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For the eighth year running, First Act Inc. has donated scholarship funds to students
at the Heifetz International Music Institute Summer Program in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire.
First Act initially partnered with the Heifetz Institute in 2003 to provide
scholarships for summer program candidates. Together, First Act and Heifetz are
dedicated to inspiring and enabling young people to experience the joy of
making music.
All attendees and scholarship candidates are selected by the Heifetz
International Music Institute.
The 2010 winners are:
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2010 Winners, pictured from left to right: Jesus Reina, Cong Wu, Isaac Ellen, Dmitry Volkov, and Marcelo Montes.
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Jesus Reina, 23, Violin
Born in Malaga, Spain,
Jesus Reina began his musical study at the age of four. He is currently
pursuing a Master of Music degree at the Manhattan School of music, under the
tutelage of Patinka Kopec and Pinchas Zukerman.
Prior to coming to the
United States, Jesus studied at The Yehudi Menuhin School in London and the
Reina Sofia Music School in Madrid, where he received the prize for “most
outstanding violinist” from Queen Sofia of Spain. Jesus has performed with some of the most world-renowned
artists, including Pinchas Zukerman, Eiji Oue, and Valery Gergiev. He also
appeared as a soloist in the Perlman-Zukerman Gala. Jesus has performed at
the Wigmore Hall and Royal Festival Hall in London; Kursaal, Palau de Barcelona,
and Auditorio de Zaragoza in Spain; and Weill Recital Hall and Steinway Hall in
New York.
Marcelo Montes, 22, Cello
Originally from Argentina,
cellist Marcelo Montes began studying cello at the age of six and is now
studying with Christoph Henkel at the Freiburg Musikhochschule, Germany. He
joined the “Teatro del Libertador” youth symphony orchestra in 2002 as
principal cellist. Later on, he recorded a CD with the Córdoba province Tango
Orchestra and was invited to perform as a soloist with the Mercosur Symphony
Orchestra.
Marcelo was invited to
perform in the First International Cello Academy at Rutesheim including master
classes with the cellist Claudio Bohòrquez and a performance as soloist with
the “Budapest Strings” orchestra.
He was also invited to perform in the Festival de Gensac, France,
including performances as principal cellist with the Orchestre de Chambre de la
Gironde under the direction of Maestro Scott Sandmeier. Marcelo founded the
chamber orchestra “Junge Sinfonietta Freiburg.”
Isaac Allen, 13, violin
Isaac Allen began playing
violin when he was eight. By the age of eleven, he had made his solo debut with
the Boulder Youth Symphony (BYS) and was subsequently appointed its
Concertmaster. In 2008, as the youngest contestant, Isaac won the Longmont
Concerto Competition. Professor Steward and Professor Thiem, from Colorado
State University, offered Isaac a full scholarship to attend the Colorado State
University Pre-College Quartet Program. Along with this program, Isaac
received a two-day intensive training class with the world renowned Boston Borromeo
Quartet in April 2009. Currently, Isaac studies under the guidance of
Professor Bahm of Colorado University Boulder and Miss Eugenia Alikhanova, first
violinist of the Moscow Quartet. This year, Isaac not only won the title of
State Champion of the Music Teachers National Association, but he was also one
of the three finalists of the Denver Young Artists Concerto Competition, open
to young musicians age 12 to 23.
Cong Wu, 22, viola
Cong Wu, from Shandong,
China, was accepted to the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing as the
highest ranked applicant in 2006. He was then selected to go to the School of
Music at Yale University as a visiting scholar in 2008 and 2009.
Cong has held recitals in many
places, including Yale University’s Sudler Hall, the Central Conservatory of
Music Recital Hall, and Shenzhen Performing Arts Center. In December 2007, he played
solo with the Macao Youth Orchestra. In the summer of 2009, Cong attended the Schleswig-Holstein
Music Festival in Germany and became Principal Viola of the festival orchestra.
He also had the privilege of performing for the Princess of Denmark and in a chamber
concert with Christoph Eschenbach.
During college, Cong
studied with Professor Wing Ho of the Central Conservatory of Music. In
addition, he performed in master classes for many world-renowned artists,
including Heidi Castleman, Pinchas Zukerman, and Hariolf Schlichtig. In 2006, Cong
Wu won the Third Viola Concerto Competition of the Central Conservatory of
Music.
Dmitry Volkov, 22, cello
Dmitry Volkov returns for a third summer at the Heifetz
Institute. Dmitry, born in Togliatti, Russia, began playing cello at the age of
six. From 2002 to 2006, Dmitry studied at The Moscow Tchaikovsky Music College.
In 2006 Dmitry began studying at The Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow with
Professor N. Shakhovskaya. Dmitry has had wide experience performing, including
appearances as a soloist with chamber and symphony orchestras, attending
master-classes, and performing in Russia and abroad. He has participated in
various music festivals in China, Spain, France, Finland, Italy, and Tunisia.
Dmitry has received grants and scholarships and has won a number of prizes,
including the Grand Prize at Young Musician-Virtuoso and Assemblies of Arts
Competitions. After attending the 2009 Heifetz Institute, Dmitry Volkov won the
Carlos Prieto International Cello Competition in Michoacán, Mexico, in late
August. This competition is one of the major cello competitions in the world,
and winning it is a prestigious honor.