Search
Student Musicians featured by the Hamden Symphony Orchestra
Two Hopkins student musicians, Shira Bedford '16 and Mark Xu '18, were featured in a special Hamden Symphony Orchestra performance on Sunday, April 26.
Two Hopkins student musicians, Shira Bedford '16 and Mark Xu '18, were featured in a special Hamden Symphony Orchestra performance on Sunday, April 26. Shira and Mark were featured as winners of the 2015 Young Musicians Concerto Competition.
Mark Xu performed the third movement of Saint Saens Violin Concerto No. 3 as a violin soloist, and Shira Bedford performed a movement of Elgar's Cello Concerto on the cello.
Shira is a junior at Hopkins, and has been playing cello since age 6. She studies with Rebecca Patterson, Principal cellist of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra.
Shira has attended the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music Summer Workshop in Keene, NH for the past four summers, and the Seagle Music Colony Summer Chamber Music Workshop, during the summer of her 8th grade year.
Other performances have included the Elm City Chamber Fest, New Haven, CT, grade 7 & 8; the Chamber Music Central Summer Workshop, Fairfield, CT, grade 7 and the Ithaca Suzuki Summer Festival, grades 5 & 6.
Her more recent musical awards and accomplishments include an Outstanding Merit Award from the Neighborhood Music School, and Honorable mention in 2014 in the Hamden Orchestra Concerto Competition. She is the Principal Cellist for the Hopkins School Orchestra, and the Assistant Principal Cellist of the Greater New Haven Youth Orchestra. She was also named to the Connecticut Music Educators Association All-State Orchestra last year.
Mark Xu, a freshman at Hopkins, has began playing piano at age 5 and violin at age 8.
In March 2015, Mark was selected as the first place winner of the American Protégé International Concerto Competition and will perform at its winners’ concert at Carnegie Weill Recital Hall in December. He was also a finalist in American Chamber Orchestra’s Concerto Competition and performed at its finalists’ concert in February. In 2013, Mark received the “Best Soloist” award at Music in the Parks. As the first violinist of the Helios and Prometheus string quartets, he was featured in the “Next Generation” concert at Palace Theater in 2012.
Mark is the assistant concertmaster of Norwalk Youth Symphony’s Principal Orchestra, and previously the concertmaster of its Concert and Philharmonic Orchestras. This year, he was invited to play with the Yale Medical Symphony Orchestra, and has played side-by-side with the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra and the Stamford Young Artists Philharmonic. Mark has played at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Tanglewood and Steinway Hall. He attended Meadowmount School of Music and the Chamber Music Institute for Young Musicians in the past two summers.
Back
Mark Xu performed the third movement of Saint Saens Violin Concerto No. 3 as a violin soloist, and Shira Bedford performed a movement of Elgar's Cello Concerto on the cello.
Shira is a junior at Hopkins, and has been playing cello since age 6. She studies with Rebecca Patterson, Principal cellist of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra.
Shira has attended the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music Summer Workshop in Keene, NH for the past four summers, and the Seagle Music Colony Summer Chamber Music Workshop, during the summer of her 8th grade year.
Other performances have included the Elm City Chamber Fest, New Haven, CT, grade 7 & 8; the Chamber Music Central Summer Workshop, Fairfield, CT, grade 7 and the Ithaca Suzuki Summer Festival, grades 5 & 6.
Her more recent musical awards and accomplishments include an Outstanding Merit Award from the Neighborhood Music School, and Honorable mention in 2014 in the Hamden Orchestra Concerto Competition. She is the Principal Cellist for the Hopkins School Orchestra, and the Assistant Principal Cellist of the Greater New Haven Youth Orchestra. She was also named to the Connecticut Music Educators Association All-State Orchestra last year.
Mark Xu, a freshman at Hopkins, has began playing piano at age 5 and violin at age 8.
In March 2015, Mark was selected as the first place winner of the American Protégé International Concerto Competition and will perform at its winners’ concert at Carnegie Weill Recital Hall in December. He was also a finalist in American Chamber Orchestra’s Concerto Competition and performed at its finalists’ concert in February. In 2013, Mark received the “Best Soloist” award at Music in the Parks. As the first violinist of the Helios and Prometheus string quartets, he was featured in the “Next Generation” concert at Palace Theater in 2012.
Mark is the assistant concertmaster of Norwalk Youth Symphony’s Principal Orchestra, and previously the concertmaster of its Concert and Philharmonic Orchestras. This year, he was invited to play with the Yale Medical Symphony Orchestra, and has played side-by-side with the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra and the Stamford Young Artists Philharmonic. Mark has played at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Tanglewood and Steinway Hall. He attended Meadowmount School of Music and the Chamber Music Institute for Young Musicians in the past two summers.
-
-
Voted #1
Best Day School
in CT, 2024
-
Hopkins is a private middle school and high school for grades 7-12. Located on a campus overlooking New Haven, CT, the School takes pride in its intellectually curious students as well as its dedicated faculty and staff.
