2008 CONCERTO COMPETITION WINNER

Angela Yeung, 16, was a sophomore at Davis Senior High School.  She began taking piano lessons with Ms. Yea-Ru Yang Thomsen at the age of 5½, and has been a student of Ms. Marilyn Swan since moving to Davis in 1999.  She has won various prizes in events such as the MTAC Solo Piano Competition - Northern California, MTAC Memorial Scholarships, MTAC Festivals, and the CAPMT Go for the Gold Competition.  Angela was also a scholarship recipient of the Sacramento Symphony League, and she has participated in several chamber music workshops. In 2007, she performed Mozart Piano Concerto No. 17 as a Concerto Competition winner with the Sacramento Youth Symphony Academic Orchestra. 

Besides playing piano, Angela studies the violin with Mr. Angelo Moreno and is a 1^st violinist in the Sacramento Youth Symphony Academic Orchestra.  She is also a member of the DHS Academic Decathlon team, and is involved in math activities both within her high school and through the UC Davis High School Explore Math Programs.  In her spare time, Angela enjoys spending time with her friends and family.

 Angela performed in the Wennberg Music Festival Saturday, April 12th 2008 at the Mondavi Center.

CLICK HERE to see Angela's performance

DHS Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition

What is it?

The concerto competition is an annual event to choose one student musician who will play a concerto with the Symphony Orchestra and will receive a $250 award. 

What music should be played for the competition?

The competition piece should be a Movement from a concerto.  Although the piece may be longer than 15 minutes, at the competition you may not exceed this time constraint due to the number of competitors.  Please feel free to talk to Mr. Moreno for guidance.  

Note: The musicians should provide their own accompanists and copies of the music for the judges to write on.

Who may compete?

The Competition is open to the entire DHS student population.

A musician who won this competition in a previous year may not compete again. 

What instrument may competitors play?

The musician may compete on any appropriate instrument for which concertos are written.

When and where is the competition being held?

The competition is usually in February so that the Orchestra will have adequate time to practice the concerto before the performance. 

When does the winner perform with the Orchestra?

The winner will perform with the Orchestra at a public concert decided upon by the director.

Performances in the past have been featured at the end of the year Finale Concert and the Wennberg Concert held at the Mondavi Center.

Who will judge the competition?

The judges will be professional musicians who are familiar with orchestral performance and the expected level of the winner.

Who will be in the audience for the competition?

The competition will have an open audience but it will not be advertised.  Usually the audience is very small and is made up of a few parents, other competitors and friends.  It is free to the public.

How do I sign up for the Concerto Competition and what information do I need to provide?

Mr. Moreno has a sign up sheet posted in PA-3 on the computer lab window.  You need to provide the following:

•    The name of your piece, the movement and the composer

•    The approximate length of your piece

•    The instrument you will play

•    Whether two pianos will be needed

Note: The night of the competition all performers will be required to provide 2 copies of their music for the adjudicators. Also, “Concert Dress” for the concerto competition performance is required.

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2007 CONCERTO COMPETITION WINNER

Elaine R. Fitz Gibbon, 17, was a junior at Davis Senior High, a member of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and principal cellist of the Davis Senior High School Symphony Orchestra. She was formerly co-principal of the Sacramento Youth Symphony Premier Orchestra and a past member of the Folsom Lake Symphony Orchestra. Elaine won first prize in the American String Teachers Association Solo Competition, Sacramento Region Junior Division in 2005 and 2001 and went on to perform at the State Level in 2005 and 2006. For the past four years Elaine has performed recitals in the Sacramento Westminster Presbyterian Church, "Music at Noon" Concert series, both solo and with her sister, Lucy (on soprano and violin). In 2006, Elaine performed a solo at the "Jammies" hosted by the Sacramento News and Review and will appear in the March 30th, 2007 event at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts. She also soloed in the SYS Premier Orchestra 2005 "Music of the Holocaust" concert at the Mondavi. Other venues include performances with the Chamber Music Society of Sacramento, ASTA/CAPMT recitals at the Crocker Art Museum, the St. John's Young Artists Recital, and the Sacramento Philharmonic League Young Artist Awards Recitals. In 2005 she was the chosen recipient of the Swift Fund for the Arts Scholarship for the SYS Premier Orchestra. She has also been awarded scholarships from the Icicle Creek Music Festival, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, the Sequoia Chamber Music Workshop, and the Sacramento Philharmonic League.

Elaine began her cello studies at the age of 5 with Susan MacDonald and has been a student of Julie Hochman since 1997. She currently receives additional coaching from Andy Luchansky through the CSUS ACE Program and with Jean-Michel Fonteneau in Berkeley. She has performed in numerous master classes of visiting Mondavi Center artists. Elaine has participated in the SYS summer and winter chamber music workshops, the Icicle Creek Chamber Music Festival, the Boston University Tanglewood Institute chamber and orchestra programs, as well as the Sequoia Chamber Music Sessions at Humboldt University. In 2003 she took part in the British American Chamber Music Exchange in Oxford and London, England and toured Brazil with the SYS Premier Orchestra. Elaine is a member of the California Scholarship Federation and the DSHS German Club and is a teacher of beginning level cellists.  

CLICK HERE to see Elaine's performance