David Song, Violin
2008 Young Artist – Senior Division

    A native of Jeon-Ju, South Korea, Violinist David Hwan-Min Song began studying the violin at the age of ten. He received his training at the Jeonju Fine Arts Middle School under Seung-Gu Baek before immigrating to the United States in 2002. Since then, Mr. Song has performed extensively as an orchestral, chamber, and solo violinist. He has served as Concert Master for the Florida All-State Orchestra for several years, the All-County Orchestra, the Southwest Florida Youth Orchestra, and is currently Concertmaster of the Stetson University Symphony Orchestra.

In 2003, David made his solo debut with the Southwest Florida Youth Orchestra under the baton of Dr. David Eccles, and has also appeared as soloist with the Southwest Symphony Orchestra under Paul Naddler and Edison State College Orchestra under Dr. Daniel Hill. Additionally, David was featured as soloist on NPR’s program From The Top performing a movement from Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 with Christopher O’Reilly. In2005, Mr. Song was selected to perform with the London Symphony during the Florida International Festival in Daytona Beach, Florida.

David Song was named winner in Stetson University’s Annual Concerto Competition in 2008 and performed as soloist with Stetson University Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Mr. Anthony Hose. Most recently, David received First Prize in the Ocala Symphony Orchestra’s (OSO) 18th Annual Young Artist Competition, and will appear as guest soloist with the OSO performing Tchaikovsky’s “Violin concerto in D Major” in April 2009.

Currently David Hwan-Min Song is a scholarship student of the internationally renowned Routa Kroumovitch-Gomez at Stetson University, where he is pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance. In addition to being the recipient of numerous honors in recognition of his performance excellence in violin, Mr. Song is attending Stetson University with a full academic scholarship and the Tippen Davidson Scholarship. Mr. Song is also active in Choral and Chamber Music, singing in the Stetson University Concert Choir under Dr. Alan Raines, and is the first violinist in Stetson’s premier chamber group, the Barron String Quartet.

Jennifer Maclay, Clarinet
2008 Young Artist – Junior Division

    Jenny Maclay of Huntsville, Alabama is a freshman clarinet performance major at the University of Florida. Jenny has played the clarinet since she was ten, and by twelve she began entering competitions, where she has earned several honors and awards. Jenny has been a featured soloist for the Huntsville Symphony, and she has also performed at the Alabama Symphony Orchestra Valentine’s Day Luncheon. Additionally, she was the youngest of twenty students selected to attend Buffet Crampon’s inaugural Summer Clarinet Academy in 2007, receiving a full scholarship, and she returned for the 2008 Academy. Jenny was first chair in the top Alabama All State Band throughout high school, and she was the first place winner of the Alabama State Solo Festival her senior year. She also performed in the premiere of Edmond Hickman’s composition for the silent movie, The General. Jenny is a member of the University of Florida Wind Symphony, Clarinet Ensemble, and Symphony Orchestra, where she is performing as principal clarinet for the spring semester. Her teachers include Mitchell Estrin, Donald Dowdy, John Cooper, Mary Harrison, and Todd Waldecker.

    Jenny loves collecting clarinets and presently has sixteen. She volunteers at Monrovia Middle School and Sparkman 9th Grade Academy in Huntsville, Alabama, where she works with beginning to intermediate clarinetists on a regular basis. In addition to music, she likes cats, psychology, chemistry, writing, vegetarianism, and French. After college, Jenny hopes to perform professionally as a solo artist.

John O’Conor www.johnoconor.com

    Through his recitals, concerto appearances and critically acclaimed recordings, the Irish pianist John O'Conor has earned a reputation as a masterful interpreter of the Classic and Early Romantic piano repertoires. He has been praised for his formidable technique and through his eloquent phrasing mastery of keyboard colour and, in particular, his unique sound he has been called a true Poet of the Piano.

    He has performed in Europe, North America, Asia, Africa, Australia and New Zealand and has appeared with such orchestras as the London Symphony, Royal Philharmonic, Czech Philharmonic, Vienna Symphony, l'Orchestre National de France, the Scottish and Stuttgart Chamber Orchestras, the Israel Camerata, the NHK, Yomiuri, Kyushu, Kyoto and Sapporo Symphonies in Japan, the KBS Symphony in Korea, the Singapore Symphony, the New Zealand Symphony and the orchestras of Cleveland, San Francisco, Boston, Dallas, Detroit, Indianapolis, Seattle, Montreal, Toronto, Tampa and Washington DC in North America.

    He also appears frequently with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland (and was soloist with them on their inaugural tour of the USA in 2004) and with the Irish Chamber Orchestra.

    He has given concerts in many of the world's most famous halls including Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center in New York, the Kennedy Center in Washington, the Wigmore Hall and South Bank Centre in London, the Musikverein in Vienna, the Dvorak Hall in Prague and the Bunka Kaikan in Tokyo.

