Concerto & Aria Concert, Part 1

Eira L. is an 8-year-old violinist and second grade student. A student of Mark Bjork, she has previously worked Alison Fahy, as well as Irina Elkina and Beth Turco for piano. Eira will perform Violin Concerto in A minor, BWV 1041 by Johann Sebastian Bach, Mvt. I: Allegro, Mvt. II: Andante, Mvt. III: Allegro assai.

Eira was awarded the top prize in the Elementary level in the Mary West Solo Competition in 2019. She performed in the Honors Recital at the Advanced Suzuki Institute at Stanford in 2019 and the MacPhail Center for Music’s annual Junior Honors Recitals in 2018, 2019, and 2020. She is a current member of the Vivace Violins, the Suzuki advanced performance group in MacPhail. She played in a student performance group with the Minneapolis Pops Orchestra at the Lake Harriet Bandshell in July 2019. She also performed piano at the MacPhail Junior Honors Recital in 2021, the Crescendo Piano Gala Recitals in 2020, and the Honors recitals of the MacPhail Piano Suzuki Institute in 2018 and 2019.

Eira loves to read, do craft projects, and play with Lego blocks and puzzles. She also likes to explore nature and do science experiments. In addition, she enjoys traveling and attending concerts and plays.

“I feel greatly honored to be selected to play with the awesome double quartets, harpsichord, and our amazing conductor Chi-Chi. It is such a unique and emotional moment that I can finally be back on stage after one year away from MacPhail due to the Covid-19 pandemic! To be able to hear and play music live again with other musicians really makes me remember why I love music so much! I miss my MacPhail teachers, friends, and the building. Although there were many routine changes in the past year, keeping up with my violin and piano studies has helped maintain some normalcy and bring some balance for me, especially connecting with my musical pals online.”

Jackson T. is a 17-year-old pianist and twelfth grade student. A student of Suzanne Greer, he will be performing Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37 by Ludwig van Beethoven, Mvt. I: Allegro con brio.

Jackson has performed in the Minnesota Music Teachers Association’s Honors Concert and Senior Young Artist Competition. He has received the Minneapolis Music Teachers Forum Award for Performing in 45 recitals. He has participated in master classes with Daniel Pollack, Nicholas Suzi, and Mary Ann Swallum.

He is a runner at Maple Grove Cross Country Team and Senior Leader at Maple Grove Nordic Ski Team. In the summer, he enjoys roller skiing.

“I feel elated to perform in this prestigious concert. I’ve practiced this piece for several months, and after many hours of intense concentration, the payoff of performing with an orchestra is ecstatic to say the least. I’ve come to adore this movement, from the stormy, grandiose opening to the tender, delicate center. My growth from learning this piece stems not only technically, but artistically as well; I feel I can express myself even more in playing, and observe every detail that the composer has written. I’m immeasurably grateful to the work MacPhail has done to make this year’s concert work; thank you to Jon Iverson for guiding the program and rehearsals, thank you to the tech crew for working on the beautiful sound, and thank you to the orchestra for collaborating with me. I hope to continue performing well throughout college.”

Shannon B. is a classical vocalist and student of Dr. Mikyoung Park. She will be performing “Dove sono I bei momenti” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Shannon was active in choral groups throughout high school and college at Creighton University, but had never previously taken individual voice study until deciding to revisit the skill in her mid-20s by beginning lessons with Dr. Park. She previously performed in the Concerto & Aria Recital in December 2019.

Currently, she works in public relations in Minneapolis, and gave birth to her first child in fall of 2020.

“I’m honored to have been chosen for this year’s Concerto & Aria Concert! Thank you to Dr. Park for her meticulous teaching of this piece and to MacPhail for providing the opportunity to perform something I’ve worked hard on these past few months. I’m lucky to be surrounded by such talented musicians – congrats to all of you!”

Jessica S. is a pianist making her debut in a MacPhail Honors Recital. A student of Jose Uriarte, she will be performing Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11 by Frédéric Chopin, Mvt. I: Allegro maestoso.

Jessica has studied piano with Yun-Yun Feng, Eleanor Sokoloff, and Susan Starr. She received first prize in Marion Garcia Piano competition at Penn State University, and has attended the Masterworks Festival in 2003 and 2005. She has been awarded The Elise Midelfort Piano Scholarship, The Agnes Barnwell Sanders Kemp Piano Scholarship, The Theone Walker Brown Scholarship from MacPhail.

Jessica holds a BA in Music from Rutgers University and the DipABRSM from Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. She has severed as accompanist for the Saint Paul Ballet, the Princeton Ballet School, and Rutgers University, and has been a volunteer church pianist for over 15 years.

Jessica is a visual artist working with acrylics, watercolor, charcoal, and pastels. She teaches writing courses online for middle and high school students.

“I feel honored and grateful that MacPhail Center for Music provides this opportunity for their students to share their gifts and hard work over the years. It is exhilarating to have the experience of performing a concerto with a double quartet this year. What an encouraging way to celebrate all the support I’ve received from my teacher, friends, family, and MacPhail!”