2009 - 2010 Featured Artists

YAO Timpanist Wesley Strasser will perform Concerto No. 1 for Marimba and Orchestra by Nay Rosauro at our fall Young Artist Concert in October. Wesley, a native of Greenville, South Carolina, has studied drum set with Ron Schwartz since he was 8, and has gradually added classical and latin percussion instruments to his repertoire.  Now a junior at Wade Hampton High School and the Fine Arts Center, he studies percussion with Dr. Gary Robinson, jazz with Steve Watson, and music theory and composition with Dr. Jon Grier.  In addition, Wesley has studied with Courtney McDonald, Principal Percussionist with the Greenville Symphony Orchestra, Omar Carmenates, percussion professor at Furman University, and Laura Mohrmann, a Furman percussion major who was his first marimba teacher.  He is in his sixth season with the Carolina Youth Symphony and is in his third season with the Greenville County Youth Orchestra.  In 2007, he performed as a section percussionist with CYS at Carnegie Hall.  He is the timpanist for the Foothills Philharmonic Orchestra.  He is also a member of the Fine Arts Center Jazz Combo. Wesley played with the South Carolina Region I Band and the Greenville County Honor Band in 2007-08,  and served as All-State Timpanist for 2008-09.  He placed third in the CYS concerto competition for the 2008-09 season.   For summer music study, Wesley has attended the Furman University Band and Orchestra Camp and the Summer Percussion Seminar at the Juilliard School in New York.  He was a recipient of the GCYO scholarship for summer study in 2008-09, and a three-time recipient of the CYS summer scholarship.  He is very active in the music and youth programs at Aldersgate United Methodist Church. He plays in the handbell choir, sings in the youth choir, and plays in the youth praise band. He is a Life Scout with Boy Scout Troop 256.  He is a member of the 2010 class of Youth Leadership Greenville.  When not in the practice room, Wesley enjoys reading, tennis, spending time with family and friends, and playing music with his younger brother, Hunter, who is a guitarist.  Wesley is the oldest son of Kris and Carol Strasser.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Pianist NAOMI CAUSBY will be playing Beethoven Piano Concert No. 3, op. 37 in c minor for our Shoulder-to-Shoulder to concert. Naomi is the daughter of Tom and Suzie Causby, and is a tenth grader at Irmo High School in Columbia, South Carolina. In addition to her award in the Afternoon, Eau Claire and Morning Music Clubs Scholarship Auditions, she has participated successfully in the MTNA Junior Competitions and the SCMTA District and State, SC Federation of Music Clubs, and Columbia Music Teachers Association Scholarship Auditions. Three times she has been chosen in the SC Piano Festival Auditions to appear as a soloist on SCETV. Naomi has performed in Columbia with the Sterling Chamber Players. She attended the Summer Arts Camp at the Interlochen Center for the Arts in 2007 and 2008 at Interlochen, Michigan. While at Interlochen, she studied under Dr. Ani Gogova and Dr. Ruthanne Schempf. Also, Naomi competed in the MTNA Junior Competitions placing first and thus competing in the Regional competitions in January of 2009 which she placed third. Later that month, Naomi competed in The Blount-Slawson Young Artists Competition and was selected as one of the top 3 pianists to compete in the final round. In July of 2009, Naomi traveled to Burgos, Spain to attend the Burgos International Music Festival and competed in the Burgos International Competition which she received third prize. In 2008 and 2009, she attended the Southeastern Piano Festival and competed in the Arthur Fraser International Piano Competition, receiving an honorable mention and thus placing fourth. Naomi has also presented recitals for the elderly in Still Hopes Nursing Center out of passion for playing for the elders. Naomi has attended numerous master classes, including those with Norman Kreiger, Ian Hobson, Nelita True, Ann Schein, Anthony Zerpa-Falcon, Christopher Taylor, and Olga Kern. Naomi currently studies with Dr. Marina Lomazov and Dr. Joseph Rackers, both of the University of South Carolina                     

YAO violinist Sarah Leonard will be performing Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1, op. 26 in g minor at our spring concert. Sarah is 18 years old and has being playing violin since she was 5. This is Sarah’s third year at Wade Hampton High School and the Fine Arts Center. She currently takes private lessons with Sarah Johnson, and has been doing so for the past 4 1/2 years. Sarah and her family moved to Spartanburg in 2004 from Charleston, SC, and this past summer moved to Greenville. While in Charleston, she took from Melinda Covington for 4 years, and then took from Lee Chin Siow of the College of Charleston for 4 years. Sarah was a star player in the popular Charleston Irish Fiddling group, Na Fideleiri (Gaelic for “The Fiddlers”) for 5 years. She performed in the 2001 Strings Extravaganza Concert held by the College of Charleston at the Sotilie Theatre and was also part of a Master Class given by Roland and Almita Vamos, with whom she studied with that following summer for two weeks. In the summer of 2004, while at a camp in New York, Sarah was chosen as one of 4 violinists to participate in a Master Class with Arnold Steinhardt. During the summer of 2005 she was invited to New York as one of 16 chosen students, to perform in a concert at Steinway Hall in New York City. The same summer, she was also invited to play at Piccolo Spoleto in Charleston. In 2006 Sarah was awarded the Gignilliant Scholarship by Converse College, and selected to play in the “Shining Stars” concert. She was also given an Honorable Mention at the South Carolina MTNA Jr. Division Competition. While in Spartanburg, she was the concertmistress of the Palmetto Youth Orchestra. In 2008, Sarah received the Chapman Scholarship from Conver se College. She also performed as a soloist with the Greenville County Youth Philharmonic, with friend and violist Joshua Dieringer. Sarah has been a member of the Fine Arts Center’s orchestra in residence, the Greenville County Youth Orchestra, for three years. Sarah plays an unlabeled, 1900’s, Hungarian violin, affectionately named “Gypsy”.  When not doing music, Sarah enjoys working with WHHS’s French Club, studying literature, and spending time with her friends.