Students from the UW strings studios compete for outside judges for a chance to perform with the UW Symphony. Adjudicators for the competition are cellist Alistair MacRae and violinist Quinton Morris.
Program
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 14 - Samuel Barber (1910-1981)
I. Allegro moderato
Hanu Nahm, violin
Alexander Kostadinov, piano
Concerto No. 2 in B minor - Giovanni Bottesini (1821-1889)
I. Allegro Moderato
II. Andante
Amelia Matsumoto, bass
Alexander Kostadinov, piano
Violin Concerto in G minor, Op. 80 - Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912)
I. Allegro maestoso; Andante semplice
Martessa Davis, violin
Alexander Kostadinov, piano
Adjudicators
Cellist Alistair MacRae has performed as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral principal throughout North America and in Europe, Asia, South America, and the Middle East. His playing has been praised for its "rich sound and lyrical phrasing" (Palm Beach Daily News) and has been featured on numerous recordings and in radio broadcasts across the United States. Mr. MacRae is the Cordelia Wikarski-Miedel Artist in Residence at University of Puget Sound, the cellist of the Puget Sound Piano Trio, principal cello of the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, and principal cello of Symphony Tacoma. He also performs with his wife, soprano Allison Pohl, in the voice and cello duo Soprello and is a member of the Artist Faculty at the Brevard Music Center.
Dr. Quinton Morris is an internationally acclaimed violinist, educator, entrepreneur, and filmmaker. He has performed and presented master classes at Carnegie Hall, the Sydney Opera House, the Louvre Museum, and with the Cincinnati, Nashville, and Seattle Symphony Orchestras. His global engagements include appearances at leading institutions across Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa.
Dr. Morris is the founder and executive director of Key to Change, a nonprofit violin and viola program serving South King County. The organization provides high-level music instruction and mentorship to young musicians of color and students from underserved communities. Under his leadership, students have earned competition awards, performed as soloists with regional orchestras, appeared at Seattle Kraken events, and performed for national leaders including former Vice President Kamala Harris and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden.
A recipient of numerous honors, Dr. Morris has been recognized with the Governor’s Arts Award, the Seattle Mayor’s Arts Award, Seattle Magazine’s Most Influential Educator Award (2024), and the Distinguished Alumni Award from The Boston Conservatory at Berklee. He has also received national recognition from Musical America and the American String Teachers Association.
Dr. Morris serves as the Loyola Endowed Professor of Music at Seattle University, where he is the first Black man to achieve the rank of Professor in the College of Arts & Sciences and one of only two living Black violinists in U.S. history to hold that title. He also hosts Unmute The Voices and is a member of the Recording Academy.