Central Iowa Symphony Selects Top Young Artists

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Two of Iowa’s finest student musicians will be guest soloists of the Central Iowa Symphony during its upcoming February 29 concert.

Violinist Hangyul Kim, 17, a senior at Ames High School, and flutist Melanie Williams, 14, an eighth grader at Benton Community School in Newhall, were selected from 18 student performers who participated in the symphony’s Young Artists Auditions January 10 on the Iowa State University campus.

The symphony has sponsored the Young Artists auditions for more than a decade as a learning opportunity for exceptional student musicians. Each student receives a judge’s critique, and top students are selected to perform their audition piece with the full orchestra at one of the symphony’s season concerts.

Kim will perform the first movement Jean Sibelius’ Violin Concerto in D Major. Williams will perform the first movement of Mozart’s Flute Concerto No. 2 in D Major.

Central Iowa Symphony patrons may remember Kim’s performance in 2001, when she also performed with the symphony as a featured young artist. She has since been featured by the Fort Dodge Area Symphony and the Des Moines Symphony, where she was top winner in the young artist competitions.

Kim has been a member of the Iowa All-State Orchestra the past three years and selected concertmaster in 2003. Last summer she received a full scholarship to attend the summer music academy at Interlochen, Michigan and served as concertmaster for the camp’s top performance group, the World Youth Symphony Orchestra. She has studied violin for nine years and currently is a student of Mahlon Darlington.

Williams has played flute for approximately nine years. She has given several recitals with her family and has performed as a “model” student at a Suzuki conference and in two Suzuki Institute honors recitals.

In 2003, Williams won the Iowa Flute Wonders competition in Cedar Falls for her age group. She is a student of Margaret Kegel of Cedar Rapids.

The February 29 concert will begin at 3 p.m. in the Ames City Auditorium.
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