    He also enjoys collaborating in Lieder Recitals and performing chamber music with many instrumentalists and ensembles such as the Cleveland, Tokyo, Vanbrugh, Vermeer, Takacs, Vogler and Ying Quartets.

    Mr. O'Conor also continues to make significant contributions to the arts in his native country through his numerous performances of music from the traditional repertoire and his championing of the works of Ireland's leading 19th century composer, John Field. He has become a key figure in the development of young artists through his role as Director of the Royal Irish Academy of Music, and was a co-founder of the AXA Dublin International Piano Competition of which he is Artistic Director and Chairman of the Jury.

    John O'Conor first gained widespread attention in the United States in 1986 with the release of the initial volume of the complete recorded Beethoven Sonata cycle which was issued as a box set in 1994. CD Review described Mr. O'Conor's performances of these sonatas as "piano recording of the highest calibre and Beethoven playing at its best" and went on to say "This Beethoven series should become the complete set of choice".

    Mr. O'Conor has made more than 20 recordings for the Telarc label including the complete Beethoven Bagatelles, which was cited by the New York Times as the best recording of these works; four volumes of Mozart Piano Concertos with Sir Charles Mackerras and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra; numerous works of Schubert including the late A major Sonata, the complete Impromptus and Moments Musicaux, Waltzes and the Trout Quintet with the Cleveland Quartet; and two volumes of short piano pieces entitled "Piano Classics" and "Autumn Songs". An avid proponent of his fellow countryman John Field, he has recorded most of the composer's major works including the complete Concertos, Sonatas and Nocturnes. His recording of Field's Nocturnes featured on Billboard's classical charts for many weeks. He has also made a recording of his favourite Irish Airs with the Irish Chamber Orchestra entitled "My Ireland".

    In January 2007 he recorded Beethoven Concertos Nos. 2 and 5 with the London Symphony Orchestra under Andreas Delfs and will complete the cycle in 2008.

    John O’Conor’s 2006/2007 season included visits to Korea, France, Israel, Romania, England, Finland, Poland, Austria, Italy, China, and Japan as well as frequent visits to the USA and many concerts around Ireland. The summer of 2007 will see a return to Japan for a Tokyo recital and masterclasses, a first visit to the TCU Music Festival in Fort Worth, Texas and return visits to the Steans Institute at the Ravinia Festival in Chicago and the Adamant Music Camp in Vermont. He has been invited to perform at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival in New Mexico and returns to the Aspen Music School and Festival where, apart from his teaching commitments, he will perform Beethoven’s 4th Concerto under the baton of Peter Oundjian and perform with Sarah Chang, Robert McDuffie, Veda Kaplinsky and others.

    The 2007/2008 season will include return visits to the USA, Canada, Korea, Japan, China, Australia, France, Spain, England, Israel, Poland and Turkey. He has also been appointed Distinguished Visiting Artist at Shenandoah University in Virginia which means that apart from teaching and giving masterclasses he will perform a recital, a concerto with their orchestra and chamber music performances with the Audobon String Quartet.

    Mr. O'Conor's early studies began in Dublin where his main piano teacher was Dr. J.J.O'Reilly. He was awarded an Austrian Government scholarship that enabled him to study in Vienna with the renowned pedagogue Dieter Weber. He also made a special study of Beethoven with the legendary German pianist Wilhelm Kempff. In 1973 John O'Conor was unanimously awarded First Prize at the International Beethoven Piano Competition in Vienna and in 1975 he won First Prize at the Bösendorfer Competition.

    John O'Conor is deeply committed to the development of young pianists in Ireland and in other countries. As well as being Professor of Piano at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, he gives masterclasses and lectures in many of the places he performs as well as in many of the major music institutions including the Juilliard and Manhattan Schools in New York, Harvard, Yale, Temple, Rutgers, Indiana and Seattle Universities, the Hamamatsu Piano Academy in Japan, the National University of the Arts in Korea, the Australian National Academy and the Sydney Conservatorium in Australia, the Paris Conservatoire and the Royal Academy of Music and the Guildhall School of Music in London.

    He has been invited on the juries of most of the world's most prestigious International Piano Competitions including those in Leeds, Moscow (Tchaikovsky), Vienna (Beethoven), Warsaw (Chopin), Tel Aviv (Rubinstein), Beijing, Shanghai, Munich, Bolzano (Busoni), Cologne, Vevay (Clara Haskil), Cleveland, Salt Lake City (Gina Bachauer), Sydney, Pretoria, London, College Park (William Kapell), Valencia (Jose Iturbi), Hilton Head and Seoul.

    His students have won many international prizes including First Prize at the Clara Haskil Competition in 1999, Second Prize at the Olivier Messiaen Competition in Paris in 2000, First Prize at the Cologne Competition in 2001 and First Prize at the Franz Liszt Competition in Utrecht in 2002.

    Since 1997 he has taken on the mantle of his revered professor Wilhelm Kempff and gives the annual Beethoven Interpretation Course in Kempff's own villa in Positano, Italy where Kempff gave the course from 1957.

