Concert Details
Saturday, February 29, 2020 » 8pm
PROGRAM: Concerto Competition
- Augustin Wright: Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3, 1st mvt
- Ashley Jimin Kim: Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, 3rd mvt
- Aireleen Zhu: Shostakovich Cello Concerto, 4th mvt
- Mina McKenzie: Saint-Saens Piano Concerto No. 2, 1st mvt
- Renee Qin: Michael Conway Baker Harp Concerto, 3rd mvt: Siguirya
- Gregor Gasovich-Varga & Una Rodaljevic: Doppler Concerto for 2 flutes and orchestra
- Dvořák, Die Mittagshexe (Noon Witch)
$20 – Adults
$15 – Seniors
$10 – Students
Free – Kids 12 and under
Ticket donations can be paid by cash or cheque at the door.
Tickets can also be purchased by credit card online through eventbrite
VENUE
Shaughnessy Heights United Church
1550 West 33rd Avenue
Vancouver, BC
Parking: Free street parking on West 33rd and side streets near the church.
Artist Bios
Mina McKenzie
Mina McKenzie began her piano studies at the age of 5 at the British Columbia Conservatory of Music. Since then she has developed a great passion for music and performing.
Most recently Mina received 1st Place at the 2019 Pacific Youth Piano Festival and was a semi-finalist at the 2019 Seattle International Piano Competition. In 2018 Mina received 2nd place in the National Category of the BC Performing Arts Festival. In addition she received 1st Place in the Coquitlam Youth Orchestra Competition which led to performing Chopin’s Concerto No. 1 with the Senior Orchestra.
Mina was also the Scholarship winner of the 27th Bjorn & Lori Hareid Annual Senior Secondary Competition in 2019. As well she received 1st Place in the Yarilo Contemporary Music Society Scholarship Competition in the same year.
She has won numerous awards and scholarships over the years in other music festivals such as the Vancouver Kiwanis Music Festival, the British Columbia Conservatory of Music Festival, the KPU International Music Festival, the Richmond Music Festival, and the CDMF Performing Arts Festival. In addition she was a finalist in the Vancouver International Music Competition. She has studied piano with Susan Ouyang and Dr. Henri-Paul Sicsic.
Mina also has a passion for volunteering and sharing her love of music with her community. She assisted with the Dr. Mary Anne Cooper documentary film by playing live music during a fundraising dinner. She currently performs various piano pieces and teaches in a senior recreational center in Coquitlam.
Mina will be performing the first movement of Saint-Saens’ Piano Concerto No. 2
Renée Qin
Renée Qin is a senior in Sentinel Secondary School residing in West Vancouver. Classically trained in piano since the age of four, Renée later learned flute and harp. She currently studies harp with Elizabeth Volpé Bligh, UBC professor and retired VSO principal harpist. Renée is the principal harpist in the Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra, where she had the opportunity to perform alongside the VSO multiple times on the stage of the Orpheum Theatre. Renée has also performed with the UBC Symphony Orchestra at the Chan Centre in 2018. In previous seasons, Renée has performed in some of the prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, and has been featured as a soloist with several orchestras. She is a first prize winner of the Canadian Music Competition in 2018, and received a scholarship from the West Coast Harp Society the same year. For more information, please refer to her website: www.reneeqin.com.
Renee will be performing the 3rd movement (Siguiriya) of local composer Michael Baker Conway’s Harp Concerto.
Augustin Wright
Since his Carnegie Hall debut at the age of 10, Augustin Henry Wright has been establishing himself as an emerging, dynamic Canadian pianist. He has distinguished himself in many local, national and international competitions; most recently, at the Virtuoso International Competition, Salzburg, Austria. He has performed numerous times on CBC radio, and featured on the award-winning TV Series “Virtuose”. In 2018, Augustin’s chamber group won first place in the BC Friends of Chamber Music competition. Further, he was the grand prize winner in the Phyllis Salter Scholarship Competition, senior division winner of the Chilliwack Lions Club Kiwanis festival, senior division concerto winner of the Vancouver Kiwanis festival, and was selected as a representative for BC Performing Arts Dominion festivals. In 2019, Augustin performed solo piano with orchestra at the CHAN Centre for Performing Arts, and was awarded scholarship in the Bjorn & Lori Hareid Senior Secondary Provincial competition.
Augustin is a piano and cello student of the Vancouver Academy of Music, where he completed two years of the Young Artist Collegiate Program (YACP) for gifted students. Augustin holds with highest distinction, a FLCM Fellowship diploma, a LLCM Licentiate diploma from the London College of Music (England), ARCT diplomas in both Piano and Cello performance from Royal Conservatory of Music (Canada). He studies piano with Rebecca Kelly, cello with Joseph Elworthy; and is principal cellist of the Vancouver Academy Senior Orchestra, directed by Ian Parker. Augustin is honored to have master classes with VAM instructor and pianist, Krystyna Tucka.
