Last night was the first concert of the 2016 MFA Summer Symposium and it was kicked off with the 2016 Yamaha Young Performing Artist Concert (YYPA). These young artist come from all around the world and United States and you could hear that variety in their song selections. The 9 young artists have been in Muncie, Indiana rehearsing and preparing for this concert since Saturday. There was everything from jazz to classical to contemporary and they all sounded spectacular.
All of the performers brought something new to the stage, but Flautist, Hyerin Kim, who lives in Philadelphia but is originally from South Korea brought an extra something to this performance. 6 of Kim’s family members also made the trip to Muncie from South Korea. This was the first time for many of her family members to be in the United States. This was a great opportunity for Kim to perform and meet other young performers but also a special performance with many family members in the audience.
Who would have thought that a place like Muncie, Indiana could bring together so many incredible musicians…and I’m not just talking about the ones performing on stage. The performers captivated and inspired all ages of audience members. It might be a few more years for our middle school students, but we might be seeing one of our campers on the YYPA stage soon enough.
2016 Yamaha Young Performing Artists
Henry Solomon, Jazz Saxophone – California
Hyerin Kim, Flute – Korea
Wickliffe Simmons, Cello – Illinois
Federico Montes, Trumper – Colombia
Rebekah Ko, Marimba – California
Justin Sales, Classical Saxophone – Minnesota
Paul Cornish, Piano – Texas
John Paul Powers, Tuba – Tennessee
Ivy Ringel, Bassoon – North Carolina
Special Guest
Rex Richardson, Trumpet
