2016 Jefferson Symphony International Young Artists Competition Finalists Biographies

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1 2016 Jefferson Symphony International Young Artists Competition Finalists Biographies Isaac Daniel Allen, Violin, 18 Barber Violin Concerto Longmont, Colorado Currently attending Indiana University Isaac began violin instruction at age eight. He won his first concerto competition at age 10, and consequently gave his first solo debut performance. Isaac organized his first quartet group at age 11, and led this group in winning the Best Narrative award in the 2009 Borromeo Festival. Isaac received the Denver Young Artists Orchestra s Best New Member award at age 12 Isaac twice received the Heifetz International Institute s First Act award. He had received the Betty Naster Award from the Aspen Music Festival and he was invited to perform alongside esteemed violinist Robert McDuffie in the Harris Concert Hall s 20 th Anniversary Celebration Concert. This fall, Isaac received the 2015 New Jacobs Scholar Award and enrolled in the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University to study under Alexander Kerr. William McClain Cravy, Double Bass, 23 Koussevitsky Bass Concerto Denver, Colorado Currently attending Univ. of Southern California William McClain Cravy graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Southern California where he was a recipient of a Presidential Scholarship, three Provost s Research Fellowships, and the String and Orchestral Awards for Outstanding Graduate. A member of the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, Will has played as a soloist with the Colorado Symphony, the Culver City Symphony, the Diamond Bar High School Symphony Orchestra, and the Denver School of the Arts Orchestra. A past member of the Colorado Young Musician s Foundation Roster, he was awarded 2nd place in both the 2015 Aspen Music Festival Low Strings Competition, and the 2015 Pasadena Showcase House Instrumental Competition (LA Phil judged), and received the 2009 Jeff Bradley Colorado Young Musician Award. Will is currently pursuing a master s degree at USC after recently completing the NAC Institute for Orchestral Studies. Morgan Davidson, Bassoon, 18 Weber Bassoon Concerto Denver, Colorado Currently attending Manhattan School of Music Morgan Davison began her bassoon studies at the age of ten while attending Denver School of the Arts. She continued her studies with Roger Soren of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and with International bassoon soloist, Martin Kuuskmann, both in Seattle and in Arosa, Switzerland. She is a graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy where she studied with Eric Stomberg. In December of 2013 she won the Senior Division at the Asian Double Reed Society International competition in Taiwan. Morgan was a winner of the Young Musician Foundation of Colorado for She spent the summer of 2015 with the Oberlin In Italy program playing Mozart s Marriage of Figaro. Morgan now attends Manhattan School of Music where she studies with Kim Laskowski of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.

