Opus 8
[Home] [About T.O.Phil.] [Who's Who?] [Support T.O. Phil.] [Upcoming Events] [Archives] [Join T.O.Phil.] [Contact T.O Phil.]

CWOTO Opus 8

Tickets: click here to contact Edward Francis for advance tickets

    $15 general / $10 senior & student

Performers and Their Pieces

Violin Concerto, Opus 64    Felix Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847)

     Andante

Ms. Mary Teichert, 17, is homeschooled. She began her violin studies with Amy Haegan Radford five years ago. She has attended various summer music programs, including the Idaho Suzuki Institute in 2000, the Gold Coast Chamber Music Festival from 2001 to 2003, and the Killington Music Festival in Vermont in 2003.

Mary was a member of the New West Youth Symphony for several years and is currently co-concertmaster of the Ojai Youth Symphony.

Mary relishes music, having studied piano with Clara Hume and Edward Francis, and voice with Linda Ottsen. She cantors and directs a childrens choir for her parish. She also enjoys skiing, reading, school, and ballroom dancing. Mary is looking forward to attending Thomas Aquinas College in the fall.  

Piano Concerto #1, Opus 15    Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827)

    Allegro con brio

Ms. Maize Wang, a 13 year-old student at Medea Creek Middle School in Oak Park , is currently attending seventh grade. She has made honor roll several times during middle school. Maize began piano lessons with her mother. She then studied with Marilyn Clemons in Santa Barbara , and is presently studying with Peter Yazbeck.

 Under the guidance of Mr. Yazbeck, Maize has participated in the Gail Newby Concerto Competition of Antelope Valley, New West Symphony Discovery Artists Program, and Showcase for Young Musicians in Orange County . She was a gold medalist at the MTAC Holiday Festival in 2003 and has also participated in the MTAC Regional Bach Festival. In 2003, Maize performed at the MTAC Convention in Santa Clara .

 Maize lives with her parents in Oak Park . In her free time, she likes to read, draw, and go on hikes on nearby trails, but she is usually practicing the piano, doing homework, or playing various sports. Maize takes lessons in a variety of activities including horseback riding, Irish Dance, swimming, and tennis. She is looking forward to performing with the Conejo Concerto Orchestra.

Piano Concerto #2, Opus 22    Camille Saint-Saëns (1835 - 1921)

    Andande sostenuto

Ms. Hannah Brewer, 18, has been playing piano since age five. For the past two years, she has studied piano with Edward Francis after seven years with Shirley Kalberg-Leak in Ojai. Hannah also plays the oboe with the Ojai Youth Symphony and studies organ with Cherry Rhodes of USC.

Hannah has participated in numerous piano competitions and recitals, including Bach Festivals, Certificate of Merit examinations, and the Honors Piano Seminar Class at the Colburn School of Performing Arts this year. Hannah soloed with the Ojai Youth Symphony last year, performing the first movement of Mozart’s Piano Concerto #23. In 2002, she was the recipient of an organ scholarship from the Ventura County chapter of the American Guild of Organists.

Hannah is looking forward to a career in music and will major in organ performance at Oberlin College and Conservatory after graduating from the independent study program of Laurel Springs this June. Her other interests include reading, art, history, and corresponding with pen friends around the world.

Piano Concerto, Opus 54    Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856)

    Allegro vivace

Ms. Wendy Wen, 16, started studying piano at the age of five with Weihui Mao, and has been studying with Edward Francis for the past two years. In 1999, she passed the Advanced Level of Certificate of Merit with honors. She received gold medals at the Contemporary/Fall Festivals sponsored by MTAC, leading to performances at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza . In 2002, she was awarded a music scholarship by the Leni Fé Bland Foundation. She was a finalist twice for the New West Symphony’s Discovery Artist competition. This year, she has been selected to attend an honors piano seminar at the Colburn School for Performing Arts in Los Angeles .

Wendy is an honors/AP student at Westlake High School . She runs varsity track and competes as an honors division Red Conference member of her Academic Decathlon team, scoring four medals this year in the categories of music, language and literature, math, and art. As the president and founder of Westlake ’s Red Cross Youth Emergency Services Club, Wendy coordinates many community service events. She is also the vice president of French Club and Future Meds and the junior representative of the California Scholarship Foundation. She volunteers weekly at the Los Robles Regional Medical Center .

In addition to piano, Wendy plays the flute and is a member of Westlake High School ’s Wind Ensemble. In 2002, she completed level eight of Certificate of Merit with honors on the flute. She also received a superior rating at the SCSBOA Regional Festival. She has been a member of the Ventura County Honor Band for two consecutive years.

In her spare time, Wendy likes to catch up on some long lost sleep. She thanks her loving parents for their unwavering support and Mr. Francis for his enlightening tutelage.

