FBSO ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF YOUNG ARTIST CONCERTO COMPETITION
FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas – Christopher Henselman, a 16-year-old pianist and Austin, Texas resident, was recently named the Grand Prize Winner of the Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra’s 12th Annual Young Artist Concerto Competition. Cellist Andrew Shiau and violinist Melissa Du, students in Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, received honorable mentions.
Henselman will be a featured guest artist as the Fort Bend Symphony presents Far Away Places, a concert featuring music from around the world, on Sunday, Feb. 19 at 2 p.m. at the Stafford Centre. He will perform the first movement of Prokofieff’s “Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 16.”
Reserved adult tickets are $10 and $15. Children 12 and under are free when accompanied by an adult, but need a reserved ticket. Discounts are available for seniors, students, military and groups of 10 or more. Tickets may be ordered at fbso.org and 281.276.9642, or purchased at the Stafford Centre box office on the day of the performance. The Stafford Centre is located at 10505 Cash Road in Stafford, Texas.
Henselman, a runner-up in FBSO’s 2009 concert competition, has won a host of international, state and regional awards. As a winner in the Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition (New York City) at ages 9 and 10, he performed twice in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall with works by Bach, Shostakovich, Debussy and Toch.
The third-year student at Austin’s Veritas Academy has earned multiple prizes in the United States Open Music Competition in California, the United States International Duo Piano Competition in Colorado and the Debose National Piano Competition in Louisiana.
Shiau, a junior at Jersey Village High School, has won concerto competitions sponsored by the Houston Youth Symphony, Clear Lake Symphony and Houston Civic Symphony. He is a three-time honoree of the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) All-State Orchestra.
Du began her violin studies at the age of 6. The Cypress Falls High School sophomore has been named to the TMEA All-State Symphony Orchestra and Houston Youth Symphony. She also has wins in concerto competitions sponsored by the Clear Lake and Houston Civic Symphonies.
The all-day FBSO Concerto Competition, supported by piano dealer Sherman Clay, attracted dozens of talented musicians, 18 and younger, from across the state.
Commenting on the high standards and outstanding talent exhibited by the young artists, FBSO competition chairperson Janet Larke said, “Classical music, with these young champions, is very obviously alive and well!”
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About the Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra
The Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra (FBSO), founded in 1992, enriches the lives of Fort Bend residents and surrounding areas with live symphonic music presented by its volunteer members. The full-size orchestra, complete with brass, woodwinds, strings and percussion, represents an abundant cross-section of local talent, most of whom reside in the Fort Bend area. FBSO also fosters student musicians through sponsorship of an annual Young Artist Concerto Competition that includes a cash prize for the winner and the opportunity to perform with the Orchestra.
