Between orchestra rehearsals, studio classes and summer camp fun, two Interlochen Arts Camp students are preparing for especially big performances.
Trombonist Kamil Rybaczyk, winner of the high school concerto competition, will perform Ferdinand David's Trombone Concertino on Sunday, July 30, with the Interlochen Philharmonic.
And this year's intermediate concerto competition winner, violinist Ethan Zhou, will perform Nicolò Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 1 on Wednesday, July 26, with the Intermediate Symphony Orchestra.
The two recently visited Studio A to perform excerpts from their winning pieces and chat about life at Interlochen.
Rybaczyk comes to Interlochen from Wodzisław Śląski, Poland. He said he's especially enjoyed connecting with a community of musicians this summer.
He chose his competition repertoire carefully, especially knowing that if he won, the piece would be the first concerto he'd perform in the U.S.
The concertino isn't easy, but Rybaczyk welcomes the challenge.
"This piece takes a lot of force from me, but that's why I'm doing music. That's what I love to do," he said.
When he's not playing trombone, Rybaczyk enjoys swimming and traveling.
"That's the thing that I like the most. I love to meet new people and enjoy other cultures," he said.
Violinist Ethan Zhou is from San Diego, California, and he said his chamber music and orchestra rehearsals have been his favorite parts of camp so far.
"I just feel good when I'm making music with other people," he said.
Zhou's concerto comes from a composer with a reputation for virtuosic writing: Niccolò Paganini.
"When I first started it, I thought it was going to be way too hard," Zhou said. "But with a bit of practicing, I made it work."
Kelley DiPasquale engineered this edition of Studio A.
Kacie Brown is IPR's digital content manager.
