Henderson Symphony Orchestra (HSO) is pleased to announce the winners of its 28th Young Artists Competition. The competition, which is divided into a junior and senior division, offers artists the ability to audition live or online. The Senior Division resulted in a tie for first place between Antonio McDonald for cello and Alexander Vakov for oboe. Nirav Banerji was awarded second place for piano, and Claire Lee received honorable mention for her violin performance. Junior Division winners included Brennan Fischl in first place for clarinet, Lucas Jiang in second place for violin, and Aspen Stevens in third place for violin. All winners will perform at a concert on Friday, March 31 at Pinecrest Academy Sloan Canyon at 7:30 p.m.
“We are very excited about the winners of this year’s Young Artists Competition,” said Alexandra Arrieche, music director of the Henderson Symphony Orchestra. “Unlike many symphony orchestra competitions which require applicants to adhere to solo pieces, we are proud to allow our young musicians the freedom to choose the pieces they perform and communicate their own style and personality through their music. The judges were highly impressed by the artistic level of all the performances, but especially those of the six winners. On behalf of everyone at HSO I congratulate our emerging artists and look forward to their performances at the upcoming concert in March.”
Live auditions for the Young Artists Competition were held on Saturday, January 21 at Southern Nevada Music. The competition was divided into three categories including strings, wind/brass/percussion ensembles and piano/voice. All works selected by the artists were required to be memorized. Prizes for the competition included the People’s Choice Award which was only available to artists who auditioned in person.
The HSO has been performing for 35 seasons in Southern Nevada and aims to promote classical music appreciation through performance, educational outreach and artistic collaborations. Through a partnership with the community and sponsorship from the City of Henderson and Lake Las Vegas, HSO provides 11 concerts throughout the year and engages over 80 musicians for concert performances, interactive Music 4Kids Concerts, the Young Artists Competition, and HSO Conductor Camp.
