The Plano Symphony Orchestra celebrates the grand prize winners of the Collin County Young Artist Competition when the three young musicians, Reina Shim, Steven Lu and Ella Tran, open the March 19 concert by performing their winning concertos. After their performances, the orchestra will perform the symphony of the popular orchestral work Scheherazade-Rimsky-Korsakov inspired by the “One Thousand and One Nights”, often called “The Thousand and One Nights”.

The concert “Young artists and Scheherazade” will be presented at the Hill Performance Hall of the Charles W. Eisemann Center (2351 Performance Drive, Richardson) at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 19, 2022. Tickets can be purchased through the Plano Symphony Orchestra box office (972-473-7262/planosymphony.org). Ticket prices will vary between $24 and $90. $15 student tickets are available by phone.

“One of the things we are most proud of at the Plano Symphony Orchestra is our dedication to educational programming,” said PSO General Manager Robert A. Reed. “Investing in young musicians, and all young artists for that matter, is essential to preserving the ‘magic’ we experience through art, especially when it comes to the symphony.”

The 2022 grand prize winners of this year’s Young Artist Competition are:

Reina Shim, flute: At 14, Ms. Shim is in eighth grade at Pioneer Middle School in Frisco. She started learning the flute at the age of seven. She has been part of the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra (GDYO) for three years and was one of the youngest flautists.

Steven Lu, violin: At 15, Mr. Lu is a sophomore at Jasper High School in Plano. He has been studying the violin for 10 years. Among his many accolades, he was named Concertmaster of the Region 25 College Orchestra from 2017 to 2019.

Ella Tran, piano: Ms. Tran is a 16-year-old junior at Jacques Martin Arlington High School. She started playing the piano at age five. In January of this year, she received 2nd place in the Piano category at the National Juanita Miller Concerto Competition sponsored by TASO (Texas Association for Symphony Orchestras).

To learn more about the ‘Young Artists and Scheherazade’ concert and other upcoming PSO events, including programs planned as part of next year’s 40th anniversary season, visit www.planosymphony.org.