MUSIC

The Houston Symphony League hosts the 2009 Ima Hogg Young Artist Competition Thursday, June 4 and Saturday, June 6, 2009, in Stude Concert Hall on the Rice University campus.

Since 1976, the Houston Symphony has offered the opportunity for aspiring musicians to compete for cash awards and solo appearances with the Houston Symphony through the Ima Hogg Young Artist Competition. The prestigious competition is open to musicians ages 16-29 and is one of few competitions that include all standard orchestral instruments. Inspired by the vision of Miss Ima Hogg, a founder of the Houston Symphony, the competition fosters talent through identifying excellence in young musicians who are pursuing a musical career.

This year's field of competitors was among the largest ever, with 111 musicians submitting taped auditions in hopes of earning one of 10 spots in the semifinal round. For the semifinals, each contestant performs two concertos from a specified list of options, while the final stage showcases four finalists perform one concerto with the Houston Symphony.

Beginning at 9 a.m. on Thursday, June 4, the public is invited to watch the semifinalists compete for the four coveted finalist spots. The finals round takes place with the Houston Symphony on Saturday, June 6 at 7 p.m. at Rice University's Stude Concert Hall.

2009 Semi-Finalists:

Romie de Guise-Langlois, clarinet, attends The Academy, a Program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and The Weill Music Institute, and is a graduate of Yale. She has participated in multiple competitions and solo performances.

Can Gao, violin, attends the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and has a Masters Degree from the China Central Conservatory of Music. He is a frequent participant and performer in music festivals around the world.

Clarinetist Stanislav Golovin currently attends the Cleveland Institute of Music and is a graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy. He has appeared in several competitions and in various solo performances.

Pianist Jeewon Lee is a graduate of Juilliard and Northwestern and is currently studying at Rice. As an Ima Hogg finalist in 2008, she won the Audience Choice Award.

Hee-Young Lim, cello, is in her second year of the Masters program at the New England Conservatory. A prizewinner at several competitions, she has performed at the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall.

Ni Tao, cello, attended the Shanghai Conservatory and came to the U.S. to study at the New England Conservatory and the Colburn School. He is the winner of numerous awards and has appeared with orchestras in Boston, Shanghai, and Calgary, to name a few.

Pianist Marina Radiushina attends the University of Miami and has a long list of awards, competitions, and solo performances to her credit.

Robin Scott, violin, is a graduate of the New England Conservatory. A prize winner in several competitions, he as appeared at Weill Hall and in recitals across the Midwest, New York, and Boston.

Andrew Staupe, piano, is a DMA candidate at Rice, having received MM and BM degrees from the University of Minnesota. He has won numerous awards and competitions, and his solo appearances include “A Prairie Home Companion” in 2005.

Clara Yang, piano, earned a BM at the University of Southern California, a MM and AD at Yale, and is currently a DMA candidate at Eastman. In addition to a multitude of awards, she has performed in many assorted venues, including symphony concerts, recitals, lectures, and radio.

Scheduled Program:
Saturday, June 6, 2009 7:00 PM Stude Concert Hall

CHRISTOPH CAMPESTRINI, Conductor
*ANDREW STAUPE, Piano (Tchaikovsky)
*MARINA RADIUSHINA, Piano (Tchaikovsky)
*CAN GAO, Violin (Mozart)
*CLARA YANG, Piano (Beethoven)
JEEWON LEE, Piano (Rachmaninoff)
*ROBIN SCOTT, Violin (Tchaikovsky)
*ROMIE DEGUISE-LANGLOIS, Clarinet (Mozart)
*TAO NI, Cello (Schumann)
*STANISLAV GOLOVIN, Clarinet (Copland)
*HEE-YOUNG LIM, Cello (Elgar)

four concertos to be performed, with intermission

TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Opus 23 [33]

MOZART Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major, K.219 [31]

BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Opus 58 [34]

RACHMANINOFF Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Opus 43 [23]
TCHAIKOVSKY Violin Concerto in D major, Opus 35 [34]

MOZART Clarinet Concerto in A major, K.622 [28]

SCHUMANN Cello Concerto in A minor, Opus 129 [26]

COPLAND Clarinet Concerto [16]
ELGAR Cello Concerto in E minor, Opus 85 [26]