FCO March 15 Concert To Feature Concerto Competition Winner

By TARA BARNWELL
COOPERSTOWN

The management at Fenimore Chamber Orchestra decided there was a need to have a young person’s concerto competition last year, and they went about making it happen with gusto.

“We really wanted to highlight the accomplishments of our young people in the entire country. There are so many talented people that we feel needed recognition,” said Thomas Wolf, chair of FCO’s Governing Board of Directors.

Maciej Żółtowski, FCO artistic director, agreed.

“It’s so important to highlight our up-and-coming musicians, most of which are within our country. We had 22 entries from nine states, with competitors ranging from 14 to 21 years old,” Żółtowski.

FCO officials sent out information about the competition in early autumn of 2024 and closed registration on February 15. Information went to major music schools in the United States—including the Eastman School of Music, The Juilliard School, New England Conservatory of Music, and Berklee College of Music—and music teachers responded positively.

“The teachers were so happy that we were doing this to shine light on their students,” Żółtowski said.

The winner of the 2025 Young Person’s Concerto Competition is Isabel Chen, who has earned the opportunity to perform with the chamber orchestra here on Saturday, March 15.

Chen plays violin. She is currently attending the Eastman School of Music and thinking about graduate school.

“I’ve been in competitions for years,” said Chen. “It means so much to me to win this contest and perform with the professionals of the Fenimore Chamber Orchestra.

“I grew up in Chicago and played violin and piano, and have been involved in chamber music,” Chen continued. “It’s been a huge part of my life, and I decided to focus on violin. I was originally focusing on opera, but the chamber orchestra seems to bring it to life for me.”

Żółtowski joked that competitions are for horses, not for musicians.

“We feel this competition really focused on the talent the musicians have, and we want to expose these talents to our public. We are very fortunate to have the audience we have in our area, that appreciates this talent,” Żółtowski said.

Chen is completing her final year toward receiving a bachelor’s degree in violin performance, and would like to be connected to a string quartet.

“I love baroque as well, but it’s hard to make money being in a small orchestra,” she explained. “I am also entertaining teaching music—that’s always an option.”

“Competitions are the way to go for musicians to build careers,” Wolf said. “It’s a vastly different world out there than it used to be. This is how they can make a name for themselves.”

Chen is very grateful to FCO for its recognition.

“I am so thankful to my teachers that have transformed me, and so grateful to be the first [student] to perform with the Fenimore Chamber Orchestra,” she said. “I’m treating this as a mini-vacation. I want to enjoy the Cooperstown area that I hear is so beautiful.”

The runner up in the competition is 14-year-old Gloria So One Kwon. She attends The Julliard School and also plays the violin.

FCO’s March 15 concert will take place at 3 p.m. at Cooperstown’s Christ Church, 46 River Street, after which audience members will have the opportunity to meet Chen. The concert will feature works by Joseph Bologne and Mozart.

General admission is $45.00 per person. Thanks to an anonymous donor, children and up to two accompanying adults—as well as high-school and college students with an ID—will be admitted free of charge. For more information, visit www.fenimore-orchestra.org.