2003 OFMC Junior Festival Highlights
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Casey Smith receives first Grand Cup (75 points) ever
presented in history of District III-G from Gold Cup
Chair Grace Kwok.
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Katie Holcomb of North Royalton receives Grand Cup.
Student of Delores Tranberg.
OHIO NEWS
Ohio has over 4,200 participating in 47 events in the Junior Festivals last spring.
One of the first two recipients of the Presidential Cup Award is Allyson Gray. She is a member of Scherzo Strings. Allyson has achieved thirteen consecutive superiors in violin solo. She has also participated in the piano solo and concerto events. She is a three-year member of the Starling Chamber Orchestra at the College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. She has also been a member of the Cincinnati Youth Orchestra and the Springfield Youth Orchestra. She has performed as a soloist with Springfield Orchestra as a winner of the SSO Young Solo Competition and also performed as a soloist with the Cincinnati Youth Orchestra as a winner of the 2003 Concerto Competition. Allyson has been a fellowship student at the Aspen Music Festival where she studied with Kurt Sassmannhaus. Allyson plans to attend Indiana University to pursue a degree in violin performance.
The other recipient of the Presidential Cup Award is Tiffany Chen, also a member of Scherzo Strings. She studied the violin with Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra member Mary Arnett for 13 years. She is a 2003 graduate of Centerville High School. Tiffany played with the Centerville High School Orchestra as well as in regional and All-State Orchestra. She has served as a concertmistress of the Dayton Strings Orchestra. She also plays the piano and the
clarinet. In addition to her musical talent, Tiffany is also academically talented, ranking second in a class of 579. She is a National Merit finalist. She also participated in Math Olympics and Olympics Team. She and her partner won second place nationally in Science Bowl competition with their "Sound of Music" entry where they composed the music and played it in their hand-made instruments. Her team won a trip to London for their second place national performance. Tiffany will be attending Duke University where she plans to double major in Computer Science and Biology.
15-year old Jessica Buescher is the winner of the Lynn Freeman Olson composition competition in the High School level. She has been studying piano and composition for eight years with Jane Hergo of Hergo Piano Studio. This fall, Jessica will be entering 11th grade at Chaminade-Julienne Catholic High School. Jessica is a concert choir member of the nationally acclaimed Kettering Children’s Choir. She recently went on a concert tour to Australia performing in Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra and Bairnsdale. Jessica also enjoys playing soccer and volunteering at Boonshoft Museum of Discovery.
Ohio also presented five Grand Cup Awards to Casey Smith of the Dayton Pianoforte Junior Music Club, Tim Smile of Hauck Suzuki, Grace Hsieh of Peppermint Panda, and Karla Fedena of DiDominico and Katie Holcomb of North Royalton Music Club. Each grand cup and presidential winners were presented a $50.00 check from the OFMC Scholarship Foundation in honor of Elsie Stupp.
