36th Annual President's Concert Features the Best from the UA School of Music

Some of the UA School of Music's best talents will be featured alongside the Arizona Symphony Orchestra during the President's Concert at the UA this weekend.

The University of Arizona's School of Music's best talent will perform in this year's 36th annual President's Concert, which is being held this weekend.

The concert, to be held Feb. 7 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 8 at 3 p.m. will feature the Arizona Symphony Orchestra and student soloists who won the highly competitive President's Concert Competition. Both events will be held in on the UA campus at Crowder Hall, which is located in the Music Building, 1017 N. Olive Rd.

This year's competition winners are violist Amber Reed, pianist Rouzbeh Tebyanian, bass baritone Seth Kershisnik and flutist Tori Hauk. The students were selected from the string, wind/brass/percussion, vocal and keyboard areas of the School of Music and represent the depth of talent at the school. They will be featured during two performances.

Also featured is the Arizona Symphony Orchestra. Thomas Cockrell, the Arizona Symphony Orchestra music director and conductor, will share the podium with UA graduate student conductors, Keitaro Harada and Jackson Warren.

Harada and Warren are two inaugural fellows of the James E. Rogers Institute for Orchestral and Opera Conducting, which was recently established at the University's music school.

The Arizona Symphony Orchestra will open the concert with Strauss' "Overture to Die Fledermaus," under the direction of Cockrell. The podium will then be turned over to Harada for the first movement of Walton's "Viola Concerto," with soloist Amber Reed on viola.

Pianist Rouzbeh Tebyanian will then take the stage, performing Liszt's "Piano Concerto No. 2" under the direction of Warren. After the intermission, bass baritone Seth Kershisnik will perform Ibert's "Quatre Chansons de Don Quichotte," also conducted by Jackson Warren. The final student soloist, flutist Tori Hauk, will then perform the finale of Liebermann's "Concerto for Flute and Orchestra, Op. 39," with Keitaro Harada conducting.

The program concludes with Cockrell taking the podium to direct the Arizona Symphony Orchestra with Brahms' "Academic Festival Overture."

Background on the President's Concert Competition winners

Tori Hauk

Hauk began playing the flute at age seven under the instruction of Suzanne Kennedy, a member of the San Diego Chamber Orchestra. Hauk played several seasons during elementary and middle school as the youngest member of the San Diego Concert Band, a community band under the direction of Abelardo Flores. An audition earned Hauk a chair in the Helix Charter High School Wind Symphony as a freshman. She broadened her music experience by playing flute with the San Diego Young Artists' Symphony and playing the bagpipes with the Helix Highland Bagpipe Band. In May 2007 she was awarded the highest prize in the Helix Music Department, the Daniel Lewis Helix Grand Music Award.

Before coming to the UA as a flute performance major, she studied with Clay Ellerbroek, acting principal flutist of the San Diego Symphony. She studies under Dr. Brian Luce and is a member of the UA Wind Ensemble and has recorded with the UA Flutefinity ensemble. She recently competed as a finalist for the 2008 Tucson Symphony Orchestra Young Artists' Competition and won first prize in the College Division of the Arizona Flute Society's Annual Competition.

Seth Kershisnik

Kershisnik, a baritone, recently earned his bachelor's degree in vocal performance at the University of Utah under the direction of Dr. David Power.

His love of classical singing began when he sang as a child in the ensemble of "Amahl and the Night Visitors" with the Utah Lyric Opera.

Kershisnik's first vocal teacher was his mother, mezzo-soprano Connie Nokes-Roberts, and he was raised immersed in a musically rich community.

In Salt Lake, Kershisnik has been featured in such concert works as Fauré's "Requiem" at the Episcopal Church of St. Paul, Bach's "St. Matthew's Passion" with the University of Utah Philharmonic, and in Handel's "Messiah" with Murray Symphony Orchestra. His latest opera performances include King Melchior in "Amahl and the Night Visitors" with Salt Lake Symphony, Figaro in "Il barbiere di siviglia" with the Paradigm Chamber Orchestra, the title role in "Gianni Schicchi" with Utah Lyric Opera, and Hofer in "Der Vogelhändler" with Ohio Light Opera.

Kershisnik is in his first year of graduate studies at the UA, pursuing a master of music degree in vocal performance. Recently he was the bass soloist for the Arizona Choir's performance of Bach's "Cantata 78" and portrayed the role of Don Andrés in the UA Opera Theatre production of Offenbach's "La Perichole."

Amber Reed

Reed was born in Adelaide, South Australia and began her musical studies at a young age, exploring the violin and piano.

In middle school she began studying violin with Tucson Symphony Orchestra violinist David Rife. In high school she switched to viola and began studies with Dennis Bourret. Reed also enjoyed playing in Tucson Junior Strings and the Tucson Philharmonia.

Currently a freshman at the UA and a student of Hong-Mei Xiao, Reed is a recipient of many scholarships and awards and has been able to continue her musical studies during the summer at world-class institutions such as Interlochen Center for the Arts and the 2008 International Music Festival and Academy in Shanghai, China.

Rouzbeh Tebyanian

Tebyanian was born in Iran and started playing the piano at the age of five.

Unable to continue his musical and academic studies in Iran, he came to the United States with his family as a refugee in 2001. He attended high school in Tucson, and came to the UA as a scholarship student.

Tebyanian was a featured performer in the Steinway Peace Piano concert tour, and most recently was a prizewinner in the 2008 Tucson Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition. He is currently completing a bachelor of music degree in piano performance, studying under Dr. Paula Fan.