Christopher Tavernier – 2011 Young Artist Masters Event – Honorable Mention and “Outstanding” in the soloist division.

Christopher was so excited to performing again at this years Sonata Festival.  As a soloist in the advanced section he played Franz Liszt’s “Piano Transcription” of Robert Schumann’s “Widmung”(Dedication) receiving double honors and two superior ratings.  In addition, Christopher competed in the “Young Artist Masters Event” playing Mendelssohn’s “Concerto No.1 in G Minor, Opus 25 Mvt. III Presto.  He received “Honorable Mention”

Christopher is eleven years old and in the fifth grade at Atkinson Elementary School in Hendersonville, NC.  He is an honor student and a participant in the AIG (academically and intellectually gifted) program in mathematics.  He was selected for the Duke University Talent Identification Program. In the fourth grade Christopher’s qualifying score of 98% placed him above the 95^th percentile or higher on a national math placement exam.  He was on the team that won the latest County Spelling Bee Competition.  In addition, Christopher was nominated to attend the National Young Scholars Program (NYSP).  “The goal of the NYSP is to recognize special students who have the maturity as well as the strength of character and leadership ability to focus on their natural gifted abilities to lead, to achieve and to excel.”

Christopher loves the arts, reading, writing stories and playing chess.  Christopher has two brothers and one sister.  His older brother, Michael, graduated a year and a half ago from Western Carolina University with a major in science and is currently in the Criminal Justice Institute in Florida.  His older sister, Jessica, graduated last year from the University of North Carolina – Asheville (UNCA) and is currently an Associate Scientist for NOAA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  His younger brother, Nicholas, wants to follow in Christopher’s footsteps and become a great pianist as well as and drummer. Nicholas is just six years old.

Christopher’s first love is the piano with a great desire to be a concert pianist.  His all-time favorite is Franz Liszt (1811-1886), liking his “many octaves, scales and tones”.  Franz Liszt is acclaimed by many as the most technically advanced pianist ever, and was considered by many as one of the greatest composers of the Nineteenth Century.  In addition, Liszt developed the recital and symphonic poem.  At the age of five Christopher began his piano and theory studies with Colette Levi.  Two and a half years ago he started his advanced studies with Dr. John Cobb.  Dr. Cobb, a semifinalist in the Third International Van Cliburn Piano Competition, is an international performer and recording artist known for his broad interpretive range and technical command.  Dr. Cobb studied with Claudio Arrau, whose teacher was a pupil of Franz Liszt.  Throughout his career Claudio Arrau (1903-1991) was renowned throughout the world as one of the supreme keyboard masters of the century.  Franz Liszt was a student of Czerny who was a pupil of Beethoven.

At the age of 9, Christopher played his first performance as the guest pianist at a black tie event for the Children and Family Resource Center in Hendersonville.  This was their 10^th annual Harvest Dinner with the Stars. He performed Thanksgiving by George Winston.  He later met George Winston and suggested a few minor changes in the piece, for which Winston was grateful.  Later, Christopher received a personal invitation from Winston to sit onstage while he performed his concert at the Tryon Fine Arts Center in Tryon, NC.  In May 2010, at the age of nine, Christopher played in his first piano competition in the annual competition sponsored by the Asheville Area Piano Forum (AAPF) and competed against other performers through the pre-college level.  He placed first in his division and third in the overall competition, winning a Grand Prize.  This past spring Christopher entered the competition again in the advanced section and placed second in the competition.  He played Chopin’s Fantaisie-Impromptu.  Christopher was invited to be the guest pianist for a concert by the Hendersonville Chorale, at which he played works by Claude Debussy and Edvard Grieg.  He truly enjoys performance.  Christopher is also a member of the prestigious (AAPF) Asheville Area Piano Forum and performs on a regular basis.

Nolan Hampton Harvel, 10, has studied Suzuki violin with Jane MacMorran for 5 years, acoustical guitar for 3 year with Jason Housewright, and recently began classical guitar lessons with Mario DaSilva.  He is currently studying violin with Anne Wolaver Dupre.  He is a second violinist in the SOTMYO and member of ETCC in which he was selected to sing a duet at the recent SOTM Annual Christmas performance.

Lacy Church is 14 years old. She is the daughter of Gregory and Amy Church of Unicoi Tennessee. She is a freshman at UCHS. She has studied voice with her mentor and coach, Ms. Amanda Leach of Johnson City, since the age of 8. She is the 2009 and 2010 Tennessee Junior High Vocal Solo Winner, for AMTA. This year at the Sonata /Sonantina Festival, she received double superiors and was named outstanding vocalist of the day.