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Celebrate Christmas!
Celebrate the season with “Classical Christmas” on Saturday, December 14, 2024, at 8:00 PM. Conductor Martin MacDonald leads a festive evening featuring the talented 2024 NYMF Concerto Competition winners. The program sparkles with holiday spirit, starting with Coleridge-Taylor’s vibrant “Christmas Overture.” Experience the enchanting “Selections from The Snow Maiden” by Rimsky-Korsakov, followed by the whimsical “Lieutenant Kije: Suite” by Prokofiev. The evening culminates with beloved “Selections from The Nutcracker” by Tchaikovsky, transporting you to a magical winter wonderland. Join us for a night of timeless music that celebrates the joy and beauty of the holiday season.
CLASSICAL CHRISTMAS PROGRAM AND ARTISTS
Saturday December, 14, 2024 8:00 PM
Martin MacDonald, conductor
2024 NYMF Concerto Competition Winners:
Karen Kobayashi, flute
Ophir Strumpf, violin
Alice Yang, piano
Program:
Coleridge-Taylor
Christmas Overture
Mozart
Flute Concerto No. 2 in D major, K. 314 (1st mvt)
Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat major, K. 271 Jeunehomme (1st mvt)
Tchaikovsky
Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 (2nd mvt)
Rimsky-Korsakov
Selections from The Snow Maiden
Prokofiev
Lieutenant Kije: Suite symphonique, op. 60
Tchaikovsky
Selections from Nutcracker, Op. 71
Introducing Our New Concert Program Playlist on Spotify!
Get into the holiday spirit with our specially curated playlist featuring all the music to be performed at the upcoming Classical Christmas Concert!
Listen now and experience the magic of the season before the big night!
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN ON SPOTIFY
The Soloists
Karen Kobayashi, aged 16, studies flute in the studio of Susan Hoeppner at the Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists. She is a current member of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra.
Japanese-born Karen started flute at the age of 8 at her school in Thailand, and began taking private lessons when her family moved to Chicago. Her previous teachers include Hideko Amano and Louis Papachristos. Most recently, Karen was awarded at the 2024 CanAmerican Flute Symposium Solo Artist Competition, The Oakville Chamber Orchestra Youth Concerto Competition, the Taylor Academy Concerto Competition, the 2023 North York Concert Orchestra Youth Concerto Competition, the MOYSE International Flute Competition, the 2022 Walgreens National Concerto Competition, the Society of American Musicians Competition, and the Chicago Flute Club Student Competition.
She is a former member of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra, and the Toronto Youth Wind Orchestra. Karen has performed in masterclasses with Denis Bluteau, Joanna G’froerer, Kayla Burggraf, Demarre McGill, Jonathan Keeble, and Nancy Stagnitta. In 2023, Karen performed at Carnegie Hall as a winner of the American Protégé International Music Talent Competition and played on the “Introduction“ of WMFT, Chicago’s classical music radio station.
Outside of music, Karen enjoys reading, cooking new recipes, and gazing at constellations.
Alice Yang is a 10 years old young musician. She was born in Boston, Massachusetts and started her music journey at age of five, she learned piano with Ms. Yoojin and Ms. Jia Shi in Steinway Boston.
After moving to Toronto, Canada in September 2021, Alice was thrilled to be studying with Dr. Michael Berkovsky and Coral Solomon. Her passion in music grew as she learned and attended more competitions. She has achieved numerous awards and achievements in local and international competitions, such as North York Music Festival, CCC Music Festival, Kiwanis music festival, Music Lights the Way, Chopin Avenue Piano Competition, and The International Music Competition “Grand Prize Virtuoso” in Salzburg. She also completed the RCM Level 8 piano exam and got an official mark of 95 when she was 8 years old.
Recently, she won the first place in the audition of The New Divas Concert and was invited to perform the Mozart Piano Concerto No.9 at the Detroit Music Hall with the Michigan Philharmonic, which is her orchestra debut. She also won the first place of North York Music Festival concerto competition and invited to perform with Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra.
She showed great passion in not only piano, but also in violin. She is currently learning violin with Dr. Conrad Chow, who is a faculty member at The Taylor Academy at The Royal Conservatory of Music. Besides music, she loves reading, and also enjoys sports such as skiing, tennis and swimming.
For Alice, music is a life-long journey and she is ready to grow and thrive together with it and enjoy the beauty and peace brought to her life.
Ophir Strumpf is an alumnus of the Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists,
where she studied in the studio of esteemed artist Atis Bankas. She has received top awards and scholarships both on the provincial and national levels for her achievements. She was the long-term recipient of the Frank Vidlak Memorial Scholarship and the Al and Bob Whitworth Memorial Scholarship/Bursary, as well as the first-place winner of both the Ontario Music
Festivals Association Open Recital class and the Canadian Music Competition Chamber music
category.
Ophir Strumpf has performed alongside internationally recognized artists, including the
Kronos Quartet and she has performed in masterclasses for many artists, including Ida Kavafian and Stefan Jackiw. Ophir is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering at the University of Toronto, where she remains involved in chamber, orchestral, and solo violin
opportunities.
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