Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra Announces Stanger Audition Winner

The winners of the Dr. Robert Stanger Young Artists Audition for 2020, held at Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church in Elmhurst on February 15, have been announced. Conducted by the Elmhurst Symphony Association and sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Elmhurst and the former Auxiliary of the ESO through its Eunice B. Sidener Scholarship, this 50th anniversary competition showcased 16 outstanding high school musicians from several of the Chicago suburbs. Special thanks go to this year's judges, Ashley Fitzwater, Ian Fitzwater, and Patrick Godon, who spent many hours listening to and critiquing these spectacular young performers, choosing four winners:

First Place: Shivshankar Prasad, piano

Piano Concerto No. 1, 3rd Movement, by Tchaikovsky

9th Grade, James B. Conant High School, Hoffman Estates

Teacher: Dr. Soyoung Kee

Second Place: William Tan, cello

Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104, 1st Movement 1, by Dvořák

9th Grade, University of Chicago Laboratory School, Chicago

Teacher: Hans Jensen

Third Place: Mia Wimbiscus, cello

Theme and (four) Variations on a Roccoco Theme for Cello, by Tchaikovsky

10th Grade, New Trier High School, Winnetka

Teacher: Hans Jensen

Fourth Place: Elinor Detmer, violin

Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64, 1st Movement, by Mendelssohn

10th Grade, home-schooled

Teacher: Almita Vamos

Honorable Mention: Abigail Park, violin

Violin Concerto No. 5 in A minor, 1st Movement, by Vieutemps

10th Grade, Glenbrook High School, Northbrook

Teacher: Almita Vamos

Stanger Audition first-place winner Shivshankar Prasad will perform with the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra at a subscription concert during its 2020-21 season. Other winners will perform for Kiwanis and other local groups in the next few months. Thanks go to Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church and staff for the use of the church and their able assistance and to the dedicated Symphony volunteers who made the event possible: Bruce Forbush, Becca Anderson, Sue Coons, Lorraine Freeman, Mary Grether, Linda Kozak, Irmgard Olson, Lou Saville, and Cynthia Krainc. The Symphony is especially grateful to the Stanger Audition’s main sponsor, the Elmhurst Kiwanis Club, for its long-time support and to the Stanger Audition’s coordinator, Michael Surratt, for organizing the event. Thanks also go to the Elmhurst Symphony Auxiliary’s Eunice B. Sidner Scholarship Fund for sponsoring the fourth-place winner. For more information, call the Symphony office at (630) 941-0202 or visit www.elmhurstsymphony.org.