The Columbus Symphony Orchestra is so much more than fabulous shows, it’s also dedicated to helping the next generation of musicians.
CSO awarded local teen violinist, Cecilia Martin, the first-ever Lois H. Allen $1,000 concerto prize as winner of its 2020 Young Musicians Competition.
Martin will also have the opportunity to perform her winning piece as a soloist with the CSO at The Symphony Unplugged!, which is set for March 18 at the Ohio Theatre.
The Young Musicians Competition isn’t new, just the award. The event is now in its 67th year and provides accepts central Ohio students grades 3-12. The young musicians perform for professional feedback from the CSO and collegiate facility. Additionally, participants in grades 8-12 are eligible to compete in a concerto competition.
This year, the competition featured 88 students, 20 of which performed in the concerto event. Martin was one of those 20 students and won with her performance of Felix Mendelssohn’s Concerto in E minor, a popular violin concerto scored in 1844.
Additional finalists in the competition were violinist Mathias Koo and violinist Anna Linder.
The Symphony Unplugged! is Wednesday, March 18 at 10:30 a.m. Tickets are $5 and available in-person at the CBUSArts Ticket Center (39 E. State St.), online at www.columbussymphony.com or by phone at 614-469-0939.
About Cecilia Martin
Even though Martin is just 16 years old, the young musician has studied violin for eight years with CSO violinist Tatiana Hanna.
Last year, she joined the Starling program at the University of Cincinnati and is also an active chamber musician with the Marquis quartet through Chamber Music Connection.
Martin is no stranger to winning much-deserved awards, in January she won first place in the Ohio String Teachers’ Association Chamber Music Competition and in February was awarded an honorable mention at the Midwest national Chamber Music Competition.
Her involvement in CSO runs deep and she’s currently the co-concertmaster with its Youth Orchestra.
Martin has kept and will keep her talent strong and alive with summer festivals and camps.
Randall L. Schieber
Cecilia Martin, Mathias Koo and Anna Linder