Annually since 2011, Augustin has produced and performed various benefit concerts for charities such as UNICEF, Red Cross, and ALS. Augustin performed the opening concert for the 2018 International Rotary Club Peace Building & Environmental Conference. Augustin was invited as a motivational speaker to talk to young musicians at the Steinway Young Artists Chinese New Year Gala, 2018. For his community service work, Augustin has three times been awarded the Mayor of West Vancouver Youth Recognition Award. He was awarded the gold level 2019 Duke of Edinburgh International Award (Canada). Further, Augustin received an UNICEF Youth Who Make a Difference award and has been featured in the spring 2018 and 2019 editions of UNICEF Canada magazine.
An Principal’s list, International Baccalaureate student at Mulgrave School in West Vancouver, Augustin excels in science, sports, and music. Augustin represented his school in the 2018 BC Track and Field Championships and received awards for athletic excellence. For two consecutive summers since 2018, Augustin was invited to work in a cancer research internship at the Massachusetts General Hospital (USA). Augustin aspires to one day be able to study both music and science at university. In his spare time, Augustin enjoys soccer, cycling, running and skiing. He speaks French, English, Spanish and Mandarin.
Augustin will be performing the first movement of Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto.
Aireleen Zhu
Aireleen Zhu has been playing the cello for eleven years. She is a freshman in the University of British Columbia, studying cello performance with Prof. Eric Wilson and Mr. Bo Peng. She has won several awards, including the Third Prize of the 28th World Music Competition (Canada Division); 2019 RDYO Concerto Competition (Symphony Division) and the Second Place of the 2014 Hongkong International String Competition (Youth Class B and Free Choice Class A). She has previously been a member of the Richmond Delta Youth Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra of China.
Aireleen will be performing the fourth movement of Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto.
Ashley Jimin Kim
Ashley started playing violin at the age of 6, passed the audition for music talents by the Kumho Asiana Group at the age of 10, and performed a solo concert in Korea. Since then, she has excelled, winning first prize in competitions by Korea Herald, Eumyoun, Hankook Ilbo and Yewon.
She has performed with Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra, Cheongju Philharmonic Orchestra, Soloist Chamber Orchestra in Madrid, Spain, San Giorgio Orchestra in Venice, Italy, and the Universal Orchestra of the Cultural Exchange between Korea and China. She also performed at the celebration event of the PyeongChang Winter Olympic torch relay, Seoul Music Festival, and Youth Music Festival.
In 2019, she won the first prize and Judges’ Distinction Award in the American Protege International Concerto Competition, playing at the Carnegie Hall.
She is currently in the 9th grade at Burnaby Mountain Secondary School and is studying violin with Dominic Woo.
Ashley will be performing the third movement of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto.
Gregor Gasovic-Varga and Una Rodaljevic
Gregor is a 17 year old student that plays the Flute, Piccolo and Piano. He grew up in a musical household with his mom as a Piano and Accordion teacher. Gregor started showing his musical talents at an early age, he would sing classical melodies before he even started talking. He started his piano training at the age of five and is currently working on completing grade 9 RCM. He has competed at multiple local music festivals throughout the years and has been invited to awards recitals on several occasions. Gregor’s love for the Flute started a little later at the age of 10, but he quickly progressed and is working on his grade 10 RCM level. At the age of 13 he joined the Vancouver Youth Symphony Orcestra. He spent two years with the Intermediate Orchestra before advancing to the Senior Orchestra – he is now in his fourth season with VYSO. During his orchestra years, he decided to take on the Piccolo to make himself a more versatile orchestra player, which he has become quite proficient at in a short period of time. The most notable experience in Gregor’s career so far has been a joint performance with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra last season. He is looking forward to another one this season. Most recently, Gregor has collaborated with Una Rodaljevic as flute duet performers. Gregor aspires to become a professional musician in the future.
Una is a 17 year old student from Serbia who plays the Flute and Piano. At four years old, Una started showing her first signs of musicality. She would always sing and dance to any kind of music. Una’s ongoing desire was to play piano, but due to a high volume of students at her Music Middle School, she started playing the Flute. Her love for the Flute began when she was eight. Una completed seven years of Music Middle School and two years of Music High School in Serbia. She started playing Piano when she enrolled in High School, but the Flute remained her main instrument. Una has competed at city, state and international competitions with high success. She has been invited to several festivals and events for solo or chamber music performing. Una recently moved to Canada to pursue her music talents and to foresee a greater opportunity in music.
Her first performance in Canada was with the Richmond Orchestra and she later joined the Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra. Although this is her first season with the VYSO, she is very dedicated and excited about her future with them. Una has big plans for her music career and she is looking forward to achieve them.
Together, Gregor and Una will be performing the first movement of Doppler’s Concerto for Two Flutes and Orchestra.
