Amanda Blaikie, 22, is a senior at Principia College (Elsah, IL) majoring in music performance. Amanda was the principal flutist in the 2002 Missouri All-State Band. She has also been a member of the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra for four years, and has held the position of principal flute for the last two years. This past fall, Amanda won the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition, and will perform Ibert's Flute Sonata in Powell Hall in March. Among other awards, she won first place in the Southern Illinois Young Artist Competition (2005) and was a prize-winner in the Sigma Alpha Iota Scholarship Competition (2003). Amanda has participated in numerous master classes and summer music festivals, and has performed frequently at Principia College. Since 2001, she has been studying flute with pianist and flutist Marie Garritson Jureit. For the JSO Young Artists Competition, she performs Mozart's Concerto No. 2 for Flute in D Major, K. 314.

Cellist Neena Deb-Sen, 18, is a senior at the Horace Mann High School (Riverdale, NY) and studies with Clara Kim at the Juilliard Pre-College Division, where she also studied with Andre Emelianoff for three years. She has been studying cello since age six and has won numerous awards since 2000. Most recently, she placed first in the Juilliard Pre-College Dvorak Cello Concerto Competition and in the Bronx Arts Ensemble's Young Artists Competition (2005). She is principal cellist with her high school orchestra and with the Juilliard Pre-College Orchestra and is also vice president of her school orchestra. Neena is a National Merit finalist and will be attending Yale University this fall as a student of Aldo Parisot in the BA/MMus dual degree program. She performs Schumann's Concerto for Violincello and Orchestra in a minor.

A first year graduate student in percussion performance at Central Michigan University, Patrick Estvold, 22, is studying under Andrew Spencer. He grew up on a farm in western North Dakota and began studying piano in the second grade and percussion in the fifth grade. While studying under John Spitzer in high school, he played in many honor bands and won many solo awards at the state level. He has performed with brass bands, big bands, Dixieland bands, and the Minot (ND) Symphony Orchestra. Patrick graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of North Dakota (Grand Forks) in May. While there, he was a member of the UND Wind Ensemble, Marching Band, Jazz Ensemble, Steel Drum Band, and Percussion Ensemble as well as the Greater Grand Forks Symphony Orchestra. He studied under Michael Blake and earned a Bachelor of Music degree in instrumental performance. Here he performs Svoboda's Concerto for Marimba in B Major.

Copland's Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra is the selection of 21-year-old Alexey Gorokholinskiy, a junior at the Juilliard School studying under Charles Neidich. He has already won awards from the Pasadena Instrumental Competition, Spotlight Competition in Los Angeles, and ICA Young Artist Competition in Tokyo. Alexey won first prize in the 2004 Juilliard School Concerto Competition, leading to his debut in Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center. He has toured throughout his native Russia as a featured artist of the innovative "New Names" rising stars series, often broadcast on national TV and radio shows. In the US, he has been heard nationally several times on "From the Top." In 2003, Alexey recorded his debut disc Time Pieces with Classical Records, and in 2005 made his first recording, Sagesse, on the NAXOS label. He plays both chamber music and orchestral music. His piano studies started at age 4 with his mother, a pianist and music professor. Rigorous training in clarinet began at age 7 at the prestigious Central Music School in Moscow under Vladimir Sokolov. Alexey spent 1999-2003 at the Idyllwild Arts Academy, California, studying with Yehuda Gilad.

Nanae Iwata, age 22 and currently a senior at the Juilliard School, will perform the Sibelius Violin Concerto for Violin in d minor. Nanae, born in Japan, studies under Masao Kawasaki and has studied with Masuko Ushioda. She graduated from Walnut Hill School, an arts high school in Natick, MA. She has soloed with the Belvoir Terrace Orchestra (Massachusetts) and the Ichinomiya Chamber Orchestra (Japan), and has given solo recitals at Paul Hall (NYC), the concert hall in Denki-bunka, Nagoya (Japan), and Boswell Hall (Natick, MA) and others. Nanae plays chamber and orchestral music, including operas. Conductors under whom she has performed include Seiji Ozawa, Allan Gilbert and Benjamin Zander.  She won third prize in the 2^nd Nagoya International Competition. She has participated in the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado as well as others in Japan and the USA.

University of Colorado at Boulder senior Jennifer Johnson, 21, performs Colorado composer David Mullikin's Oboe Concerto, written in 1999 for Peter Cooper, Colorado Symphony Orchestra principal oboist and Jennifer's instructor. Jenny is majoring in music performance, having transferred to CU after two years at the University of Northern Colorado. She has played in numerous university symphony orchestras and bands, opera and musical theater orchestras, wind symphonies and ensembles, woodwind quintets, quartets and trios, as well as other small ensembles. She assisted at the CSO three times in 2005, played with the Mahlerfest Symphony Orchestra (Boulder, 2005), was principal chair of the Denver Young Artist Orchestra (2002-03 season), and performed with the Mesa State College Young Artist Orchestra (1998-2002) while attending high school in Grand Junction (CO). Jenny was a finalist for the Denver Young Artists Orchestra Concerto Competition (2003) and won the 2002 International Oboe & Bassoon Concerto Competition at the University of Denver's Lamont School of Music.

