SEATTLE — An Oso farmer, Aaron Hall is one of six winners of the 2009 Seattle Young Artists Music Festival Concerto Competition and he will perform with the Philharmonia Northwest Orchestra at 7:30 p.m. Saturday May 16 in Theodore Roethke Auditorium, Kane Hall at the University of Washington. Admission is $10.
The winner of the Senior Concerto Cello Division, Hall, 16, is homeschooled and lives on his family’s farm in Oso, east of Arlington.
He began private cello lessons at age 6 and piano lessons at age 8. He currently studies cello with Toby Saks. This year Hall was named first alternate in the 2008-’09 MTNA Washington State Senior String Competition. He performed the Boccherini Sonata for Violin and Cello with his sister in the 2009 Academy of Music Northwest Benefit Concert held at the Benaroya Nordstrom Hall, and for the 2008 Christian Heritage Homeschool Conference.
Winning the 2009 SYAMFA Concerto Competition has been the highlight of his year. His ensemble received first place and grand prize in 2007 and 2008 respectively at the Snohomish County Music Teachers Association Sanford Wright Chamber Music Competitions. He also won first place in the SCMTA Anna Rollins Johnson Piano Scholarship Competition in 2006. Aaron’s favorite composers are Beethoven and Bach, and when he has time he also enjoys composing. He is currently working on a string trio to be performed with family members.
In addition to his music activities, Aaron has a passion for propagating and growing plants for sale each summer. He is currently building a new 1,200-square-foot greenhouse. He is also an avid weather enthusiast, keeping daily logs of local climate conditions.
Along with Hall the the winners came from Bothell, Seattle and British Columbia:
n Carina Vincenti, Senior Concerto Violin Division, lives in Bothell
n Lauren Glass, Senior Concerto Flute Division, lives in Seattle
n Jovian C.F. Cheng, Senior Concerto Piano Division, lives in Vancouver, B.C.
n Vivian Lou, Junior Concerto Piano Division, lives in North Vancouver, B.C.
n André Poon, Junior Concerto Piano Division, lives in Richmond, B.C.
Each spring the week-long Seattle Young Artists Music Festival offers young artists a unique opportunity to perform individually and receive master class instruction from more than a dozen outstanding national educators. For students who enjoy the challenge of competition, a concerto division offers the most accomplished the chance to be selected to perform in concert with an orchestra.
These six outstanding young musicians were selected by a panel of playoff adjudicators to perform with the Philharmonia Northwest Orchestra. They have had the additional rare honor of being invited to audition with the Seattle Symphony for performance in one of their educational concert series.
Former concerto winners have gone on to study at Juilliard, Curtis, Oberlin, Eastman and other prestigious schools. The “Young Artists Concerto Concert” is musical event of the highest caliber, and should not be missed by any classical music lover.
About the Seattle Young Artists Music Festival Association
The Seattle Young Artists Music Festival was founded in 1970 with a non-competitive philosophy focused on musicianship and the development of performance artistry. An un-graded masterclass format differentiates the Seattle Festival from most others and enables Festival adjudicators to focus on teaching, creating an interactive learning experience for festival entrants.
National adjudicators of outstanding quality have been a hallmark at the SYAMFA Festival since its inception. Past adjudicators have come from such prestigious institutions as the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra of New York, The Juilliard School, Eastman, The Curtis Institute, The Cleveland Institute, Oberlin Conservatory, and many other renowned music programs. The result of these combined practices is the substantial growth in the musicianship of the participating young artists and a greater mastery of their chosen instrument
While most of the classes are non-competitive the festival includes one competitive division. Young musicians choose to enter the competitive concerto division have the opportunity to be selected as concerto finalists, where the most accomplished are invited to perform with a professional orchestra.
For nearly two decades, the Festival has partnered with the University of Washington School of Music where the annual week long event occupies the entire Music Building during the University’s Spring Break.
About the
Philharmonia
Northwest Orchestra
Philharmonia Northwest is a chamber orchestra under the direction of Roupen Shakarian and is based in north Seattle. They perform a six-concert season from September through May, culminating in this performance with the Seattle Young Artists Music Festival Association’s Concerto Division winners. Their Web site is www.philharmonianw.org .
