The Talla Trio

MICHAEL ZIJING GAO, PianoMELODY LIN, ViolinARIA CHEREGOSHA, Viola withMENDEL NGUYEN, Piano The Talla Trio is made up of outstanding young musicians among the best of their age group in North Carolina studying chamber music with Shelley Livingston at the Duke University String School. In May 2008, they performed at Carnegie Hall as winners of the chamber music competition of the American Fine Arts Festival, and returned to Carnegie Hall again in November as first place winners for the American Fine Arts Festival’s 5th Anniversary. They have also performed in major halls in North Carolina, including Memorial Hall, and were selected to participate in a Raleigh Chamber Music Guild Master Class with the Jupiter Quartet.Michael Zijing Gao (age 12) is a pianist who studies with Mr. Victor Recondo.

MICHAEL ZIJING GAO, Piano
MELODY LIN, Violin
ARIA CHEREGOSHA, Viola

with
MENDEL NGUYEN, Piano

The Talla Trio is made up of outstanding young musicians among the best of their age group in North Carolina studying chamber music with Shelley Livingston at the Duke University String School. In May 2008, they performed at Carnegie Hall as winners of the chamber music competition of the American Fine Arts Festival, and returned to Carnegie Hall again in November as first place winners for the American Fine Arts Festival’s 5th Anniversary. They have also performed in major halls in North Carolina, including Memorial Hall, and were selected to participate in a Raleigh Chamber Music Guild Master Class with the Jupiter Quartet.

Michael Zijing Gao (age 12) is a pianist who studies with Mr. Victor Recondo. In 2006 the Peter Peret Youth Talent Search noted him as one of the Southeast’s Most Talented and Accomplished Young Musicians, an honor open to artists playing any classical music instrument, including strings, pianos, horns, and percussion. In April 2007 he was selected as First Prize Winner for the Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition for his performance of Scherzo No. 2 in b Flat Minor by Chopin. In May of the same year Mr. Gao performed at Carnegie Hall. He is also an accomplished mathematician. In May 2008, as the youngest member on the state team, he represented North Carolina in the American Regional Math League national competition for high school students in Georgia.

Melody Lin (age 13) began her violin studies with Martha Shackford and continued with David Strom at Ronda Cole’s Suzuki studio in Northern Virginia. She currently studies with Professor Hsiao-mei Ku of Duke University. She has performed as Concertmaster on several occasions, including the 2007 North Carolina All State Eastern Regional Junior Orchestra, the Silver Strings Orchestra of Ligon Middle School in April 2008 at Carnegie Hall, and the Triangle Youth Symphony at Meymandi Hall in Raleigh, North Carolina. For the past two years, Ms. Lin participated in the Play with Pros program with the North Carolina Symphony at the Koka Booth Amphitheatre at Regency Park. This year, as one of the youngest members of the Triangle Youth Philharmonic (the youth orchestra of NC Symphony), she holds the Associate Principal position.

Aria Cheregosha (age 13), a student of Shelley Livingston, is the principal violist of the Duke University String School Youth Symphony and also plays with the Durham Symphony. She was the first prize winner in her age group of the 2007 Durham Music Teachers’ Association competition for strings and recipient of the first prize for the 2008 Young Artist competition of DMTA. Ms. Cheregosha has attended several master classes given by highly acclaimed violists and chamber musicians such as Luis Muniz, Melissa Reardon, Mai Motobuchi, Megan Freivogal, Scott Rawls, and Yoram Youngerman. She is also developing her interests in piano and composition. In January 2007, she wrote and performed a sonata for piano. She will be performing her second piano sonata this January.

Mendel Nguyen (age 13), piano accompanist, is a student of Karen Allred. He performed at the 2004 state honors recital at Appalachian State University and won a silver medal and the Jan Eckier Award at 2005’s Fourth International Chopin Youth Competition in Houston, Texas. He was also invited to perform at the Focus on Piano Literature Symposium on Russian Romantic Composers at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro in 2006. Mr. Nguyen performed as the pianist with various ensembles at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in 2007 and 2008.

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1/3/09: The Talla Trio

This teenage chamber trio—each member is younger than 14—from the Duke University String School was recently named a winner at the 2008 American Fine Arts Festival.

The Talla Trio

This teenage chamber trio—each member is younger than 14—from the Duke University String School was recently named a winner at the 2008 American Fine Arts Festival.

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