Officials with the 2015 Schmidbauer Young Artist Competition at Stephen F. Austin State University have announced last-minute additions in the contestant list for the upcoming event on Saturday due to a few contestants who had pulled out of the competition late. The outcome will not affect the schedule and will continue to showcase an afternoon of impressive performances, according to Dr. Gene Moon, director of orchestral studies at SFA and of the competition.
Slated for Saturday, Jan. 31, the competition takes place in Cole Concert Hall in the Tom and Peggy Wright Music Building on the SFA campus. The semi-final round of the competition begins at 3 p.m. Finalists will be announced at approximately 5:30 p.m.
The newest contestants adding their names to the competition list are Gaylyn Foto, of Clinton (Dallas area), cello; Helen Zhou, Katy, violin; and Ashley Xu, Katy, piano. They join previously registered contestants Brent He, Richardson, Texas, cello; Derek Louie, New York, N.Y., cello; Fiona Shea, Lubbock, violin; Jason Zang, Dallas, piano; Samantha Choo, Plano, violin; and Marcela Reina, Houston, cello.
Saturday’s semi-final performance schedule is as follows:
3 p.m. – Marcela Reina, cello, Haydn Cello Concerto in C major, 1st mvt
3:10 p.m. – Fiona Shea, violin, Khachaturian Violin Concerto, 1st mvt
3:30 p.m. – Jason Zhang, piano, Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1, 1st mvt
3:55 p.m. – Gaylyn Foto, cello, Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations
4:15 p.m. – Helen Zhou, violin, Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D major, 3rd mvt
4:30 p.m. – Samantha Choo, violin, Wieniawski Violin Concerto No. 2, 1st mvt
4:40 p.m. – Derek Louie, cello, Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations
5 p.m. – Ashley Xu, piano, Grieg Piano Concerto, 1st mvt
5:15 p.m. – Brent He, piano, Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2, 3rd mvt
Those who move on to the final round will perform in a live concert starting at 7:30 p.m.
Celebrating its eighth year, the Schmidbauer Competition holds the highest standards in artistry and performance. It is designed to attract young high school musicians ages 15 to 18 who seek to continue future careers involving music, with SFA hoping to be their choice in higher education, Moon said.
A valuable recruiting tool for SFA, the Schmidbauer Competition offers a unique performance opportunity for young musicians, offering prizes that include cash awards, scholarship incentives from the SFA School of Music and performance opportunities with orchestras, according to Moon.
Admission to the semi-final round of the competition is free, and tickets to the final round are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students/youth. For ticketing information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407.
For more information about competition, contact Moon at (936) 468-3885 or moongh@sfasu.edu or visit www.schmidbauercompetition.org.
