High School Musicians Win Competition and will Perform May 22

MARLBOROUGH — The Friends of the Marlborough Public Library have announced the
winners of the 22nd annual Anick Young People’s Performing Arts Festival
Competition. These talented high school musicians will perform at a
public concert on Wednesday, May 22, 2019 at 7:00 PM in Bigelow
Auditorium at the Marlborough Public Library.
The four winning musicians are:

Timothy Coffey is a junior at North Middlesex Regional High School where he
plays in the Wind Symphony and the Jazz Ensemble under the direction of
Greg Harris. In February 2019 he toured the Czech Republic as the
Principal Clarinetist of the Worcester Youth Symphony Orchestra,
conducted by Jonathan Brennand. He is also a member of the WYO Honors
Chamber Music Quintet. Timothy auditioned for and was accepted into the
MMEA All-State Festival this year, received All-State recommendations as
a freshman and sophomore and played in the CDMMEA Festivals for the
past five years. Additionally, Timothy plays in the Indian Hill Wind
Ensemble under the direction of Jason Bielik who is his private tutor.
He also has private lessons with Kim Lapointe. He is currently in the
Winchendon Winds, a professional concert band for Winchendon and the
Monadnock Region. In the summers, Timothy enjoys playing in his hometown
with the Townsend Military Band. He plans to major in Music Education
and Clarinet Performance and is honored to be a finalist in this
festival.

Born and raised in Massachusetts, Katherine Yang started playing the violin when she was six years old and has studied with Bo Youp Hwang for her entire music career. At age 10, she joined
the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra (BYSO) Program, where she has been a
member of various orchestras, including 3 years in the top orchestra.
This past summer, she embarked on a tour of Germany with the BYSO, where
she performed at the Gewandhaus and other world-renowned concert halls
and attended the Bach Festival. She participated in the Western
Festivals in 2013 and 2014. Katherine is a junior at Westborough High
School, where she has participated in the chamber orchestra, string
ensemble, and honor’s string quartet. She actively participates in the
Tri-M Music Honor Society, where she provides service to the music
community. She has played in the District Orchestra and All State music
festivals every year since seventh grade.

Matthew Pearl is a senior at Marlborough High School and will be graduating this June. He
started clarinet in fourth grade and picked up tenor saxophone in sixth
grade. In high school, Matt started getting really into playing the
saxophone and jazz music. He has been a member of the MHS Wind and Jazz
Ensemble, as well as the drum major of the marching band. Matt played in
the Claflin Youth Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble and won the
concerto competition. He was a member of the Central District Jazz Band
sophomore year through senior year and was selected for the
Massachusetts All State Jazz Band in his sophomore and senior years.
Matt performed at the Newport Jazz Festival and Symphony Hall with the
All State band. At the MAJE (Massachusetts Association of Jazz
Education) festival, Matt won the overall MVP junior and senior years.
Besides music, Matt likes to play basketball and socialize with friends
in his free time. This fall, he will be attending NYU or The University
of Hartford for jazz studies.

Justin Wang is a ninth grader from Northborough. He has been playing piano for ten years and currently studies with Helena Vesterman. He is a winner of the 2018 MTNA
Massachusetts Junior Piano Competition, Music Worcester Youth Artist
Competition and MMTA Bay State Contest. Justin also plays violin with
the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras and participated in this year’s
All-State Orchestra. Besides music, he enjoys running cross-country,
doing math, and playing tennis in his spare time.

Friends of the MPL Music Chair Bonnie Cochran congratulates the 2019 winners and
competition participants for their hard work and enthusiasm, saying, “It
was a treat to hear all of the contenders. The judges and I were
impressed by the high level of musicianship at this year’s competition,
and settling on winners was no easy task.”

Don’t miss the upcoming Anick Young People’s Performing Arts Festival Concert on
Wednesday, May 22, 2019 at 7:00 PM at the Marlborough Public Library’s
Bigelow Auditorium. The concert is free and open to the public.

The Anick Young People’s Performing Arts Festival Competition and Concert
began in 1997 to support and recognize young instrumental musicians in
the Greater Marlborough area and provide them with a recital performance
opportunity. Each year high school age musicians audition before a
panel of 3 distinguished judges in March. The judges select 3-5
performers to present a program on the Young People’s Performing Arts
Festival Concert and receive a cash prize. The competition and concert
are named in honor of the founder of the Young People’s Performing Arts
Festival Concerts, Connie Anick, who served as the Music Chair for the
Friends of the MPL from 1997-2007.

For more information about the Friends of the MPL, visit www.mpl-friends.org.