JUNE 3, 2018 SEASON FINALE CONCERT

“A CONCERTO EXTRAVAGANZA”

Featuring
11th Young Artists Concerto Competition Winners

William Chen, Age 14, Piano
Raymond Jin, Age 14, Violin (West Windsor-Plainsboro Award Winner)
Chelsie Lim, Age 13, Cello
Chelsea Xia, Age 15, Violin

Program
Mendelssohn The Hebrides Overture
Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major
Kabalevsky Violin Concerto in C Major
Kabalevsky Cello Concerto No. 1 in G Minor
Sibelius Violin Concerto in D Minor

Return to 2017-18 Season


Bravura Philharmonic Orchestra performing the Mendelssohn Hebrides Overture

Chelsea Xia performing the Sibelius Violin Concerto

Chelsie Lim performing the 1st movement of the Kabalevsky Cello Concerto

Raymond Jin performing the 1st movement of the Kabalevsky Violin Concerto

William Chen performing the 1st movement of the Prokofiev Piano Concerto

William Chen - curtain call

Presentation of Awards of 2018 Young Artists Competition Winners


Fourteen-year-old pianist William Chen was lauded by the UK Telegraph in reporting that “most remarkable of all, the 11-year-old William Chen .... played Chopin’s showpiece Andante Spianato et Grande Polonaise with a combination of mastery and maturity no child should possess." William started learning piano at age five, and he gave a full-length debut solo recital at age eight. As a young scholar in the Lang Lang International Music Foundation, he was invited to perform Beethoven’s Concerto No. 3 with the Midwest Young Artists Orchestra at age ten. William won top prizes in the Bosendorfer and Yamaha International Piano Competitions, Kaufman International Piano Competition, New Jersey Music Teachers Association, and New York Music Competition as well as many others. Williams has soloed with the 92nd Street Y School of Music Orchestra, Sound Symphony, and Ensemble 212 Orchestra. As an avid performer, William frequently performs in senior citizen homes, libraries and museums. He has been invited to many festivals, including the Oxford Philomusica Piano Festival, Aspen Music Festival and School, Festival Martisor in Moldova, and the Goslar-Harz International Music Festival in Germany. William attends the Special Music High School in NYC. He studies piano with Wha Kyung Byun and Michael Thomopoulos.

Raymond Jin, age 14, is a dedicated violinist who is a freshman at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North. He is President and Concertmaster of his high school orchestra. He is a student of Daniel Cheng at West Windsor. Raymond was the 3rd place violinist in the New Jersey All-State Intermediate Orchestra. Raymond was a graduate of the Community Middle School, and he was Concertmaster of his Chamber Orchestra. Raymond received the highly prestigious Principal's Award from middle school, and actively plays at senior centers and local events to bring the joy of music to the community.

Cellist Chelsie Lim, age 13, was born in Melbourne, Australia. She moved to the United States at the age of 3, and she began learning cello from her mother. She is the 1st prize winner of the New York Young Artist International Competition, New York International Music Competition, East Coast International Competition, YWCA of Queens New York Music Competition, and the Camerata Artists International Concerto Competition, in which she made her orchestral debut. Chelsie was a semi-finalist of the 2017 International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians in Kazakhstan. She was awarded a scholarship for the Heifetz International Music Institute, and she performed in their Stars of Tomorrow concert series. Chelsie has performed in Carnegie Hall and Merkin Concert Hall, and she has participated in master classes with cellists Colin Carr and Steven Doane. Chelsie engages in community service opportunities with her cello ensemble, and she was granted the EnoB award for outstanding community service. Chelsie is currently studying with Minhye Clara Kiminthe Juilliard pre-college program. Outside of music, Chelsie excels in her academic studies. She is part of her middle school’s track team and enjoys photography, acrobatics, and reading.

Violinist Chelsea Xia is a 16-year-old student at Hunter College High School in New York City. She has been playing violin for six years and studies with Elizabeth Faidley at the Manhattan School of Music. Chelsea has won 1st place in the New Jersey Music Teachers’ National Association Competition and placed in the national YoungArts competition. She has performed with orchestras that include the New York International Chamber Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, Riverside Symphony,and Washington Heights Chamber Orchestra. She has also soloed with the Manhattan Precollege Symphony Orchestra as a winner of their concerto competition. Chelsea has won top prizes in the American Protege International Competition, Vivo International Music Competition, Alexander and Buono International String Competition, and the East Coast International Music Competition. She has appeared in master classes with Sarah Chang, Ray Chen, Lisa Batiashvili, and Jennifer Koh. In her free time, she also enjoys fencing.