- On March 29th,
four Wisconsin high school students
will take the stage here at Overture Hall in Madison.
They're vying for top honors in the Madison Symphony Orchestra's
Bolz Young Artist Competition.
These young musicians are
violinist Yaoyao Chen,
harpist Naomi Sutherland,
pianist Michael Wu,
and violinist Julian Rhee.
You'll see them perform during our broadcast
Wisconsin Young Artists Compete The Final Forte
- But before you hear them play,
we thought you'd enjoy hearing them talk,
about themselves, their love of music...
- And what led them, ultimately, to this stage.
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- My name is Naomi Sutherland
and I am a senior at Interlochen Arts Academy.
Ever since I saw the harp, I was just mesmerized by it;
how powerful it was
and how therapeutic the sound was
and it just got me. [laughs]
I love how the harp can imitate
many different instruments.
I like how it's very interactive.
You have to really engage your full body.
I first went to Interlochen for summer camp in 2015,
and Joan Holland, my harp teacher, and I,
we instantly had this connection.
- These are just like fun little brushes.
- Over the past two years,
we've just been really working with the tone and the technique.
I love how, when she teaches, she tries to really engage you,
and it's almost as if
she's having you teach her in some way.
I envision the Debussy as a river,
it's smooth and just traveling on its path
and then, it will hit some rough corners,
and then, there will be some rocks,
and then it always comes back to a smooth ending.
There's so many layers to it,
so many colors that appear.
Every time you play it, you learn something new.
I love to cook.
Every minute I have free away from the harp,
I spend it in the kitchen.
My whole life, I've been watching my dad cook.
- The eggplant.
- And I was always asking, "Dad, can I cut that for you?
Can I stir it?"
And as I got older,
I started to experiment more on my own.
It's very rewarding, as well as fun,
because during the process of cooking,
you can take the simplest ingredients
and you can make many different dishes.
Our house is always filled with music.
It's just something we really value in our family.
I think that as long as you are passionate
about what you are playing and what you are doing,
that others will enjoy it as well.
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