Upcoming Events
Winter Chamber Music Concert
January 15, 2012
2:00 pm & 3:30 pm
Newport Presbyterian Church
4010 120th Avenue SE, Bellevue, WA 98006
Anthony Arnone
Cello and Chamber Music
Master Class
February 18, 2012 at 5 pm
Bellevue Christian Church
10808 SE 28th St., Bellevue, WA 98004
Free Admission
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Academy Chamber Orchestra
March 3, 2012 at 7:30 pm
Orcas Center
917 Mt. Baker Road, Eastsound, WA 98245
$15, $11 (students) $2 off for Orcas Center members
Student Soloists
Saratoga Chamber Orchestra
January 29 at 2:30 pm
Oak Harbor High School, Oak Harbor, WA
January 30 at 7 pm
South Whidbey High School, Langley, WA
Lara Lewison, violin soloist
Young Artist Competition Winner
Lara Lewison, a fourteen-year-old accomplished violinist, pianist and singer, began studying violin at the age of three with Mari Nakamura at the Pacific NW School of Music. Currently, she is studying violin with Sanja Futterman, piano with Joan Schoepfin, and voice with Madeline Bersamina. She is in the AMNW chamber music program, the Academy Chamber Orchestra, and performs with the Bremerton Symphony.
Lara made her solo debut in 2010 with the Ottawa Chamber Orchestra and has appeared as soloist with the Academy Chamber Orchestra. In December 2011, she will again perform as soloist in the Dvorak violin concerto with the Academy Chamber Orchestra. Her recent awards include winner of the Elementary Division in the 2010 Simon-Fiset Competition, second place in the Junior Division of Simon-Fiset for 2011; winner of the SCO Youth Concerto Competition, 2011, and winner of the Seattle Bach Festival violin division, 2011.
Bellevue Youth Symphony Orchestra
Showcase Concert II-A
March 4, 2012 at 3 pm
East Side Performing Arts Center
400 228th Ave NE Sammamish, WA 98074
Takumi Taguchi, violin soloist
Bellevue Symphony Youth Orchestra
2012 Concerto Competition Winner
Takumi Taguchi, winner of the Bellevue Youth Symphony Orchestra (BYSO) 2012 Concerto Competition, will perform the first movement of the Mendelssohn E minor Violin Concerto in his solo debut with BYSO's Sinfonia. Takumi is ten years old, a 5th grade PRISM student at Spiritridge Elementary in Bellevue, WA.
Takumi was born in Durham, NC and soon moved to Tokyo where he began taking violin lessons with Suzuki Method when he was two and a half years old. He has been a student of Mrs. Mihoko Hirata since his family moved to Bellevue, WA in 2007.
At school, Takumi enjoys math, reading, and recess. His hobbies outside of music include chess, karate, and playing with his friends.
Student News
Claire Hillier, cellist, student of Dr. Shiang-Yin Lee, was awarded Third Place in the Washington Music Educators Association (WMEA) State Solo and Ensemble Contest. She was also accepted into the Junior WMEA Junior All State Orchestra. The concert will be Saturday, February 18, 2012 in Yakima, WA.
Cole Holland, pianist, student of Maria Koshkina, received Honorable Mention in the Russian Piano Festival Competition.
Bhavani Kotha, oboist, student of Tad Margelli, participated in the Shannon Spiciatti (UW) and Keri McCarthy (Assistant Professor, WSU) Master Class at the UW Music School on November 11th. She performed the Paladilhe Solo de Concert.
Lara Lewison, violinist, student of Sanja Futterman, winner of the Young Artist Competition, will perform the Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 2 with the Saratoga Chamber Orchestra on January 29th and 30th.
Takumi Taguchi, violinist, student of Mihoko Hirata, won the Bellevue Youth Symphony Orchestra (BYSO) 2012 Concerto Competition. He will play the first movement of the Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor with Sinfonia, one of BYSO's orchestras.
Bryan Zhao, pianist, student of Willard Schulz, received Honorable Mention in the Bach Festival. He was also the Second Place Winner in the Russian Piano Festival Competition.
Featured Alumni
Frank Huang, pianist, made his New York debut in 2008 at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. Winner of numerous International Competitions,
Huang has an active performing career, making appearances as a soloist and chamber musician in the U.S., Spain, Brazil, and Poland.
An avid chamber musician, he is a founding member of The Fairmount Trio, and has
collaborated with members of the Cleveland Orchestra in concerts. Huang has worked with distinguished musicians such as Lee Kum-Sing, Nelita True, Byron Janis, Jon Kimura Parker, Robert McDonald, Richard Goode, Murray Perahia, Daniel Shapiro, and Dominique Weber.
He studied extensively with Willard Schultz before obtaining Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from The Juilliard School, where he continued his studies with Julian Martin. Mr. Huang received the doctoral degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, studying under the direction of Antonio Pompa-Baldi.
Learn more about Dr. Huang Here.
Nathaniel LaNasa, a young pianist and poet whose daring talent has earned solo recitals in Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Seattle Opera House and the Aspen Music Center. LaNasa’s first recording is a collaboration with violinist Curtis Stewart, featuring duos by Bach and Debussy.
A member of the New Juilliard Ensemble, LaNasa will perform in the "Sounds Re-Imagined: John Cage at 100" concert series on Friday, February 3, presented by FOCUS! 2012, Juilliard’s 28th annual mid-winter festival of ‘new’ music.
Sarah Pizzichemi, violinist of the Skyros Quartet, is attending the University of Texas at Austin Butler School of Music where she is pursuing her Masters in Chamber Music Performance studying with the Miro Quartet and Sandy Yamamoto. She earned a BM in Violin Performance at University of Texas, studying with Brian Lewis.
Pizzichemi won the Miro Quartet Shostakovich String Quartet Intensive Seminar and Competition, and performed the Shostakovich Octet with the Miro Quartet on one of their professional concerts in January 2010. She has also attended the Casalmaggiore International Music Festival in Casalmaggiore, Italy, the Quartetfest in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, and The Quartet Program East.
Camden Shaw, cellist of the Old City Quartet, is an accomplished soloist and recording artist. His solo recording "Works by Bach, Kodály & Ligeti" received rave reviews by several music critiques, including David Kan of sixmoons.com: "This cellist will be the best amongst equals in the years to come. Despite Janos Starker’s definitive 1970 Tokyo recording of the Kodaly sonata, Camden Shaw exemplifies profound understanding and proficient mastery of this musically and technically challenging masterpiece of the cello repertoire."
His ensemble The Old City Quartet is equally accomplished. The Gold Medalist and Grand Prize Winner of the 2010 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, the quartet was also awarded Second Prize in the 2009 Young Concert Artists International Auditions. The members of the quartet have attended the Artosphere and La Jolla SummerFest music festivals, and worked intensively at the Curtis Institute with such renowned chamber musicians as Shmuel Ashkenasi, Arnold Steinhardt, Joseph Silverstein, and Peter Wiley. The Old City Quartet is currently the Graduate String Quartet in Residence at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music in Houston, Texas.
Camden Shaw comes from a musical family. His father Arthur Shaw served as the conductor and music director of many orchestras in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. His mother Nancie Shaw is a professional violinist, violist, high school orchestra director, and the chamber music ensemble director of the Academy Of Music Northwest.
With Gratitude
Thanks to all of you — our faculty, staff, donors, supporters, parents and our talented students for your hard work, dedication and support!
Your support will make a big difference in these young artists lives!
Donate Here
Final Note — Stay Connected
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