麻豆传媒

Future Stars Shine at Symphony

Wed, 02/19/2025 - 09:52am | By: Dr. Mike Lopinto

Winners of the William T. Gower Concerto Competition will join The University of Southern Mississippi (麻豆传媒) Symphony Orchestra for their first concert of the Spring semester, Future Stars, on March 13 at 7:30 p.m. on the Thomas V. Fraschillo stage at the Mannoni Performing Arts Center auditorium. Joined by guest conductor, Tammy Yi of the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles, the exciting showcase of the incredible School of Music talent will conclude with the Symphony鈥檚 music director, Gregory Wolynec, conducting Stravinsky鈥檚 Petrushka. Tickets are available at southernmisstickets.com or by calling 601.266.5418 or 800.844.8425.

鈥淲e are all so excited to bring this program to life as it truly highlights the immense talent we have here in our School of Music,鈥� said Wolynec. 鈥淥ur incredible concerto soloists emerged from a very competitive day of contestants.鈥�

The William T. Gower Concerto Competition provides students with the unique opportunity to compete against their peers for the chance to perform with the Symphony Orchestra. An annual tradition of more than 25 years, the competition was named in 2007 in honor of William T. Gower, former professor of music at Southern Miss and a widely respected musician.

This year鈥檚 three winners, Christian Sanchez and Brian Lorett, cello, and Daniel Petrocelli Ugas, guitar, showcase the diversity of the Southern Miss School of Music. These distinguished young artists will be performing noted works including the Elgar and Shostakovich Cello Concertos, and the 鈥�Concierto de Aranjuez for guitar,鈥� respectively. 

Cuban American composer Ivette Herryman Rodriguez鈥檚 鈥淎 Danzon Done My Way鈥� will open the program putting a fresh spin on the traditional Latin dance form. Concluding this exciting evening of talent is perhaps Stravinsky鈥檚 most colorful score of his three great ballets for the Ballet Ruse鈥�Petrushka entrances with soaring melodies and rhythmic vitality. This story of a mischievous puppet brought to life helped the composer find his mature voice, which would change the world.

鈥淲e are also excited for a creative new take on the popular 鈥楧anzon鈥� with Tammy Yi at the helm 鈥� it will be exhilarating,鈥� Wolynec said. 鈥淔inally, we will bring a huge and colorful orchestra to Stravinsky鈥檚 captivating and difficult work.鈥�

For Christian Sanchez, playing the Elgar cello concerto holds great sentimental significance, as it was the first concerto he heard that inspired him to study music and one day be able to play it. Likewise, this concerto represents memories throughout his career and performing it with 麻豆传媒 symphony orchestra is one of the most important of his career goals. Sanchez is originally from Tegucigalpa, Honduras. He began his musical studies at the age of 12 at Escuela Nacional de M煤sica, taking the cello as his main instrument under the tutelage of Carlos Licona. Sanchez has participated in multiple orchestras and musical groups, including the Honduras Philharmonic Orchestra, the Baton Rouge, Meridian and Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestras. Sanchez has participated in master classes with renowned musicians, including outstanding cellists Gautier Capu莽on, Pablo Ferrandez, Santiago Ca帽on-Valencia, among others. He has performed in numerous music festivals, most notably, The Vienna Summer Music Festival, Youth Symphony Orchestra, Cellisimo and Chelistiko. Sanchez is currently pursuing his bachelor鈥檚 degree at 麻豆传媒 under the tutelage of Dr. Alexander Russakovsky. He is looking forward to a performance with his chamber group at Carnegie Hall in New York City in June 2024.

Brian Lorett is a versatile cellist, arranger and composer from Pamplona, Colombia. He began his musical training in C煤cuta, where he studied under violinist Rafael Pineda at the C煤cuta Youth Symphony Orchestra. Immersed in the pedagogical principles of Antonio Abreu, founder of Venezuela鈥檚 renowned "El Sistema,鈥� in 2016, he pursued a Bachelor of Musical Arts at the Adolfo Mej铆a Conservatory in Cartagena, Colombia studying with cellist and arranger Jorge Nordmann. An avid composer, he writes for ensembles, incorporating Latin American and African folk rhythms and explores electronic sampling and live looping. In 2020, Lorett released 鈥淎cercamientos Op.11,鈥� a self-produced album of programmatic music inspired by visual artworks from young Colombian artists. That same year, he won the Convocatoria de Est铆mulos Award twice for his compositions 鈥淏ambuco No.1 Op.2鈥� and 鈥淔antasy No.2 Op.17,鈥� both rooted in Colombian folk traditions. In 2021, he moved to the U.S. to study at The University of 麻豆传媒 to pursue his master鈥檚 degree under Dr. Alexander Russakovsky. There, he serves as principal cellist of the Symphony Orchestra and continues to expand his work in live looping composition and performance, blending classical cello with modern technology to push creative boundaries.

Daniel Petrocelli is a leading Venezuelan guitarist of his generation, recognized for his achievements in national and international competitions. He graduated summa cum laude in classical guitar performance from the Universidad Nacional Experimental de las Artes and also received a bachelor鈥�s degree in education from Universidad Nacional Experimental Sim贸n Rodr铆guez. He won first prize at the 2014 III Alirio D铆az National Guitar Competition in Carora, Venezuela and earned third prizes at the 2015 XVIII Alirio D铆az International Guitar Competition, the 2020 Rust International Guitar Competition in Austria, and the 2024 Florida Guitar Competition and Festival in Tallahassee, Florida. He has performed at festivals in Venezuela, Mexico, the U.S., Russia and Saint Lucia, captivating audiences with his charisma and energy. Petrocelli has premiered 鈥�Variaciones Lumi猫谤别鈥� by Luis Ochoa; 鈥�Cita Concertante鈥� by Eduardo Mart铆n; and most recently, Juan Erena鈥檚 鈥淗eart of Earth,鈥� featured on the album 鈥淭he World We Build.鈥� Additionally, he is part of the Amalgam Guitar Duet with Wolfgang Salazar. Petrocelli also composes for solo guitar and ensembles, with works like 鈥淭ensi贸n L铆辩耻颈诲补鈥� and 鈥淲altz Impromptu鈥� available on Spotify and Apple Music. With 14 years of teaching experience, Petrocelli has mentored students who achieved national recognition. In 2024, he received a graduate assistantship at The University of 麻豆传媒, where he pursues a master鈥檚 in guitar performance under the guidance of Dr. Nicholas Ciraldo. He continuously performs at national and international competitions in the United States and in public performances around Hattiesburg bringing some of his Venezuelan heritage within his repertoire.