Bravura Philharmonic Orchestra presents “A Concerto Extravaganza!” on Sunday, June 7, at 7 p.m. at the Princeton Alliance Church in Plainsboro. The concert, conducted by its director, Chiu-Tze Lin, features the winners of the 2015 Young Artists Competition. They include pianist Iris Kwak, violinist Sarah Ma, cellist Dylan Shih-Wu, and flutist Jodie Chiou. The young soloists were selected from among nearly 50 contestants from New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut. Tickets are $20.
Iris Kwak, 15, is a sophomore at High School North. She has studied piano since age 5 with teachers including Chiu-Tze Lin, Ingrid Clarfied, and Soo-Kyung Cho. Kwak enjoys playing the piano for her church’s youth group worship team, accompanying and singing for her school’s concert choir, and playing piano and other percussion instruments for Bravura Youth Orchestra. She will perform the first movement of the Grieg Piano Concerto in A minor in the concert.
She has received awards in competitions such as the East Coast International Competition, New Jersey Music Teachers Association Young Musicians Competition, Steinway Society Scholarship Competition, Cecilian Music Club Young Artist Competition, and the National League of Performing Arts Solo and Chamber Music Competition.
As a result of winning these competitions, Kwak has performed at Zankel Hall and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Merkin Recital Hall, and the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. She also performed as a soloist with the Cairn University Symphony after winning its Young Artists Concerto Competition.
Kwak has performed at many charity events since the age of seven, being invited to play for the Hope for Henry Foundation, the Ronald McDonald House charities, and at a benefit concert to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. She is a co-founder of Hartley’s Legacy in 2013, a volunteer group which performs at nursing homes every other week. Kwak has received the gold medal from the Presidential Volunteer Service.
A Concerto Extravaganza, Bravura Philharmonic Orchestra, Princeton Alliance Church, 20 Schalks Crossing Road, Plainsboro. Sunday, June 7, 7 p.m. Winners of the 2015 Young Artists Competition include Iris Kwak, a sophomore at High School South, on piano; Jodie Chiou on flute; Sara Ma on violin; and Dylan Shi Wu on cello. $20. 609-790-9559. www.bravuraphil.org.
