Audition for the SoCal Phil!

There are approximately 60 volunteer musicians in the SCP. We have openings for string players and percussionists including harp and piano. We also keep a roster of individuals interested in temporary assignments, from subbing for a single rehearsal to filling in for one or more concerts during the season. The only positions that receive compensation for services provided to SCP are the conductor and concertmaster. Rehearsals are on Monday evenings from 7:00 pm to 9:45 pm; rehearsals are primarily held in Costa Mesa, and concerts will be held in Tustin. See the SoCalPhil home page for specific concert dates and locations for the 2024-2025 season.

For more information on auditioning or open positions, please email us at [email protected]

Winners

2020-2021 Young Artist Competition Winners

Estella Sky Keyoung

Estella Sky Keyoung, age 13, is in eighth grade at Orange County School of the Arts. Since the age of four, Sky has performed in multiple musical and concert productions throughout Southern California. She fell in love with classical voice when she began studying voice with esteemed Ms. Kathleen Martin two years ago. Sky has won multiple classical and musical theatre vocal competitions, including Finalist in classical voice at the 2021 Hal Leonard National Vocal Competition, First Place in musical theatre at the 2021 National Association of Teachers of Singers’ Los Angeles Chapter, Second Place in musical theatre at 2021 National Association of Teachers of Singers’ Cal-Western Regional Conference, and Honorable Mention in musical theatre at 2020 National Association of Teachers of Singers’ Cal- Western Regional Conference.

In addition to singing, Sky has been studying the piano and violin since the age of five and has placed in several local music competitions over the years.

She was also a competitive dancer in jazz and tap. Currently, she performs in the Concert Chorus at Southern California Children’s Chorus and South Coast Repertory. FUN FACT: Sky is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and during her spare time, she enjoys Broadway tunes, hip-hop dance, calligraphy, video editing, reading dystopian novels, and analyzing Disney characters.

Holly Lacey

Holly Lacey is in the eighth grade at South Pasadena Middle School. Currently 13 years old, Holly studies the violin with Margaret Batjer and Joanna Lee at the Colburn School in Los Angeles, CA. Holly recently won first prizes in the state-wide CAPMT contemporary music competition (2021) and the Southern California Junior Bach Festival Complete Works Audition (2019). Holly has performed as a soloist with the Los Angeles Dream Chamber Orchestra. She has also performed as soloist and served as concertmaster of the Colburn String Orchestra and the
South Pasadena Middle School Advanced Orchestra.

Malvyn Lai

Malvyn Lai is a 15-year-old high school sophomore from San Diego who started piano at age 5 and currently studies with Professor Ning An. At age 10, he made his orchestral debut with the Kostroma Symphony Orchestra in Russia. He has since performed with the Danube Symphony in Hungary, Toruń Symphony Orchestra in Poland, Culver City Symphony in California, Grossmont College Symphony in San Diego, Temecula Valley Symphony in California and Concert Festival Orchestra in NY. Malvyn has won many awards and scholarships; his recent competition accomplishments include the 2021 National Young Arts Foundation Finalist in Classical Music: Piano, first prize in 2021 Southern California Philharmonic Young Artist Competition, first prize in piano of the 2020 Walgreens National Concerto Competition, the Milton H. Saier. Memorial Award as the winner of the 2020 La Jolla Symphony Young Artist Competition, 2020-2021 Chopin Foundation of United States Scholarship recipient, the winner of the 2020 California Music Center Spotlight Merit Award, the OC International Steinway & Sons Competition, the Lee Piano Festival Competition, and many other scholarships and competitions. FUN FACT: I enjoy watching chess playing, especially those matches played by chess masters. I found many resemblances between chess and piano playing. Both require a high level of mental and physical strength and coordination.

Erin Han

Erin Han started playing the violin at the age of five. Now 19 years old, Erin has won 1st place in numerous competitions such as Bellflower Symphony Concerto Competition, South Western Youth Music Festival, Satori Competition, and California Scholarship Competition of Music Teachers Association. She was a member of the Colburn Chamber Orchestra.

Daniel Dunlap

Daniel Dunlap is a 17-year-old tenor and a graduating senior from Palos Verdes Peninsula High School. He has been active in the opera community for more than seven years and participates in events and programs hosted by the LA Opera, NATS, Los Angeles Children’s Chorus, and MTAC. He has also performed in prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion, and Walt Disney Hall. Daniel’s work in vocal performance consists of voice acting for Cartoon Network as well as working for the LA Opera’s production of Pelléas et Mélisande where he was going to play the role of little Ynoild. Unfortunately, the opera was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. His future plans consist of attending a four-year college and majoring in Environmental Science at the University of Vermont, while also continuing his musical education.

Lyndsey Lipscomb

Lyndsey Lipscomb is 15 years old from Orange County, California. As a member of Pacific Symphony Santiago Strings for four years, she has regularly performed at Segerstrom Concert Hall and many other venues including in Costa Rica during their international concert tour. She has also enjoyed performing solos for local senior facilities and a daycare where she has volunteered for many years.

Upon completing an Advanced Level of Certificate of Merit Program, she won the Panel Finals Award by Music Teachers’ Association of California and was selected to perform a masterclass at its State Convention. She was the winner of Southwestern Youth Music Festival and Grand Prize Virtuoso International Competition and will perform at Royal Albert Hall in London in 2022.

News

Update on the Young Artist Competition

SoCalPhil received a record-breaking 75 applications from both vocal and instrumental students ranging in age from 7 to 23 years in the 2019 Young Artist Concerto Competition! Unfortunately, only a handful of our 2019 winners were able to perform with SoCalPhil before the statewide “stay at home” order went into effect to protect us all from the coronavirus pandemic.

While not the same, we featured the remaining winners in a virtual concert in June 2020, interviewing our Young Artists and getting to know them better. Many shared how the pandemic had impacted their studies and performance plans in 2020.

In late 2020, SoCalPhil hosted virtual Young Artists auditions and again featured the winners of this competition virtually in the Spring 2021, sharing a video recording of the solo performance submitted by each of the winners of the Young Artists Competition. We still received an amazing 20 applications and awarded scholarships to the winners.

Fast forward to 2021, SoCalPhil will begin to accept applications from interested Young Artists on October 1, 2021. In-person auditions will be held in November 2021. From these applicants, up to three instrumental, three vocalists, and three pianists will be selected to perform with the SoCalPhil on February 13, April 3 and June 5.

Scholarships will again be awarded to the winners of the Young Artists competition. These scholarships are made possible through donations we receive from our patrons and the SCP musicians. In the past, the scholarship amounts have ranged from $50 to $300 and are determined by the amount of funds we have available each year.

SoCalPhil is happy to announce that the Tustin Area Council for Fine Arts will again sponsor this very important musical event.
To help enhance our ability to provide scholarships that support the continued study of music by our Young Artists, please donate here. Your donation will help us continue this SoCalPhil tradition every year!

For more information on the SCP Young Artists Competition, email us at [email protected]

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