By all accounts, it was the social event of the year in Conroe, Texas. Under the watchful eye of President & CEO, Susie Pokorski, along with her husband, Jim Pokorski, the group’s founder, the Young Texas Artists organization is now in its third very wonderful decade of encouraging and spotlighting the finest young college and university musicians in the Lone Star State.
It all came together again last Saturday night during the “Finalists’ Concert and Awards” of the annual Young Texas Artists Music Competition. The talented contestants would be either native born Texans, or students from other parts of the country that have come to Texas to continue their music studies.
But first would be the much-anticipated barbecue party for all the supporters of this yearly YTA fundraiser. Held each year in an enormous air-conditioned Grand Pavilion erected on the street right in front of the theater, guests are treated to an open bar, along with the finest Texas barbecue and all the trimmings. That meal was highlighted by dancing to the country-flavored music of the Highway 105 Band, as well as a live auction which raised thousands more for the YTA organization. Then it was time for the guests to move to the theater across the street for the Contest of Finalists, featuring the eight performers who had survived their week of preliminary assessment by a panel of distinguished judges that included Jeremy Benson, Professor of Music at Jacksonville State University, Derek Hartman, from Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University, Bradley Mansell of the Nashville Symphony, Roger Pines from Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music, Voice & Opera, and Maria Schleuning, a member of the Dallas Symphony since 1994. The talented Collaborative Pianists that accompanied each of the contestants included Eliza Ching, Allison Brewster Franzetti, Zhohan Wang, Shannon Hesse and Tingting Yao.
Master of Ceremonies for the evening was popular radio and television broadcaster, St. John Flynn, known for his Houston area work as classical music director for KUHF-FM and Classical 91.7 FM, as well as Director of Arts & Culture for Houston Public Media. In the spirit of “the Show must go on,” the light-hearted Mr. Flynn proved he could amusingly think on his feet when a large vase of flowers, decorating the podium from which he was speaking, suddenly toppled over, noisily crashing on the stage floor. When the intermission mop-up was concluded, he returned to the stage to share with the audience an amusing little original limerick he had written to commemorate the occasion.
Then it was on to the much-awaited performances of the eight finalists. First up was young Hunter O’Brien, with a truly dazzling performance of Claude-Paul Taffanel’s “Fantasy on Der Freischütz for flute & orchestra.” His shining silver instrument would seem to be a magic wand in the hands of a Pied Piper. With a near-hypnotic effect, his delicate transitions between sections of the piece left the clear impression that the music was telling us a story. His breath control, between segments that were rapid-fire and those that were more quietly seductive, was most amazing, and his fluid body motion would have him sometimes rising gracefully up on one toe as if he was about to take flight and rise up above the stage. As it concluded, a gentleman seated across the aisle from me leaned over beaming and announced to me, “I have never seen a flute played like that before in my entire life!” I couldn’t agree more. It was a memorable performance that would win Mr. O’Brien the Gold Medal and the five-thousand dollar First Prize in the “Wind, Brass, Percussion, Harp and Guitar” category.
Cellist, Cirdan Vonnahme, was the next contestant, performing the “Schelomo: Rhapsodie Hébraïque” for cello by Ernest Bloch. There was smooth and elegant bowing as he enticed all of the rich tones from his gleaming cello. With notable intensity of focus, his vigorous and exacting fingering seemed like an athletic event as he skillfully navigated the musical whiplash moments of the many variations in the piece, all the while appearing to be in total control, and very much as one with his instrument. His fine performance would win him the Gold Medal and five-thousand dollar prize for First Place in the Strings Category. But before the evening concluded, the judges would award him the competition’s Grand Prize, of an additional $5,000.00.
The third contestant was soprano Elizabeth Marlowe, who performed two selections. Looking lovely in a beautiful off-the-shoulder gown of glistening silk, she launched immediately into an equally glistening performance of Verdi’s aria, “Caro nome che il mio cor,” from the opera, Rigoletto. The purity of her voice bounced delicately through the familiar refrain, and her dizzying vocal range seemed to navigate with ease through incredibly difficult passages that culminated in the stunning finale. Her second selection was, “No word from Tom,” from Igor Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress. Her impressive vocal skills had her well-prepared to deal with the very different styles of Stravinsky’s music. With laser-like focus, she brought fearless and lashing ferocity to this dramatic scene. Her much-deserved reward would be the Silver Medal and three-thousand dollar prize for Second Place in the Voice category.
