Music Club's Kiki Thomaidis Scholarship Competition. She was also awarded third place in the PWSO's 2007 Young Artist Competition, second place in the National Federation of Music Clubs' 2007 Comstock Award competition, and first place in NFMC's 2008 competition. Caitlin studies privately and is currently the principal clarinetist of YOPW's Youth Symphony Orchestra. She also plays in a woodwind trio and has spent her past three summers playing with the Prince William Community Band.
Nicholas Tavani, 21, is pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance at the Cleveland Institute of Music and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematical Physics at Case Western Reserve University. Lauded by the Washington Post for his "brilliant musicianship," violinist Nicholas Tavani debuted in Washington, D.C.'s Gaston Hall at the age of eight. Since then, he has performed extensively in the D.C. area, including at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Constitution Hall, Strathmore Hall, the State Department, and the National Gallery of Art, given concerts in London, Italy, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Denver, Austin, Minneapolis, Ann Arbor, and Albuquerque, and toured Bolivia and Peru. A semifinalist at the Postacchini and Kingsville international competitions, Nicholas is an alumnus of the Encore School for Strings, the MasterWorks Festival, and the New York String Orchestra Seminar at Carnegie Hall.
Phillip Munck , 17, is a senior at C.D. Hylton High School where he performs in the Senior Orchestra and he is a member of the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Prince William. Phillip placed first in the All County Orchestra as well as in the Senior Regional Orchestra. He won the Directors award at the James Madison University Spring String Thing, second place at the Youth Orchestra of Prince William Young Artist competition, and Honorable Mention in the 2008 U.S. Army “Pershing’s Own” Band Young Artist competition and an invitation to perform with the U.S. Army Band.
The Junior Division of the competition was open to youth ages 11-15 who reside in Prince William County, Manassas, or other communities within the physical boundaries of Prince William County. First, second and third prizes of $500, $250 and $100 respectively will be awarded. The Judging Committee may also award the First Prize Winner in this division an offer to perform with the Prince William Symphony Orchestra or with the Prince William Baroque.
Junior Division Finalists are:
Samantha Kline is a 15-year-old violinist and a sophomore at Osbourn Park High School. She has been studying the violin with Ronda Cole since the age of four and has participated in many master classes and numerous competitions. She is a member of the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Prince William County and has performed with them as a soloist. Samantha won the Jr. Division of the Youth Orchestras of Prince William Concerto Competition and has been in the finals of the Feuer Competition.
Helen Jung , 12, is in the seventh grade at Gainesville Middle School. She began playing the violin at the age of four with Patricia Braunlich and is currently under the tutelage of Natalia Yampolsky. Helen has appeared at numerous recitals and won competitions held by the Northern Virginia Music Teachers Association, the Maryland State Music Teachers Association and Asian American Music Society. She was a co-Concertmaster of the American Youth String Ensemble during the 2007-2008 season and currently holds the Principal position in the second violin section of the American Youth Concert Orchestra.
Daniel Tavani , 13, is an 8th grade home-schooled student. He placed first in a concerto competition at the Northern Virginia Music Teachers Association as well as in the Caurine Easterling String Competition. He currently studies with Loran Stephenson from the National Symphony Orchestra and performs with the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Prince William.
“This is a talented group of young musicians,” said PWSO Music Director David Montgomery. “Their talent, commitment, poise and artistry all reflect positively on them and their music instruction. They can be very proud of their accomplishments thus far, as should their parents, teachers, and community. These students have a bright future ahead of them and I encourage everyone to come out on October 26 to hear them perform.”
The competition was open to anyone between the ages of 11 and 21 who reside in Prince William County, Manassas, or other communities within the physical boundaries of Prince William County. The competition was open to students of piano, woodwind, brass, percussion, string instruments and vocalists.
The Purpose of PWSO’s Young Artist Competition is to promote local musical talent, support music in our county’s schools, and facilitate PWSO’s Art for Youth initiative, as well as develop awareness within Prince William County for the symphony and its programs. It is important that professional musical organizations give something back to their communities in support of music education. The PWSO Young Artist Scholarship Competition provides our county’s music students with an opportunity to excel, receive constructive feedback from established musicians, and be recognized for their talent and achievement, with a financial award to help them further their arts education.
The Prince William Symphony Orchestra has been providing access to high-quality classical music in our community for 34 years. Led by Conductor and Music Director, David Montgomery, this professional orchestra is committed to educating and entertaining the public with the highest standard of performance excellence possible.
The Prince William Symphony Orchestra can be contacted on-line at www.pwso.org or by calling 703-659-0103.
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