STEVENS POINT — The Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra announced this week the winners of the annual Betty Frost Jenkins Young Artist Concerto Competition held May 11 at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
This year’s winner is cellist Dinesh Traynor, 17, of Stevens Point, who performed “Concerto No. 1 in A minor” by Camille Saint-Saëns.
Traynor is a junior at Stevens Point Area Senior High School and has been studying cello for nine years. He has studied with Dave Becker and is studying with Lawrence Leviton. Most recently, Traynor was concertmaster of the WSMA middle level honors orchestra, and in 2014 was the principal cellist. In 2010, Traynor was chosen to play in the biennial Suzuki Youth National Orchestras conference held in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Statewide, Traynor has participated in the Solo and Ensemble Festival and has won various awards, including participating in the state competition and receiving exemplary certificates. Traynor also is part of the Fox Valley Youth Symphony Orchestra.
Honorable mention was awarded to Olivia Yang, a cellist from Stevens Point who is in ninth grade at Ben Franklin Junior High School.
Six high school musicians from central and northern Wisconsin performed a memorized movement from a concerto of his/her choice.
Traynor will perform the winning piece with the CWSO at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 7 and 4 p.m. Dec. 8 at Sentry Theater, 1800 Northpoint Drive, Stevens Point. Tickets for all performances are available at cwso.org or by calling 715-345-7726. The CWSO box office is open Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is located inside the Smith Scarabocchio Art Museum at 800 Main St., Stevens Point.