2 Jason Friedman, French horn, 19 Mozart Horn Concerto # 4 Boulder, Colorado Currently attending University of Colorado Jason began his music studies with the trumpet at age 12, switching to French horn a year later. He began private studies in 8th grade and joined the Denver Young Artist Orchestra in After being accepted to eight different music schools with scholarship, Jason accepted a full tuition scholarship at CU to study with Michael Thornton. Jason has played in Greater Boulder Youth Orchestra, Denver Young Artist Orchestra, Colorado All State Orchestra, and, most recently, the CU Boulder University Symphony Orchestra. Josiah Hamill, Violin, 22 Sibelius Violin Concerto Franktown, Colorado Currently attending University of Denver Josiah is currently a senior pursuing a Bachelor of Music with dual concentrations in violin performance and pipe organ performance at the University of Denver s Lamont School of Music. As the winner of the T. Gordon Parks Collegiate Concerto Competition, he was privileged to perform Tchaikovsky s Violin Concerto in its entirety with the Arapahoe Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Devin Hughes. On organ, he was selected as one of six finalists in the Arthur Poister Scholarship Competition in Organ Playing, an international competition based in Syracuse, NY. He also placed as the runner-up in the Lamont Solo Honors Competition (violin) as well as runner-up in the American Guild of Organists Regional Competition for Young Organists. He has also been a past member of the Colorado Young Sinfonia and the Denver Young Artists Orchestra (DYAO. Josiah is currently a student of Linda Wang (violin) and Dr. Joseph Galema (organ). Alexander Hersh, Cello, 23 Schumann Cello Concerto Chicago, Illinois Currently attending New England Conservatory Raised in Chicago, Alexander Hersh began playing the cello at the age of 5. He studied with Steve Balderston and Hans Jensen, and attended the Academy at the Music Institute of Chicago. Having just made his Symphony Hall debut with the Boston Pops and his Kennedy Center debut in the Spring of 2015, Alexander Hersh is quickly establishing himself as a rising young talent. Alexander has received numerous awards as both a soloist and as a chamber musician, including the Hellam Young Artist Competition, Boston Pops/New England Conservatory Competition, and New England Conservatory Honors Competition. In the summer of 2014, he served as principal cellist for the Lucerne Festival Academy Orchestra in Switzerland. In May, Hersh received his B.M. from New England Conservatory with academic honors He is currently pursuing his M.M. at New England Conservatory under the tutelage of Paul Katz. Zachary Hicks, Flute, 21 Ibert Flute Concerto New York, New York Currently attending New York University Brooklyn born flutist Zachary Hicks is a senior at NYU Steinhardt pursuing a BM in Music Performance where he studies with Soo-Kyung Park. During the school year, Zach performs regularly with NYU s orchestras and mixed chamber ensembles, as well as the New York Youth Symphony Orchestra. In November 2014, he performed the Ibert Flute Concerto with the NYU Symphony as the winner of the 2014 Woodwind Concerto Competition. During the summer of 2015, he joined the NY Youth Symphony on its first ever tour to Argentina in 2015; then studied Baroque music at the Centre d Arts Orford in Orford, Quebec. In early September, he performed the Public Theater s production of The Odyssey as an onstage musician in Central Park s Delacorte Theatre.

3 Hye Ryung Lim, Flute, 23 Reinecke Flute Concerto Seoul, South Korea Currently attending Colburn Conservatory Hye Ryung Lim is a 23-year-old Korean flutist. At age 14, she enrolled in the Yewon Art Middle school and then attended the Seoul Art High School. Hye Ryung attended Seoul National University, where she studied with Hye-ri Yoon. She is now a Bachelor of Music candidate at the Colburn Conservatory of Music, where she studies with Jim Walker. Within her first year of studies at the Conservatory, Ms. Lim captured the Grand Prize at the 2013 Pasadena Showcase House Instrumental Competition. Sophie Wang, Violin, 19 Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto Irmo, South Carolina Currently attending Columbus State University Sophie Wang performed twice at Carnegie Weill Recital Hall as a result of winning first place in 2015 American Protégé International Concerto Competition and receiving second place in New York International Artists Violin Competition Sophie won the Concerto Competition in 2014 and 2012 at Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia. She placed 2nd in 2014 Lagrange Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Concerto Competition and played as a soloist with South Carolina Philharmonic when she was 14 years old. Sophie Wang is a senior violin student at SSOM, where she won Woodruff Award at age 16 and studies with Sergio Schwartz. Catherine Winters, Flute, 19 Nielsen Flute Concerto Lindon, Utah Currently attending Brigham Young University Catherine Winters was selected as the youngest quarterfinalist in the National Flute Association s Young Artist Competition. She has taken first prize in the National Flute Association's High School Soloist Competition, the MTNA National Junior and Senior Woodwind Performance Competitions, and the NFMC Stillman-Kelly Performance Competition. She is a three-time soloist with the Utah Symphony, and has also appeared as guest artist with the Utah Valley Symphony. Her flute playing has taken her to China, Bolivia, Peru, and numerous venues across the United States. Catherine is a sophomore at Brigham Young University studying Flute Performance with Dr. April Clayton. Andrew Ying, Violin, 16 Ravel Tzigane: Rhapsodie for Violin Greenwood Village, Colorado Currently attending Cherry Creek High School Andrew Ying is a junior at Cherry Creek High School in Greenwood Village, Colorado. He began violin lessons at age 5 and currently studies under the direction of Professor Linda Wang at the University of Denver. Since his debut with the Littleton Symphony Orchestra in 2011, Andrew won the Junior Division of the 2011 and 2013 MTNA Colorado State Violin Competitions. He was also the winner of the 2012 Young Musicians Foundation of Colorado Junior Division Auditions and is a member of the 2015 Young Musicians Foundation Artist Roster. Invited as a winner of the International American Protégé Piano and Strings Competition, Andrew performed at Carnegie Hall in July. Andrew was a fellow of the Montecito International Music Festival.

