Somerville Teen Wins Concord Orchestra Young Artist Competition

SOMERVILLE, MA – A local teen has been named the 2017 winner of the Concord Orchestra Ehlers Young Artist Competition.

Nathaniel Abreu, 15, lives in Somerville and studies cello at the New England Conservatory of Music Preparatory School, according to the Somerville Journal. He will perform Kabalevsky's Cello Concerto No. 1 with the orchestra at its concerts on Friday, Jan. 27 and Saturday, Jan. 28.

Abreu will also receive a cash prize from the Ehlers Memorial Scholarship Fund.

The Ehlers Young Artist Concerto Competition is open to musicians of high school age or younger in eastern Massachusetts. Each entrant auditions to play a full concerto or similar work compatible with an orchestral performance. The winner is chosen by a panel of orchestra members and the music director.

Cello player Alan Hlozek, 17, and 8-year-old pianist Julia Zhou were named runners up. Hlozek and Zhou have been invited to play in the Friday and Saturday recitals, respectively.

Image via Steven Depolo, Flickr, used under Creative Commons