UNT Concerto Competition winners perform March 5

Thursday, February 20, 2014 - 17:57
Category:

What: The UNT Symphony Orchestra performs in concert with the fall 2013 College of Music Concerto Competition winners and student conductors.

When: 8 p.m. March 5 (Wednesday)

Where: Winspear Hall in the Murchison Performing Arts Center, 2100 Interstate 35 Frontage Road, Denton. The concert will also be streamed online.

Tickets: $10 for adults; $8 for seniors, non-UNT students, children, UNT faculty, staff and retirees, and groups of 10 or more; free for UNT students with valid ID. UNT student tickets must be picked up in person at the Murchison Box Office. Purchase tickets online or by calling the Murchison Box Office at 940-369-7802.

DENTON, Texas (UNT) – Eight of the College of Music's finest students who won the University of North Texas College of Music annual Concerto Competition in fall 2013 will be featured with the UNT Symphony Orchestra March 5. Six student conductors will direct the orchestra during the concert.

The eight performers are Kyungseu Na, cello; Mariechen Meyer, bass; Danielle Cordray, harp; Leslie Daniel Newman, piccolo; Rucha Trivedi, clarinet; Jessica Young, horn; Eunbin Kim, piano; and Matthew Stump, baritone. The six student conductors are Dami Baek, HyunKyung Jang, Conner McMains, Yuya Miyazaki, Jessica Morel and Kevin Pearce.

"The annual Concerto Competition concert includes our most outstanding soloists and we are excited to share with Denton and surrounding communities the talents of these students," said David Itkin, director of orchestral studies at UNT.

The program includes

  • Bottesini Bass Concerto No. 2 (first movement), with Mariechen Meyer, bass; and Dami Baek, conductor
  • Françaix Clarinet Concerto (first movement), with Rucha Trivedi, clarinet; and Kevin Pearce, conductor
  • Gliere Harp Concerto (second movement), with Danielle Cordray, harp; and Connor McMains, conductor
  • R. Strauss Horn Concerto No. 1 (third movement), with Jessica Young, horn; Jessica Morel, conductor
  • Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 2 (first movement), with Eunbin Kim, piano; and Dami Baek, conductor
  • Vivaldi Piccolo Concerto RV444 (second and third movements), with Leslie Daniel-Newman, piccolo; and Kevin Pearce, conductor
  • Ravel Don Quichotte a Dulcinée, with Matthew Stump, baritone; and Hyunkyung Jang, conductor
  • Shostakovich Cello Concerto (first movement), with Kyungseu Na, cello; and Yuya Miyazaki, conductor

The performers

Kyungseu (Dominic) Na, doctoral student, studying cello with Eugene Osadchy. Na is a cellist with the Bancroft String Quartet and has performed worldwide as a soloist and chamber musician.

Mariechen Meyer, a second-year master's student, studies double bass under Jeff Bradetich. She won second prize in the 2013-14 Mid-Texas Symphony String Competition and has performed as a soloist with the Johannesburg Symphony Orchestra and the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra.

Danielle Cordray, junior, studies harp under Jaymee Haefner. She won an American Harp Society in Dallas Julia Herrmann Edwards scholarship in 2013 and regularly performs with various ensembles in the DFW area, including the Allen Philharmonic Orchestra and the Dallas Civic Wind Ensemble.

Leslie Daniel Newman, master's student and piccolo player, studies flute with Mary Karen Clardy. Newman currently serves as principal flutist with the Richardson Symphony Orchestra following her tenure playing piccolo with the Richardson orchestra and the Abilene Philharmonic Orchestra.

Rucha Trivedi, master's student studying clarinet with Kimberly Cole Luevano. Trivedi is a member of the UNT Wind Symphony, Symphony Orchestra and Center for Chamber Music Woodwind Quintet. She has recorded extensively with the Wind Symphony and can be heard on the premiere recording of Jake Heggie's Ahab Symphony.

Jessica Young, senior, studies horn with William Scharnberg. She has participated in several ensembles at UNT, including the Symphony and Concert orchestras, Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band. She performed at the Kent/Blossom Festival in 2013, in the American Wind Symphony Orchestra in 2012 and toured Europe with the Sound of America Honor Band in 2010.

Eunbin Kim, junior, studies piano under Gustavo Romero. A native of South Korea, Kim received the Larry Walz Scholarship to study at UNT after deciding to study abroad for a more diverse education in music.

Matthew Stump, master's student and bass-baritone vocalist, studies in the studios of Stephen Austin and Elvia Puccinelli. He has performed in several UNT operas, most recently as Sweeney Todd, and won second place in the 2013 Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition.

The conductors

Dami Baek, doctoral student pursuing a degree in orchestral conducting. She formerly taught music at the International Community School in Bangkok, Thailand.

HyunKyung Jang, first-year master's student studying orchestral conducting. As a musical director, her regional credits include Miss Saigon, Assassins and Next to Normal.

Conner McMains, first-year master's student studying orchestral conducting with a music education minor. McMains serves as associate director of worship and music at New World United Methodist Church in Arlington. He is also a freelance composer and arranger whose pieces have been performed by Imperial Brass of Dallas.

Yuya Miyazaki, first-year master's student studying orchestral conducting. He received a 2013-14 Lupe Murchison Foundation Scholarship. In summer 2013, Miyazaki attended the International Conducting Institute Masterclass in the Czech Republic and conducted the Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic Orchestra.

Jessica Morel, third-year doctoral student studying orchestral conducting. Morel won the 2014 International Conductors Workshop and Competition in Atlanta, Ga., and will conduct the Gwinett Symphony Chamber Orchestra in 2015. From 2011-13, she served as an assistant conductor for the UNT Symphony and Concert orchestras and, in 2013, was one of five conductors selected to participate in the Atlantic Music Festival in Maine.

Kevin Pearce, first-year doctoral student studying orchestral conducting. From 2008-2013, he served as the inaugural director of orchestras at Cypress Lakes High School in the western suburbs of Houston. During his tenure, Cypress Lakes Orchestra won multiple UIL Sweepstakes awards as well as top honors in local and national festivals.

The Concerto Competition Winners concert starts at 8 p.m. March 5 (Wednesday) in Winspear Hall in the Murchison Performing Arts Center, 2100 Interstate 35 Frontage Road, Denton. Tickets are $10 for adults; $8 for seniors, non-UNT students, children, UNT faculty, staff and retirees, and groups of 10 or more; free for UNT students with valid ID. UNT student tickets must be picked up in person at the Murchison Box Office. Purchase tickets online or by calling the Murchison Box Office at 940-369-7802. The concert will also be streamed online.

About the UNT College of Music

The UNT College of Music is one of the largest and most respected comprehensive music schools in the country. More than 1,600 music students attend UNT each year, participating in more than 50 widely varied ensembles and pursuing specialized studies in performance, composition, music education or music scholarship. UNT faculty members and students have made appearances on the world's finest stages and have produced numerous recordings, many receiving Grammy awards and nominations. Distinguished UNT alumni can be found around the globe, in top music ensembles, opera companies, universities and schools.

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