Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra announces Stanger Audition winner

The winners of the Dr. Robert Stanger Young Artists Audition for 2018, held at Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church in Elmhurst on Feb. 17, have been announced.

Conducted by the Elmhurst Symphony Association and sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Elmhurst and the former Auxiliary of the ESO through its Eunice B. Sidener Scholarship, the competition showcased 23 outstanding high school musicians from many of the western suburbs.

Special thanks go to this year's judges, Kate Carter, Reiko Yamada, and Kara Bancks, who spent many hours listening to and critiquing these spectacular young performers, choosing four winners:

• First place: Glen Ellyn junior Margaret O'Malley, violin, Concerto No. 3, Op. 6, Movement 1, by Camille Saint-Saëns, home-schooled; teacher Gerardo Ribeiro

• Second place: York High School senior Matt Dardick, alto saxophone, Ballade, Movement 1, by Henri Tomasi; teacher Roger Birkeland

• Third place: Wheaton Academy junior William Lyon, cello, Cello Concerto in A minor, Movement 3, by Camille Saint-Saëns; teachers Julieann Tehan and Tanya Carey

• Fourth place: York High School senior Nathan Brown, marimba, Concerto for Marimba and Strings, Movement 1, by Emmanuel Sejourne; teacher Tom Leddy.

Caitlin Yambao, violin, Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville, received an honorable mention for her performance.

Stanger Audition first-place winner Margaret O'Malley will perform with the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra at a subscription concert during its 2018-19 season. Other winners will perform for Kiwanis and other local groups in the next few months.

Thanks go to Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church and staff for the use of the church and their able assistance and to the dedicated Symphony volunteers who made the event possible: Bruce Forbush, Mike Surratt, Sarah Sabet, Mary Grether, Rosie Klepper, Irmgard Olson, Lou Saville, and Cynthia Krainc. The symphony is especially grateful to the Stanger Audition's main sponsor, the Elmhurst Kiwanis Club, for its longtime support and to the Stanger Audition's administrator, Becca Anderson, for organizing the event. Thanks also go to the Elmhurst Symphony Auxiliary's Eunice B. Sidner Scholarship Fund for sponsoring the fourth-place winner.

For more information, call the symphony at (630) 941-0202 or visit www.elmhurstsymphony.org.