Seattle Young Artists Music Festival

A World Class Music Festival

Performance Opportunities, Adjudications,
and Master Classes for Young Musicians

Important Announcements

CONCERTO CONCERT

On Saturday, May 16th, our concerto division winners performed with
Philharmonia Northwest under the direction of Roupen Shakarian.
Congratulations to our young artists. It was a wonderful concert enjoyed by all.
More Pictures

CONCERTO DIVISION WINNERS!

We are pleased to announce that the adjudicators have selected the
following Concerto Division Finalists to perform at our May 16th concert

Jovian C.F. Cheng
Lauren Glass
Aaron Hall
Vivian Lou
André Poon
Carina Vincenti

Alternates
Karissa Zadinsky
Marié Rossano

Jovian C.F. Cheng has also been selected to receive a Festival Medal

Please join us in congratulating all of our winners and finalists

New! See Photos of our Finalists

winners

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Help Wanted!

We need a volunteer who can help us during the week of the Festival (March 23-28), coordinating and overseeing a schedule of snacks and lunches for our adjudicators.

For details, please contact Aviva Leonard

Music for Medicine Benefit Concert

The second annual Music for Medicine concert benefiting the
Polyclinic Community Foundation and the Seattle Young Artists Music Festival,
was held on Thursday, February 26th at the Seattle Design Center. We'd like to
thank our Seattle Young Artists for a wonderful evening of music. We'd also like
to thank all who attended and supported the event including Sherman Clay
Pianos - Seattle, Seattle Design Center, and CIGNA Healthcare.

Seattle Young Aritsts
Lauren Glass, Flute
Michael Lee, Piano
Carina Vincenti, Violin
Min Joo Yi, Piano.
Karissa Zadinsky, Cello

Buy a Piano - Help Support SYAMF

Sherman Clay-Seattle has been a strong and long-standing supporter of the
Seattle Young Artists Music Festival, supplying several of the pianos used
during the festival. This year they have also offered to donate to the Festival,
a portion of the purchase price of pianos sold between now and the end of
May 2009. We hope you take advantage of this opportunity if you, or others
whom you know, are in the market for a piano.

Important Eligibility Rule Change For 2010

To simplify and clarify eligibility requirements, the festival will begin using age
to determine eligibility beginning with the 2010 festival. Our current system,
based on grade, will remain in effect for the upcoming 2009 festival. To be eligible
for the 2010 festival, students must be ages 10-18 on September 1, 2009.

2008 Concerto Concert Audio

Audio recordings of the 2008 Concerto Concert are now available on-line.

Harp and Brass Divisions

Visit our Brass or Harp division pages for important announcements

2008 Festival Photos

We hope you enjoy these pictures taken during festival week.
Perhaps there's a picture of you!

Young Artists to Perform with the Seattle Symphony

The partnership between the Seattle Young Artists Music Festival Association and Seattle Symphony has provided a number of finalists of the 2008 Festival Concerto Competition the rare opportunity to perform a movement of a concerto with a major orchestra.

"The Seattle Young Artists Music Festival plays a critical role in music education for our young people and helps build the technical and artistic foundation for future classical music performers"

Gerard Schwarz
Music Director, Seattle Symphony

Performing with the Seattle Symphony will be SYAMF Finalists:

Grace Choi
Jila Dabestani
Angela Potter
Rachel Wong

Helen Taverniti Endowment Fund

Helen Taverniti (1921-2005), one of the five original founders of the Seattle Young Artists Music Festival, was a major figure in piano performance and instruction during her 50-plus year career. It was her teaching of gifted students and fellow teachers that she may best be remembered.

Helen was married to John "Jack" Morse, a well known Seattle architect who passed away 2000. The couple, who had so loved music and art, designated a major gift from their joint estate to benefit the SYAMFA and help sustain the Festival in coming years. We are pleased to announce the formation of the "Helen Taverniti Endowment Fund for the Seattle Young Artists Music Festival". The endowment will be reinvested to grow over time while small annual distributions will help cover anticipated increases in the Festival's expenses. Contributions to the endowment fund should be designated separately from gifts to the annual operating fund.

Nesholm Foundation Grant

The Seattle Young Artists Music Festival is pleased to announce that it has been a recent recipient of a $3,000 grant from the Nesholm Family Foundation. The Seattle based Nesholm Family Foundation has dedicated itself to serving the Seattle community by supporting a number of health, education, and performing arts organizations each year since 1986.

FESTIVAL DATES

Registration
December 15th, 2008 -
January 17th, 2009

Festival: March 23-28
(Monday - Saturday)

Concert: May l6, 2009

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President's Corner

"I know two kinds of audiences only--one coughing, and one not coughing."
Arthur Schnabel

Welcome to the 39th annual Seattle Young Artists Music Festival. Just as the University of Washington gets ready to take a weeklong break between its winter and spring quarters, we welcome your arrival and the joy of your music on its campus. You have worked hard preparing, and so have we. We have invited a distinguished panel of adjudicators who are eager to listen to you, and share their wisdom with you. We have indeed taken care of many details in planning for this event, and would like to top it off with your music and the beautiful cherry blossoms on the quad. I look forward to seeing you in March.

Firouzeh Nourzad

Volunteers Needed

Have you ever thought it might be fun to help with the Festival? The Seattle Young Artists Music Festival Association is a volunteer organization. The success of the festival depends entirely on the tireless efforts of dedicated volunteers. If you'd like to give some of your time to the festival, please contact us. We have opportunities both large and small.