The Young Artists Concert

Tom is a 15-year-old cellist from Rochester, Minnesota. Born in Israel, he began playing the cello at age 6. When his family moved to San Diego in 2017, he studied under Dr. Anna Cho of the San Diego Symphony. After returning to Israel, Tom continued his studies at the Music Conservatory of Givatayim under Assaf Niran and was part of the gifted students’ program at the Music Center of Jerusalem. Later, he enrolled in the Thelma Yellin High School of Arts, one of Israel’s most prestigious secondary art schools, and received a scholarship from the Israel Ministry of Education for his musical achievements.

In the summer of 2023, his family relocated to Rochester. Currently, Tom studies cello under Kirsten Whitson in St. Paul. He is a member of the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphony (GTCYS), principal cellist of the Concert Orchestra of the Southeastern Minnesota Youth Orchestras (SEMYO) and plays for the honors orchestra at Mayo High School. Previously, he was principal cellist for the New England Conservatory Summer Orchestra Institute.

Tom looks forward to this summer’s International Cello Institute at St. Olaf College. In his free time, Tom participates in triathlons, enjoys hiking and plays chess.

Harold is an eighth grader at Wayzata Central Middle School in Plymouth. During his audition for this performance, our judges found him a mesmerizing pianist, bringing a mature level of skill, musicianship, and power to the keyboard.

He began studying piano at the age of six and is currently a student of Dr. Denis Evstuhin. In 2023, Harold entered the PianoFunMN Competition and won first place in the middle school group. He was also a finalist at the 2023 Northwestern Piano Solo Festival. In addition to his passion for piano, Harold loves baseball, cooking, history and scouting.