Steinway Society of Riverside wraps up 2022 season with Festival Winners Concert

The Steinway Society of Riverside County (SSRC) topped off its successful fundraising and performance season with the 2022 Festival Winners Concert, returning after a two-year hiatus to the Rancho Mirage Library.

Nearly 200 friends, family members and guests attended the evening performance showcasing the accomplished junior (ages 7-13) and senior (ages 14-18) winners of SSRC’s Awards Festival Piano Competition that was held in March at Xavier High School.

“We are incredibly happy to be back in our home venue for the in-person concert this year," said Jim McCormick, vice president of music awards and director of the awards festival program. "Our winners have worked hard, and it is our pleasure to be here tonight to hear these talented young musicians.”

SSRC’s founder and CEO Ruth Moir said: “This celebration tonight is one of the reasons the Steinway Society exists: to bring music to children. Although our in-person school programs have been on hiatus since the pandemic, we still brought music into the local schools with our virtual programs. With our successful fundraiser in April, we are more than ready to bring live music back to schools this fall.”

A gleaming black Steinway grand piano was spot lit in a stage area in the library’s large multipurpose room as rows of chairs formed a half circle around the performance area. New state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment included four video cameras that captured the performers from above, behind and alongside, sending the animated action to a huge screen at the back wall as well as two flat screens on either side of the stage area.

First on the program was Evangelina Wu, an 11-year-old from Mission Viejo, who has been studying piano for several years with Angelica Prodan. Wu, who performed Sonatina No. 1 Op.13 by Kabalevsky, follows in the footsteps of her brother, Jadon, who performed in the senior division and is a previous SSRC Festival Awards winner.

Next up was Ethan Aguilar, 12, of Riverside, whose passion for playing the piano began at age 5. He has been studying with Linette Rodriguez for the past three years and has won several piano competitions. Aguilar performed Sonatina in C Major iii, Allegro Mosso by Khachaturian.

Emily Zhou, a 5th grader at Sky Mountain Charter in Corona, took a bow before taking her seat at the piano to play a lively rendition of Debussy’s Dr. Gradus ad Parnassum. She started playing the piano at age 6 and studies with Elvin Rodriguez, who attended the concert along with his wife, Linette.

Queenie Chen, 10, of Menifee, played Tarantella Op. 77 No. 6 by Moszkowski. Chen was a featured performer at SSRC’s April fundraiser, Bravo Children in Music. She has been playing the piano for almost seven years and began playing the violin two years ago.

Starting off the senior winners’ performances was Amanda Liu, 15, a freshman at Redlands High School. Studying piano since age 5, she has been a winner at the Bach Festival Complete Works Auditions and the Inland Empire Piano Festival. She currently studies with Anita Norskov Olsen. Liu performed Bach’s Toccata in G Minor Introduction – Adagio- Allegro.

Isabelle Ragsac, a 16-year-old from Riverside and a junior at La Sierra Academy High School, also currently studies with Rodriguez. She has won awards at Inland Empire music festivals and enjoys playing violin with the Corona Youth Symphony. She delivered an energetic performance of Kapustin’s Concert Etude No. 1 - Prelude.

Next, Brian Huynh, 17, a senior at Santiago High School in Corona, took to the stage for his masterful performance of Moussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition – Promenade, A Gnome, Baba Jaga, Great Gate at Kiev. Huynh has performed in music competitions every year, has been a winner at the Riverside Young Pianist Competition and Inland Empire Piano Festival and is a prior SSRC Awards Festival winner.

Lastly, Jadon Wu, 15, a freshman at the Orange County School of the Arts in Santa Ana, played an engaging rendition of Caprice Espagnole by Moszkowski. Jadon has studied with Prodan since the age of 7 and loves to play duets with his friends. He often listens to classical music in between playing hockey, table tennis and swimming. Jadon has been a SSRC Awards Festival winner several years in a row.

Following the performances, McCormick and Moir presented each of the winners with medals, certificates and $500 awards.

In the audience were SSRC board members president Michelle Cozmuta with her granddaughter Isabelle Martinez, Lois Darr, past president Barbara Spencer, Dorothy Hamilton and Carole Roos Haller while board treasurer Mark Taylor manned the video camera. Martinez was also a featured pianist at SSRC’s April fundraiser and a finalist at the recent McCallum Theatre’s Open Call. Other guests included Mike Napoli, member of the LA Philharmonic Affiliates of the Desert, as well as many of the children’s family members.

SSRC provides in-school music education programs to all three Coachella Valley school districts, including piano and ukulele labs and Classic Concerts in Schools, and age-appropriate, interactive performances engaging children K-12 with piano, dance, opera and jazz concerts.

Virtual programs include Mr. McSymphony, a series of six video classes bringing music appreciation to first to fourth grade students that include classical music, symphony orchestra, opera, jazz and orchestral instruments. Basics of an Orchestra is a power-point presentation for fourth and fifth grades on the four major instruments. SSRC’s music programs reach some 30,000 school children per year.

For more information about the Steinway Society of Riverside County and to become a donor, visit steinwayriverside.org or call (760) 341-4130.

Pamela Bieri is a freelance writer covering events, people, food, restaurants and lifestyle. She established Bieri Marketing & Media Relations in 1994 and is certified in nonprofit management and grant writing. She enjoys working with many local nonprofit organizations. Contact her at pambieri49@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Steinway Society of Riverside wraps 2022 season with concert