Young Artist Competition
The Starlight Symphony Orchestra is hosting a solo competition and invites outstanding musical youth to compete. The top performers will be selected as the featured soloists with the Starlight Symphony Orchestra and will perform at the Young Artist Concerts.
The solo competition is open to all orchestral instruments including brass, percussion, piano, strings, and woodwinds. Suitable pieces are solo works that are intended to be performed with orchestral accompaniment. Examples of such pieces are a movement of a concerto, or one, two, or three movements of a suite, divertimento, or concertina. Students performing slow movements may want to also include a contrasting fast movement. Time length of your selection should not exceed 15 minutes.
2024 Audition
Our Young Artist Competition live audition will take place on January 6, 2024 at Huston-Tillotson University in Austin. This competition is open to all youth musicians through high school age. Winner(s) will receive a $500 scholarship, a certificate and an opportunity to perform a solo with Starlight Symphony Orchestra on March 1 & 3, 2024.
For questions, please contact Todd Sloan at youngartist@starlightsymphony.
Congratulations to our 2022 Young Artist Competition Winners!
Brayden Cheang
Brayden Cheang, age 13, is an 8th grader at West Ridge Middle School in Austin. Brayden began piano studies with Dr. Susan Groves at the age of 5. He was awarded Grand Prix in the IV International Chopin Piano Competition organized by Gloria Artis in Vienna (2022), First Prize in Neapolitan Masters International Piano Competition (2020), Gold Prize in the World Piano Teachers Association Finland International Piano Competition (2020), Gold Medalist and winner of Outstanding Nocturne and Jan Ekier awards “The Best Performance of the Most Difficult Piece” in the Chopin Society of Houston Eleventh International Youth Piano Competition (2019), First Prize and Exceptional Young Musician Special Prize in the Golden Classical Music Award (2019), First Prize in International Piano Talents Competition Milano, Italy (2019), and First Place in the Rochelle Liebling Kahan Memorial Fund Competition for Child Piano Prodigies (2018). He was also a prize winner in Henle Piano Competition (2021), Chicago International Music Competition and Festival (2020), Bradshaw and Buono International Piano Competition (2020), and Steinway Piano Competition (2018). Locally, he was the First-Place winner in numerous piano contests organized by Austin District Music Teachers Associations, including Solo Contest (2015-2017) and Scholarship Contest (2016-17, 2019-22).
Besides playing the piano, Brayden enjoys skiing, playing football, swimming and hanging out with his friends.
Joshua Henselman
Joshua Henselman is a sixteen-year-old sophomore at Veritas Academy and has studied piano since he was five. He enjoys many genres, including all classical music, film scores, musicals, and pop music. For three years, he has been the captain of the Veritas drum line, leading the drum line in earning several top state honors at TAPPS competitions. He plays a wide variety of percussion instruments in the Veritas percussion ensemble.
Joshua has earned many awards locally, state-wide, and nationally. These awards include top prizes in the Fort Bend Marielle Ogletree Young Artist Concerto Competition, DeBose National Piano Competition, TMTA State Performance Contest, Steinway Piano Gallery Concerto Competition, ADMTA Solo Contest, ADMTA Scholarship Contest, Baylor/Waco Piano Competition, and Blinn College Competition. Joshua also enjoys collaborative playing. As an eighth-grade student, he accompanied a full-length production of The Greatest Showman presented by the Veritas high school drama troupe. This spring, he will provide the piano/orchestral reduction accompaniment for the Veritas drama departments musical production of Into the Woods. He accompanies other student instrumentalists for competitions and festivals and regularly collaborates with other pianists in duets, duos, trios, and quartets.
In addition to his musical endeavors, Joshua also enjoys spending time outdoors. He especially enjoys hiking in the Colorado Rockies and playing football, frisbee, and table tennis. He pursues a rigorous course load at Veritas Academy, planning a STEM-heavy graduation plan. He also
works as a member of the custodial staff for his school.
Joshua’s primary instructor is Peggy DeArmond (Naples, Idaho), with support from his previous teacher, Jeannie DeArmond-Henselman. He is self-driven, often selecting his own repertoire and defining his own ambitions. Performing the Prokofieff Piano Concerto No. 2 has been his dream for many years. Having performed the first movement of Prokofieff 2 with the Fort Bend Symphony in March 2022, he is thrilled to collaborate with the Starlight Symphony on the third movement of this marvelous concerto.
Adrian Fisher
Adrian Fisher, age 14, is a freshman at Dripping Springs High School. He started playing cello at the age of 5. Melissa Solomon has been his cello teacher since he was in 5th grade. He was a member of the Austin Youth Orchestra from 2016 to 2020. Recently, he received a superior rating for UIL Region Solo and Ensemble and he will participate in UIL All State Solo and Ensemble in May. He was named 2nd chair for TMEA All-Region High School Orchestra in 2022. He was also named 2nd chair for TMEA All-Region Middle School Orchestra in 2021.
Adrian is currently a member of Dripping Springs High School Camerata orchestra, their top orchestra, under the direction of Dr. Jessica Gilliam-Valls. He is also a member of Melissa Solomon’s studio cello choir and cello quartet.
In addition to cello, he plays piano and he has been working on composing music. He loves to visit Japan during the school summer break and helps his grandmother with grape and apple orchards and enjoys hiking mountains there.
Congratulations to our 2022 Young Artist Competition Winners!
Brayden Cheang
Brayden Cheang, age 13, is an 8th grader at West Ridge Middle School in Austin. Brayden began piano studies with Dr. Susan Groves at the age of 5. He was awarded Grand Prix in the IV International Chopin Piano Competition organized by Gloria Artis in Vienna (2022), First Prize in Neapolitan Masters International Piano Competition (2020), Gold Prize in the World Piano Teachers Association Finland International Piano Competition (2020), Gold Medalist and winner of Outstanding Nocturne and Jan Ekier awards “The Best Performance of the Most Difficult Piece” in the Chopin Society of Houston Eleventh International Youth Piano Competition (2019), First Prize and Exceptional Young Musician Special Prize in the Golden Classical Music Award (2019), First Prize in International Piano Talents Competition Milano, Italy (2019), and First Place in the Rochelle Liebling Kahan Memorial Fund Competition for Child Piano Prodigies (2018). He was also a prize winner in Henle Piano Competition (2021), Chicago International Music Competition and Festival (2020), Bradshaw and Buono International Piano Competition (2020), and Steinway Piano Competition (2018). Locally, he was the First-Place winner in numerous piano contests organized by Austin District Music Teachers Associations, including Solo Contest (2015-2017) and Scholarship Contest (2016-17, 2019-22).
Besides playing the piano, Brayden enjoys skiing, playing football, swimming and hanging out with his friends.
Adrian Fisher
Adrian Fisher, age 14, is a freshman at Dripping Springs High School. He started playing cello at the age of 5. Melissa Solomon has been his cello teacher since he was in 5th grade. He was a member of the Austin Youth Orchestra from 2016 to 2020. Recently, he received a superior rating for UIL Region Solo and Ensemble and he will participate in UIL All State Solo and Ensemble in May. He was named 2nd chair for TMEA All-Region High School Orchestra in 2022. He was also named 2nd chair for TMEA All-Region Middle School Orchestra in 2021.
Adrian is currently a member of Dripping Springs High School Camerata orchestra, their top orchestra, under the direction of Dr. Jessica Gilliam-Valls. He is also a member of Melissa Solomon’s studio cello choir and cello quartet.
In addition to cello, he plays piano and he has been working on composing music. He loves to visit Japan during the school summer break and helps his grandmother with grape and apple orchards and enjoys hiking mountains there.
