Nine musicians named finalists for Young Artists Competition

Lincoln — Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Executive Director Igor Shakhman announced the nine finalists for the 24th Annual Young Artists Competition. The finalists will compete in three categories — piano, strings and wind/brass — and will perform selections at a live concert at 1 p.m. Sunday at Trinity Lutheran Church, 309 W. 39th St., Vancouver. The winners from each category will perform with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra at the Skyview Concert Hall on June 2 and 3 under Maestro Salvador Brotons. The students will also receive a portion of more than $5,000 in cash and prize money. The concert on Sunday is free and open to the public. The three finalists in the strings category are violinists Cammie Lee of Portland and Evan Llafet of Mountain View High School and Shania Watts of Clark College Running Start, who plays viola. In the piano category, Gabe Reed of Bend, Ore., Christopher Yoon of Portland and Jenna Tu of Mountain View High School were named finalists. The winds/brass finalists are Hockinson High School’s Riley Lyons, who plays trombone, Union High School’s Sara Shin, flute, and Isabel Zheng, of Portland, flute.