Three ensembles from the Great Neck South High chamber music program have been selected as winners of the Long Island regional high school chamber music competition and will perform in the second annual Long Island Regional Young Musicians Concert on Wednesday, Feb. 7, at 11 a.m. at the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts at LIU Post.
The three chamber ensembles consist of Susan Fendt (soprano), Eli Goldberger (clarinet) and Soyoung Park (piano) performing Schubert’s Der Hirt auf dem Felsen, “The Shepherd on the Rock,” D. 965; Samuel Levine (flute I), Christiana Claus (flute II) and Benjamin T. Rossen (piano) performing Doppler’s Andante et Rondo, Op. 25 for Two Flutes and Piano; and Andersen Gu (alto saxophone) and Benjamin T. Rossen (piano) performing the pianist’s original composition, “Rossen—A Conversation with Piano and Alto Saxophone,” which is a national finalist in the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Composition Competition and has won both the New York State and the Eastern Division levels of the competition.
Only eight ensembles from Long Island were selected to perform in this year’s concert. To be considered for the Young Musicians Program, a competition first offered by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center last year, high school chamber music ensembles are invited to submit applications with audio or video recordings through their school music department.
Selected ensembles are eligible to receive an invitation to the Young Musicians Concert at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center. Last year, the only ensemble from Long Island selected to perform at the concert came from Great Neck South.
The South High chamber music program is coordinated by Michael Schwartz, performing arts department chair/instrumental teacher, and Dr. Janine Robinson, vocal teacher. The department thanks Dr. David Manuel, English department chair, for his assistance teaching the German diction for Der Hirt auf dem Felsen, “The Shepherd on the Rock,” D. 965.
