- Angela Fitzgerald: On March 13th, four gifted young musicians will take the stage here at Overture Hall in Madison. 

- Lori Skelton: They're vying for top honors in the Madison Symphony Orchestra's Bolz Young Artist Competition. They are violinist, Monona Suzuki; flautist, Holly Venkitaswaran; cellist, Grace Kim; and pianist, Antonio Wu. You'll see them perform as part of our live broadcast, Wisconsin Young Artists Compete: The Final Forte. 

- But before they step into the spotlight, we asked them to tell us a little about themselves, their love of music... - And the dream that led them here, to center stage.  

- My name is Monona Suzuki, and I'm a sophomore at Madison West High School. I've been playing the violin since I was three.  

Every day, the violin has a different sound because of the humidity and environment and everything. So, every day, I have a different feeling towards the violin.  And that's a really good thing for artists.  I've been taking lessons from Mr. Eugene Purdue for about seven years now. 

- Eugene Purdue: You want the audience to move like that with you there. 
[chuckles] 
Can you try that at 18? 

- He always says to play to the room. So, if you're in a hall, like, play to the fullest that you can.  He's also taught me a lot about [laughs] soloing. Like, just understand the music well, and know how it combines with your solo.  Mock Trial is.... A mock trial. [laughs] We get a case every year. Each person's, like, a witness or a lawyer. We get the affidavits of our characters and make, like, a script. We're judged based on, like, how well we present it. And then, the next question was like, "Then, the door opened." It's a lot of fun because we really have to get our heads together and think about a lot of things. 
[cheerful laughter]

I'm playing "Tzigane" by Maurice Ravel. It's a French piece that's based on Gypsy music. The last part, which is also my favorite part, there's a lot of tempo changes, with like starting really slow, and then building up, and then, suddenly pulling back, and then, building it up again. § § Music is a really important part of my life. With the moment you step onto the stage, it's really different from, like, just practicing. The power that the orchestra has is really inspiring. I feel a lot of energy from the audience that's watching. So, when I get to stand there it's, like, really special for me.
[laughs] 

§ §

[applause]