JANUARY 9, 2013
Tomorrow’s Stars, Today! Arizona Musicfest Young Performers Recital January 12 at 2 p.m., Westminster Village, Scottsdale
SCOTTSDALE – They’re young. They’re talented. They’re dedicated musicians honing their performance skills as they work their way towards becoming tomorrow’s stars. And, you get to hear them for free on January 12, at the Arizona Musicfest Young Performers Recital!
The concert begins at 2 p.m., in North Scottsdale at Westminster Village. Outstanding award-winning young artists – Rebecca Zaner, soprano; Bomi Johnson, flute; and Hao Zhao, piano – will perform a program that’s a musical candy dish filled to the brim with delightful short works.
“Cleveland’s loss is our gain!” exulted Irene O’Hare, Arizona Musicfest Youth Performance Chairperson. “Rebecca Zaner, a wonderful young soprano completing her vocal performance studies at NAU, has returned to Arizona after training at the prestigious Cleveland Institute of Music. It’s going to be a real treat to hear her sing!”
Ms. Zaner will be performing selections from Puccini’s La Bohème and Mozart’s Così fan tutte, Judith Cloud’s Sitting in a Tree, and Die Stille, a romantic, delicate piece by Schumann.
Bomi Johnson, flutist in the Phoenix Youth Symphony, will perform Borne’s Carmen Fantasy (on Themes from Bizet’s Carmen).
Ms. Johnson served as Principal Flute in the Phoenix Youth Symphony Symphonette and Associate Principal Flute in the All-State Honors Band. In 2011, she won First Place in the Music Teacher’s National Association State Solo Competition in the woodwind category.
“Bomi has accumulated an impressive lost of honors and awards,” said Ms. O’Hare, “not only in flute but in piano, as well!” Ms. Johnson is a junior at Desert Vista High School.
Pianist Hao Zhao will be playing Chopin, Ballade No.1, Op.23. Mr. Zhao, a senior at Hamilton High School, was born in Tianjin, China, and now lives in Chandler. He was awarded an Honorable Mention in Division II of the 2011 Arizona Musicfest Young Musicians Competition and medaled in the ASMTA 2010 James R. Anthony Honors Recital.
This is the final Young Performers Recital of the 2012-2013 Season. The free one-hour concert will be followed by a Meet the Musicians Reception with refreshments. Westminster Village is located at 12000 N. 90th Street, Scottsdale. No RSVP is required.
Call Arizona Musicfest at 480.488.0806 for additional information. www.azmusicfest.org
Rebecca Zaner is a junior at Northern Arizona University (NAU) studying vocal performance with Judith Cloud. Rebecca began vocal lessons with Mary Sue Hyatt in January 2007. In 2008, Ms. Zaner traveled to Italy, where she was selected to participate in the Opera Theatre and Music Festival of Lucca. Rebecca completed her freshman and sophomore years of vocal training at the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) where she studied with Mary Schiller. Rebecca performed the roles of Zerlina from Mozart’s Don Giovanni and Lisette from Puccini’s La Rondine in CIM’s 2012 opera scenes program under the direction of David Bamberger. Rebecca is currently preparing the role of Despina for NAU Opera Theatre’s upcoming performance of Mozart’s Così fan tutte in April 2013.
Rebecca Zaner Repertoire – January 12, 2013
"Quando m'en vo" from La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini
"Una donna a quindici anni" from Così fan tutte by W.A. Mozart
“Sitting in a Tree” by Judith Cloud
“Die Stille” by Robert Schumann
Bomi Johnson, a junior at Desert Vista High School, has been playing flute for six years now and currently studies with Judy Conrad. She has served as Principal Flautist in the North Central Region Orchestra for the past two years, and was a member of the All State Honor Band both freshman and sophomore years. She served as Associate Principal Flautist in the All State Honor Band her sophomore year. She auditioned and placed fourth in the National Honor Band (HBOA), in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 2012, conducted by Colonel Lowell Graham. In 2011, Bomi won First Place in the Music Teacher’s National Association State Solo Competition in the woodwind category. She is a current member of the Phoenix Youth Symphony, and previously served as the Principal Flautist in the Symphonette Orchestra, where she received a musicianship recognition award. She has—in addition to flute—also been playing classical piano for many years under the study of Fei Xu. She received the rank of Superior Honors in Level 12 of the Arizona Study Program and won the DVMTA Piano Competition in 2011. In addition, Bomi has won the rank of Superior with Distinction in her piano and flute solos both in 2011 and 2012, which she performed at the North Central Region auditions. Besides music, Bomi has been involved in various school activities, such as cross-country, National Honors Society (NHS) and STAND Club (for prevention of genocide in Darfur). She teaches piano to younger students in her spare time.
Hao Zhao is currently 16 years old, and a senior at Hamilton High School. He resides in Chandler, AZ. He has been playing the piano for eleven years, beginning when he was 5 years old and living in Baltimore, Maryland. Presently, he is being taught by Yali Luo. Throughout those years Hao has won several awards involving DVMTA, Arizona Musicfest, and ASMTA. In addition to playing the piano, Hao was on the Hamilton swim team for two years and is currently the captain of Lincoln-Douglass debate at Hamilton.
