Dana Young Artist winners perform at concert this week

Two winners of the Dana School of Music Young Artists Concerto Competition perform solos at a concert 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 2, in Stambaugh Auditorium in Youngstown.

Youngstown State University students Michael Nichols, Piano, and Francesca Molinaro, Soprano, will perform with the Dana Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Dr. Stephen L. Gage.

The concert also features the "Windy Five," a student woodwind quintet coached by Kathryn Umble. Members of the quintet are Madeline Grimes, flute; Kristen Thompson, oboe; Cayla Conrad, clarinet; Elliot Kwolek, bassoon; and Brendan Gage, horn.

Nichols of Youngstown, a third-year piano performance major at the Dana School of Music, will perform Sergei Prokofiev's virtuosic Concerto #2 for Piano in G Minor, Op. 16: I. Andante. Nichols studies piano with Caroline Oltmanns, professor of Piano and has participated in masterclasses led by acclaimed pianists. After he completes his undergraduate coursework, Nichols plans to pursue a master’s degree in piano performance.

Molinaro of Connellsville, Pa., is in her second semester as a graduate vocal performance student. She received a bachelor’s degree in music education from Alderson Broaddus University in Philippi, WV. Molinaro has played numerous roles in opera scenes including Rosina from The Barber of Seville, Sadie from Slow Dusk, Lakmé from Lakmé, Laetitia from The Old Maid and the Thief, and Olympia from The Tales of Hoffmann. She was a winner of ABU’s 2013 Biennial Honor’s Recital Competition, placed second at the 2014 Eastern Division Music Teacher’s National Association Young Artist Competitions in Voice at Penn State University, a winner of ABU’s 2015 Biennial Concerto Competition, and a winner of ABU’s 2016 Biennial Honor’s Recital Competition. She is a student from the studio of Misook Yun. She plans to audition for opera companies in the United States after graduating from YSU.

The second half of this concert features a performance of Antonin Dvorak's classic Symphony No. 9 in E Minor.

Tickets are available at 330-259-0555, online at www.stambaughauditorium.com and at the door. Tickets are $6 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens. Those with a YSU ID are free.

Free parking is available adjacent to Stambaugh Auditorium.

For more information, call 330-941-2307.