Saturday, March 13, 2010

Larsen Young Artist Award - Results

The results of the 2010 Larsen Young Artist Award results are the following:


Honorable Mention: Preston Bradley and Jehong Ahn
Second Place: Justin Lepard
First Place: Sebastian Nabb

Here is what Sebastian had to say about winning:
"I am very surprised, but super excited."

Congratulations to all of our competitors!  We hope to see you all in June!

Larsen Young Artist Award - Audition Day

At 7:45 this morning, the first hopefuls arrived at First-Plymouth Congregational Church in Lincoln, NE.  The first contestant played for the judges at 8:00 a.m., and after almost five hours of auditions, the judges went into a separate room (with ample amounts of donuts and coffee) to deliberate.  We had many strong competitors this year, and the judges had a difficult choice to make.  While they were in the throes of debate, Meadowlark Music Festival Executive Director, Tamara Cass, took a group picture of the students and spoke with them in regards to the festival layout this year.
















Front (L-R): Jehong Ahn, Tim Grady, Ian Wright, Preston Bradley, Jessica Qiu, Helen Dowd
Back (L-R): Sam Loeck (Mike Schwartz standing in), Ryne Bessmer, Justin Lepard, Benjamin Fischer, Joel Ostdiek, Sebastian Nabb

Friday, March 12, 2010

Carlos Rubio's Advice for Auditioning...

William Preucil (concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra) once told me that in preparation for any major performance or audition he always follows the five "ups". 

Get up
Dress up
Show up
Warm up
Don't mess up!


In all seriousness, my message for the kids is to trust their hard work in preparing for this moment and enjoy the performance, that's what will make them shine.


-Carlos Rubio
Violinist, Dali String Quartet, Philadelphia. 3/12/10

Nebraska Strings Student to be Selected as Larson Young Artist Award Winner

(Lincoln, March 11, 2010) – Meadowlark Music Festival announces the statewide final competition to be held in Lincoln, Nebraska for Larsen Young Artist Award. The competition will take place on Saturday, March 13 from 8:00 am to 1:30 pm at First-Plymouth Congregational Church, 2000 D Street.

With the generous annual support of Max and Lillie Larsen, the Larsen Young Artist Award competition honors the outstanding talent of young Nebraska string players. 

Through this competition, two outstanding string players are selected as recipients of the Larsen Young Artists Award. The winner receives $1,000 plus the privilege of performing with a professional string quartet; the runner-up is given a performing opportunity plus a $500 cash award.  The winners will be announced immediately following the competition at 1:30 pm.

Nebraska high school students are eligible to participate. This year’s competitors are: Jehong Ahn, Omaha, Ryne Bessmer, Omaha,  Preston Bradley, Lincoln, Helen Dowd, Lincoln, Benjamin Fischer, Lincoln, Elizabeth Frohman, Lincoln, Tim Grady, Omaha, Justin Lepard, Lincoln, Sam Loeck, Lincoln, Sebastian Nabb, Kearney, Joel Ostdiek Columbus, Jessica Qiu, Lincoln, Ian Wright, Lincoln.

Meadowlark Music Festival is nationally known for it’s offering of world-class chamber music and for its commitment to education and outreach.

Welcome and Thank You!

Welcome to the Meadowlark Music Festival's blog!  We are looking forward to an exciting 10th anniversary season this June, and hope that this site will be interesting and informative in terms of what we're up to this year.

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