Where Are They Now? spotlights Minnesota Varsity Featured and Showcase Artists from 2011 to 2014.
Pianist Evren Ozel of Minneapolis was a Minnesota Varsity 2014 Showcase Artist. He recently contacted Classical MPR's Christine Sweet to share his latest news.
Evren Ozel, 2014 Showcase Artist
Piano
Age: 15
Hometown: Minneapolis
Attends: Walnut Hill School for the Arts, Natick, Mass. and New England Conservatory Prep, Boston, Mass.
It has been quite a busy time for me since participating in the Minnesota Varsity Showcase last spring. This summer, I competed in the Thomas and Evon Cooper International Piano Competition, and out of nearly 100 applicants from around the world, I won Fifth Prize and the Audience Prize. Also, I was one of 11 National Merit recipients awarded a scholarship from the Chopin Foundation of the United States. This fall, I left home to continue high school at Walnut Hill School for the Arts which is a boarding school in Natick, Mass. I had to say good-bye to my family and my beloved teacher of many years, Dr. Paul Wirth. I've recently begun studying with another amazing teacher, Ms. Wha Kyung Byun, at " New England Conservatory. I will be coming back to Minneapolis in October to perform a full recital as the Larson Memorial Award winner for the Salon se Lève concert series.
Being a part of Minnesota Varsity was a wonderful experience. I was fortunate enough to have been in the Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio before with a chamber group, but never solo. I really enjoy the piano there. This was also my first experience recording for radio broadcast and playing live on the radio on stage at the Fitz was both scary and exciting all at once. I am interested in pursuing a career in music. I wouldn't really think of doing much else because music is such a huge part of my life and I enjoy it so much. For now, I just plan to learn more repertoire, listen more intently, feel more fully, and see what happens.
Evren plays Chopin's Barcarolle, Op. 60 in the final recital round of the Thomas and Evon Cooper International Piano Competition at Oberlin College, July 2014:
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