17 year old soprano Katelyn Wilson and 18 year old organist Katie Minion

Today we featured 17 year old soprano Katelyn Wilson of Barrington High School and 18 year old organist Katie Minion, who studies at the Music Institute of Chicago. Both teens have won competitions recently: Katelyn was the winner of last year's National Association of Teachers of Singing competition and Katie has won the Bob Jones University High School Festival competition (in 2007).

Learn more about them and listen to the full program below:


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Program:

Deh vieni, non tardar (from Le Nozze di Figaro) by W.A. Mozart

Mein Herr Marquis (from Die Fledermaus) by Johann Strauss, Jr.

Monica's Waltz (from The Medium) by Gian Carlo Menotti

Chorale No. 3 in A minor by César Franck

Sonate II: II. Ruhig Bewegt by Hindemith

Carillon de Westminster by Louis Vierne



Biographies:

Katelyn Wilson, soprano:

Katelyn Donna Wilson, 16, soprano, a senior Honors student at Barrington High School, Barrington, Illinois, comes from a musical family. With a passion for singing, Katelyn also loves dancing, acting, fashion design, and playing flute and piano. She has won several competitions, including the 2008 Granquist Olympic Voice, 2009 N.A.T.S., 2009 Classical Singer, and recently competed in Verona, Italy with the Barrington Madrigals and Village Singers, winning the soloist Gold Cup Award.

At 11, Katelyn attended an Opera/Musical Theater workshop where she first worked with Maria Zouves and Sherrill Milnes. Since then she has performed with V.O.I.C.Experience in Disney World and Tampa Bay Opera Company, and has appeared in numerous musical theater and operatic productions. Coaching with Jennifer Larmore, Maria Spacagna, and Orna Arania, Katelyn strives for musical artistry every day. Living by the quote, “If music be the food of love, play on,” she will pursue Opera Performance.

Katie Minion, organist:

Katie has been playing organ for about four years and is currently studying with Jim Brown at the Music Institute of Chicago. In 2009, she placed second in the American Guild of Organists’ Fox Valley Chapter competition. She participated in the Bob Jones University High School Festival organ competition 3 years, receiving 2nd place in 2006 and 1st place in 2007. Katie was also selected as one of five national finalists in the 2009 L. Cameron Johnson Memorial High School Organ Competition. In both 2008 and 2009, she won 4th place in the Musichorale Memorial Scholarship Contest. She has been the recipient of merit scholarships from the Music Institute of Chicago in 2007 and 2008, and received the first George Williams Scholarship in 2009. Katie also received a merit award from the American Guild of Organists made possible by the Charles Henderson Scholarship Fund to attend the Pipe Organ Encounter Advanced in June of 2009.

Katie plays monthly for her church and had the opportunity to solo with the Sforzando String Camp Advanced Orchestra in 2007. She participated in a masterclass with David Schrader this year and is interning at Jeff Weiler’s pipe organ restoration shop. In June of 2009, she attended the AGO Pipe Organ Encounter Advanced where she studied with Dr. Janette Fishell and participated in a masterclass with Dr. Roberta Gary. Katie also attended the Bob Jones University Summer Music Camp 2009 where she studied with Dr. Ed Dunbar.

Katie performed in the Music Institute of Chicago’s Concert for Organ with Instruments in 2009 and performed in the Chicago-Midwest Chapter of the Organ Historical Society’s 2009 Young Organists Concert. She also regularly performs on harpsichord, piano, and violin, as well as directing an elementary string ensemble and teaching more than 20 private students. This past June, she performed her senior recital on violin, piano and organ.