Pittsford teen performs with the RPO

David Steinhardt

On Thursday, July 24, the RPO performed at Temple B’rith Kodesh (TBK) with special guest, Rochester Philharmonic League Young Artist Special Award Winner David Steinhardt, on classical guitar.

“It is a dream and true honor to play with an orchestra of such renown,” said Steinhardt, who will enter his senior year at Pittsford Mendon High School this fall and plans to study classical guitar in college.

Steinhardt won the Rochester Philharmonic League (RPL)’s 2014 Young Artist Auditions (YAA) Special Award in March, which won him the chance to audition to perform with the RPO. Backed by the orchestra under the baton of Principal Conductor for Education and Outreach Michael Butterman, Steinhardt played Vivaldi’s Lute/Guitar Concerto in D Major, RV 93.

The Rochester Philharmonic League was founded in 1929 to support the education and outreach programs of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, including the annual Young Artist Auditions for high school musicians since 1955. In March, 42 high school students from nine counties competed at the Eastman School of Music for a total of $4,500 in cash awards and scholarships. Steinhardt was the sole recipient of the YAA Special Award.

“Many of this competition’s winners have gone on to highly successful careers as performers, music educators, and professionals in other music-related fields,” said RPL President Carol Shulman. “We’re very proud to support our area’s young people in their musical pursuits.”

A scholarship student of Dr. Petar Kodzas at the Eastman Community Music School, Steinhardt is studying toward honors diplomas in Guitar Performance and Music Theory. Last summer, he received the Eastman Community Director's Choice Award, selected from all instruments. From age 11, Steinhardt has participated in numerous competitions and festivals in the US, Canada, and Europe, and was one of 10 youth guitarists from around the world selected to participate in the 2012 Parkening International Youth Guitar Competition in Malibu, California.

Steinhardt and the RPO played to a full crowd of over 300 at TBK. The 20th annual fundraiser concert included a program of classical and pop selections, including compositions by Mozart, Strauss, Elgar and Rimsky-Korsakov, in addition to the Fiddler on the Roof Overture and selections from My Fair Lady.

 

David Steinhardt, seated to the left of Conductor Michael Butterman, performs
Vivaldi's Lute/Guitar Concerto in D Major with the RPO.

For more information on the Rochester Philharmonic League or the Young Artist Auditions, visit rpo.org/RPL