One week ago yesterday, January 13, Beatrice (Bea) Grant and Nita Qiu, both fifteen, auditioned at the Golden Valley Orchestra's Young Artists Competition for an opportunity to perform with the orchestra. Both Bea and Nita were among those selected to perform with the orchestra!! We are so happy for both of these very deserving young women. As a result of this award, Bea will have the opportunity to perform with orchestra for the very first time, and Nita will be able to add to her growing list of numerous performances with orchestra. The concert will be March 4, 2018 - 3:00 PM at Calvary Lutheran Church, 7520 Golden Valley Road, Golden Valley, MN 55427. Both young ladies will be performing the first movements of two of our repertoire's greatest masterpieces for piano and orchestra. Bea, who is new to our roster just this fall will be performing Schumann's Concerto in A minor, and Nita will be playing Chopin's Concerto No. 2 in F minor. Bea, known for her beauty and depth of tone and passionate commitment to her art, is a rising young star here in Minnesota. Nita will have the opportunity to demonstrate once again why she is one of our nation's best. Her Chopin is a model of great artistic beauty and conviction, especially in one so young.
A fascinating element of this event is that the orchestra's new conductor, Michal Sobieski, is an old friend and colleague of Jo Anne's and mine! This came as a very pleasant surprise to Jo Anne and me as we had lost touch with Michal over the years. Michal is a great violinist and was a long time member of our great St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. He is a member of a Polish family of five generations of musicians. Michael was a co-founder with Jo Anne, myself, and cellist Sarah Lewis (currently of the SPCO) of "The Riverside Concerts" many years ago. It was a concert series that we presented for a number of years at Sateren Music Hall at Augsburg College. I presented solo recitals and two-piano concerts with Jo Anne. We performed all manner of chamber works. This "connecting the dots" brought back a lot of golden memories of great music making for Jo Anne and me. It makes me so happy to be able to work with Michal once again in collaboration with two of our great students, Bea and Nita.
We hope to see all of you there!!
More soon!
Yours in Music
Joe & Jo Anne