Brazos Valley Youth Concerto
Competition Announces Winner
Information courtesy of | Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra
The Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra (BVSO) and the Friends Association of the Symphony Orchestra (FASO) proudly announce the results of the 23rd Annual Brazos Valley Youth Concerto Competition, held on Sunday, November 10, 2024, at First Methodist Church in Bryan, TX. Five finalists were selected from a competitive pool of entrants by a panel of principal musicians and Dr. Marcelo Bussiki, the conductor of the BVSO.
The finalists were:
• Andrew Kim, violin, a senior at College Station High School
• Misato Koiwa, flute, a tenth grader at A&M Consolidated High School
• Cynthia Kuo-Lo, violin, a tenth grader at A&M Consolidated High School
• Sawa Miyamoto, violin, a tenth grader at College Station High School
• David Paull, oboe, a senior at College Station High School
Unfortunately, Andrew Kim had to withdraw from the competition due to illness. The final rankings were as follows:
1. Cynthia Kuo-Lo – 1st Place
2. David Paull – 2nd Place
3. Misato Koiwa – 3rd Place
4. Sawa Miyamoto – Finalist
Scholarships funded by the Tracy and Tamara Carter Youth Concerto Endowed Scholarship Fund were awarded as follows:
• 1st Place: $1,250
• 2nd Place: $500
• 3rd Place: $250
As the first-place winner, Miss Kuo-Lo will be invited to perform with the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra during their annual Children’s Concert on January 27, 2025.
The distinguished panel of judges for this year’s competition included:
• Dr. Eka Gogichashvili, Associate Professor of Violin at Baylor University
• Rick Rowley, Associate Professor of Practice in Vocal Coaching and Collaborative Piano at the Butler School of Music, University of Texas at Austin
• Peggy Russell, Affiliate Artist in Flute at the Moores School of Music, University of Houston
The accompanist for the event was Catherine Schaefer, staff pianist at the University of Houston Moores Opera Center.
FASO facilitated the competition as part of its mission to support the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra and to educate and inspire all citizens of the Brazos Valley to appreciate fine music. The organization extends its sincere gratitude to the individuals and groups who made the 23rd Annual Youth Concerto Competition a success.
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About the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra: The BVSO™ is a non-profit performing arts organization with the mission to maintain a symphony of high artistic standards, and to promote the musical arts for cultural and education purposes in the Brazos Valley. For more information about the Symphony, please visit the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra Website at www.bvso.org.
The Brazos Valley Symphony Society wishes to recognize and thank our programming sponsors, grant funding providers, and charitable trust contributors:
The Clearfield Family, the Gilbert & Thyra Plass Charitable Trust, The Ham Family Trust, The Rea Charitable Trust, Amarillo National Bank, Becky & B. Don Russell, and Dreamers Land & Minerals, Inc.
This program made possible in part through Hotel Tax Revenue funded from the City of College Station through The Arts Center. This project is also supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
These In-Kind supporters provide valuable media partnership, thank you to:
