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Saturday, March 27, 2010

LFP student musician in KING FM competition

By Cherie Brennan, Alliance Communications

The public is invited to vote by April 2 on “Top 20” finalists for the KING FM Ten Grands Young Artist competition .

Twenty-one talented students are vying to make the “Top 10” cut and a chance to perform before an expected sellout crowd at Benaroya Hall on May 21. The public can cast an online vote by viewing and rating the video entries at KING online to help determine the winners of the KING FM Ten Grands Young Artists Awards competition. Online voting ends at 4 pm on Friday, April 2.

A panel of judges selected the “top 20” finalists for the public vote phase, narrowing the field from 170 video entries. The grand prize winner will receive a $1,000 scholarship and invitation to perform alongside the featured artists at the Ten Grands concert on May 21. Other finalists will also perform at the musical extravaganza, which benefits the Snowman Foundation and its mission to “give the gift of music to children.”
“I was amazed,” exclaimed Bryan Lowe, Program Director/Operations at 98.1 Classical KING FM, after viewing the entries. The station created the award as part of its support for Ten Grands and its focus on youth. “These videos feature incredibly talented kids, youngsters clearly musically gifted far beyond their years,” he stated, adding, “It’s exciting to see such talent, dedication and even love of this great music in a new generation.”

The finalists are from 14 communities around the Puget Sound region and include students ranging from fourth grade to a college freshman. Fourteen of them play the piano for their “Young Artists” video entry.

The 20 finalists are
  1. Oliver Aldort of Eastsound; , 11th grade, home schooled; , plays piano, cello and conducts
  2. Rahul Reyes Birmiwal of Woodway; 11th grade, Lakeside School; piano
  3. Callie Cash of Camano Island; Stanwood High School; singer/songwriter/guitarist
  4. Matt DeLuca of Sammamish; 12th grade, Skyline High School; marimba
  5. Nyan Gadepalli of Renton; 10th grade, Lakeside School; piano
  6. Britanee Hwee of Lake Forest Park; 10th grade, home schooled; piano
  7. Pearl Lam of Seattle; 6th grade, Washington Middle School; piano
  8. Michael Lee of Bellevue; 10th grade, Interlake High School; piano
  9. Timothy Locke of Seattle; 12th grade. Garfield High School; piano
  10. Alexander Lu of Redmond; 4th grade, Bellevue Children’s Academy; piano
  11. Andrew Ma of Woodway; 4th grade, Evergreen School; piano
  12. Olivia Marckx of Bellevue; 5th grade, Stevenson Elementary and Annie Pham of Bellevue; 5th grade, Enatai Elementary; strings (violin, cello) performing duet as The Pink Stringers
  13. Michael Messer of Kent; 12th grade, home schooled; piano
  14. Casey Pinckney of Renton; 11th grade, home schooled; harp
  15. Max Randal of Redmond; 5th grade, Redmond Elementary; piano
  16. Jack Ryan Walters of Brier; 11th grade, Mountlake Terrace High School; clarinet
  17. Rachel Wong of Lynnwood; freshman, University of Texas, Austin; violin
  18. Carly Ann Worden of Sammamish; 12th grade, Skyline High School; pianist/composer
  19. Miaoyi Zeng of Duvall; 11th grade, The Bear Creek School; piano
  20. Bryan Zhao of Mercer Island; 5th grade, West Mercer Elementary; piano

“What an inspiration,” Lowe stated after spending the past weekend watching the videos. “In every video I saw a youngster that was eager and inspired. Be prepared to be amazed,” he suggested with the invitation to online voters.

The third annual Ten Grands Seattle concert showcases some of the Northwest’s most accomplished musicians. Ten concert pianists will play simultaneously, as soloists and in various combinations. The “something for everyone” concert on May 21 includes classical, jazz, blues, gospel, boogie woogie, pop, tango and contemporary music, according to Michael Allen Harrison, artistic director and founder of Ten Grands and The Snowman Foundation.

Bellevue resident and longtime music educator Kathy Fahlman Dewalt, the executive producer of the Seattle concert, said the inaugural concert in 2008 and last year’s event have generated more than $70,000 in grants funds. Seventeen groups in Washington state have received financial support of their musical activities and programs, including organizations that provide access to music to under-served and economically disadvantaged children in several communities.

RBC Wealth management is the presenting sponsor for the 2010 Ten Grands concert in Seattle.

Tickets, priced from $42 to $120, are available at Benaroya Hall Ticket Office, or 206.215-4747.

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