(Philharmonic soloists can be found below.)
The Young Artist Orchestra will premier a new work by composer and Fine Arts Center graduate Alex Wroten in its opening October 16th concert, “New Traditions.”
Alex Wroten began his music studies by studying drums at the age of six. At age eight, he started taking piano and guitar lessons as well. After experimenting for a few years with writing and recording his own music with multi-track tape recorders and computer software, Alex began to write his music down in traditional notation. In middle school, he wrote pieces for his school’s concert band and a few works for guitar and piano. In high school, Alex grew interested in film soundtrack music and focused his attention to electronic music and synthesis for many film scores. This interest has continued through today.
Alex Wroten’s formal composition studies began in 2004 studying music theory under Dr. Gary Robinson and composition under Dr. Jon Grier at the Greenville County Fine Arts Center (in Greenville, SC). The next year, Alex entered The University of South Carolina School of Music. Currently a senior music composition major, Alex studies composition under both Dr. John Fitz Rogers and Dr. Reginald Bain and classical guitar under Christopher Berg.
YAO violinist Kevin Tompkins will perform the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in its opening October 16th concert, “New Traditions.”
Kevin Tompkins studies violin with Dr. Eun-Sun Lee at Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC. A senior at Wade Hampton High School, he attends the Fine Arts Center, where he studies chamber music with John Ravnan and coaches middle school chamber groups in the after school ARMES program. Kevin has also studied in summer programs with Charles Castleman at the Quartet Program (2008) and with Paul Statsky at the North Carolina School of the Arts (2006). His previous violin studies were with Elizabeth Fee-Elliott.
In 2008, Kevin was named first alternate in the SC All-State Solo Competition, and was awarded the 3rd place scholarship in Greenville’s Crescent Music Club Competition. Also in 2008, as a member of the Fine Arts Center Trio, Kevin competed in the final rounds of the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition in South Bend, Indiana. He was a member of the winning ensembles both at the 2008 Carolinas Chamber Music Competition and at the 2007 SC Instrumental Chamber Music Competition at Converse College.
Kevin has been a member of the SCMEA Regional and All-State orchestras each year since 2003. He has been a member of the Young Artist Orchestra since 2006, and during the 2007-2008 season he served as the orchestra’s Concertmaster. After high school, Kevin hopes to pursue a degree in violin performance.
YAO Principal Violist Lydia Minnick is the piano soloist for the Grieg Piano Concerto, which will be performed on the YAO's January 29th "Shoulder-to-Shoulder" concert.
Lydia is a home schooled senior who began learning piano at the age of six. She studied under her mother, Linda Minnick, for six years until entering seventh grade when she began taking lessons with Ruth Coleman, piano instructor at Bob Jones University. Since the fall of 2007 she has been under the instruction of Dr. Peter Davis, also instructor of piano and piano pedagogy at Bob Jones University.
Lydia has received ten consecutive superior ratings from the National Guild of Piano Teachers, and she has attended the Bob Jones Summer Piano Camp in the summers of 2005 and 2006, playing in the honors recital both years. She has annually competed in the National Fine Arts Festival at Bob Jones since her freshman year and has performed in the classical piano finals two of those years. She placed second in piano ensemble in 2006. Lydia has also competed for the Crescent Music Club piano scholarships for two years.
After taking violin from Diane Pinner for six years, she switched to viola in the summer of 2005. In the fall of that year, she joined the Young Artist Orchestra and was the Assistant Principle for two years. She is currently serving as Principle Violist. She has made string finals at the Bob Jones Festival for two years, and she received honorable mention from the Crescent Music Club competition in 2007 and won first place in 2008. Along with studying piano and viola, Lydia won the women’s voice competition at the Bob Jones Festival in 2007, and has also won the small vocal ensemble competition for three consecutive years. She uses her music in recitals, both by accompanying and performing, but she mainly enjoys ministering both as a soloist and in ensembles at her local church. Aside from music she especially enjoys reading.
YAO 'Cellist Sam Johnson will perform Haydn’s C major ‘cello concerto on the April 14th Young Artist Concert #3: “The Power of Youth,” and on tour in Vienna.
Samuel Converse Johnson is 17 years old. He has been playing the violoncello for 6 years, having begun his studies at Greenville Middle School under the private instruction of Anne Matthews. He participated in the ARMES Strings Program under the direction of Lucy Fink and is in his 4th year attending the Greenville Fine Arts Center where he studies Chamber Music with John Ravnan and Music History with Jon Grier. Sam has continued studying the cello for the past 3 years with Christopher Hutton, Assistant Professor of Furman University.
Sam participated in the South Carolina Senior All-State Orchestra in 2007 and 2008. His chamber groups received third place in 2006 and second place in 2007 and 2008 in the Carolinas Chamber Competition. In the summers Sam attended the South Carolina Suzuki Institute in 2004 and 2005, the South Carolina Governor’s School Summer Academy Program in 2006, the Eastern Music Festival in 2007, and in 2008 he attended the Killington Music Festival for six weeks in Vermont.
In his spare time, Samuel enjoys visiting Greenville’s downtown, reading, engaging in lengthy and profound discourse, practicing, playing chamber music, and listening to Classical and Contemporary music. His favorite composer is Johann Sebastian Bach, and his favorite professional cellist is Steven Isserlis. In the future, Sam hopes to be both a performer and pedagogue of the ‘cello.
Philharmonic Soloists!
YAO Violinist Sarah Rogers will perform the first movement of Bruch’s G minor violin concerto with Ths Philharmonic on the April 21st Spring Orchestras Concert.
