West Covina Symphony Orchestra presents - "Winners' Concert" at 4pm on Sunday June 6, 2010

May 11, 2010 - PRLog -- Under the direction of award winning conductor Sylvia Lee Mann, the West Covina Symphony Orchestra is proud to present the "Winners' Concert", featuring the dynamic cellist Ruslan Biryukov and the winners of the orchestra's first annual Young Artists' Competition.  For this very special "first-ever" Young Artists' Winners Concert the symphony presents an exciting program, featuring the14 and 15 year old 1st and 2nd place winners of the competition. These amazing young performers are surely destined for greatness, and the West Covina Symphony is pleased and proud to present them.

Opening the concert, the orchestra itself will be featured in the virtuosic and tantalizing "Capriccio Espagnol", by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakoff. This amazing work featuring solo passages performed by many of the principal players in the orchestra. It is full of energy and Flamenco-style flair.

The first young soloist to perform will be violinist Eleen Yeh, age 15. Eleen won the 2nd place prize in the Young Artist Competition, and will be performing the final movement of the "Violin Concerto in D minor", by Jean Sibelius.

Next on the program is pianist  Audrey Jaehee Yim, age 14, our first place winner. She will be performing the ever-popular and impressive "Piano Concerto No.1", by Franz Liszt.

For the second half of this showcase concert, the symphony is pleased to welcome internationally reknowned cellist Ruslan Biryukov, performing the "Sinfonia Concertante for Cello and Orchestra", by Segei Prokofiev.

About the artists:
Eleen Yeh, age 15, is currently a 9th grader at Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach. She is the second-place winner of this year's West Covina Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition. In 2005 she performed in the Master Class of Master Nai-Yuan Hu, the 1985 First Prize winner in the prestigious Queen Elizabeth International Competition. She has soloed with the Bellflower Symphony and has received first prizes in the American String Teachers Associations Bowed String Competition, the Southwestern Youth Music Festival and the Junior Bach Festival. In 2010 Eleen was chosen for the Music Teacher's Association of California Panels Masterclass. Eleen has been a member of the Olympia Youth Symphony Orchestra. She studies violin privately with Way-Chung Wong.


Audrey Jaehee Yim. 14, attends the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts,In addition to being the First-place winner of the West Covina Symphony's Young Artist Competition, She is the winner of the 2009-10 Young Musician's Foundation Marlene Richman Memorial Scholarship. She is also a featured performer in the "Celebrate Young Talent" program, presented at the Tchaikovsky School of Music in Walnut, CA.

Cellist Ruslan Biryukov, winner of Mu Phi Epsilon's 17th International Competition, is a charismatic performer with “stunning technique, superb artistry, passion and individuality” whose artistic level is recognized not only by awards but also by a worldwide audience in countries in the former USSR, Europe and the United States. He has collaborated with Midori, Kirill Rodin, Mstislav Rostropovich and Seiji Ozawa. Biryukov has been a master teacher in music festivals in Europe, Russia and the USA. He has held teaching positions at the Ippolitov-Ivanov State Institute of Music in Moscow, Russia and the Music Academy in Lovran, Croatia. Graduate of Tchaikovsky Moscow Conservatory in Russia, USC Thornton School of Music in the US and the Baku Music Academy in Azerbaijan, Ruslan develops new ideas based upon the tradition he learned from Mstislav Rostropovich, Janos Starker, Natalia Gutman, Kirill Rodin, Eleonore Schoenfeld and Midori. Ruslan performed the Dvorak Cello Concerto with the West Covina Symphony in June of 2009, and we are most honored to have him return for this very important event. Here is Ruslan performing Dvorak with the West Covina Symphony. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UX5RF73c-Y&feature=player...#!



This concert marks the 4th full symphony orchestra concert of the orchestra's 2nd season. The West Covina Symphony returned to the musical scene last year after a lengthy absence of about 20 years.  In spite of challenging times, the symphony has triumphed, completing an exciting inaugural season in 2008/9, and continuing to grow as the second season begins. The orchestra is again presenting a complete season of full orchestra concerts, and this year also presents a world-class chamber music series, their "Artist Series, Sonic Tapestries". The educational outreach program, which makes free concerts available to local schools, is in full swing, and the West Covina Music Academy is well underway.  After years of desolation, the East San Gabriel Valley once again has a fully functioning Symphony Orchestra.

The symphony has made nearly 600 free general seating tickets available for this concert, most of which have all been distributed to very excited concertgoers. There are still some "free" tickets remaining, but they are going fast. There are plenty of additional tickets available to students and senior citizens for $5, Reserved seating for adults is $10, and VIP tickets are available for $20. The VIP tickets include reserved premium seating and autographed souvenir posters.The tickets are available on the orchestra's website, http://westcovinasymphony.com, and at Burt's Music in Print, located at 186 E Rowland, Covina CA, 91723. Tickets are also available by phone, at 626-771-0462

Symphony Society memberships will be available before and after the concert, as well as during concert intermission. The symphony will be offering some very special membership premiums and door prizes at the concert.
For additional information about the West Covina Symphony Orchestra and the April 25th "Beethoven Extravaganza" or the June 6th "Winners' Concert" contact Sandy Gunn or Dr. Sylvia Lee Mann or visit http://westcovinasymphony.com
(626) 771-0462

About the West Covina Symphony Orchestra:
" Our purpose is to enrich our community by engaging audiences and inspiring a love of music through exciting live symphony performances, innovative programming, and educational outreach." …Dr. Sylvia Lee Mann

The symphony needs everyone's support. All donations are tax-deductible.  We accept donations of any amount. Please visit our website to discover how to support the symphony.
http://westcovinasymphony.com

Program advertising is still available. Businesses, please contact us about advertising and community partnership opportunities. visit the website or call (626)771-0462 today.


The West Covina Symphony is a community orchestra offering full orchestra and chamber music concerts, innovative programming, and educational outreach to enrich our community and opportunities for musicians in Southern California.
Visit our website now to support the symphony.

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The West Covina Symphony is a community orchestra offering free concerts innovative programming, and educational outreach to enrich our community and opportunities for musicians in Southern California.
Visit our website now to support the symphony.