BOSTON – A number of talented young musicians in Massachusetts were given the unique opportunity to perform with the Boston Pops Tuesday night.
After competing against dozens of Greater Boston’s most talented high school students in the Fidelity Investments Young Artists Competition, only five winners were selected as musicians in a performance with the Pops.
Young artists bring different backgrounds to Boston Pops
17-year-old Dilzafer Singh from Hopkinton duetted with a Pops clarinetist while playing the Tabla drums, a North Indian classical instrument.
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Together, the duo performed a South Indian raga at the Boston Pops performance.
“We have elements from both north and south of India, as well as from east and west,” Singh said. “It’s really a confluence of all these different cultures.”
Finding comfort in music
The concert’s global reach continues with Wakefield’s 18-year-old Lazar Kaminsky, who plays cello and is home-schooled. His family has ties to Russia, Ukraine and Israel.
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Despite the international conflicts of recent years, Kaminsky says he finds comfort in playing music.
“There are people now who disagree about everything, but I think music is a language where you can’t really argue,” Kaminsky said. “All you can do is enjoy the music.”
Another finalist, 18-year-old Jiyu Oh on violin, wowed the audience with her impressive virtuoso showpiece of “Waxman: Carmen Fantasie.” She attends Walnut School for the Arts, an independent boarding school in Natick.
Boston Arts Academy jazz duo Su Yavuz on piano and Brian Washington on drums were “blown away” when selected as finalists.
Even though Washington’s parents met while attending Berklee College of Music, he never thought about having one Boston Pops’ being a finalist would be a given for him.
When the pair auditioned for the Boston Pops, they initially didn’t think their jazz piece would fit there because it would be played by the orchestra.
“When we won, we were so excited,” Yavuz said.
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‘So grateful for this opportunity’
18-year-old Yavuz grew up watching her idols perform at Symphony Hall on YouTube, but never imagined she would perform there at a young age.
“It feels great,” she said. “I am so grateful for this opportunity.”
Conductor Keith Lockhart believes that this special evening will stay with the young musicians for life.
“No matter what life throws at them and what direction they take, they will be game-changers,” he said. “They’re going to be important people.”
WBZ is proud to be the official media partner for the Fidelity Investments Youth Artists Competition
Paula Ebben
