JUNE 2, 2024 SEASON FINALE CONCERT
"A CONCERTO EXTRAVAGANZA"
Featuring
2024 Young Artists Concerto Competition Winners Hong Cheng, Age 17, Clarinet Julie Kim, Age 17, Violin Jayden King, Age 9, Violin Derek Lee, Age 16, Piano
Program Mozart Magic Flute Overture Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 2 Chopin Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor Paganini Violin Concerto No. 1 Fantasia on Themes of Rigoletto for Clarinet and Orchestra
Return to 2023-24 Season
Bravura Philharmonic Orchestra performing Mozart Magic Flute Overture
Julie Kim performing Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 2
Prodigious 9 year old violinist Jayden King performing Paganini Violin Concerto
Clarinetist Hong Cheng performing Bassi Fantasia on Theme of Rigoletto
Pianist Derek Lee performing Chopin Piano Concerto
Award Presentation of 2024 Young Artists Competition winners
Back row: Jim Huang and Elizabeth Zhang of Kai Yue Foundation, Ellen Deerberg, Competition Director and Arlene Sengstack, President Middle row: Hong Cheng, Derek Lee and Julie Kim Front row: Andrew Zhang (Bronze Award winner), Jayden King
Clarinetist Hong Cheng is a high school senior at J.P. Stevens High School in Edison, New Jersey. He is a clarinet student of Kenneth Ellison. Hong was the co-principal for the NJ All State Orchestra and the Central Jersey Region Band and Regional Orchestra. Hong was also the concertmaster of the NAfME All Eastern Symphonic Band and the All National Honor Band of America. Hong has also won the YoungArts Music Competition and the New Jersey MTNA Competition. He represented the Eastern Division and competed as a finalist in the National MTNA Competition. Hong has also won the Charleston Winter International Music Competition and placed second in the Philadelphia International Music Festival Concerto Competition. Hong Cheng is a founder of the non-profit organization “Voice of Hope.” This organization was created during COVID-19 to provide hope for everyone recovering from the pandemic with music and concerts – which are still happening – and raise donations for hospitals.
Violinist Julie Kim, 17 years old, is a student of Elizabeth Chang in the Julliard pre-college program. As the winner of the New Jersey MTNA Competition, Julie represented New Jersey and won 1 st Prize in the 2024 Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Competitions. She also won top prizes in the New York International Classical Music Competition, International Grande Music Competition, YWCA of Queens New York Music Competition, and the Vivo International Music Competition. Julie has performed in Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall, Bruno Walter Auditorium at Lincoln Center, Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center, and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. As a chamber musician in the FaMa String Quartet, Julie received a gold medal at the 2023 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition and a silver medal at the 2022 Coltman Chamber Music Competition. Julie will tour South America as a member of the US National Youth Orchestra.
Jayden King is a 9-year-old violinist and a 4th grader at Dwight-Englewood School in New Jersey. Jayden started his violin studies at the age of 3 and has performed as a soloist at Carnegie Hall and Merkin Concert Hall. Jayden was accepted to the Juilliard Pre-College Division at 7 years old as a student of Masao Kawasaki. Jayden was most recently awarded First and Top Prize at the International Grande Music Competition. At his young age, Jayden has already won top prizes in the Adelphi Orchestra Young Artist Competition, New York Laureate International Music Competition, Arthur Grumiaux International Violin Competition, Camerata Artists International Competition, and the International Music Competition.
Sixteen-year-old Pianist Derek Jisung Lee has studied piano for eleven years under the tutelage of Donna Weng Friedman at Mannes Prep in New York, where he also studies composition and music theory. He has won numerous awards and honors for piano performance, including First Place in the American Protégé International Concerto Competition. In 2022, Derek made his soloist debut with the American Chamber Players Orchestra at the DiMenna Center in New York. Last spring, Derek organized a virtual concert with his siblings which raised over $12,000 to support City Harvest.