Young Artist
Competitions
The Final Forte
The Final Forte will be held Wednesday, March 13, 2019 at 6:45 p.m. in Overture Hall, Overture Center for the Arts
The Final Forte finalists are selected from a group of young Wisconsin artists who competed in the Bolz Young Artist Competition’s two preliminary rounds. The event gives these four artists the chance to perform a movement from a concerto with the MSO.
The Final Forte is a free concert broadcast live on Wisconsin Public Television (WPT) and Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR). This competition has captured an enormous following and numerous honors, including an Emmy nomination, First Place in the “Special Interest” category from the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association in 2007, and fifth most-watched program in the February 2007 Nielsen ratings. The 2008 WPT and WPR broadcasts reached more than 60,000 viewers and listeners in the Madison market alone and the 2009 broadcasts reached an estimated 200,000 statewide.
Congratulations to our 2019 Final Forte finalists!
Click here to meet our judges, learn more about our finalists, and watch their video profiles!
Grace Kim, cello
Piece: Saint-Saens Concerto No. 1, Mvts. I & III
Parent(s): Moo-Young Kim and Anna Myeong
Age at Final Forte: 17 years
School: Waunakee Community High School
Grade: 11
Hometown: Waunakee
Monona Suzuki, violin
Piece: Ravel Tzigane
Parent(s): Miyako & Masatoshi Suzuki
Age at Final Forte: 16 years
School: Madison West High School
Grade: 10
Hometown: Fitchburg
Holly Venkitaswaran, flute
Piece: Borne Fantaisie brillante sur Carmen
Parent(s): Ellen and Ramesh Venkitaswaran
Age at Final Forte: 18 years
School: eAchieve Academy
Grade: 12
Hometown: Lisbon
Antonio Wu, piano
Piece: Rachmaninoff Concerto 2, Mvt. III
Parent(s): Shu-Ching Chuang & Cheng-Wei Wu
Age at Final Forte: 15 years
School: James Madison Memorial High School
Grade: 10
Hometown: Madison
…though I have competed nationally and internationally, nothing has surpassed the excitement and experience with the Madison Symphony Orchestra. I was called “an inspiration” and “a hero” by some of the kids I met from the audience, which were words that have inspired me to work even harder to continue to inspire and motivate other kids my age to strive for their goals as well.
– Julian Rhee, 2015 First Place WinnerIt is an extraordinary opportunity for everyone to feel the commitment and energy of these young performers and to reflect on the central role the arts play in our lives. I look forward to these events with great joy
– John DeMain, MSO Music DirectorView photos…
Click images for captions.
Thank you to our partners
The Bolz Young Artist Competition is made possible by a generous endowment from
The Eugenie Mayer Bolz Family Foundation
Wisconsin Young Artists Compete: The Final Forte concert and broadcasts are the result of a historic partnership among
Major funding provided by
Diane Ballweg
A. Paul Jones Charitable Trust
Julie and Larry Midtbo
Stephen Morton
Fred and Mary Mohs
Joe and Mary Ellyn Sensenbrenner
Additional funding provided by
James Dahlberg and Elsebet Lund
W. Jerome Frautschi
Kato Perlman
Cyrena and Lee Pondrom
Sentry Insurance Foundation, Inc.
Nick & Judith Topitzes
Marc Vitale and Darcy Kind
The Focus Fund for the Young Performers Initiative
The Board of the Friends of Wisconsin Public Television in memory of Roger Hauck
Friends of Wisconsin Public Television
Special thanks to Farley’s House of Pianos for providing the pianos for our Young Artist Competition auditions
