Four local teens honored in Young Artists competition

Friday, Nov. 12, 2004 | 8:56 a.m.

There's nothing like successfully pulling off a Mendelssohn violin concerto, or breezing through Doppler's "Hungarian Pastorale Fantasie Op. 26" on the flute.

Accomplishing it as a teenager, in a contest sponsored by a professional orchestra, might only add to the satisfaction.

Four area musicians could say for sure.

Flutist Rebecca Swain, violinists Natalie Cheung, James Reinarz and Tobias Roth were the winners of the Las Vegas Philharmonic's fifth annual Young Artists competition.

Open to youth ages 13 to 17, the contest was orchestrated by the Philharmonic's associate conductor, Richard McGee. Twenty-two young musicians competed.

Swain, a 13-year-old student at Fertitta Middle School, performed the Doppler "Hungarian Pastorale Fantasie, Op. 26"; Cheung, a 17-year-old student at the Las Vegas Academy, performed Tchaikovsky's "Concerto in D Major, Op. 35"; Reinarz, a 17-year-old student at the Las Vegas Academy, performed Mendelssohn's "Violin Concerto in E Minor, first movement" and Roth, a 15-year-old student at the Las Vegas Academy, performed Telemann's "Viola Concerto, Second Movement."

All four winners will perform portions of their movements during the symphony's Spring Youth Concert Series in January. The annual concerts are presented to 14,000 fourth and fifth graders. Conducted by McGee, this year's selections include pieces from "Lord of the Rings," "ET" and "The Barber of Seville."