YOUNG ARTIST COMPETITION WINNERS SHOWCASE
Saturday, June 1st - 3:00PM | Broadmoor Community Church
The Next Generation of Local Music!
Listen to the next generation of local music - the incredible winning students of our 2024 Young Artist Competition are featured with the Chamber Orchestra of the Springs!
This year’s winners showcase features FOUR contestants from this year’s competition - exceptional students from the Pikes Peak Region who represent our city’s next wave of incredible musicians.
Mozart - Ascanio in Alba Overture in D Major, K.111
Sibelius - Violin Concerto in D Minor, op. 47
von Weber - Bassoon Concerto in F Major, op. 75
Rózsa - Viola Concerto, op. 37
Wieniawski - Violin Concerto No. 2 in D Minor, op. 22
Featuring:
1ST PLACE - JOSHUA WU
Joshua Wu, violin, is in the 10th grade at Discovery Canyon High School in Colorado Springs. He is a member of the Colorado Springs Youth Symphony, and currently studies under the direction of former UNC Professor Richard Fuchs and previously under Mr. Frank Siyuan Lu and Mrs. Evelyn Daniels-Brown since he was four years old in WA.
He is a winner of the 2024 Pikes Peak Philharmonic Youth Concerto Competition. He won 2nd place for the 2024 and 3rd place for the 2023 Colorado Springs Youth Symphony Young Artist Solo Competition, and an overall winner of the 2019 Mid-Columbia Symphony Young Artist Competition. He was a member of the 2024 Colorado All State Symphony Orchestra and the 2022 Western States Honor Orchestra. He also plays in his school’s orchestra.
2ND PLACE - LYDIA MCCONKIE
Lydia McConkie, age 17, has been studying the violin since age 6 under the tutelage of Karine Garibova. She was the first place winner and soloist for the Youth Symphony Young Solo Artist competition and a prize winner and soloist for the Chamber Orchestra Competition 2023 & 2024. Lydia was also the first place winner of the MTNA senior string division for Colorado 2022.
She is Concertmaster of the Colorado Springs Youth Symphony, participates with the Chamber Orchestra of the Springs, and has performed as first violinist for various chamber ensembles. She enjoys teaching her private studio and will further her own education this fall as she pursues a violin performance degree.
She is in the top 15 of the 400 in her high school class, top of her 5A varsity tennis team, and loves traveling. Some of her favorite destinations include performing in Greece with the Youth Symphony and visiting Guatemala to participate in humanitarian work. With her spare time, she enjoys performing with her family.
3RD PLACE - EZRA SONG
Ezra Song started his music studies on the piano when he was five. At age eleven, he started viola lessons with Ms. Vanessa White, and he quickly found a passion for the instrument. In the summer of 2021 (age twelve), he auditioned into the Manitou Springs Chamber Music Festival (MCMF), further deepening his love and understanding of chamber music. He also participated in Denver University's Lamont Summer Academy in 2022 and played in a piano quartet with the concertmaster of the orchestra. In the Academy, he was chosen to play in the Solo Honors Concert and his piano quartet was selected to play in the Honors Chamber Concert.
He was awarded fifth place in the Colorado Youth Symphony Young Artist Solo Competition in 2022 and 2024, and also received an honorable mention in 2023. He was named an honorable mention in the Colorado Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Junior Strings Division in 2022. He was then accepted into the Credo Music Festival at the Oberlin Conservatory in the summer of 2023 and was coached by Mr. Peter Slowik. He has been studying viola under Mr. Michael Sabatka's coaching and instruction for the past three years.
Beyond music, he loves to play board games with his siblings and spend time with friends. Ezra is a third-degree black belt in Tae-Kwon-Do; he competes with the International TKD demonstration team while serving as a junior team coach at the Academy of Life and Leadership Taekwondo. He also volunteers to be a “big buddy” to help out special needs kids at his Church.
4TH PLACE - CLAIRE HEITKE
Claire Heitke lives in Colorado Springs and is entering the fall semester as a homeschooled high school senior, dual enrolled at Pikes Peak State College. Claire started bassoon at age 12 and has studied for the last 5 years with Mr. Greg Brown. She is the first chair bassoonist with the Colorado Springs Youth Symphony and plays in a woodwind quintet and trio. During the last 5 years she has performed in Greece and multiple performances with Maestro Josep Caballe Domenech on bassoon and contrabassoon. Claire has performed in the Soli Deo Gloria Messiah concert, and this year will be her second year playing in the Manitou Chamber Music Festival.
Aside from playing bassoon, Claire is passionate about working with horses and animals and has taught herself to play piano. She is an active member at Holy Theophany Orthodox Church, and enjoys helping at monasteries and working on farm projects.
WHAT TO KNOW
VENUES
This concert is held at Broadmoor Community Church.
Doors open 1 hour prior to the performance.
PARKING
Parking is free on-site at Broadmoor Community Church.
PRE-CONCERT LECTURE
There is no pre-concert lecture for this performance.