FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 19^th, 2016

TWICE AS NICE! – TWO PIANISTS WIN 2016 DEBUT ATLANTIC AWARD FOR MUSICAL EXCELLENCE!

HALIFAX, NS – Debut Atlantic is pleased to announce that for the first time in it’s history it is presenting not one, but two Awards of Musical Excellence. Grade 12 student, Keol Woo from Fredericton, NB and Grade 11 student, Ethan Xu of Halifax, NS each submitted a riveting application resulting in the adjudicator’s decision to deem the competition a tie. Thanks to a generous contribution from an anonymous donor, both young pianists will receive the full award of $1000 in addition to performance opportunities in their home regions and at the renowned Indian River Festival in PEI.

Keol Woo is a student of Leo Hayes High School, Fredericton and studies with renowned Nova Scotian piano professor John Hansen. The adjudicator remarked that Woo gave “a strong and mature performance, persuasive in every way.” Ethan Xu is a student of the Halifax Grammer School and studies with sought after piano instructor Betty Ro. The adjudicator noted that Xu had “exciting and dramatic playing, full of energy and feeling.”

Established in 1999, the Debut Atlantic Award for Musical Excellence is awarded annually to an Atlantic Canadian high school music student as chosen by a member of our distinguished alumni. The award recognizes talented youth and is designed to support and encourage the development of young musicians in Atlantic Canada. The Award consists of a $1,000 cash prize and an opportunity for the recipient to perform as a special guest at a Debut Atlantic concert.

Ethan Xu has studied piano under Betty Ro for nine years at the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts, and has been recognized with many awards and scholarships for music. These include the Harry Dean Trophy, the Isabel McAlpine Wickwire Music Foundation Scholarship, the David MacDonald J.S. Bach Scholarship, and the Dr. Ernest and Dorothy Heighton Scholarship for Music. He is also the 2015 Nova Scotia junior piano provincial champion, a national finalist at the 2015 Canadian Music Competition, and the recipient of the 2015 Nova Scotia Talent Trust scholarship.

Keol Woo first began music lessons at age 3. Despite his legally blind status, he learned music quickly and is regularly praised for his musical intelligence. Though still new to the competition scene, Keol has already received 1^st prize at the Fredericton Music Festival in 2012, the ‘Star of the Festival’ award at the New Brunswick Competitive Festival of Music in 2014, and in the same year was awarded 2^nd place in the New Brunswick Provincial Competition in the senior piano under 28 category.

One of the most respected music touring organizations in the country, Debut Atlantic’s first season in 1979 featured then-emerging and still-unknown artists, pianist Jon Kimura Parker, tenor Ben Heppner, and Canada’s Baroque orchestra Tafelmusik.

 

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For further information, please contact:

Mhiran Faraday – Executive Director

Erin Sparks – Program Officer

Debut Atlantic

902.429.6812 / info@debutatlantic.ca

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Ethan Xu – Biography

Ethan Xu is 16 years old, and in grade 11 at the Halifax Grammar School. He has studied piano under Betty Ro for nine years at the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts, and has been recognized with many awards and scholarships for music. These include the Harry Dean Trophy, the Isabel McAlpine Wickwire Music Foundation Scholarship, the David MacDonald J.S. Bach Scholarship, and the Dr. Ernest and Dorothy Heighton Scholarship for Music. He is also the 2015 Nova Scotia junior piano provincial champion, a national finalist at the 2015 Canadian Music Competition, and the recipient of the 2015 Nova Scotia Talent Trust scholarship.

Apart from his dedication to classical piano, Ethan is actively involved in his school as well as within his community. He is a member of the Sackville badminton club, his school’s math club, debate club, and physics club. He also volunteers at the public library throughout the year and works as a junior leader for municipal summer camps. In his spare time, he enjoys cooking, playing video games, and drawing and illustration.

 

Keol Woo – Biography

Keol Woo is most often described as a talented young pianist with a “super memory”.  He began his first music lessons when he was 3 years old and despite his legally blind status, learned music quickly as a result of his gifted listening and memorization skills.  Keol is often praised at festivals and master classes for being expressive, passionate and artistic, as well as for his musical intelligence. Keol has also received recognition for some of his own compositions which have been performed in recital.

Though still new to the competition scene, Keol has already received the 1^st prize at the Fredericton Music Festival 2012 (Associate Level), competing against University-level pianists and musicians much older than himself. He also won the ‘Star of the Festival’ award at the New Brunswick Competitive Festival of Music in Saint John in 2014, which is given to the top performer in all categories of instruments and groups. In the same year, he was awarded 2^nd place in the New Brunswick Provincial Competition in the senior piano category.  Earlier in his studies, Keol received the 1^st prize at the National Students Music Competition in Seoul, Korea in 2006 in the 11-years-and-under category.

Keol has attended numerous master classes including ones by Sara Leimon, Jamie Parker, Geoffrey Burleson, Ana Maria Trenchi , Kendall Feeney and more.  Some of his mentors have included Jennifer Mok (B.A., M.A., Music (CUNY) (Fredericton, NB),  Martin Kutnowski (PhD(CUNY) Director of Fine Arts, St Thomas University) and Jasmine Mosher (B.A.,M.A., Piano Performance at McGill University). Roger Lord (Professor of piano , University of Moncton). Recently he studies under the guidance of John Hansen (Associate Professor, Acadia University).