 |
| Gold Medal winners: Alexander Liu, Hannah Cho, and Mio Imai |
This weekend’s concerts will feature the gold medal winners of the Vancouver Symphony’s 30th annual Young Artists Competition. Previous gold medalists have consistently astounded the audience with their artistic expression and technical prowess. This year’s edition of should be no different, making the concerts (January 25 and 26) one of the highlights of the season.
From an initial field of 100 applicants from around the nation, nine made it to the final round, performing last fall before a panel of esteemed professional musicians (Zuill Bailey, Dr. Julia Hwakyu Lee, Dr. Igor Shakhman, Dr. Stephen Shepherd, and Dr. Igal Kesselman). The panel determined the winners, who received cash prizes. Each Gold Medalist was awarded $5,000; each Silver Medalist got $2,000; and each Bronze Medalist, $1,000.
In addition to the monetary award, the three Gold Medalists –Hannah Cho (oboe), Mio Imai (violin), and Alexander Liu (piano), were also given the opportunity to perform with the VSO under Music Director Salvador Brotons. I talked with each of them earlier this week.
Hannah Cho, a 17-year-old senior at the Colburn Music Academy in Los Angeles, will play Wenzel Kalliwoda’s “Oboe Concertino.” Cho began learning the oboe when she was 8 years old.
“My aunt played the oboe at a wedding, accompanied by my mom on piano,” recalled Cho. “I loved the sound of the oboe. It was very beautiful.”
Since then, Cho has worked hard and found much success with the oboe. She has been recognized as a National YoungArts 2023 finalist, won first place in the U.S. Navy Band Young Artist Solo Competition, and has performed as principal oboist with orchestras, such as the the 2022 NAfME All-National Symphony Orchestra.
At the Colburn Music Academy, Cho studies with internationally renowned oboist Eugene Izotov. She was introduced to Kalliwoda’s “Oboe Concertino” during the pandemic.
“I thought that the third movement was flashy and very interesting,” said Cho. “It’s very hard endurance-wise. In the third movement there are not many breaks, and at the end there is no break at all. So that is very challenging.”
Cho is also the founder and president of
Empowering Arts, a non-profit that brings performances to seniors with limited mobility or other illnesses, children with disabilities, and the underserved.
“In seventh grade, I was involved in a volunteer program called Lion’s Heart,” said Cho. “During that time I signed up for playing at a rehab facility. I enjoyed it because I got to use my skill set to give back to the community. During quarantine I began to think about how to bring music to more people. So I started the Empowering Arts program in ninth grade. It’s inspiring to play for people who don’t have access to live classical music. We have touched many people’s lives. We try to do a concert every week or every other week.”
Mio Imai, a 14-year-old freshman from Pennsylvania near Philadelphia, will perform Camille Saint-Saëns “Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso.” Imai started studying violin when she was 3 years old.
“When I was in pre-school,” said Imai, “My friend’s dad was a professional violinist and he played for us at the pre-school. He brought these small violins to try, and I decided that I wanted to learn how to play it.”
Lots and lots of practice has paid off for Imai. She has won first prize the Arthur Grumiaux International Violin Competition (Belgium), 2024 Stulberg International String Competition (US), 2024 MTNA National Competition (US) and 2023 Piccolo Violino Magico International Competition (Italy). Her teacher is Kimberly Fisher, Principal Second Violinist with the Philadelphia Orchestra.
She is looking forward to playing the “Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso.” with the VSO.
“I have loved the Saint-Saëns piece for quite a while,” said Imai. “I’ve worked on it on and off for the past year. Although Saint-Saëns is a French composer, this piece has a Spanish style to it. It’s a showpiece, so there’s a lot of complicated technical fireworks, but Saint-Saëns was such a genius because he could interweave all of the technically tricky stuff with the melodies.”
She has done multiple tours in Italy with orchestra, and has played throughout the U.S, recently with the Kalamazoo Symphony, and in Japan.
“I love to perform,” said Imai. “I don’t get nervous. When I’m on stage, I’m not thinking about technique or how hard it is, I’m thinking about sharing this amazing piece of music with the audience.”
Alexander Liu, a 13-year-old pianist from New Jersey, will perform the first movement from Mozart’s “Piano Concerto No.21.” In addition to middle school, Liu attends Juilliard Pre-College, where he studies under Orli Shaham, a frequent soloist with the VSO and its resident artist during the 2023-2024 season.
“I started piano at five and a half,” said Liu. “I first saw a piano at a friend’s house, and I loved the sight of it and tried it out – smashing the keys. My parents noticed my interest and thought that I should start studying it. I’ve had a passion for piano ever since.”
Liu is New York State Winner of MTNA 2024, grand and first prize winner at the National Young Virtuosi Recital Competition (2023), the Philadelphia International Piano Competition (2023), and the XIII Chopin International Piano Competition at Hartford (2022).
Mozart is one of Liu’s favorite composers.
“I love the intricate and delicate structures within Mozart’s music and how seamlessly one theme flows into another,” said Liu. “When I play his concerto, I would like the audience to hear Mozart’s humor and his love for life. The first movement from the concerto has an influx of change – it’s constant, and it doesn’t give the audience much chance to rest.”
Liu practices three or four hours a day.
“I do a technique called deliberate practice, which involves recording yourself, and concentrating intensely on improving spots of music,” said Liu. “Sometimes my mom reminds me to get outside and get some fresh air. I love to play badminton. We have badminton set up in the backyard.”
In addition to performances by the Gold Medal winners, the orchestra will also perform the “Bacchus et Ariane Suite” by Albert Rousel and the “Three-Cornered Hat Suite No. 2” by Manuel de Falla. For more information and tickets, go to
Vancouver Symphony.
