|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
| Issue:
807 Date: 02/09/2006 |
|
11-Year Old Violinist to Perform as Concerto Competition Winner |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
11-Year Old Violinist to Perform as Concerto Competition
Winner
The Community Music School of Webster University's Young
People's Symphonic Orchestra (YPSO) held its annual
Concerto Competition for its current members this past
November. 12 of the Orchestra's 65 students auditioned
for the chance to perform as a soloist in one of the
Orchestra's concerts. Jecoliah Wang, violin, was
selected to perform on the Orchestra's February 12
concert.
Jecoliah, daughter of Michael and Lydia Wang of St.
Louis, is an 11 year-old 5th grader at Kennard Classical
Junior Academy. This is her second year performing with
the Community Music School of Webster University's Young
People's Symphonic Orchestra (YPSO), where she sits as
assistant concertmistress. The YPSO is comprised of
approximately 75 students from the metropolitan area,
mostly of middle and high school age.
Richard Holmes, conductor of the Young People's
Symphonic Orchestra and principal timpanist with the
Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, praised Ms. Jecoliah:
"She's a small girl with a ?size violin, but she
produces such a big sound!"
Jecoliah will perform the first movement of Edouard
Lalo's Symphonie Espagnole with the Community Music
School of Webster University's Young People's Symphonic
Orchestra on Sunday, February 12 at 3:00 p.m. The
concert is free and open to the public. For more
information, call (314) 968-5939.
Cellist Max Geissler, co-winner of the Concerto
Competition, will perform for the Young People's
Symphonic Orchestra's concert on May 21.
The Community Music School of Webster University is
accredited by the National Association of Schools of
Music and is a certified member of the National Guild of
Community Schools of the Arts.
The Community Music School receives assistance from the
Arts and Education Fund of Greater St. Louis and The
Regional Arts Commission.
560 TRINITY AVENUE , SAINT LOUIS, MO 63130 , USA.
314-968-5939 , 314-725-7546
University City, Leon R. Strauss West County Branch at
Faust Park, Webster Groves, Herbert Hoover Boys and
Girls Club
www.webster.edu/cms |
Interview with Jecoliah Wang
Tell us a little about yourself, Jecoliah.
I am 11 years old and I attend the 5th grade at Kennard Classical Junior
Academy, the gifted academics elementary school of the St. Louis Public
Schools. My parents are Michael and Lydia Wang. They are originally from
Taiwan and came to St. Louis in 1992. We live in the Central West End.
How long have you played violin?
I have been playing the violin for five years, first studying with Ms.
Ming-Ming Yao, now of Houston, Texas, and since late 2001 with Mrs.
Hiroko Yoshida, a member of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. I chose
the violin because when I was very little, I played with a toy violin and
really liked it.
I also play the piano. My mother is my teacher. But since I concentrate
so much on the violin, I don't have much time to spend on the piano,
though I really like it, too.
What other activities do you enjoy?
I like doing crafts, especially bead crafts, as well as reading, math,
and cooking.
What do you enjoy about playing with the YPSO?
I enjoy playing with the YPSO because I like hearing a piece put together
with a whole orchestra for the first time. I really like hearing all the
instruments and all the different sounds playing together.
Are you a member of any other performing groups?
I am a regular performer with "Gaku," a Japanese instrumental group which
performs annually at the Japanese Festival at the Missouri Botanical
Garden in St. Louis. My first performances were at churches where I had
been playing just 8 months. I have also played at retirement homes. This
past September, I was featured on the "Encounters" radio program on KSIV
1320 AM radio here in St. Louis. In October, I played at the St. Louis
Taiwanese American Association Double Ten National Banquet and
Celebration at Washington University.
This is my second year with the Young People's Symphonic Orchestra.
Before that, I played at with the Community Music School's 2004 and 2005
Festival Strings Orchestra at the String Orchestra camp. I was also a
member of the school's Young People's Concert Orchestra during the
2003-2004 academic year.
Have you participated in any other musical competitions?
This concerto competition is the first competition I've ever entered, but
I would like to enter others from now on.
Do you intend to play professionally?
I hope to continue my violin studies and get scholarships so that I may
major in violin performance and play professionally in the future.
Why did you audition for the Concerto Competition?
A long time ago, I had a dream in which I saw myself waiting in the wings
to go onstage to play a solo with an orchestra.
Can you tell us anything about the piece you will be playing?
I'll be playing the first movement of the Symphonie Espagnole by Edouard
Lalo. This is a French violin concerto of five movements written in a
Spanish style. It is the most famous violin work of Lalo, first performed
by the Spanish violinist Pablo Sarasate in 1875.
|
|
