17-year-old Cassandra Sollitto of Marlton and 15-year-old Amanda Liu of Cherry Hill were named the winners of an inaugural piano competition established and sponsored by Jacobs Music Company to foster superior local talent and to present accomplished young artists with Symphony in C, South Jersey’s professional orchestra.
Judging was held Sunday, Jan. 20 at Jacobs Music Company’s recital hall in their new location on Route 70 in Cherry Hill.
The prize includes the opportunity to perform Camille Saint-Saëns’ “Carnival of the Animals” at Symphony in C’s Concerts for Young People to be presented twice at the Scottish Rite Cathedral in Collingswood on Thursday, Feb. 21 at 10 and 11:30 a.m. “Carnival of the Animals” will be conducted by Symphony in C’s Assistant Conductor Petko Dimitrov, and is one of the most cherished and fanciful symphonic works for children. Each winner will also receive a $500 cash prize from Jacobs Music, which will be presented before the concert.
Sollitto and Liu are both students of renowned concert artist and Rowan University piano teacher Veda Zuponcic of Cherry Hill. Cassandra Sollitto is a student at Cherokee High School in Marlton and Amanda Liu attends Cherry Hill East High School.
Each began serious piano studies at the age of 5.
“This new, annual competition spotlights some of South Jersey’s best developing talent and also rewards their years of incredible dedication to the study of piano,” explained Robert A. Rinaldi, Senior Vice President of Sales and Customer Service for Jacobs Music Company. “The preparation we witnessed at the final auditions demonstrates that these young artists are ready to share the stage with the some of the country’s most exciting young professional players, who are now building their careers in the ensemble of Symphony in C. Jacobs Music Company is proud to create this new opportunity to bring exciting artists to local audiences.”
Applicants for the initial Jacobs Music Company piano competition submitted a video DVD containing two musical selections totaling ten minutes of music. Seven applicants were selected from the submissions to perform in the final round of auditions, and performed selections from Carnival of the Animals, demonstrating their ability and talent to perform that work with a professional orchestra.
