Hershey Symphony Announces Dual Winners In Fourth Annual Young Artist Competition

HERSHEY, PA – On March 7, 2004, the Hershey Symphony Orchestra held its fourth annual Young Artist Competition at Elizabethtown College.  Among the finalists were seven talented musicians.Clare Semes on violin and Julie Sheriff on piano were named this year’s Young Artist Competition winners.

Clare Semes, on violin, performed Max Bruch’s Concerto in G minor – Finale.  Clare is 12 years old and is home schooled.  She is a former student of Geraldine Rice and is now a student of Kimberly Fisher, Principal Second Violin with the Philadelphia Orchestra.  As a recipient of a Starling Scholarship, Clare participates in the Temple Music prep program and plays in the Youth Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Luis Biava.  In June of 2003, she performed as soloist with the Strings International Music Festival at the Kimmel Center as part of the Absolutely Mozart Festival.  In May 2002, Clare participated in the National Suzuki Orchestra in Minnesota.

Julia Sheriff performed the Second Piano Concerto in G minor by Saint Saens.  Her passion for music began at the age of six when she learned scales and simple tunes from her father and from a neighbor, Mary Elizabeth Thompson.  At the age of 8, she began learning classical piano music with Robert Rimm of Chronos Studios.  During the Fall of 2002, she auditioned at the Temple University Preparatory Music Division to gain acceptance into a sonata class where she has been able to learn sonatas with a serious, young violinist.  She was subsequently given a scholarship, also at Temple, to study with Dr. Charles Abramovic.  Julia’s current music teachers are Dr. Abramovic and Robert Rimm for theory, ear training and composition, and Mory Behar for jazz.

In 2002, Julia performed the Tchaikovsky Concerto with the Orchestra Society of Philadelphia and with the Olney Symphony.  In 2001, she played Mendelssohn’s First Piano Concerto with the Orchestra Society of Philadelphia and the Tchaikovsky with the Ambler Symphony.  She was awarded honorable mention in last year’s Pennsylvania Music Teacher’s Association student piano competition. This past November, Julia performed the Carnival of the Animals with the York Symphony under the direction of Dr. Robert Baker. She also performed in two concerts in Calvin Hall this winter. Julia is also a finalist of the 2004 Pottstown Orchestra’s Kathryn E. MacPhail Young Artist Competition.

Last year Julia was a finalist in Philadelphia Orchestra’s Albert M. Greenfield Student Competition, the Pottstown Orchestra’s Kathryn E. MacPhail Young Artist Competition, and the Hershey Symphony Youth Competition. In April 2003, Julia was the featured soloist with the Philharmonic of Southern New Jersey. She also had the opportunity to play Mozart’s Ninth Piano Concerto in E flat Major with the Independence Symphony of Philadelphia in June of last year.

The purpose of the Hershey Symphony Orchestra Society is to foster, promote and increase the musical knowledge and appreciation of the general public and volunteer musicians, by operating and maintaining a symphony orchestra and presenting performances of music.  For more information, please contact the box office at (717) 533-8449 or visit our website at www.hersheysymphony.org.