2017 Evening of Concertos Concert BYU-Hawai‘i
On Wednesday, November 22nd, 2017, at 7:30 p.m. in the McKay Auditorium, the BYU-H Music Department presents An Evening of Concertos, featuring the BYUH Concert Choir, Kahuku High School's Vocal Motion singers, members of the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra [HSO], musicians from the BYUH Chamber Orchestra, and the 2017 Concerto Competition winners: Hikaru Imaizumi (piano), Kaitlyn Bourne (soprano), Sun Mi Jin (violin), Parker Stockford (marimba), and Lawrence Laureano (tenor).
A much-anticipated event, this program brings together aspiring young artists and seasoned professionals to perform dazzling virtuoso works from the classical, contemporary, and sacred-choral traditions. The orchestra includes HSO professionals, student-instrumentalists from BYUH, and faculty members from the Department of Music and Theatre. Maestro Ernest Taniguchi will lead the combined choir in Gerald Finzi's Lo, the full, final sacrifice and the student-soloists in their performances of concerto movements or arias by Prokofiev, Donizetti, Tchaikovsky, Ewazen, and Menken.
The association between the BYU-H Music Department and HSO began several decades ago when Dr. James A. Smith, then director of the choral/vocal program, hired musicians to perform oratorios with the Concert Choir. The concerto competition was added in 1998, giving pianists, instrumentalists, and singers the opportunity to solo with an orchestra of professionals. This year's concert is the eighth in the series, each of which has been organized by Dr. Scott McCarrey. The 2017 competition selection committee was comprised of faculty and special instructors from the BYUH Music Department.
Performers
From New York's Carnegie Hall to venues across northern China, Mongolia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, the BYUH Concert Choir, under the direction of Professor Michael Belnap, has delighted audiences with its repertoire of spirituals, musical theater pieces, lively folk-arrangements, and sacred music.
Vocal Motion, under the direction of Esther Macy, is the premiere vocal ensemble at Kahuku High School. Students are selected by audition and sing advanced choral literature from a variety of genres. They have earned numerous awards over the past fifteen years, including first place at the Anaheim Heritage Festival in 2016. This year's group will perform at Carnegie Hall alongside featured high-school choirs from across the United States.
Ernest Taniguchi is currently Music Director of the Chamber Orchestra and the North Shore Symphonic Wind Orchestra at BYUH. Previously he has served as Music Director and Guest Conductor of the Honolulu Wind Ensemble, and has conducted musical theatre for Army Community Theatre and Manoa Valley Theatre, garnering a 2007 Po’okela Award for Best Music Direction. Presently Mr. Taniguchi is one of several directors of the Hawaii Symphonic Band. He has studied with Maestro Takashi Asahina (1908–2001), Music Director of the Osaka Philharmonic. With Maestro Antoni Wit (b. 1944), former Artistic Director of the Warsaw Philharmonic and current Music Director of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Navarra, he served as his assistant in St. Petersburg, Russia, Krakow, Poland, and in Indianapolis. Mr. Taniguchi has also served as Director of the Kahuku High School "Pride of the North Shore" Symphonic Band and Assistant Director of the inaugural Hawaii All-State Marching Band at the 2003 Tournament of Roses Parade. He has conducted workshops for members of the National Philharmonic of Jamaica and has been invited to guest conduct in the near future. Mr. Taniguchi has previously worked with musicians of the HSO in An Evening of Concertos (2015) and Songs of the Seven Seas (2016) concerts on the campus of BYUH.
The Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra, formerly known as the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra, was founded in 1900. [It] is the second oldest orchestra in the USA west of the Rocky Mountains. Originally housed in a clubhouse on the slopes of Punchbowl, the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra now plays from the Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall in downtown Honolulu (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaii_Symphony, accessed October 31, 2015).
Hikaru Imaizumi is a senior majoring in piano performance. Originally from Nagoya, Japan, she began piano lessons at the age of three as a student of Setsuko Endo. She currently studies with Dr. Scott McCarrey.
Known for her passionate and powerful performances, soprano Kaitlyn Bourne recently returned from singing and studying in Italy with the Lorenzo Malfatti Academia Vocale. While there she performed opera scenes from Così fan tutte and Incoronzaione di Poppea, and gave solo performances at numerous venues, including Puccini's summer home. Kaitlyn recently graduated from BYUH with a degree in vocal studies as a student of Dr. Melissa Glenn.
Sun Mi Jin, a featured soloist from the 2015 Evening of Concertos concert, is from Seoul, South Korea. An award-winning violinist, she has won eleven competitions. In 2015 she won first place in the Hawaii Music Teachers Association strings competition. Recently Sun Mi participated in the Yang-gi Pain Resort Summer Music Academy & Festival and was accepted into the 2017 Bowdoin International Music Festival. She studies with Doctor Helen Liu.
Parker Stockford grew up in Oregon and began playing percussion at the age of eleven. In 2013 he placed first in the Rudimental Snare Drum Competition of the Oregon Educators Music Association. Prior to his mission, Parker attended BYU-Idaho where he was a member of several ensembles and section leader of the Rix Stix drumline. Here at BYUH, he performs with Shaka Steel and Salsa Orchestra. His percussion teacher is Dr. Darren Duerden.
Originally from the Phillipines, Lawrence Laureano is a music major, emphasizing voice and piano. A member of several departmental ensembles, he also regularly provides music for campus devotionals and firesides. He has a passion for musical theater and enjoys working collaboratively with other musicians. His teachers include Michael Belnap (voice) and Jennifer Duerden (piano).
Location: McKay Auditorium
Admission: free, tickets may be picked at the Aloha Center Front Desk, and are available from Wednesday, November 15, until 5:00 p.m. on the day of the concert Date: Wednesday, November 22nd, 2017 Time: 7:30 p.m.
*Reserved seating will be in effect until 7:20 p.m. on the day of the concert at which time unused seats will opened to those without tickets on a first-come, first-serve basis.
*Children under the age of eight will not be admitted. Recording and photography are prohibited.