Travis Knapp, 19, is currently a sophomore at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign pursuing a bachelor's degree in percussion performance. He began piano studies at age 8 and percussion at age 11. Throughout high school, he studied with Susan Martin Tariq, percussion professor at West Texas A & M University. Travis received first place in the Percussive Arts Society International Convention High School Keyboard Competition, was twice selected as an Outstanding Performer at the Texas State Solo and Ensemble Competition, and won second place in the 2004 Drum Corps International Individual and Ensemble Keyboard competition. At age 15, he soloed professionally with the Randel Chamber Orchestra (Amarillo, TX). A member of the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps (2003-2004), he was also a finalist at the 2002 Texas Music Teachers' Association Convention High School Piano Competition. Travis has received several academic and music honors already at his university, including selection as a winner of its Concerto Competition last spring. He will solo with the University of Illinois Symphony Orchestra in February. He currently studies percussion with internationally renowned marimba virtuoso William Moersch as well as Ricardo Flores. Today he performs Concertino for Marimba by Paul Creston.

Patrick Laird, of Midland Park, NJ, is currently in his third year of study with Steven Doane at the Eastman School of Music (Rochester, NY). Patrick, 20, served as principal cellist of the Eastman School Symphony Orchestra for two years. Former teachers include Clive Greensmith (Tokyo String Quartet), Amir Eldan, and Qiang Tu (New York Philharmonic Orchestra). He studied with Orlando Cole and Richard Aaron during two summers at ENCORE School for Strings (Cleveland Institute of Music) and participated in the Intensive String Quartet Seminar with the Cavani String Quartet. Patrick was a member of the New York Youth Symphony Chamber Music Program for two years, and performed in numerous master classes. He has played twice at Weill Recital Hall (NYC), including a performance of the Brahms Sextet with Ida Kavafian. Last summer, Patrick studied with Joel Krosnick, Jerry Grossman, and George Sopkin at the Kneisel Hall Summer Music Festival in Maine. Besides having a passion for chamber music, Patrick is also an avid composer. Today he performs Ernest Bloch's Schelomo Rhapsodie Hebraique.

Harp Concerto, Opus 25 by Ginastera is today's selection by Cheryl Losey, a 21-year-old senior studying harp with Yolanda Kondonassis at the Cleveland Institute of Music. She recently received first prize and the Grandjany Prize in the Advanced Division of the American Harp Society National Solo Competition, and was the first harpist to receive the Presser Award from Cleveland Institute of Music, CIM's highest performance-based award. She has performed at the Pacific Music Festival in Japan, the Bowdoin Summer Music Festival, Bay Chamber Next Generation, and with the Youth Orchestra of the Americas throughout South America. As a soloist, Cheryl has performed with the New England Symphonic Ensemble in eleven countries in venues such as the Sydney Opera House, St. Martin in the Fields, and Cape Town City Hall. Cheryl previously studied with Alice Chalifoux at the Salzedo Harp Colony, Jeanne Chalifoux, and Jara Goodrich. She is a native of Harpswell, Maine.

Flutist Joanna Martin, 22, is currently pursuing a bachelor's of music degree in flute performance at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her primary instructor is Jonathan Keeble.  In 2004, she won the MTNA State Chamber Competition, was first alternate in the MTNA State Solo Competition, won a woodwind divisional award from her university, and gave a recital tour in Dallas, Texas, with Andrew Eldridge. In 2005, Joanna participated in six festivals or master classes. Her performance experience dates from 2001 and includes baroque and contemporary as well as classical music, music theater and opera. Joanna performed Mozart's Concerto in D with Bay Area Classical Harmonies, and just recently gave a recital at Southern Oregon University. For the JSO competition, she performs Ibert's Concerto for Flute and Orchestra.

Music has been a part of Stephen Page's life since childhood. He began studying piano at age 6 and saxophone at age 9. His studies with Anthony Ciccarelli (former principal clarinet of the Philadelphia, Houston, and Cleveland Symphony Orchestras) began in 2000. Stephen, 21, is now a senior saxophone performance major at the University of Minnesota, where he studies with Eugene Rousseau and is a member of the Symphonic Wind Ensemble. He was runner-up in both his university's Concerto Competition and in the Yamaha Young Performing Artist Competition in 2003. As winner of the 2004 Yamaha Young Performing Artist Competition, he played Yoshimatsu's Fuzzy Bird Sonata for more than 2,000 people. Stephen made his orchestral debut with the University of Minnesota Symphony Orchestra recently, performing Pictures at an Exhibition. Last April, he performed Jundrich Feld's Suite Rhapsodica in the presence of the composer. Stephen also has participated in many saxophone master classes across North America. He gives several recitals yearly. He also plays soprano saxophone in The Four Corners Saxophone Quartet. Today he plays Larsson's Konsert for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra.

Aaron Tindall, 22, is a euphonium and tuba performance major at Penn State University, where his principal teacher is Velvet Brown. He also has additional studies with Roger Bobo, Steven Mead, and Benjamin Pierce. Aaron has won prizes in solo competitions throughout the world. Competitions have served as a means for career enhancement, and also for furthering the standing of the euphonium and tuba as solo instruments. Recent successes include: Winner of the Penn State 2004-2005 Wind Ensemble Concerto Competition, Winner of the 2005 MTNA National Collegiate Solo Brass Artist Competition (Seattle, WA), Finalist on both Tuba and Euphonium in the 2005 William Byrd International Solo Competition, 2005 Brno (Czech Republic) International Performer's Competition (Tuba) Semi-Finalist, 2004 Lieksa (Finland) International Euphonium Solo Competition Semi-Finalist, and 2004 ITEC (Budapest) Solo Artist Euphonium Semi-Finalist. Aaron has been a soloist and guest artist with brass bands and concert bands throughout the United States, and recently presented a recital alongside professional euphonium soloist Matt Murchison. Aaron exclusively plays the Yamaha 842S Custom Euphonium. Today he performs Vladimir Cosma's Euphonium Concerto.