EAGLE alumna Sophia Jiang (’20) took first place and was awarded the Marian Bolz Prize for Distinguished Musical Achievement and a $2,000 scholarship during this year’s Madison Symphony Orchestra’s Bolz Young Artist Competition. Currently a 9th grader at Madison Memorial High School, Sophia began studying the piano at age four and has been perfecting her art ever since.
Prior to this year’s competition, Sophia had already made a name for herself as an up and coming musician in our area. In 2017, she won the Madison Symphony Orchestra Fall Youth Concerto Competition and was a featured soloist with the orchestra as a result. She also plays the violin with the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra and was concert master for one of their performances.
The Bolz Young Artist Competition welcomes young musicians from around the state to compete towards the “Final Forte” round of competition. Normally advancement to this final round means a featured performance with the orchestra. This year’s competition was presented virtually with an introduction of the finalists by MSO’s Music Director, John DeMain, and MSO’s Director of Education and Community Engagement, Kathryn Schwarzmann.
MSO 2021 “Final Forte” performers Qing Ng, Carrie Wang, Dexter Mott, Sophia Jiang. Photo: Peter Rodgers
PBS Wisconsin is currently streaming the Final Forte performances here. You can also watch an interview with Sophia herself to find out more about her music and her other passions.
For more information about the competition and to read what Sophia had to say herself about this year’s even, please visit the Madison Symphony Orchestra’s “Final Forte” page.