- 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]
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[applause]