The Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra (MYSO) is proud to announce Allison Brandt as the winner of the 2018 MYSO Concerto Competition. Her winning performance of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto Mvmt 1 Allegro in A Major will be performed on March 14 at 7:30 p.m. (Lewis University) and March 18 at 4 p.m. (Joliet Junior College) under the direction of Lawrence Sisk.
MYSO’s principal clarinetist Allison Brandt is a senior at Downers Grove South High School and has been studying the clarinet since she was 9 years old. She has studied with Trevor O’Riordan of the Illinois Philharmonic and Kirstin Bowers of the President’s Own.
Last year, Brandt was the principal clarinetist in the District and All-State ILMEA orchestras, and this year held second chair in the District Orchestra. She will be studying clarinet performance at Northwestern University next year. She is the recipient of the Essentially Ellington Certificate of Merit, the Michael David Samel
Spirit of Music Fund Award, Downers Grove Music Club “Rising Star” Award, the Clarence Shoemaker Band Scholarship from Downers Grove South High School, the Kowalski Scholarship from the American Wind Band, and the American Music Foundation Award for Outstanding Band Student.
“I am truly honored to be given the opportunity to perform the Mozart clarinet concerto with MYSO,” says Brandt. “I have been studying this piece extensively for about a year and a half now, but never with the orchestral accompaniment. I’m very excited to have this experience.”
MYSO had several members audition for the Concerto Competition in November, and due to the excellent audition performances, MYSO’s very own Concertmaster Julie Stanwyck of Lemont and principal oboist Mattie Levy of Bolingbrook have also been selected to perform their concerto pieces at the upcoming concerts.
“I was delighted by the results of this competition, and am very pleased to be able to feature three talented principal players from our orchestra,” remarks Music Director Lawrence Sisk.
MYSO seeks to promote and challenge talented orchestral musicians by providing an opportunity to perform repertoire of a wide variety of styles and historical periods with the goal of musical excellence. Membership in MYSO consists of junior high and high school student from Joliet and 21 surrounding communities as well as students from Lewis University and Joliet Junior College.
MYSO rehearses every Wednesday evening from late August through early
Jun at Lewis University in Romeoville. The orchestra has immediate openings in the violin and oboe sections. For more audition and upcoming concert information, please visit www.mysomusic.org.