Three Big Island Youths Win Concerto Competition

Trumpeter Davan Sagara, pianist Isabella Liu, flutist Kiana Kawahara are the winners of the Kamuela Philharmonic Orchestra’s annual Madeline Schatz-Harris Youth Concerto Competition. PC: KPO

Three talented young musicians are the winners of the Kamuela Philharmonic Orchestra’s annual Madeline Schatz-Harris Youth Concerto Competition, held in September 2018.

The musicians who triumphed in this year’s competition—which focused on piano, woodwinds, brass and percussion instruments—are pianist Isabella Liu, flutist Kiana Kawahara and trumpeter Davan Sagara.

The competition winners will receive scholarship awards and the opportunity to perform with the orchestra during its winter concert, En Pointe Brilliance, at Kahilu Theatre in Waimea on Sunday, Jan. 27, 2019, at 4 p.m.

Liu, 10, who was also a competition winner two years ago, will perform the first movement of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, opus 15.

Kawahara, 16, will play the first movement of the Concertino for Flute, by Cecile Chaminade.

Davan Sagara will perform Alexander Aruturian’s Trumpet Concerto in A flat major.

The En Pointe Brilliance concert will also feature the orchestra playing Ponchielli’s Dance of the Hours and Tschaikovsky’s Swan Lake, with a special appearance by dancers from West Hawaii Dance Theatre and Academy.

About the Kamuela Philharmonic Orchestra

The Kamuela Philharmonic Orchestra (KPO) is the only full symphonic orchestra on Hawai‘i Island. A charitable organization as described in Section 501(c)(3), KPO is dedicated to bringing live, high-quality orchestral music to audiences on Hawai‘i Island. To help fulfill its mission to expose more students to this music, KPO developed the state’s first youth concerto competition in 2011. Artistic Director Brian Dollinger, like the orchestra’s founding conductor, Madeline Schatz-Harris, enthusiastically supports this event as part of the group’s educational efforts, which also include visits to schools to share music with local keiki. Those who wish to contribute to this endeavor, either financially or in other ways, are encouraged to contact the KPO either through its website or at P.O. Box 2597, Kamuela, HI 96743.