Pearl Amster Youth Concerto Competition

The Pearl Amster Youth Concerto Competition spotlights exceptional young musicians, eighteen years of age or younger, from the central Texas area. It is named in honor of the long-time dedication of Pearl and Gustav Amster in furthering the growth and development of performance opportunities for budding musicians.

Students submit recorded audition recordings each fall, and a panel of judges selects 20 finalists for a day of live auditions in January. At the live auditions, students perform their piece for three judges. From this group the top performers are selected as winners. The number of winners varies each year and is dependent largely on length of compositions, ACO concert programming considerations and the rehearsal period.

This concert features this year’s winners performing as soloists with the Austin Civic Orchestra. In addition, the winners also receive a college scholarship funded by an endowment from the Webber Family Foundation and administered by the Austin Community Foundation.

2012 Amster Winners 

Dongsoo Cha, age 16, is a junior at Westwood High School and plays with the school orchestra as well as Chamber Music in Public Schools (CHAMPS).  He is a three time member of TMEA All State Orchestra and has won numerous awards and competitions including the Pearl Amster Youth Concerto Competition in 2010, Austin Symphony Youth Awards in 2012, and most recently, 1st place in the String Division at the 2012 TASO Juanita Miller Concerto Competition. He attended the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival in the summer of 2011 where he studied with Kevin Lawrence.  Currently, he is studying with Dr. Vincent Frittelli and has aspirations of becoming a professional musician.  He likes reading, golfing, skiing, piano, and making music with his sister.  He will perform the Violin Concerto No. 3 in B minor, Op. 61 - Allegro non troppo by Camille Saint-Saëns.

Rebecca Chen, age 14, showed a strong passion for music at an early age. Her formal training began at the age of eight; and at the age of eleven, she performed in Carnegie Hall as part of a winner's recital. Rebecca has garnered awards in many festivals and competitions. Some of her most recent awards include first prizes in the Schedler Piano Contest, ADMTA Solo Contest, and Austin Youth Symphony Auditions. She 5ecently performed as a soloist with the Austin Symphony Orchestra. Rebecca studies piano with Matthew McLaughlin. Besides her musical work, Rebecca also enjoys varied interests such as swimming, track, volleyball, basketball, art, Drill Team, and Color Guard. She is currently a ninth grader at Westwood High School.  She will perform the Piano Concerto No. 2  in F minor, Op. 21 - Maestoso by Frédéric Chopin.

Collin Turner, 18, began his musical studies in violin at age 5 and piano at age 9.  Currently a high school senior, Collin comes with a wealth of personal experience in violin and piano.  He has been selected a member of the Texas All-State Orchestra for three consecutive years. He is currently concertmaster of a youth orchestra and has performed as violin solist on a number of occasions.  In 2005, he was chosen as one of thirteen advanced string students to perform concerts in China as a cultural exchange enrichment.  Collin has participated in numerous music camps, festivals, and master classes throught the U.S. Among other things, Collin is very involved in his community, teaching group music theory classes and private violin lessons to local homeschoolers.  He has earned the rank of Eagle Scout for his leadership project for children at the Ronald McDonald House Charities.  Collin would like to attend a music conservatory at a major university to study Violin Performance in the fall of 2012. He will perform the Scottish Fantasy in E-flat major, Op. 46 - Finale; Allegro guerriero by Max Bruch.

Edward Wang, age 14, is a freshman at McNeil High School. He began playing violin at the age of 8 years old and is now currently studying with Alexander Serafimov. Edward has made the All-Region Orchestra the past three years.  In 2010, Edward, his brother, and two friends formed the 8va String Quartet, which was awarded the top prize in the Asian American Challenge Cup Chamber Music Division. This year, Edward has been chosen to be in the top (symphony) All-State Orchestra as a freshman in high school, as well as being a finalist in the Austin Symphony Orchestra Competition.  Edward has also been an accomplished pianist.  He has won numerous awards such as winner of the Austin Symphony Youth Awards Competition, the Asian/American Challenge Cup competition, Texas State University’s Young Artist Competition, and several ADMTA Solo Contests. Other than music, Edward also likes to play basketball and football and currently plays on the McNeil High School basketball team.  He will perform the Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26 - Finale: Allegro energico by Max Bruch.

Runner up Winner

Hesoo Cha, age 13, is an 8th grader at Canyon Vista Middle School. She participates in the school's orchestra and Chamber Music in Public Schools (CHAMPS) program. She is a three time member of the TMEA Region-26 Orchestra and has won numerous honors and awards, including the Asian-American Community Partnership Challenge Cup  Junior Division and has played at the Long Center.  Currently, she studies with Dr. Vincent Frittelli.  She enjoys reading, piano, friends, and playing duets with her brother.  Her competition piece was the Violin Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 22 - Allegro moderato by Henryk Wieniawski.

Runner up Special Artist

Anna Henselman, age 10, is a fourth grade home school student.  She comes from a family of musicians and enjoys playing ensemble music with her many siblings. Her competitive awards include national, state, and local honors. She has earned multiple prizes in the United States Open Music Competition in California and the Debose National Piano Competition in Louisiana.  She has been a winner in the Texas State University Piano Competition, the McLennan Community College Competition, and the ADMTA Solo Contest.  In addition to here musical pursuits, Anna enjoys cooking and loves hiking each summer with her family in the Rockies.  Her competition piece was the Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major, Op. 102 - Allegro by Dmitri Shostakovich.
 

Past Winners



Notable past winners include the following:
  • Violinist Eri Lee Lam, who won the first Pearl Amster Competition in 1984 at the age of 17, is now Violin Professor and Chamber Music Director at Southwestern University in Georgetown.
  • Trumpeter Bob Cannon, who won in 1988 at the age of 17, plays with the Austin Symphony.
  • Pianist Angela Alonzo, who won in 1993 and 1994 at the ages of 16 and 17, respectively, was featured on NPR's From the Top series. Angela had her Carnegie Hall debut in January 2002.
  • Pianist Chris Guzman, who won in 1995 at the age of 14, received his bachelor's and master's degree  from Julliard, his artist diploma from the New England Conservatory of Music and is currently working on his DMA at the University of Texas at Austin. Chris also is touring and has performed in Tokyo twice and with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.
  • Violinist Carrie Rodriguez, who won in 1995 and 1996, attended Oberlin Conservatory of Music and is a graduate of the Berklee School of Music in Boston. She is currently touring and has a hit CD with Chip Taylor.
  • Pianist Katie Frank, who won in 1999 at the age of 18, was accepted into the finals of the Pinault International Piano Competition in New York. Katie also performed a solo recital at Carnegie Hall.
  • Violinist Warren Hood, who won in 2000 at the age of 18, is the son of violinist Champ Hood, who toured with Lyle Lovett. Warren has performed with Charlie Robinson, the Austin Symphony, and the South Austin Jug band. Warren is also a frequent guest artist of musician Tish Hinojosa.
  • Pianist Mary Elizabeth Box, who won in 2003 at the age of 18, is a student at the Eastman School of Music, majoring in piano performance.