Music Academy Concerto Finalists Named
Instrumental Fellows will perform at The Lobero on July 25
For Immediate Release July 12, 2009
Contact:
Tim Dougherty
805.695.7908
Santa Barbara, CA – Having bested the field at this year's Concerto Competition Finals, five accomplished instrumentalists will take featured soloist turns with the Academy Festival Orchestra at the Lobero Theatre on Saturday, July 25. Conducted by Alexander Mickelthwate, this year's Concerto Night concert will take place at 8 pm. Tickets cost $51. The public also is invited to attend a dress rehearsal at 9:30 am on July 25. Admission to that event costs $23.
Performing concerti will be Vanessa Fralick, trombone; Kenric Tam, piano; Yun-Ting Lee, violin; Aaron Perdue, flute; and Sung Chan Chang, cello. Ms. Fralick will perform Grøndahl's Trombone Concerto; Mr. Tam will perform Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor, op. 11; Mr. Lee will perform Shostakovich's Violin Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, op. 77/99; Mr. Perdue will perform Jacob's Concerto for Flute and Strings; and Mr. Chang will perform Dvořák's Cello Concerto in B Minor, op. 104. Biographies appear below. All five musicians are attending the Music Academy of the West this summer.
A total of 18 Music Academy Fellows took part in the 2009 Concerto Competition Finals on July 11. This year's judges were Martin Chalifour, principal concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic; Joanne Pearce Martin, principal keyboardist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic; and trombonist Peter Ellefson, a professor of music at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, who performs frequently with the Chicago Symphony and the New York Philharmonic, among other orchestras. The Music Academy Concerto Competition began this year with 54 Academy Fellows auditioning for the opportunity to compete in the finals.
Recognized as one of the most exciting young conductors of his generation, Mr. Mickelthwate has served as music director of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra for three seasons. Praised for his "splendid, richly idiomatic readings" (LA Weekly), "fearless" approach, and "first-rate technique" (Los Angeles Times), the German-born conductor has attracted attention for his charismatic presence on the podium and command of a wide range of musical styles. During the 2008-09 season, in addition to his work with the Winnipeg Symphony, he made his subscription series debut with the Houston Symphony and led the Heidelberg Philharmonic, the Edmonton Symphony, and the Eugene Symphony, among others. In August 2007, Mr. Mickelthwate culminated his three-year tenure as associate conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, with which he appeared regularly at Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. In North America, Mr. Mickelthwate has appeared as guest conductor with the symphony orchestras of Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Ft. Worth, Indianapolis, Nashville, New Jersey, Oregon, Toronto, and San Antonio, as well as the New York Philharmonic. Abroad, Mr. Mickelthwate made his European debut with the Hamburg Symphony in April 2006. Since then he has appeared with the Orchestre Phillharmonique de Monte Carlo, the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie. He was a guest conductor at the Music Academy in 2007.
The Lobero Theatre is located at 33 East Canon Perdido Street in Santa Barbara.
As part of its 62nd Summer Festival, the Music Academy also will present an ambitious production of Ambroise Thomas' charming French Romantic opera Mignon, as well as performances by conductor Leonard Slatkin and the Takács Quartet. The Academy is presenting more than 190 events over the course of this year's Summer School and Festival, which began June 22 and concludes on August 15. Additional highlights will include a performance by Canadian Brass and conducting turns by Peter Oundjian, George Manahan, and Nicholas McGegan. Featuring the Academy's exceptionally talented Fellows, together with illustrious guest performers and faculty, the events are being presented at the Academy's scenic Miraflores campus and in venues throughout Santa Barbara.
For information, call 969-8787. Information is also available online at www.musicacademy.org.
Founded in 1947, the Music Academy of the West is among the nation's preeminent summer schools and festivals for gifted young classical musicians. The Academy provides these promising musicians with the opportunity for advanced study and frequent performance under the guidance of internationally renowned faculty artists, guest conductors, and soloists. Admission to the Academy is strictly merit based, and Fellows receive full scholarships (tuition, room, and board). Academy alumni are members of major symphony orchestras, chamber orchestras, ensembles, opera companies, and university and conservatory faculties throughout the world. Many enjoy careers as prominent solo artists. Based in Santa Barbara, the Music Academy of the West presents more than 200 public events annually, including performances by faculty, visiting artists, and Fellows; masterclasses; orchestra and chamber music concerts; and fully staged opera. The Music Academy began broadcasting live performances by the world-renowned Metropolitan Opera at Hahn Hall in October 2008. For more information, visit www.musicacademy.org.
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Concerto Competition Finalist Biographies
Vanessa Fralick, 23, born in St. Catharines, Ontario, is pursuing a master's degree at Juilliard, where she studies with Joseph Alessi. She completed her undergraduate degree in Toronto and Montreal, where she performed as a substitute with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. Last fall she took third prize in the Montreal Symphony Concerto Competition. A former McGill Concerto Competition finalist, Ms. Fralick won both the Brassroots and the University of Toronto solo competitions. She is an alumna of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada and the National Academy Orchestra. This is her first summer at the Music Academy of the West.
Kenric Tam, 19, born in Los Altos Hills, California, is a biology major at Harvard University. He currently studies piano with Wha-Kyung Byun and Russell Sherman. Last year Mr. Tam was named a Presidential Scholar and performed at the Kennedy Center. He has performed with numerous orchestras throughout the United States, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Richardson Symphony in Texas, and Symphony of the Southwest in Arizona. He also toured Eastern Europe with the San Jose Youth Symphony as the featured soloist. Mr. Tam has garnered honors at several international competitions, including second place at the 2008 Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition, first prize at the 2007 Schimmel International Competition, and second prize at the 2006 Eastman International Competition. This is his first summer at the Music Academy of the West.
Yun-Ting Lee, 24, born in Taipei, Taiwan, received bachelor's and master's degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music. Mr. Lee has served as concertmaster for the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra, the CIM Orchestra, and the Arizona All-State Orchestra. A grand prize winner in the Phoenix Symphony Guild Young Artist Competition, he has also won prizes in the CIM Concerto Competition as well as competitions organized by the Music Teachers National Association and the American String Teachers Association. Mr. Lee has appeared as a soloist with the Phoenix Symphony and is a member of the CityMusic Cleveland Orchestra. An alumnus of the New York String Orchestra Seminar, Holland International Music Sessions, ENCORE, and Meadowmount, he attended the Music Academy in 2006.
Aaron Perdue, 22, born in Lamar, Colorado, recently completed his undergraduate studies at Carnegie Mellon University, where his principal teachers were Jeanne Baxtresser and Alberto Almarza. As a freshman he won the Carnegie Mellon School of Music Concerto Competition. Mr. Perdue is a founding member of the Vivace Flute Quartet and has toured Chile and Costa Rica with the group. He will begin pursuing his master of music degree at Rice University with Leone Buyse in the fall. He attended the Music Academy in 2007 and 2008.
Sung Chan Chang, 21, born in Seoul, South Korea, began playing the cello at age 7. Mr. Chang, who attended the Korean National University of Arts before being accepted as a graduate diploma candidate at Juilliard last year, has won numerous competitions, including the 44th annual Sorantin Young Artist Competition and the Juilliard Concerto Competition, both in 2003, the Aspen Lower String Competition in 2004, and the Joong-Ang Competition in 2007.
