2018 Prizewinners
DAJJ QUARTET
GOLD MEDALISTS
Daniel Tai, violin (Hilliard, OH)
Anna Linder, violin (Westerville, OH)
Julian Tugaoen, viola (Westerville, OH)
Jackson Tomsic, cello (Delaware, OH)
DAJJ Quartet - The DAJJ Quartet was formed in Fall 2015 at the Chamber Music Connection (CMC). The DAJJ Quartet consists of violinists Daniel Tai (15) and Anna Linder (14), cellist Jackson Tomsic (17) and violist Julian Tugaoen (15). The name DAJJ comes from combining the first letters of each member’s first name. The DAJJ Quartet has worked with CMC guest artists including Jinjoo Cho, Dmitry Kouzov, Peter Salaff, Erika Eckert, Hayley Wolfe, and Cavani Quartet. They have performed in side-by-side residencies at CMC with the Neave Trio, Dover, Calidore, KASA, Hausmann, and Doric Quartets. The DAJJ Quartet was named the 2017 Grand Prize winner of the Discover National Chamber Music Competition, won the Bronze medal at the 2017 Saint Paul String Quartet Competition, and received an Honorable Mention at the 2017 Ohio String Teachers Association Chamber Music Competition. Recently, DAJJ received the 3rd Prize at the 2018 Coltman Chamber Music Competition in Austin, TX and 2nd Prize at the Ohio String Teachers Association Chamber Music Competition in Columbus, OH. This May, DAJJ will travel to South Bend, IN to compete in the quarter-finals of the 45th Annual Fischoff Competition.
DAJJ Quartet plays Shostakovich 10 mvt.2
DAJJ Quartet plays Beethoven Op.95 mvt.4
2018 SPSQC Program Book
KAIROS STRING QUARTET
SILVER MEDALISTS
Joshua Brown, violin/viola (Gurnee, IL)
Julian Rhee, violin/viola (Brookfield, WI)
Thompson Wang, violin (Glenview, IL)
Lydia Rhea, cello (Fishers, IN)
The Kairos String Quartet, coached by Rodolfo Vieira, is comprised of Joshua Brown (violin/viola), Julian Rhee (violin/viola), Thompson Wang (violin), and Lydia Rhea (cello). “Kairos”, the decisive time for opportunity and action, captures the essence of ambition and boldness found in these four young artists. Joshua, Julian, and Thompson all study violin with Almita and Roland Vamos, while Lydia studies cello with Hans Jensen, and all four students are scholarship recipient Fellows at the Music Institute of Chicago Academy, a pre-college training program for gifted musicians. As solo and chamber musicians, they have been top prize winners in local, national and international competitions, and the experience between them includes performances at prestigious venues around the world, as well as appearances on both television and radio. Joshua is a recipient of the Stradivari Society of Chicago, has won top prizes at multiple international competitions, and has performed with dozens of orchestras, including both the Cleveland Orchestra and the Chicago Civic Orchestra. Julian is the first prize winner of the 2018 Johansen International Competition, a finalist winner of the National YoungArts Foundation, and a U.S. Presidential Scholar candidate. Thompson, a recipient of the ChiMei Culture Foundation, has performed as a soloist with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and the San Fernando Valley Symphony, among others, and has appeared in tours across Europe and North America. Lydia has performed as a soloist with the Indianapolis and Muncie Symphony Orchestras and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, among others, and has been featured on WFMT’s Introductions. The Kairos Quartet brings these young musicians together from across the U.S. - Joshua is from Illinois, Julian comes from Wisconsin, Thompson comes from California, and Lydia is from Indiana. While newly formed this year, the Kairos Quartet has already been featured in a live broadcast of WFMT’s Introductions, won First Prize at the Rembrandt Chamber Players Chamber Music Competition, and was named the Rembrandt Young Artists for 2018.
Kairos String Quartet plays Mendelssohn Quartet Op.80 mvt.1
Kairos String Quartet plays Ginastera Quartet No.1 mvt.1
BEAR QUARTET
BRONZE MEDALISTS
Rachel Call, violin (Provo, UT)
Ellen Hayashi, violin (Salt Lake City, UT)
Abby Smith, viola (Riverton, UT)
Benson Marshall, cello (Lehi, UT)
The Bear Quartet is part of the chamber program at the Gifted Music School in Salt Lake City where they are coached by Anne Francis Bayless, Rainer Eudeikis and Eugene Watanabe. The quartet has performed in masterclasses for Laurie Smukler of the Juilliard School, the Horszowski Trio, and Sal Kardan and Micah Yui of the Colburn School. In addition to the St. Paul competition, they were chosen to compete in this year’s WDAVS, PCM and Fischoff competitions. In March of this year, they were awarded the gold medal at the Pasadena Chamber Music Competition as well as winning the Utah Symphony Youth Guild annual competition. They are generously supported by grants from the Moody Foundation and the Dorothy and Richard Starling Foundation. The members of the quartet are Rachel Call (violin), Ellen Hayashi (violin), Abby Smith (viola), and Benson Marshall (cello).
Bear Quartet plays Mendelssohn Quartet in A minor