February 8, 2017
The Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra (KSYO) will present two winter concerts on Monday, February 13 and Monday, February 20 at the Tennessee Theatre, featuring all five youth orchestras and the winners of the 2016-17 Concerto Competition. These concerts are sponsored by Richard Fox and Ralph Cianelli
The KSYO Winter Concert will take place on Monday, February 13 at 7:00 p.m. featuring the Preludium, Philharmonia, Sinfonia and Youth Chamber Orchestras. Each Orchestra consists of approximately 50-80 students who will perform 6-10 minutes of music under its respective conductor.
The top Youth Orchestra, conducted by James Fellenbaum, will perform on Monday, February 20 at 7:00 p.m. featuring the Concerto Competition winners who are both pianists: Oak Ridge High School sophomore Henry Shen and Webb School of Knoxville senior Ellie Lai. The Youth Orchestra will perform music of Greig and Rimsky-Korsakov. Henry Shen will perform Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, and Ellie Lai will perform Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No 3 in C Major.
Both concerts are free and open to the public; no tickets are required. For more information visit www.knoxvillesymphony.com. Parking is free on nights and weekends in the State Street Garage. These concerts are made possible by Richard Fox and Ralph Cianelli.
Henry Shen
Henry Shen is a sophomore at Oak Ridge High School. He has been playing piano for eleven years and is currently studying with Dr. David Brunell, professor of piano at the University of Tennessee. Henry has participated in the Tennessee Music Teachers’ Association’s piano solo and piano concerto categories, most recently winning a prize in the junior piano concerto category. Henry is also a longtime participant and has received multiple prizes in the National Federation of Music Club’s festivals and competitions. In addition to piano, Henry studies violin with KSO member Bingkuang Fang.
Ellie Lai
Ellie Lai is a senior at Webb School of Knoxville and began piano lessons at the age of five. She studies piano with Ms. Fay Adams, Associate Professor at the University of Tennessee. Ellie is the Tennessee Music Teachers Association (TMTA) piano solo winner for 9th, 10th and 11th grades. She is the TMTA Piano Ensemble winner for 11th grade. She is also the Music Teacher National Association (MTNA) Junior Piano state winner in 9th grade, and MTNA senior piano ensemble state winner in 11th grade. Ellie performed with the Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra in 7th grade as a concerto winner, and with the Orchestra at Maryville College as the concerto winner of Showcase of Area Artists in 9th grade. She also was named the piano solo winner at the 2015 Governor’s School Honors Recital at MTSU. Ellie was the prize winner of the Tennessee Tech Young Artist Piano Competition in 2014 and the Tuesday Morning Musical Club’s scholarship in 2015. In addition, Ellie plays in the worship band at Farragut Christian Church.
About the KYSO
The Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra is currently celebrating its 43rd season. 325 students were selected by an audition process in August. In addition to weekly rehearsals, the students will perform four concerts throughout the 2016-2017 season. All four performances take place at the Tennessee Theatre and are FREE and open to the public. For more information regarding the Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra, please visit www.knoxvillesymphony.com.
The KSYO Winter Concerts are Feb. 13 & 20 at 7:00 PM at Tennessee Theatre. Don’t miss these FREE concerts as we celebrate the top young players in the area! Follow @knoxsymphony on Twitter and Like KSO on Facebook.
