Opus 14
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CWOTO Opus 14

Tickets: 

    Performance #1: Oceanview Pavilion is handling all ticket sales. Reservations can be made by calling (805) 986-4818.

    Performance #2: Tickets will be on sale in the lobby of the theatre, not the box office, one hour prior to the event.

    $20 general / $10 senior & student

Performers and Their Pieces

Overture

Conejo Concerto Orchestra, conducted by Dr. Thomas Osborn

Piano Concerto #2    Camille Saint-Saëns (1835 - 1921)

Mr. Jiwoon Chang (first movement)

Mr. James Cassell (second movement)

Ms. Kathleen Humphries (third movement)

Mr. Jiwoon Chang, a senior at Westlake High School, has been playing piano since age five. Since moving to Thousand Oaks in 2001, he has studied privately with Ornela Ervin. Jiwoon has won honors at the Southern California Junior Bach Festival and the Romantic & Contemporary Festivals sponsored by the Conejo Valley MTAC, and in 2005, he passed the Advanced level of Certificate of Merit examinations with honors.

Besides playing piano, Jiwoon also enjoys playing trumpet in Westlake High School’s Wind Ensemble. In addition, he is the drum major of Westlake High School Regiment. As an honors student, he is a member of the National Honor Society and received an AP Scholar with Distinction award. Aspiring to become a doctor, he is involved in his school’s Advanced Anatomy program and works at the Westminster Free Clinic. In his spare time, Jiwoon enjoys listening to music, watching football, sleeping, and spending time with family and friends. He hopes to attend Stanford or Johns Hopkins University to continue his study in medicine.

Mr. James Cassell, 16, is currently attending Oaks Christian High School as a junior. He has been playing the piano for about eleven years, having started at age four and a half. He presently studies with Edward Francis, with whom he’s been for five years.

James has won numerous competitions, including the Contemporary Festival. He has performed on many occasions and at the Colburn School of Music, and he has done a fair bit of composing. He is a regular performer at his church, where he also serves as an accompanist for the choir and a pianist for the worship band, and he has performed on many occasions at school functions.

In addition to piano, James plays the violin for the Conejo Youth Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra at his high school. He has performed at his school’s annual auction and other functions. He also plays the flute, for which he won awards during middle school competitions.

At school, James is highly involved in the debate and tech clubs. He is one of two recipients of the 2005-2006 George Mayr Foundation Scholarship. As a member of Youth Congress for the third year, he is the co-chair for the site planning committee. James plays basketball and is a second-degree black belt, having done Tae Kwon Do for 6 years. In his free time, he enjoys composing, listening to music, biking, reading, building computers, and creating and playing computer games.

Ms. Kathleen Humphries, 17, is a 4.0 AP Honors student at Simi Valley High School. She is a member of the Key Club and the California Scholarship Federation. She attends Cornerstone Community Church where she is involved with the youth group. Her piano studies started at age four with Danna Southwell, and Kathleen has been studying with Peter Yazbeck for the past four years.

Kathleen has participated in the Certificate of Merit Syllabus Examinations sponsored by the Music Teachers’ Association of California since age six, and she has performed in many conventions through that program. She has appeared in several recitals including the Southern California Junior Bach Festivals, Regionals, Showcase, and Complete Works; the Contemporary Music Festivals, earning gold every year; and the “Minor Masters” Festival, which resulted in an appearance at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza Honors Recital. Kathleen has performed in the Young Artists Ventura Music Festival for four years. She has performed with the Ventura College Orchestra and was a recipient of the Ann George and Bernice Bernard Scholarship. Last July, Kathleen attended the UCLA Summer Music Academy.

In addition to piano, Kathleen has been studying dance (ballet-pointe, tap, and jazz) since age four, and she enjoys drawing and painting. She lives in Simi Valley with her parents, Jerry and Ruth, and her two brothers, Joseph and Benjamin.

Violin Concerto    Aram Khachaturian (1903 - 1978)

    (first movement)

Mr. Derek Ju, 16, is a junior honors student at Calabasas High School. He began his violin studies at age seven and is currently under the instruction of Joyce Osborn. Derek has actively participated and received honors in several festivals, including the All String Baroque Festival, SCSBOA Local and Regional Festivals, and the Southern California Junior Bach String Festival. He performs annually at the State Convention of the Music Teachers’ Association of California. He attended the Gold Coast Chamber Music Festival last summer and filled in as a violist in a string quartet. Derek is a member of the California State University Northridge Youth Philharmonic Orchestra. He made his solo debut with the Calabasas Chamber Orchestra in the 5th grade. 

In addition to playing violin, Derek has played the viola, guitar, and bass guitar. He has played football at his high school, and he earned a role as captain in his freshman year. In addition, Derek is a member of the varsity tennis team.

Cello Concerto    Antonín Dvorák (1841 - 1904)

    (first movement)

Mr. Peter Eldhart, 17, has been playing the cello since he began studies with Andrew Cook at age ten. After three years of playing, he was the principal cellist of the Conejo Valley Youth Orchestra. Peter went on to lead the cello section of the CSUN Youth Philharmonic, which he joined in a tour to Flagstaff for the 2004 Southwest Youth Orchestra Festival.

Peter’s awards include Honorable Mention in the 2002 Greater Los Angeles Area ASTA Competition and 3rd place in the 2003 VOCE Intermediate Category. In 2004, Peter played a solo concert with the CSUN Youth Philharmonic after winning the orchestra's concerto competition. He passed the Advanced Certificate of Merit exam in spring 2005. A few months later, Peter won 1st place in the 2005 Memorial Awards competitions. Peter has participated in the Gold Coast Chamber Music Festival every year since it started in 2001. He has taken master classes with Doug Davis, Dan Smith, and Rowena Hammill.

Peter hopes to become a professional musician. His other interests include horticulture and orienteering.

Piano Concerto #2    Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)

    (second movement)

Ms. Giselle Chang, 16, is a junior at Harvard-Westlake High School. She started playing piano at age ten, and she began studies with her current teacher, Edward Francis, just last year. She passed her Advanced Level 10 Certificate of Merit Exam with honors in March 2005, and she was a winner of both the Romantic Competition at Cypress College and the Contemporary Festival sponsored by the Conejo Valley MTAC. Giselle was also a regional winner of the Southern California Junior Bach Festival. She performed in the Bach Showcase Concert in Santa Barbara in April 2005. Later in June, she won a scholarship from the Santa Barbara Leni Fe Bland Foundation. Giselle played as a soloist in one of Harvard-Westlake's classical concerts and will be performing a Mozart concerto with the school symphony in November.

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