Bernstein, Stravinsky, and Concerto Competition winners
Sunday, May 5, 2019 2:00pm
NEC’s Jordan Hall
Leonard Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
Igor Stravinsky: Firebird Suite
Ludwig van Beethoven: 1st movement from the Violin Concerto in D major
Felix Mendelssohn: 3rd movement from the Violin Concerto in E minor
About the Artists
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Francisco Noya Conductor
Francisco Noya is a prominent figure in the Boston and New England music scene, where he has earned a reputation as a versatile interpreter of symphonic and operatic literature. He served as music director of the Longwood Symphony Orchestra in Boston and Symphony by the Sea in Manchester. Mr. Noya currently serves as resident conductor of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra, where he represents the Philharmonic artistically and educationally throughout the Rhode Island community. He is also the music director of the New Philharmonia Orchestra in Newton, MA.Noya is also a respected member of the conducting faculty of the Berklee College of Music in Boston. In the fall of 2008, he began his tenure as music director of the Berklee Contemporary Symphony Orchestra, where he is actively engaged in the exploration of cutting-edge orchestral repertoire.
Noya began his professional career in his native Venezuela, as conductor of the Youth Orchestra of Valencia, one of the original ensembles of “El Sistema.” After earning advanced degrees in composition and conducting from Boston University, Noya was appointed to serve as assistant conductor of the Caracas Philharmonic and assistant to the music director of the Teatro Teresa Carreño, one of the most prestigious theaters in Latin America. Noya continued his conducting career in the United States by serving as music director of the Empire State Youth Orchestra in Albany, New York for ten seasons. During his tenure, he led the group on two European tours as well as in concerts at both Carnegie Hall in New York City and in Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood.
In the U.S., Noya has appeared as guest conductor of the Boston Pops, Baltimore, Nashville, San Antonio, and Omaha Symphony Orchestras, and the Cape Cod Symphony, among others. In addition, he has performed internationally with orchestras in Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Spain, Italy and Russia. In Venezuela, Noya has collaborated with “El Sistema,” teaching Master Classes and conducting orchestral performances throughout the country. For the past three seasons, Noya has been a guest conductor with the Orquesta Académica of Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires.
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Fei Yang-Sady Violin
Eleven year-old Fei Yang-Sady from Concord, Massachusetts is a student of Jin-Kyung Joen at the New England Conservatory and the youngest musician ever accepted into its Youth Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition to being co-winner of this year’s James R. Powers Competition, she took third prize at the 2018 Arthur Grumiaux International Violin Competition in Brussels, Belgium, and first prizes at the 2017 New England Conservatory Concerto Competition, 2016 American Fine Arts Festival, 2015 Roman Totenberg Competition, and 2015 Bay State Competition.As a soloist, Fei has performed the Wieniawski Violin Concerto No. 2 with the conservatory’s Junior Repertory Orchestra and the Mendelssohn Concerto with the Massachusetts Youth Symphony Project. She has also performed at Carnegie Hall as an American Fine Arts Festival laureate, and as a guest performer for the Goethe Institute. Recently, she participated in a masterclass with violinist Ani Kavafian.
In addition to recitals for retirement homes, schools, and socities, Fei has organized concerts to raise over two thousand dollars on behalf of the Greater Boston Food Bank, the first when she was eight years old. She has also volunteered for Open Table and Gaining Ground. Fei plays competitive field hockey, including at this year’s National Indoor Tournament in Pennsylvania. She is also an avid skier and enjoys reading and watching movies in her spare time.
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Keila Wakao Violin
Keila Wakao, age thirteen, lives in Chestnut Hill, MA and began playing the violin at age three with Jan Riggs. When Keila was six years old, the late Mr. Joseph Silverstein accepted her as a student. She currently studies with Donald Weilerstein, Soovin Kim, Anait Arutunian and Keisuke Wakao.Keila has won numerous competitions since the age of seven, including the NEC Prep Concerto Competition (2016), the New England Philharmonic Young Artist Competition (2017), the Junior Division of the Adelphie Orchestra Young Artist Competition as well as second place Overall (2018).
In November, 2017, Keila was invited to speak and perform at TEDx BeaconStreet. During the summer of 2018, she was the youngest participant in the Perlman Music Program, where she studied with Itzhak Perlman.
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