The White Mountain Symphony Orchestra will present their spring Concerto Concert at 3 p.m. this Saturday, April 6, at the Show Low High School Auditorium featuring music that tells a story including The Magnificent Seven, West Side Story, Wedding March, Warrior Legacy, Themes from Scheherazade, William Tell Overture, The Lord of the Rings. Also performing will be the two concerto competition winners, Noah Edwards, 14, of Joseph City on the bass in the high school division and Katie Ikesaki on the flute from the University of Arizona.
Noah began his double bass studies at the age of 3 as a Suzuki student. At 6 he performed Saint-Seans’ L’Elephant in a bass ensemble at the Covey Center for the Arts in Provo, Utah. At 9 he was invited to perform the Capuzzi Concerto with the West Jordan Symphony in the Salt Lake City area.
Noah was a guest soloist with the WMSO in 2021 where he performed the Dittersdorf Double Bass Concerto. He recently participated in the San Diego Bass Fest and has participated in several orchestra camps where he has performed under the direction of many prominent conductors including Ryan Murphy, associate music director of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square.
In 2022, Noah competed in the Phoenix Youth Symphony Concerto Competition and was a Junior Division Winner receiving a Judges Recognition Award. In the same year he also competed in a state solo competition sponsored by the American String Teachers Association of Arizona and was the third-place winner in the junior category. In 2023, Noah participated in the Louisiana Bass Fest International Solo Competition for age 14 and under in which he was given the third-place award.
Noah’s current teacher beginning 2019 is bass professor Christopher Finet at Northern Arizona University. Noah joined the White Mountain Symphony Orchestra in September 2019 and is honored once again to be a featured soloist. Noah is a student at Joseph City High School. He is the son of Clark and Cecelia Edwards, natives of Tempe and Taylor.
Katie Ikesaki is an undergraduate student of Brian Luce at the University of Arizona and is a well-trained flutist who has experience on all types of flutes, from bass to the piccolo. She is a competitive flutist who has placed twice in the top three of the undergraduate division of the Arizona Flute Society competition and was a finalist for the University of Arizona President’s Concerto Competition in 2022 and 2023. Katie values accuracy and musical expression during both performance and practice and is an adept soloist as well as an ensemble and chamber musician. She has held a position in the University of Arizona Wind Ensemble for all four years of her collegiate career and has become an excellent large-ensemble member and a skilled principal player. In the future, Katie wishes to record music for film and TV along with teaching lessons and playing in a large ensemble and chamber ensembles.
Concert tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for youth and available in advance at the Pinetop/Lakeside City Hall, Classic Cookware, The Show Low and Snowflake/Taylor Chambers of Commerce and on the symphony website www.wmso.org. Tickets will also be available at the door. There will also be a raffle with various prizes, gift cards and services from local businesses with the drawing to be held at the intermission. Raffle tickets are available in the lobby prior to the concert for $1 each or 6 for $5. Come and enjoy a wide variety of enjoyable music that tells a story.
