A trombone player from Juanita High School, Victor Keegan Taggart, 16, and two other student musicians from Redmond High School will perform at Benaroya Hall on May 11.
Ticket holders for the Ten Grands Seattle benefit concert will be treated to additional performances by 88 other talented young artists.
Selected musicians will appear onstage with the featured professional artists, and others will perform in the Samuel & Althea Stroum Grand Lobby starting at 5 p.m. (two hours before the Ten Grands performance begins). The added performers include 41 medalists from a statewide high school contest, three dozen members of an internationally acclaimed vocal ensemble, and other specially invited guests. The 41 medal-winning musicians are from nine Western Washington schools and include soloists, a string quartet and a men’s vocal ensemble.
Student participation has always been an integral part of the Ten Grands Seattle event. Many performers are students of statewide music educators and Ten Grands pianist performers. The award-winning students are from this year’s Washington State Solo & Ensemble Contest, an annual statewide competition for high school students held in Ellensburg, Washington on April 26-27. The State Solo and Ensemble Contest is a program of WIAA/WMEA (Washington Interscholastic Activities Association/Washington Music Educators Association).
Students compete in 29 solo categories, including seven woodwind categories, five brass, four percussion, four strings, six vocal, piano, guitar and harp. A complete list of winners is published on the WMEA website.
A sellout crowd is expected for the 6th annual musical variety show, whose proceeds support the Seattle Symphony’s education programs and other select nonprofit music education organizations.
A limited amount of tickets remain for the popular one-night-only concert. Tickets, starting at $42, may be purchased at www.seattlesymphony.org, through the Seattle Symphony’s new iPhone and Android apps, by calling the Seattle Symphony Ticket Office at (206) 215-4747, or by visiting the Ticket Office in Benaroya Hall, located on the corner of Union Street and Third Avenue. Ticket Office hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., and Saturday, 1–6 p.m.
