PBS Wisconsin Music & Arts

Angela Fitzgerald

On March 13th, four gifted young musicians will take the stage here at Overture Hall in Madison.

Lori Skelton

They're vying for top honors in the Madison Symphony Orchestra's Bolz Young Artist Competition. They are violinist, Monona Suzuki; flautist, Holly Venkitaswaran; cellist, Grace Kim; and pianist, Antonio Wu. You'll see them perform as part of our live broadcast,

Wisconsin Young Artists Compete

The Final Forte. But before they step into the spotlight, we asked them to tell us a little about themselves, their love of music... And the dream that led them here, to center stage. My name is Holly Venkitaswaran and I live in Lisbon, Wisconsin. I'm 18 years old. I told my mom when I was six years old that I was bored in school. And so, she said, "Well, why don't you try an instrument and you can challenge yourself?" I immediately started taking lessons and I have never stopped since. I've been playing with the Milwaukee Youth Symphony for seven years now. When I started, I didn't know anyone in MYSO, but I've made a lot of friends over the years. I like that MYSO is very serious, but you also get to have a lot of fun with your friends, and we end up learning a lot in the process. Let's try in from here.

vocalizing

Wisconsin Young Artists Compete

I take lessons with Hideko Amano. She's a professor at Carthage College in Kenosha. She's very interactive during the lessons. We can talk about a lot of technical details, but also about musicality and reaching out to an audience and communicating. I would say she is demanding, but she is also very supportive. I'm playing the "Carmen Fantaisie" for flute and orchestra by Franois Borne. It's very energetic and exciting and that's what makes me love it so much. The hardest part for me was getting into the character of Carmen. There is a section of the piece, it's called the Habanera, where Carmen sings. And, essentially, I have to sing, as well, even though I'm playing the flute. At Peace Lutheran Church, I do various chamber groups throughout the year. I've been doing that since I was 12. We come in a week before the service. We'll play the music and practice it once before going and performing it at a divine service. I like that I get to learn a lot of new music for it. My favorite thing about it, though, was that I get to play this wonderful music in service to God. When I have free time, I like to read a lot and I also play with my cousins. They are ages 5 and 7 and we play a lot of different games together. Sometimes, we'll play hide and seek or different board games and card games. Sometimes we solve mysteries or draw and color. Music has taught me to express myself in ways that I never thought possible. It has taught me the benefits of focus and practice, how to handle different life experiences and how to put that into your music. If you can't express something through words, music can do it for you.

applause