Gifted pianist, Huiqun Wu, would be the next performer. He immediately commanded the full attention of the audience with his thunderous and skillful performance of the opening to Chopin’s Piano Concerto No, 1 in E Minor, Op, 11, – I. Allegro maestoso. Then, just as skillfully, his masterful technique melted away to the musical delicacy that followed, sometimes giving the impression of gentle ocean waves breaking on the shore. Soon, he would fearlessly plunge ahead into the sometimes harrowing difficulties of the work, and then just as suddenly, moving to the gentle, sweet moments that seem to wrap their arms around the listener. The wonderful performance would win him the Silver Medal and three-thousand dollar prize for Second Place in the Piano category.
During the Intermission the audience was treated to a bonus performance from opera diva, Brennan Blankenship, a two-time former YTA Gold Medalist in 2017 & 2019. She wowed the crowd singing the beautiful “Sempre Libera,” from Verdi’s La Traviata. Then the competition resumed with another stellar performance on piano, this time from Sean Yang, who played Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in b-flat minor, Op. 23 – Allegro. Bouncing skillfully across the keys for the thrilling and familiar opening, he then dives into the body of the exciting work as it wraps its arms around the enthralled audience. The sudden and delicate changes in tempo keep us guessing what part of his piano mastery will emerge next. During the brilliantly frantic sections of the piece I was reminded of the miracle of phenomenal music memory that allows such a gifted pianist to proceed entirely without any need for sheet music. Each new level of excitement intoxicates us further, as one wonders, “Where can we go from here, on such a seemingly impossible journey?” It was a lush and rapturous trip indeed, and would earn Mr. Yang the Gold Medal and five-thousand dollar prize for First Place in the Piano category.
In an iridescent gown of elusive blue/gray that was beautifully streaked with phantom hints of rose, Mona Endo was the next performer with the Dmitri Shostakovich Violin Concerto No.1, Op. 77. The opening notes of her performance seemed to delicately drift heavenward amid ever escalating excitement that would be punctuated by unexpected whispering moments. The sudden shift to a kind of wild excitement would reveal what must have been a hidden reservoir of great strength in her slender arms as she vigorously navigated the dazzling challenges of the piece. Her fine performance would be rewarded with the Silver Medal and three-thousand dollar Second Place in the Strings category.
Diego Jaquez would then treat the audience to the unusual Concerto for Bass Tuba and Orchestra by Ralph Vaughan Williams. The deeply resonant tones quickly filled the concert hall with a kind of gentle calm, and it was immediately evident that there was much more than Oom-pah-pah available from this instrument in the hands of such a skilled musician. The performance closed at such remarkable high speed, one could not help but be amazed. It would win him the Silver Medal and three-thousand dollar prize for Second Place in the “Wind, Brass, Percussion, Harp and Guitar” category.
The evening’s final contestant would be baritone, Heechang Byun, and his performance was definitely worth waiting for. He offered two selections, beginning with “Largo al Factotum” from Rossini’s opera, Il Barbiere di Siviglia. Standing rock-solid at center stage, and in a stately pose with arms outstretched, his lusty and resounding voice commanded immediate attention. His theatrical flair combined nicely with his jolly countenance, to quickly and comically engage the appreciative audience. His playful delivery of the familiar, “Figaro, Figaro…” refrain just added to the fun during his remarkable articulation and tongue-twisting delivery of the amusing conclusion. Then, for his second offering, he delivered a spell-binding rendition of Jules Massenet’s “Vision fugitive” from Hérodiade. It was thrilling, and transported me back to Sweetwater, Texas of the 1950’s when my mother had taken this little boy to the local cinema for a screening of Mario Lanza in “The Great Caruso.” I will never forget the dramatic scene of Caruso’s on-stage death that concluded the film.* (The memorable scene is linked below). Mr. Byun’s performance was rewarded with the five-thousand dollar prize for First Place in the Strings category. Apparently the audience was as impressed as I, as it voted him the winner of the additional three-thousand dollar award as the Audience Favorite.
It was yet another memorable YTA Concert of Finalists, and the finishing touch would be the After Party back in the Grand Pavilion, where guests could sample desserts and champagne while mingling with the talented contestants, and enjoying yet another performance from Ms. Blankenship. I’m sure that somewhere in that crowd, Susie Pokorski was already planning for the details of next year’s Gala. BRAVA!
A member of both The Lambs Club Inc. and The American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA), the columns of DAVID DOW BENTLEY III have appeared on Broadway websites, in newspapers from the East Coast to the Gulf Coast, and may be viewed online at the website: www.ThePeoplesCritic.com . E-mail may be directed to ThePeoplesCritic3@gmail.com.