Inside Stories

Lowell Philharmonic Honors Young Musicians

Lowell – Jaeho Lee, cellist, has been named the winner of the Lowell Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2023 Jeanne Selandar Concerto Competition. Mr. Lee will perform Herbert’s Cello Concerto No. 2 as the featured soloist with The Lowell Philharmonic Orchestra at their Family Concert on May 20, 2023, 2pm at Fusion Church, 125 Mt. Hope Street, Lowell, MA.

Lee is a junior at Phillips Academy Andover, studying with Mark Churchill at New England Conservatory’s Preparatory School. He is currently a member of the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, playing under the baton of Benjamin Zander, and is the principal cellist in his school orchestras. He also participates in the Chamber Intensive Performance Seminar (Trio) at NEC Prep, with a full scholarship.

Recently, he was named WMHT Student Musician of the Month, and won 2nd place at the Harvard Music Association’s high school competition. In the summer, he won an award at the National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute Concerto Competition. Previously, he also placed as a national finalist in the Junior Performance division of the Music Teachers National Association competition. Jaeho won 1st prize at the International Music Organization New York’s Solo Competition for three consecutive years (2018, 2019, and 2020), performing at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. At the Manhattan School of Music Precollege, he received both the Feldman Scholarship and the Flagello Scholarship. He has received masterclasses from Hans Jørgen Jensen and Yeesun Kim. Jaeho loves spreading music through his work in organizations like Back to Bach.

The judging panel also awarded an Honorable Mention to violinist Amelia Margetts.

Margetts has been playing the violin for 13 years, beginning at age 3. This is her first concerto competition and she is honored to be ranked highly! Margetts attends high school at Westford Academy. At age 16, she had participated in many orchestral ensembles, including Senior Districts and All-State. Most notably, she placed first chair in New England Conservatory’s Youth Symphony in the 2021-2022 season. This year, she performs in NEC’s Youth Philharmonic Orchestra. She comes from a family of violinists, and they love to hear her play!

Each year, the Lowell Philharmonic Orchestra offers the Jeanne Selander Memorial Concerto Competition, a competition for young musicians. Jeanne Selander was an energetic violinist with the LPO. The youth competition was her passion. The contest is open to young musicians through the age of 18 who live or go to school within the residency requirements.

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