Prep Students w/ Pro Arte

NEC Preparatory Students Featured in Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra's Wunderkinds of Music Concert, November 29

Cellist Jonah Ellsworth, Pianist Daniel Kim Winners of Concerto Competition

Gunther Schuller, Pro Arte Principal Guest Conductor, to Lead Concert

Two New England Conservatory Preparatory students have been selected to appear as soloists with Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra on its Wunderkinds of Music concert, Nov. 29 at 3 p.m. in Sanders Theatre. The young musicians, who were chosen through the orchestra's second annual concerto competition, will perform under the baton of Gunther Schuller, Pro Arte's Principal Guest Conductor and former NEC President.
   
Cellist Jonah Park Ellsworth will perform the Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 1. He is 15 and attends Cambridge Rindge and Latin School where he is in the 10th grade. Jonah started playing the cello at age 5 and is currently a student of Natasha Brofsky in the NEC Prep School. He has  previously performed as cello soloist with the NEC Youth Symphony, the New England String Ensemble, the Brockton Symphony, the Wellesley Symphony, and the Nashua Chamber Orchestra. He has also appeared on the PBS TV show of the From the Top taped live in Carnegie Hall.
   
Jonah is a member of the Vivace Trio and Harlow String Quartet at NEC and the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor Benjamin Zander. He also plays in his family's piano trio with his violinist brother Paris Ellsworth and his mother Heng-Jin Park, who is a professional pianist.
   
Pianist Daniel Kim will play the Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37, first movement Allegro con brio.  He is 12 years old and a 7th grade at Jonas Clarke Middle School in Lexington. He began his musical studies at age 3 and is currently a student of Marilyn Roth at NEC Preparatory School. He also studies composition with Rodney Lister at NEC, and has composed seven piano sonatas, two string quartets, two piano quartets and two pieces for string orchestra, one of which was played at the NEC Prep Contemporary Festival in 2009.
   
An avid chamber musician, Daniel has appeared with his piano trio on NPR’s From the Top and in Jordan Hall.  In 2008, he was the youngest member of the NEC Prep Piano tour to Germany, and he performed Schumann’s Abegg Variations in recital at the Schumann House in Leipzig – an experience that was very special to him. Daniel has won numerous competitions, including first place in the 2009 NEPTA Mildred Freiburg Middle School Competition.
   
With a long history of working to improve access to musical performances, Pro Arte continues to make a difference in the lives and careers of gifted young musicians by featuring the winners of its second annual concerto competition. Concertgoers are similarly encouraged to make a difference in the community by bringing contributions for local food banks to the performances--donations which Pro Arte will deliver to provide both comfort and nourishment to those in need.

For further information on the concert, check the Pro Arte website. For information on the NEC Preparatory School, check the NEC Website.

ABOUT NEW ENGLAND CONSERVATORY

Recognized nationally and internationally as a leader among music schools, New England Conservatory offers rigorous training in an intimate, nurturing community to 720 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral music students from around the world.  Its faculty of 225 boasts internationally esteemed artist-teachers and scholars.  Its alumni go on to fill orchestra chairs, concert hall stages, jazz clubs, recording studios, and arts management positions worldwide.  Nearly half of the Boston Symphony Orchestra is composed of NEC trained musicians and faculty.

The oldest independent school of music in the United States, NEC was founded in 1867 by Eben Tourjee. Its curriculum is remarkable for its wide range of styles and traditions.  On the college level, it features training in classical, jazz, Contemporary Improvisation, world and early music. Through its Preparatory School, School of Continuing Education, and Community Collaboration Programs, it provides training and performance opportunities for children, pre-college students, adults, and seniors.  Through its outreach projects, it allows young musicians to engage with non-traditional audiences in schools, hospitals, and nursing homes—thereby bringing pleasure to new listeners and enlarging the universe for classical music and jazz.

NEC presents more than 600 free concerts each year, many of them in Jordan Hall, its world- renowned, 106-year old, beautifully restored concert hall.  These programs range from solo recitals to chamber music to orchestral programs to jazz and opera scenes.  Every year, NEC’s opera studies department also presents two fully staged opera productions at the Cutler Majestic Theatre in Boston.

NEC is co-founder and educational partner of From the Top, a weekly radio program that celebrates outstanding young classical musicians from the entire country. With its broadcast home in Jordan Hall, the show is now carried by National Public Radio and is heard on 250 stations throughout the United States.