Green Valley Concert Association presents final performance

Special to the Green Valley News

The Green Valley Concert Association, which is disbanding after 35 years, is presenting its final concert Friday night at the Desert Hills Lutheran Church, 2150 S. Camino Del Sol.

The finale, which begins at 7:30 p.m., will be the association’s annual piano competition concert, co-sponsored by KUAT. It will feature five finalists from the University of Arizona School of Music and Dance.

The finalists will be performing selections from Debussy, Haydn, Brahms, Bach, Liszt Scarlatti and others.

The finalists are:

Jonathan Gross: He has been playing the piano for 12 and one half years now, since his parents decided to home-school him at the start of second grade.

In fall 2006, Jonathan entered the University of Arizona as a freshman pursuing dual degrees in piano performance and computer engineering. He has received several scholarships from these two fields to help him pursue his studies.

Young Ji Kim: She is a native of Seoul, Korea, and began piano study at 5. At 11, she entered the Donga-a and Samick “Young Artists” Competition and received an honorable mention.

Currently, Kim is pursuing her Master's degree in piano performance at the UA School of Music.

Ji-Young Kim: The Seoul native began her piano study at the age of six and three years later, won her first competition playing a Mozart Sonata.

Kim is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the UA.

Ae Ja Oh: She graduated from the piano performance program at Kaywon High School of Arts in Korea. She won the second prize in Korea’s National Piano Competition in 1987 and 1991. She received her Bachelor of Music Degree in Piano in February 2001 from Chu Gye University for the Arts, Korea and her Masters of Music Degree in 2005 from Oklahoma City University.

Kathryn Christensen: The alternate is a native of Boise, Idaho. She received a Bachelor of Music Degree in Piano Performance from Rice University.

Tickets are $10 and are available at the door the night of the performance. Students are free.

Information: Call 648-5961 or visit www.gvconcertassociation.org.