OTTAWA - The Illinois Valley Symphony Orchestra’s March 8 concert will feature the winners of the 2020 IVSO Young Performers Competition, which was held in January. The concert will take place at Ottawa High School on Sunday, March 8 at 3 p.m.

Twenty-seven musicians from grades six through 12 competed for the honor of performing a solo with the IVSO. Vocalist Nora Maier, winner of the Junior Division (grades 6-9), will perform “Pie Jesu” from Faure’s Requiem. Emma Anderson, Senior Division Winner (grades 9-12), will perform the first movement of the Hummel Trumpet Concerto.

Maier

The concert will also feature music from far-off places including Mendelssohn’s haunting Hebrides Overture, composed after a visit the composer made to the British Isles; selections from the rarely heard Gayene Ballet Suite No. 1 by Russian composer Aram Khachaturian; and the exciting Danzón No.2 for Orchestra by Mexican composer Arturo Márquez.

Maier, an eighth grader at Parkside Middle School in Peru, is the daughter of Michael Maier and Brandi Anderson-Maier of Peru. She has studied with private instructor Jenilyn Roether for one year and participated in musical theater at Stage 212, Parkside Middle School, Mendota 3M, and Illinois Valley Community College. Among her performances was the role of Alice in Mendota 3M’s production of “Matilda the Musical.”

Maier was selected for ILMEA in 2018 and 2019 for singing and participation in choir all four years at Parkside Middle School. She has also been a part of Singing Raiders at Parkside Middle School in seventh and eighth grades.

Anderson, daughter of Todd and Doreen Anderson of Oglesby, is a senior honor student at LaSalle-Peru High School where she is a member of the Marching Band, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, and Percussion Ensemble. She also participates in spring musicals and pit band. In addition to playing piano and trumpet with high school bands, she has been a member of the Illinois Valley Youth Symphony Orchestra since 2016, the Spring Valley Municipal Band, and the Princeton Community Band along with playing piano for a local church. She is currently a piano student of Delle Vercimak at Music Suite 408 and a trumpet student of Dave Peterson at Maestro & Mi Music Academy. She also studied piano under the guidance of Carol McConaghie for over seven years.

Anderson was recognized as a Division I soloist at Band-O-Rama for four years, three of which she was awarded most outstanding soloist. She was selected to perform in the ILMEA District 2 Junior Band in 2014, 2015 and the District 2 Senior Band in 2017, 2018, and 2019 with first chair appointment. She qualified to perform in the All-State Honors Band at the Illinois Music Education Conference held in Peoria this January and was recognized by the NCI ARTWorks as Outstanding Student of the Arts in 2019.

Anderson loves sharing music with others and believes music is the perfect way to bring people together. She also enjoys reading, running, and spending time with family and friends. After high school, she plans to go to a university to study music education.

Musicians honored as runner up or honorable mention in the 2020 Young Performers Competition performed in a recital on Feb. 7 at the Westclox Fine Arts Factory in Peru. The IVSO also performed the Far-Off Places program for nearly 800 elementary students from the Ottawa area on Feb. 21.

The concert is sponsored by Miller Group Charitable Trust and season sponsors Ottawa Radio and Regional Media. Admission is by season membership or individual ticket, available online at ivso.org or at the door.