Michael Kong and Dohyun Kim will perform March 5
Published in the January 20 – February 2, 2016 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Staff Report
Dohyun Kim
Judges for the South Valley Symphony selected two young violinists as winners of the 2016 Al Navaroli Competition, giving the young men the opportunity to perform solos with the orchestra at the March 5 concert at Gavilan Community College.
Michael Kong will perform the first movement of the Mozart Violin Concerto, No. 5; and Dohyun Kim will perform the first movement of the Bruch Violin Concerto, No. 1.
The other local music students who competed are EunJee Choi, Shirley Ke and Gabriel Kong who each received honorable mention.
“The Navaroli judges have selected multiple winners in the past,” said competition organizer David Thompson. “However, this year was so close that the only realistic and honorable decision was to select both students to perform.”
A Gilroy resident, Al Navaroli loved music, and served as a longtime supporter and board member of the South Valley Symphony, from 1995 until his death in June 2008, Thompson said.
Michael Kong
“His personal promotion of the symphony was geared at increasing public exposure to this wonderful genre,” he said. “Part of his work was to bring guest artists to the symphony, but also to increase an effort to attract young musicians to perform with the orchestra.”
After his death, the Al Navaroli Young Musicians Competition was created. It’s now in its 8th year.
“He believed that we should showcase the talent in our local south Santa Clara and San Benito counties, both through performance by the young musicians, recognizing their teachers, and also to expose the community to this growing talent,” Thompson said.
In addition, such performances aid young students in their preparation for future musical endeavors by giving them strong feedback from professional musicians as to how to improve their preparations for auditions for music schools in their near future, he said.
“Once local students audition, become finalists, hear other students, and receive feedback that they and their instructors can use, their future endeavors are definitely enhanced — and the South Valley community is well rewarded with this joint effort,” he said.
This year’s competition had eight applicants, from which the competition committee selected five finalists for the live audition held at a private home in Morgan Hill.
“The quality of performance at this year’s audition was outstanding,” Thompson said. “The judging team had quite a time trying to find discriminating metrics in order to ultimately rank all of these five performers.”
Kong said that being under the pressure of competing always reminds him that he plays the violin simply because he loves sharing his music with people who appreciate a classical style of performing.
“Participating in this specific competition has really inspired me to discover my own unique musical voice and helped me figure out how I can engage my audience,” he said.
Kim said he looks forward to playing his violin at next month’s concert accompanied by the symphony’s orchestra. The experience of being involved in the Navaroli competition helped focus his musical training and improve as a musician, he said.
“Participating in competitions provides me with opportunities to interact with new people and perform with professional musicians, and listening others play helps me enhance my music skills,” he said.
Tickets are now available for the South Valley Symphony’s March 5 concert. The cost is $25 for adult tickets, and children can go to the concert free if accompanied by a grown-up. Students with identification can also attend at no cost.
Other pieces that will be performed at the concert include Stravinsky’s “The Firebird,” Saint Saen’s “Bacchinale from Sampson and Delilah,” and a specially commissioned piece composed by 2015 Live Oak High School graduate Robert Alexander.