4 Judges Biographies Final (Live) Round Judges Cobus du Toit As an international soloist, Cobus has performed in Taiwan, Russia, Japan, South Africa, Germany, France and the USA. Cobus is currently the flute player of the Antero Winds, a Colorado based professional woodwind quintet that has been prizewinners at both the Plowman and Fischoff Chamber Music Competitions. As an international soloist, Cobus has performed in Taiwan, Russia, Japan, South Africa, Germany, France and the USA. Cobus holds a Bachelor s degree from the University of Pretoria where he studied flute under Professor John Hinch and graduated with a Doctoral Degree in Flute Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Colorado where he studied under Christina Jennings. He also received his Masters Degree from the same institution. Emily Ondracek-Peterson Education plays a large role in Dr. Ondracek s professional activities. Currently Dr. Ondracek- Peterson is the Director of String Studies and full-time Professor of Violin at the Metropolitan State University of Denver and is on faculty at Teachers College, Columbia University. Dr. Ondracek has held residencies at Dartmouth College, the University of Leeds (UK), University of Virginia, and others. She is a two-time Morse Fellow and was a New York Philharmonic Teaching Artist, bringing creative music instruction to a wide range of K-12 schools including those in Harlem and the Bronx. Dr. Ondracek received both her Bachelor s and Master s degrees from The Juilliard School, where she studied with Masao Kawasaki under a Morse Scholarship. At Teachers College, Columbia University, Dr. Ondracek received her doctorate in Music and Music Education. Ysmael Reyes An exceptionally versatile flutist, Mr. Reyes is an avid performer of new music, and an accomplished baroque flute player. Mr. Reyes performs regularly on the baroque flute, or traverso, with ensembles such as the Boulder Bach Festival. Mr. Reyes joined the Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra as Principal Flute in 2006, and is currently on the faculty at Regis University and Center for Musical Arts. Ysmael has performed as a featured soloist with the Cheyenne Symphony, the Fort Collins Symphony, the Claremont Concert Orchestra and the Boulder Bach Festival Orchestra in the U.S.; the Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho Symphony, the National Philharmonic and the Caracas Youth Symphony in Venezuela, and the Society of Symphonic Concerts of São João del Rei in Brazil. Mr. Reyes received his BM from the University of the Arts in Caracas, Venezuela with Luis Julio Toro and Victor Rojas and his MM from the University of Iowa with Robert Dick and Tadeu Coelho, and his DMA from the University of Colorado studying with Christina Jennings and Alexa Still.

5 Initial (Recorded) Round Judges Cille Lutsch Cille Lutsch has been playing and performing flute in Colorado for over 25 years. When Cille was young, her family could not afford to purchase an instrument. A family friend donated a flute to Cille and she never changed instruments! After growing up on the Western Slope, she put down roots on the Front Range, earning her B.M. from CSU and her M.M. from UNC. She has performed with several regional orchestras and maintains a private studio in Larimer and Boulder counties. Kolio Plachkov Kolio Plachkov has been with the Colorado Symphony since 2011, as an Associate Principal/Third French Horn. In the summers, Mr. Plachkov is a guest horn faculty at the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival in Alaska, and Rocky Ridge Music Center in Estes Park, Colorado. After receiving his Bachelor Degree of Music from the Juilliard School, Mr. Plachkov obtained the principal horn position with the Austin Symphony Orchestra, meanwhile pursuing a full time Masters of Music degree at Rice University. Harumi Rhodes Acclaimed by the New York Times as a deeply expressive violinist, Harumi Rhodes has gained broad recognition as a multifaceted musician with a distinctive and sincere musical voice. In addition to being a founding member of the Naumburg Award winning ensemble, Trio Cavatina, she has performed regularly with Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society and Musicians from Marlboro. A graduate of Juilliard and New England Conservatory, Ms. Rhodes has served as Head of Strings at Syracuse University, Assistant Violin Faculty at the Juilliard School, and most recently as Assistant Professor of Violin at University of Colorado Boulder.