Sarah Rogers, age sixteen, has been playing the violin for almost eight years. Sarah studies violin privately with Deirdre Hutton, a renowned violin teacher in the Greenville area and violin professor at Furman University. Sarah began her studies in the ARMES (Arts Reaching Middle and Elementary Schools) Strings Program under the instruction of Lucie Fink. Sarah was in the ARMES program for five years and now coaches small chamber groups for the ARMES Advanced Class. Sarah is a member of the Greenville Youth Orchestra (GCYO), conducted by Dr. Gary Robinson. She was a coach at the GCYO Middle School Orchestra Festival (MSOF) in Fall 2006 which she had attended for three years when she was in middle school. She performed as a soloist, Accolay Concerto, with the GCYO Philharmonic at the MSOF Festival in Fall 2007. Sarah attends the Greenville Fine Arts Center where she participates in the chamber music program taught by John Ravnan and in Music Theory and History classes taught by Dr. Jon Grier. Sarah participated in South Carolina Regional Orchestra from 6th to 11th grade and played in Allstate Orchestra in grades eight and ten and eleven. In 11th grade she was concert master at the Allstate Region Orchestra and assistant concert master at Allstate Orchestra. Sarah attended the Suzuki Institute at Furman University for three summers where she was part of group classes, learned fiddle tunes and jazz, and was selected to perform on the Honors Recitals. In summer 2007, Sarah attended the Indiana University Summer String Academy, directed by Mimi Zweig. In summer 1008 Sarah attended the Quartet Program, directed by Charles Castleman of Eastman School of Music. Sarah’s violin is a 2001 Scott Cao replica of the “Titian” Stradivarius which Sarah named “Tad”.
YAO violinist Sarah Leonard will join violist Josh Deiringer and The Philharmonic to perform the first movement of Moazrt's Sinfonia Concertate K. 364 on the November 1st Middle School Orchestra Festival Concluding Concert.
Sarah is 16 years old and has being playing violin since she was 5. This is Sarah’s second year at Wade Hampton High School and the Fine Arts Center. She currently takes private lessons with Sarah Johnson, and has been doing so for the past 3 years. Sarah and her family moved to Spartanburg in 2004 from Charleston, SC, and this past summer moved to Greenville. While in Charleston, she took from Melinda Covington for 4 years, and then took from Lee Chin Siow of the College of Charleston for 4 years. Sarah was a star player in the popular Charleston Irish Fiddling group, Na Fideleiri (Gaelic for “The Fiddlers”) for 5 years. She performed in the 2001 Strings Extravaganza Concert held by the College of Charleston at the Sotilie Theatre and was also part of a Master Class given by Roland and Almita Vamos, with whom she studied with that following summer for two weeks. In the summer of 2004, while at a camp in New York, Sarah was chosen as one of 4 violinists to participate in a Master Class with Arnold Steinhardt. During the summer of 2005 she was invited to New York as one of 16 chosen students, to perform in a concert at Steinway Hall in New York City. The same summer, she was also invited to play at Piccolo Spoleto in Charleston. In 2006 Sarah was awarded the Gignilliant Scholarship by Converse College, and selected to play in the “Shining Stars” concert. She was also given an Honorable Mention at the South Carolina MTNA Jr. Division Competition. While in Spartanburg, she was the concertmistress of the Palmetto Youth Orchestra. This year, Sarah received the Chapman Scholarship from Converse College. Sarah is currently a member of the Fine Arts Center’s orchestra in residence, the Greenville County Youth Orchestra.
Joshua Dieringer, began studying viola in 2003 under the direction of music instructor Kimberly Graham while in fifth grade at Shannon Forest Christian School. Joshua continued his study at Riverside Middle School under the direction of Christine Hallett and under Ginger Greer during his freshman year at Riverside High School. Joshua transferred to the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities (SCGSAH) for his sophomore year. Joshua has studied under Kathryn Dey, strings faculty at SCGSAH and Principal Violist with the Greenville Symphony Orchestra, since middle school. Joshua has been a part of Region Orchestra and All-State Orchestra since 2005.
Joshua attended the Furman Band and Orchestra Camp during the summers of 2005, 2006 and 2007 where he received private instruction from Eleonore Shults. He also participated in the SCGSAH 2006 Discovery Program. Joshua attended the Eastman School of Music Viola Institute summer program in 2007 and 2008 where he received instruction from violist George Taylor of the Eastman School of Music. In the summer of 2008, Joshua attended the Magic Mountain Music Farm and studied with violinist Burton Kaplan of the Manhattan School of Music.
Joshua was a member of the Carolina Youth Symphony (CYS) during the 2006-2007 season and participated in the CYS Carnegie Hall Performance in the spring of 2007. Joshua also played in the Philharmonic Orchestra for several seasons before becoming a member of GCYO. Joshua likes to collect and study scores and sheet music in his spare time and also enjoys composing music.
Valerie Hsu will perform the first movement of Mozart's Flute Concerto in D with the Philharmonic on the January 22nd Winter Orchestras Concert.
Valeri, a senior at Bob Jones Academy, began her flute studies in the fifth grade, and has studied with Amanda Barrett since 2005. In 2006, Valerie was a national finalist in the Music Teachers' National Association junior woodwind performance competition. She is winner of the 2008 South Carolina Flute Society masterclass competition with Dr. Bradley Garner, and second place recipient of the 2008 Crescent Music Club orchestral scholarship. Valerie is a frequent member of the South Carolina Band Directors' Association All-State/Region Bands. She has studied with Dr. Tadeu Coelho of the North Carolina School of the Arts in numerous masterclasses, and currently serves as principal flute of the Greenville County Youth Orchestra. Valerie is also an avid pianist, and is very active in local music clubs and competitions. In addition to music, her interests include literature, architecture, and constitional law.
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