Two teenage Burnaby musicians are among winners in their age categories at the 2014 Canadian Music Competition in Quebec.
Jasper Liang, 13, and Scott Xiao, 15, were recognized for their talent on the ivories at the national contest, which saw 268 Canadian musicians from ages seven to 30 display their skills. Pianists Richard He and Michelle Lin, as well as violinist Guang Lu Li, were among the 22 B.C. performers selected for the national finals.
The Canadian Music Competition is Canada’s premiere music competition for young classical performers, designed to nurture Canada’s future professional musicians and prepare them for the rigorous world of elite-level competition.
“The Canadian Music Competition is not a mere contest where contenders are compared against each other,” stated Vincent Lauzer, the CMC’s Artistic Ambassador for 2014. “It’s a unique occasion for the public to discover and encourage young developing musicians and emerging professionals.”
The grand prize winners for the age-range categories included, Leonid Nediak of Kingston on piano, seven to 10; Mariya Orlenko of Coquitlam on piano, 11 to 14; Kerry Waller of Montreal on piano, 19-30 years old; and a three-way tie between cellist Mari Coetzee of Calgary, pianist Samuel B. Gagnon of Quebec City and violinist Ladusa Chang-Ou of Brossard, Que., for the 15 to 18 category.
Past winners of the Canadian Music Competition include such names as Marc-André Hamelin, Angela Hewitt, Louis Lortie, Robert Silverman, James Ehnes, Jane Coop, Liona Boyd, Scott Goodyear, Isabel Bayrakdarian and Susan Hoeppner.
