New York City's Kaufman Center announced today that Fort Lee, New Jersey resident Yurie Mitsuhashi has received the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award of $10,000 granted by "From the Top," the preeminent showcase for America's best young musicians and a leading producer of music programs for National Public Radio (NPR) and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Ms. Mitsuhashi, an 18-year-old student in Kaufman Center's highly respected Young Artists Program, will be heard performing on "From the Top" in a national radio broadcast the week of February 1 and locally on WQXR (105.9 FM) on Sunday, February 7, at 10:00 pm.
On the broadcast, Ms. Mitsuhashi can be heard performing "Danse Hongroise" by Sergei Rachmaninoff accompanied the program's host, Christopher O'Riley. The performance was recorded last November before a live audience at Baylor University in Waco, Texas and also includes a 17-year-old organist and 16-year-old fiddler from Texas, an 18-year-old pianist from California, and a 15-year-old cellist from Mississippi.
"I have been listening to ‘From the Top' for a long time, and I admire the young musicians who perform on the program," said Ms. Mitsuhashi. "I am amazed that not only did I get the honor of being on the program itself, but I have also been awarded the scholarship. The Young Artists Program helps me focus and provides me with the personal attention I need to follow my individual path in music."
Originally from Japan, Ms. Mitsuhashi moved to the U.S. at age six to expand her studies in music. She later became a scholarship student in Kaufman Center's Young Artists Program, where she won the Concerto Competition in 2007 and performed as a soloist with an orchestra in Merkin Concert Hall. She recently returned to Merkin as a guest artist in the 2010 Concerto Competition Winners' Concert and will also perform on March 9 in the Henry Schneider Scholarship Concert, part of Merkin's "Tuesday Matinees" series. Now a senior at Fort Lee High School in New Jersey, Ms. Mitsuhashi has been part of a trio at her high school selected to perform at the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society's "Young Musician's Concert" for the past three years.
Kaufman Center's Young Artists Program offers highly motivated music students a comprehensive and unique course of after-school study. This extra-curricular program for grades 9-12-which includes private lessons, ensemble coaching and seminars in music history and composition-is an exciting and challenging course with a competitive admissions process. Students audition through Kaufman Center's Special Music School and Lucy Moses School. For information about the program, please call (212) 501-3360.
"From the Top" shares the stories and performances of pre-collegiate musicians with millions each week via award-winning NPR and PBS programs, digital media, live events and education programs. Through the generosity of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, "From the Top" identifies and awards scholarships to 25 deserving young musicians each year. The $10,000 award can be applied towards music lessons, college tuition, instrument purchases, competition fees and other expenses relating to the young artist's musical development and education.
Kaufman Center: New York's creative home for listeners, learners and performers--Kaufman Center is one of New York City's most vibrant cultural organizations, combining the finest in music education for all ages with world-class performance in the acoustically superior Merkin Concert Hall. Founded in 1952 as a community school for pre-conservatory music training, today's Kaufman Center provides entertainment, education and inspiration for more than 75,000 New Yorkers each year. In addition to Merkin Concert Hall, it is home to Lucy Moses School, New York's largest community arts school, and the Special Music School, New York's only public school for musically gifted children. For more information about Kaufman Center or the Young Artists Program, call (212) 501 3386 or visit http://kaufman-center.org/.
