Arlington violinist wins Dist. 214 solo competition

John Hersey High School freshman Gallia Kastner of Arlington Heights was named the winner of District 214's annual concerto/aria competition, and she will perform as a featured soloist with the District 214 Honors Orchestra at the Honors Music Festival in March.

Six finalists competed on Nov. 21; the Honors concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. March 2 at Forest View Educational Center's Fieldhouse. The concert is free.

Kastner, an extraordinary violinist, performed Tchaikovsky's Concerto in D major, Op. 35. Just 14. She is a Fellow scholarship recipient and a member of the Senior Academy of The Music Institute of Chicago where she studies with Almita and Roland Vamos. She began her private violin study at the tender age of 5½ with Betty Haag-Kuhnke.

Kastner has won numerous competitions locally and internationally, both as soloist and chamber musician. In 2010, she won the Walgreens National Concerto Competition (junior division) and the Society of American Musicians competition. She also has won the 2007 Sejong Cultural Society (junior division) competition, the 2004, 2007 and 2008 Chinese Fine Arts Society Competition and the 2009 SAM Jules Laser Chamber Music Competition. In 2009, Kastner placed third at the 13th International Violin Wettbewerb in Kloster Schontal, Germany. She has been a featured performer in many other venues, both locally and nationally.

Runner-up on Nov. 21 was Hersey senior Thomas Martin of Mount Prospect (trumpet), performing Jolivet's Concertino for Trumpet.

Second runner-up was Buffalo Grove High School senior Ryan Toher of Arlington Heights (clarinet), performing Debussy's Premiere Rhapsodie.

Other finalists were Buffalo Grove sophomore Max Farbman (marimba) of Arlington Heights, Elk Grove High School junior John-Paul Pendowski of Elk Grove Village (piano), and Rolling Meadows High School senior Natsumi Yamada of Arlington Heights (violin).

“It was a great night filled with amazing performances from all of our finalists,” coordinator Chris Karl said. “Each year we usually have one or two standout students, but this time it was a very heavy field of quality competition. It's a shame we can only have one winner, because the top three were quite close and all very deserving.”