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Featuring Young Artist Winner 2024 Christian Garner, trumpet; Sandra Sheih, flute* with Brian De Young, piano; Nickolai Kolarov, cello with Ocsana Peterson, piano; and Russell Dedrick, flute.
*Artist Series Debut
**Guest Artist
Click the photo on the left for artist and program information.
For everyone’s safety, Thursday Musical strongly recommends all audience members to wear a non-cloth mask such as a N95, KN95, KF94, or surgical mask inside of the recital hall.
Christian Garner, a 16-year-old trumpet player from Minnesota, is a student of Robert Dorer, and in his fourth year as principal trumpet in Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies (GTCYS) touring ensemble, Symphony. This summer, Christian toured with them to Southern France and Spain, playing Copland’s Billy the Kid, Mahler’s Blumine, and Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite at the Palau de la Música Catalana, Barcelona.
Career performance highlights include Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet with the National Youth Ensemble’s NYO2 at Carnegie Hall, Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 in the Taormina Amphitheater with GTCYS Symphony, and Handel’s The Trumpet Shall Sound on piccolo trumpet with his dad singing. Christian won GTCYS Concerto Competition (2024), playing the first movement of Tomasi’s Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra at Orchestra Hall. Christian also performed Arutunian’s Trumpet Concerto with the Minnetonka Symphony and Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto with the Medalist Band. In 2024, he won the High School Winds division of Thursday Musical and has twice been a finalist in the Minnesota Orchestra’s YPSCA Competition.
In addition to playing trumpet, Christian has been studying piano with Suzanne Greer since kindergarten and was a winner of the MacPhail Aria & Concerto Competition on piano.
Sandra Sheih made her performance debut at the age of 14 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. She went on to receive her Bachelor’s degree in Flute Performance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, studying with Alexander Murray. Next, she was invited to study privately and intensively with Joshua Smith (Cleveland Orchestra, Principal Flute) for two years, and then continued her study of the flute under Adam Kuenzel (Minnesota Orchestra, Principal Flute) for five years. She has participated as a performer in intensive international masterclasses with Marina Piccini both in 1999 and 2024. She was recently a finalist in an International Concerto Competition in Switzerland.
Ms. Sheih has performed in a variety of settings throughout her career including operas, Broadway shows, symphony orchestras, chamber ensembles, and as a concerto soloist. Opera and Broadway experience has included: Ohio Light Opera, Des Moines Opera and Broadway Shows in Des Moines (including a special write up in the Des Moines Register about her “incredibly delightful” piccolo playing in a Best of Andrew Lloyd Weber show).
Her symphony orchestra experience has included regular principal flute and piccolo positions with Exultate Chamber Orchestra and Choir (15 years), Ames Symphony (9 years), Oskaloosa Symphony (9 years), Des Moines Municipal Band (9 years), and Symphony of the Lakes (5 years). Sandra has substituted multiple times with Des Moines Symphony, Duluth Symphony, Mankato Symphony, Rochester Symphony, St. Cloud Symphony and for numerous community orchestras.
Ms. Sheih has been a concerto soloist numerous times and her repertoire has included: Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 4, Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, Bach Suite in b minor, Briccaldi Carnival of Venice, Borne Carmen Fantasie, Chaminade Concertino, Doppler Andante et Rondo, Hue Fantasie, Mozart Concerto in D, Mozart Concerto in G, Vivaldi Piccolo Concerto in C Major.
Ms. Sheih has been teaching private flute lessons since she was given her teacher’s “wait list” at the age of 14. She currently teaches a private studio and is the Flute Professor at Bethel University.
Currently, she is the Principal Flutist of Exultate Chamber Orchestra and Choir, a founding member of FluteSpiration Quartet, and a regular soloist with Summit Music. She also just launched her “Enhancing Emotional Intelligence through Music” project.
Organist and pianist Brian De Young is a musician of broad skills and interests ranging from Renaissance and Baroque to musical theatre and new classical music. He is a Professor of Music at Augsburg University in Minneapolis where he teaches organ and collaborative piano and serves as Campus Ministry musician. An active freelance chamber musician, he has performed in numerous festivals around the country with members of the Chicago Symphony, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Grand Rapids (Michigan) Symphony, and others.
Also a skilled bass-baritone, Brian has sung with the Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus, Minnesota Renaissance Choir, Kantorei, The Summer Singers, and the Italian Baroque ensemble Consortium Carissimi. He has conducted church and community choirs in Iowa, Michigan, and Minnesota, and is currently the music director at Trinity Lutheran Congregation on the campus of Augsburg.
Brian studied organ performance at Dordt University in Iowa, church music at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Ohio, and piano pedagogy at Grand Valley State University in Michigan. Prior to Augsburg, he served on the piano faculties at Grand Valley and Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp.
Brian De Young
952-836-5594
www.briandeyoungmusic.com
Cellist Nickolai Kolarov graduated from the Bulgarian State Academy of Music and received his Master’s degree from the University of Missouri, Kansas City where he studied with Nina Gordon. Kolarov earned his Doctoral degree from the University of Minnesota where he studied with Tanya Remenikova. He also studied with Igor Gavrish from the Moscow Conservatory of Music.
Since his arrival in the United States, he has performed with distinguished musicians in both classical and contemporary repertoire throughout the country. Kolarov is a prizewinner from the Bulgarian National Competition at Provadia. He has received numerous grants from the Minnesota Metropolitan Regional Arts Council and American Composers Forum, as well the Fine Arts and Humanities Grant from St. Thomas University where he taught cello until 2006. Kolarov performed on the conference of the National Association of Composers (NACUSA) in San Marcos, Texas in 2008. He also performed at the 2010 Composer Conference of the Aspen Institute. In 2011 he was invited for a performance-lecture at the Juilliard School.
Kolarov is the founder of the Balkanicus Balkan new chamber music concert series in 2003 in the Twin Cities, MN and the Artistic Director of Balkanicus Ensemble. The series has featured music written especially for him and for the ensemble. The ensemble was featured on musical festivals here in the United States and in Europe.
Kolarov is the President of the Balkanicus Institute for Balkan Art, Culture and History, a not-for-profit organization that promotes the culture of the Balkans.
Russell Dedrick is a flutist with a rich and varied career. He studied at the Manhattan School of Music from 1974-78 with Harold Bennett, Harvey Sollberger, and, upon recommendation of Henry Schuman, Thomas Nyfenger outside of school. Russell’s most influential teacher was Thomas Nyfenger, whose other students in the Twin Cities include Julia Bogarad, Adam Kuenzel, and Polly Meyerding-Dedrick.
In September 2023, Russell’s appearance changed with the addition of an eye patch, a permanent reminder to always keep playing, no matter the challenges.