Poem (Flute)    Charles Tomlinson Griffes (1884 - 1920)

Ms. Heather Yan, 16, began her flute studies at the age of nine with Nancy Marfisi, and she has studied with Toby Caplan-Stonefield for the past two years. Heather has achieved many honors and awards in her flute career. In 2004, she passed the Advanced Level in the Certificate of Merit with honors. She has won several gold medals in the Contemporary/Fall Festivals, leading to performances at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza . Also, Heather performed at the MTAC convention at Santa Clara in the summer of 2003. In addition, she has won the MTAC Conejo Valley Branch VOCE competition for two consecutive years, and in April 2004, Heather placed with honorable mention at the MTAC State VOCE competition. She also achieved honorable mention in the New West Discovery Artist Program in 2001. In the summer of 2002, Heather attended the Northern California Flute Camp and was accepted in the top auditioned group.

Aside from the competitive aspect of flute, she enjoys performing for retirement homes during the holiday season with the "Excelsior Ensemble," consisting of a group of friends.  Currently a junior at Westlake High School , Heather is enrolled in her Wind Ensemble and has been principal chair for the past two years. Furthermore, she has been selected for the prestigious Ventura County Honor Band for two consecutive years. Heather has been a member of the Conejo Valley Youth Orchestra for six years and is currently principal chair.

In addition to playing the flute, Heather is an Honors/AP student. She is a competitor in the Academic Decathlon team and is active in various school clubs. She is currently Vice President in the Youth Emergency Services (YES) Red Cross Club and Future Meds club. Also, she was recently accepted to the renowned Advanced Anatomy class at Westlake High School  (dissection of human cadavers) for next year. In the summer, she will attend the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine at UCLA to further her interests in medicine. When she isn’t occupied with school or music, she volunteers at the Los Robles Medical Center . Heather’s interests include snowboarding, spending time with friends, reading, and shopping.

Finally, Heather thanks her loving parents and her teacher, Ms. Caplan-Stonefield, for their utmost support and inspiration.

Piano Concerto #2, Opus 40    Felix Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847)

    Allegro appassionato - Presto scherzando

Ms. Chika Nobumori, 18, is a senior at Westlake High School . This is her second appearance with CWOTO, having played in Opus V in 2003. Her piano lessons started in Japan when she was four years old, and she has been studying with Edward Francis for the past four years. Over the past few years, she has achieved several awards and honors, including several gold medals from Contemporary Festivals (which led to performances at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza ). She twice completed Panel, the highest level of the Certificate of Merit program, and has received honors both times. She also was a regional winner of the Southern California Jr. Bach Festival, which culminated in an invitation to appear in its Showcase Concert in Santa Barbara . This year, Chika was invited to join the advanced Honors Piano Performance Seminar at the Colburn School of Performing Arts in Los Angeles . She will be a featured soloist in the Ventura Chamber Music Festival's Young Artist's Recital for the second time this coming May.

Chika loves to "express the inexplicable" through the piano. She is an honor/AP student who was ranked 8 out of approximately 500 students in her class. She was recently accepted to UCLA and UC Berkeley, but has not yet decided which school to attend. She spends most of the day practicing and tutoring. In her free time, she can be always found either lying down on the bed listening to various types of music, or sight-reading random music on the piano. Besides music, she loves swimming, eating, cooking, spending time with friends, meeting new people, shopping, and sleeping.

Chika would like to thank her friends, family, and teacher for their continuous support.

Piano Concerto #5, Opus 73 (Emperor)    Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827)

    Allegro moderato

Mr. Edward Lan, 17, was born in Taiwan and moved here at the age of three. He began piano studies when he was six with Jill Hu, and he has studied piano with Edward Francis for the last nine years. Throughout his years of musical studies, he has received many awards. A gold medal winner in the Twentieth-Century Festival, he has performed at the Civic Arts Plaza in the Scherr Forum; he has won the Romantic Festival, held at in the San Fernando Valley ; and he has won numerous Southern California Bach Festivals at the Branch and Regional levels, performing at the Showcase recitals.

Edward has auditioned for the Léni Fé Bland Foundation at the Santa Barbara Music Academy of the West and has received scholarships for several years now. Edward performed Carnival of the Animals by Saint Saëns with the New West Symphony and Beethoven’s Concerto #1 as the Young Pianist Winner with the Conejo Valley Youth Orchestra. He won 1st place in the Southwestern Youth Music Festival in the Open Category and also won in the Chopin Category. Edward’s trio also won 3rd place in the SYMF competition. He has passed the Certificate of Merit Panel level, the highest, and for the second year is participating in the Honors Piano Seminar Class at the Colburn School of Performing Arts.

In addition to piano, Edward also studies violin with Teresa DiTullio and is the concertmaster of the Conejo Valley Youth Orchestra.

At school, Edward is an honors/AP student and participates on the track team, Academic Decathlon team, and in numerous other clubs. He was a California Scholarship Federation Junior Marshal. He has been accepted into the National Honors Society and also Advanced Anatomy, which is a cadaver class. Edward volunteers at the Los Robles Hospital on the weekends, attends Chinese Christian Church of Thousand Oaks , and is involved in the youth group there.

© 2001 - 2009 CWOTO. All rights reserved.

Contact webmaster with comments about this site.