    For his services to music he has been awarded Honorary Doctorates by the National University of Ireland, by Trinity College Dublin and by Shenandoah University, Virginia and an Honorary Fellowship by the Royal Irish Academy of Music. He has been decorated with the title "Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres" by the French Government, has been awarded the "Ehrenkreuz für Wissenschaft und Kunst" by the Austrian Government and has also been decorated by the Italian and Polish governments.

Mark S. Doss, Bass-baritone www.msdoss.com

    Mark S. Doss opened the 07/08 season with Escamillo in Portland Opera’s Carmen, next singing Méphistophélès in a revival of Faust with Oper Frankfurt, Jochanaan in Salome with Florentine Opera—while simultaneously doing the same role in Robert Carsen’s “Caesar’s Palace” production with Teatro Regio Torino, Amonasro in Aida as his Pittsburgh Opera debut, Charrington in Lorin Maazel’s “1984” at Teatro alla Scala (conducted by Maazel), and the role of Diomede in Walton’s Troilus and Cressida with The Opera Theatre of St. Louis. The previous season included performances of Méphistophélès in Faust with Portland Opera, Jochanaan at La Scala, and Thoas in San Francisco Opera’s Iphigénie en Tauride. The 05/06 and 04/05 seasons saw his as Scarpia in Tosca with Opera Frankfurt, performing in Santa Fe Opera’s 50th Anniversary Gala. Alidoro in La Cenerentola at both La Scala and Lyric Opera of Chicago, Escamillo with Teatro Sociale di Mantova and Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Amonasro (Aida) at the Festspielhaus in Baden-Baden, Germany. The 04/05 season also saw him as Amonasro in a revival of Théâtre de la Monnaie’s Aida (Recorded on DVD by Opus Arte), Randolph in Lyric Opera of Chicago’s World Premiere of A Wedding, Méphistophélès in Oper Frankfurt’s Faust, and Argante in Teatro alla Scala’s Rinaldo (Händel).

    Upcoming engagements include a return to The Met for Jochanaan (cover) in Salome, Don Pedro in Donizetti’s Maria Padilla with Washington Concert Opera, a return to La Scala as Jaroslav Prus in Janacek’s The Makropulos Case, and Kingsor in Teatro Regio Torino’s Parsifal.

    Highlights of other recent seasons include a Royal Opera House debut as Amonasro in Aida, a debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona in Peter Grimes, the Title Role in Boito’s Mefistofele with Oper Frankfurt, Escamillo in his debut at Teatro alla Scala, the title role in Handel's Giulio Cesare with Cleveland Opera. the bass soloist in Bach’s Magnificat with the Seattle Symphony, the bass-baritone soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Baltimore Symphony (under the direction of Bobby McFerrin), and Mendelssohn's Elijah with the Cathedral Choral Society at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.

Victoria Atwater, Soprano

    Victoria Atwater, known for her gleaming soprano and dazzling coloratura, has performed most of the leading lyric coloratura/soubrette soprano roles including Gilda in Rigoletto, the title roles in Lucia di Lammermoor and The Merry Widow, Adele in Die Fledermaus, Musetta in La Boheme, Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Norina in Don Pasquale, Adina in L’Elisir d’Amore, Cunegonde in Candide, Joanna in Sweeney Todd, Christine in Phantom of the Opera and many others. She has appeared to enthusiastic response and acclaim with such companies as Palm Beach Opera, Opera Birmingham, Opera Tampa, Gold Coast Opera, Mississippi Opera, Metro Lyric Opera, Opera Northeast/National Lyric Opera, New Rochelle Opera, Tennessee Opera Theater, New Jersey Verismo Opera, South Florida Opera, Hudson Valley Opera, Westchester-Hudson Opera, Opera at Florham, and Treasure Coast Opera Companies.

    A frequent visitor to the recital and concert stage, Miss Atwater has soloed widely throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Egypt, Pakistan, the Arabian Gulf, Thailand, China, and the Caribbean. She has been lauded for her work in oratorio, orchestral and pops repertoire and has soloed with the Alabama, South Bend, Elkhart, South Shore, Valdosta, Cairo (Egypt), Bangkok (Thailand) and Kunming (China) Symphony Orchestras, as well as with the Buffalo, Fort Wayne and Evansville Philharmonic Orchestras, Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes, the Greenwich Village Orchestra, Ocean City Pops, Key West Pops, Summit Chorale, Delray Beach Chorale, Masterworks Chorus, Monmouth Civic Chorus, City Stages Music Festival, and Soho Arts Festival.

    Victoria Atwater is a native of Elkhart, Indiana and holds both Master and Bachelor of Music Degrees in Voice Performance from the internationally-famous Indiana University School of Music in Bloomington, Indiana. Miss Atwater makes her home in South Orange, New Jersey with her husband, tenor Bruce Reed and their four-year-old daughter, Vivien Rose.