Finalists Named in Neale-Silva Young Artists' Competition

Wisconsin Public Radio has named ten individuals and four ensembles as finalists for its Neale-Silva Young Artists' Competition, which recognizes outstanding young Wisconsin classical performers who demonstrate an exceptionally high level of artistry.

This year's competition was open to soloists, duos, trios, quartets or quintets who are between the ages of 17 and 26, and are residents of Wisconsin, or attend a Wisconsin college or university. All instrumentalists and vocal musicians entered by sending in a tape of their abilities.

The finalists, who were selected in a preliminary judging in February, will audition before a three-judge panel March 19th at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Those auditions will determine the 2006 Wisconsin Public Radio/Neale-Silva Young Artists, who will receive a cash prize and the opportunity to perform at Wisconsin Public Radio's Neale-Silva Concert of Young Musicians April 2nd.

The concert at the Chazen Museum in Madison will be broadcast live statewide as a special edition of "Sunday Afternoon Live from the Chazen" 12:30-2 p.m. on the NPR News and Classical Music Network of Wisconsin Public Radio. It will also be streamed live from the Wisconsin Public Radio website at wpr.org

The contest is made possible by a grant from the estate of the late UW-Madison professor Eduardo Neale-Silva with additional support from Wisconsin Public Radio, the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music and J.W. Pepper & Son, which provided each finalist a gift certificate for printed music from jwpepper.com

The 2006 finalists include:

Cello: Jimmy Kang (Middleton), Middleton High School

Clarinet: Maggie Choat (Enid, OK), UW-Madison

Oboe: Justin Schwartz (Antigo), UW-Stevens Point

Piano: Katherine Campbell (Madison), UW-Madison; Laura Hauer (Fond du Lac), Lawrence University; Kayme Henkel (Johnson Creek), UW-Madison

Piano Quintet: Derek Powell (Madison), Jamie Davis (Stevens Point), Elizabeth Sanger (Wauwatosa), Kathryn Colucci, (Madison), Jessica Jordan, (Aurora, IL), all UW-Madison.

Percussion: Mike Truesdell (Verona), Lawrence University

Quintet for Brass: Avinash Mehta (Troy, MI), Charles Roberstad (Edgerton), Lelanee Sterrett (Manton, MI), Patrick Pfister (Golden Valley, MN), Jack Thurnblad (Apple Valley, MN), all UW-Madison

Saxophone - Sara Kind (Oshkosh), Lawrence University

Saxophone Quartet: Sara Kind (Oshkosh), Jacob Teichroew (Appleton), Jesse Dochnahl (Appleton), Kim Reese (Appleton), all Lawrence University

Violin: Garth Neustadter (Manitowoc), Lawrence University

Woodwind Quintet: Samantha Theuring (Racine), Justin Schwartz (Antigo), Angelina Lopez-Frank (Stevens Point), Cody Hunter (Sun Prairie), Molly Lindemann (Stevens Point), all UW-Stevens Point