Anna Linder’22, Andy Zhang’18, and Ginnie Ma’19 at Concerto Finals.(Andy Zhang’18)

The Columbus Symphony Orchestra holds an annual concerto competition to promote the achievements of young musicians. Each competition round features some of the most talented students in the state. Only the best performers in each division advance to the next round. This year, Academy students Ginnie Ma’19, Andy Zhang’18, and Anna Linder’22 had stunning performances in the competition’s final round, which took place at Ohio State University’s Weigel Hall on February 11.

Zhang played the entire first movement of Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor. The piece opened with a quiet, almost eerie scaled theme, backed by large chords and arpeggios. It soon grew to a dramatic fortissimo climax with many large runs and accents. The piece finished out with a long, drawn-out cadenza.

Following Zhang, Ma took on the third movement of Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54 by Schumann. She demonstrated remarkable expressiveness with the piece’s mesmerizing opening. The rest of the movement was played with stunning intonation. It ended with an exciting finale.

Linder rounded out the Academy performers with Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor. As the youngest competitor, Linder stunned the audience with her dynamic rendition of the first movement. The piece began with a slow melody and slowly opened up to a brighter tone. After a dramatic cadenza, the movement finished with the same passionate melody as it began.

The contestants were judged by three expert musicians in tone, technique, and interpretation. It is in these areas that the performers put the most focus, which was evident by the show of talent.