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Winners of the 2012 Young Artist Competition -- First Place Winner, Alexander Ascencio, cello; Second Place Winner, Cheryl Chang, flute; and Third Place Winner, Anish Srinivasan, flute -- proudly sponsored by the San Jose Symphony Foundation, will perform as soloists with the Philharmonic Orchestra in this special concert on Saturday, March 16th, 2:30 p.m., at the California Theatre.
About The San Jose Youth Symphony, The Philharmonic Orchestra & Maestro Yair Samet
The mission of the San Jose Youth Symphony is to provide the youth of our culturally diverse community with exceptional orchestral music education and performance experiences that foster and encourage the study, appreciation and love of music. SJYS serves young talented musicians from the greater Bay Area ranging in age from 8 to 21. Its core program is comprised of seven distinct performance ensembles: Philharmonic Orchestra, Concert Orchestra, Concert Wind Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, Avant Flute Choir, Intermezzo String Ensemble and Prelude String Ensemble. Each ensemble performs approximately three concerts per season.
The Philharmonic Orchestra is the premiere ensemble of SJYS. Membership in this ensemble is reserved for outstanding musicians who are then further trained in a pre-professional orchestra setting. This group presents three concerts during each season at the California Theatre in San Jose as well as various performance venues throughout the greater San Jose community. International tours are an integral part of the SJYS program, and the Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of Maestro Samet, tours approximately every two years.
Yair Samet has served as the Music Director of SJYS since 1994. Mr. Samet's conducting portfolio includes numerous acclaimed European orchestras such as Sinfonia Varsovia Orchestra and the Saarländisches Staatsorchester in Saarbrücken, Germany, the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra, the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra in China, and the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra in Bosnia. He conducted the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra and the St. Petersburg Glinka Capella at Finland's Tampere International Music Festival. In Israel he conducted the Haifa Symphony, the Rishon Le-Zion Symphony Orchestra, and the Israeli Sinfonietta. The roster of renowned soloists that have performed under his baton include Pinchas Zukerman, Vadim Repin, David Shifrin, Han-Na Chang, Helène Grimaud, Lara St. John, Jon Kimura Parker and Jon Nakamatsu. Mr. Samet holds the post of principal guest conductor at the University of California Santa Cruz, leading the UCSC Symphony Orchestra in rehearsals and performances annually. His musical training took place at Tel Aviv University, and at Indiana University where he earned his masters degree in orchestral and operatic conducting.
About The Featured Soloists & Winners of the 2012 Young Artist Competition
Alex Ascencio is a senior at Valley Christian High School. He has been playing the cello for nearly eight years now, and he has absolutely fallen in love with it. He is a member of the Early Music Chamber Ensemble at his school. Since many cellists keep their cellos for a very long time, Alex has named his cello, Edward, a sophisticated and elegant title. Alex thanks his parents for always supporting him in his school studies, cello endeavors, and athletics. He also thanks his cello teacher, David Stein, who has helped him accomplish all of his achievements.
Cheryl Chang began studying flute at the age of seven under the guidance of Judy Wang, and is now under the direction of Ai Goldsmith. She joined the San Jose Youth Symphony's Avant Flute Choir in 2005 and advanced to the Philharmonic Orchestra in 2009, where she has been principal flute and a previous winner of the 2010 Young Artist Competition.
A junior at Lynbrook High School, Cheryl is a member of the school's Wind Ensemble. She was also second chair in the 2012 CBDA All-State Wind Symphony and first chair in the 2012 Santa Clara Honor Band, and placed second in the County Honor Band Solo Competition. At school, Cheryl is a member of the Music for Community Club, and outside of school, is an honorary member of Encores on Wheels, and frequently performs in the community. In her spare time, Cheryl enjoys competitive swimming and continuing her passion for writing.
Anish Srinivasan is a sophomore at Saratoga High School. He has been learning the flute for about four years and has been a student of Gala Yaroshevsky. Anish plays with the SJYS Philharmonic Orchestra and is the principal flutist of the CYS Senior Orchestra. His passion for classical music has led him to participate and win several youth competitions in the past couple of years.
He also has strived to gain excellence in flute playing by participating in masterclasses conducted by renowned flutists, Robert Stallman and Isabelle Chapuis. In his free time, Anish loves to compose music, play basketball, and play ping pong. His favorite subjects in school are science and English.
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LocationCalifornia Theatre (View)
345 South First Street
San Jose, CA 95113
United States
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Kid Friendly: Yes! |
Dog Friendly: No |
Non-Smoking: Yes! |
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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