2 Local Students Named Finalists in Concerto Competition

Clara Lee and Flora Li will show off their homegrown talents when they compete against each other for the winning title next week in the San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory's annual Concerto Competition. 

Lee and Li, who both play violin, were among eight student musicians from a field of 23 to be named finalists in the annual competition. they will need to display poise and skill as they compete for the top prize— a center-stage solo at Copley Symphony Hall during the San Diego Youth Symphony Winter Ovation Concert in February, and a $1,000 music scholarship.

Lee attends Rancho Bernardo High School and Li attends Del Norte High School. They both study music with the San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory. The annual competition is a showcase for the young musicians to demonstrate the talent and skill they've acquired over years of dedicated learning and practice by performing some of the most challenging concerto pieces composed. 

The competition is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 12, at the Mingei International Museum in Balboa Park. Admission is free and visitors are welcome to enjoy the museum galleries before the performances begin.

This year's judges Dr. Kay Etheridge, professor of piano at University of San Diego; Ted Bietz, orchestra manager at La Jolla Symphony & Chorus; and Anthony Kim, music teacher and SDYS alum.