Youth Talent Auditions

On December 14, 2013, the Topeka Symphony will hold the 61st annual Youth Talent Auditions. Each year the Symphony sponsors this event to give high school students the opportunity to perform a solo with the Topeka Symphony Orchestra. Out of four areas of competition - keyboard, strings, wind and percussion instruments, and voice - one student is chosen to perform with the Topeka Symphony and the first runner-up appears at the Topeka Symphony Youth Orchestra concert. Scholarships are awarded by Capitol Federal.

Youth Talent Competition Registration Form (Pending)
 
The TSO is pleased to announce the 2012-2013 Youth Talent Audition winners:

• Overall Winner - Chaeyoung Park, piano, sophomore from Lawrence
• Runner-up and winner of the Strings Division - Jacob Moldrup, cello, senior from Manhattan
• Winner of the Keyboard Division: Casey Lindsted, piano, senior from Bel Aire
   

The Overall Winner performs with the TSO on the April 20th concert. The runner-up performed at the TSO Youth Ensembles concert on March 3, 2013.


Chaeyoung Park, Overall Topeka Symphony Youth Talent Audition Winner 2012-2013

Fifteen-year old Chaeyoung Park, from South Korea, has been studying with Dr. Jack Winerock of the University of Kansas piano faculty for six years. She also studies with Dr. Scott McBride Smith. She started piano at age six and came to the United States in 2007. In South Korea, she won the Seoul Chamber Orchestra Music Competition and the Coyang City Mayor's Award. Ms. Park is the daughter of Jiyeon Lee and Euichul Park. She is a sophomore at Bishop Seabury Academy.

  
     
Chaeyoung won First Place in the 2012 IIYM International Piano Competition, as well as the 2012 IIYM audience prize. She was the youngest semifinalist and finalist at the 2012 Eastman Young Artists International Piano Competition. She was awarded first place in the Junior Level of the Louisiana International Piano Competition in 2011. The competition website described her performance as "astounding" and "exquisite".

She has performed at Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall as the result of winning First Place in the American Protégé International Competition and received first places in the Junior Division in Missouri Western Young Artist Piano Competition and KCMTA-Heritage Philharmonic Concerto Competition. She placed first at the Fite Family Young Artists Competition and was a prizewinner in the Kansas City Symphony Young Artist Competition. She was the Kansas state and West Central Division MTNA Junior Piano champion in 2010-2011 and 2011-2012. She has performed with Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Neil Varon and with the Heritage Philharmonic Orchestra with conductor, Jim Murray. She has performed on KANU/KPR radio several times. Aside from playing piano, she likes hanging out with her friends, doing crafts, and reading.


Jacob Moldrup, First Runner-up and Winner of the Strings Division Topeka Symphony Youth Talent Auditions 2012-2013

The First Runner-up and winner of the Strings Division of the 2012-2013 Youth Talent Competition is cellist Jacob Moldrup. Jacob is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Kurt Moldrup and lives in Manhattan, Kansas. He is a homeschooled senior. He has studied the cello for a total of thirteen years. He studied for six years with Carolyn Sandquist and with Dr. David Littrell since then. Jacob has been a musician in multiple chamber music groups, orchestras, music competitions and music camps.

 
  
Jacob was a member of the Topeka Symphony Debut and Youth Orchestras conducted by Breta Bloomberg. He was a member of the Gold Orchestra in Manhattan conducted by Dr. David Littrell and he has traveled to Nebraska, Colorado, Arizona and Illinois with the Gold Orchestra. In 2013, Jacob will travel with the Gold Orchestra to New York to perform in Carnegie Hall as a soloist and Conductor Assistant. He has attended music camps in Kansas and Massachusetts. In 2010 he won first place at the Manhattan Town Center Music Festival. He also performs at his church Grace Baptist.
  
Jacob's future plans are to receive a bachelor's degree in Music Education at Kansas State University, a Master's degree in Music Education at Wichita State University and a Doctorate in Music Education at the University of Oklahoma. In addition to music, Jacob enjoys soccer, baseball, basketball, swimming and football.

Casey Lindsted, Keyboard Division Winner of the 2012-2013 Topeka Symphony Youth Talent Auditions

Casey Lindsted, piano, is the winner of the Keyboard Division. He performed the Third Movement of George Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F Major at the Topeka Symphony Youth Talent Auditions. Casey is the son of Kyle and Anita Lindsted and lives in Bel Aire, Kansas. He is a senior at Sunrise Christian Academy.

  
Casey began taking piano lessons while he was in elementary school but quit after only one year. In seventh grade he returned to piano after becoming interested in jazz. He studies with Dr. Sylvia Coats. He plays keyboard and electric bass in the school pep band and is the pianist at Community Bible Chapel. He plays double bass in the Wichita Youth Symphony and won first place in the Wichita Area Piano Teacher's League Concerto Auditions. He has received consecutive "1" ratings at the Blue Ridge Fine Arts Festival. He has attended the International Institute for Young Musicians and performs in several chamber ensembles.

He is an amateur film critic, avid jazz listener and loves anything and everything Batman in addition to being a fan of comic books. Casey plans to major in piano performance at Wichita State University.

Scholarships and Awards

TSO Performance Scholarships
 
The Topeka Symphony Orchestra offers scholarships to string students accepted as a member of the Topeka Symphony Orchestra. Acceptance into the orchestra is by audition and scholarships are awarded based on the audition and an application.

Elna Friedstrom Awards
 
The Topeka Symphony League awards grants to musicians in the Topeka Symphony Youth Orchestra and the Youth Philharmonic. These awards honor the memory of Elna Friedstrom, a long-time volunteer and supporter of the Topeka Symphony Youth Ensembles. These grants are awarded in the spring and are based on applications submitted by the students.