Kate Shao, 15 years old and a sophomore at La Cueva High School, earned first place in the
piano division of the Jackie McGehee Young Artists’ Competition on February 9 with her
performance of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. She studies with Tatyana Bayliyeva at the
Albuquerque Institute of Music.
In the strings competition held on February 10th, first prize went to Sydney Tasker, 12 years old
and in the 7 th grade at Desert Ridge Middle School, for her performance of Saint-Saens’s Cello
Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op.33 I. Allegro non troppo. Sydney studies with Brittany Gardner.
First prize includes a $2500 cash award plus a performance opportunity with the New Mexico
Philharmonic.
Watch these and all other performances at the JMYAC's YouTube channel - youtube.com/@jmyac.
Review all the winners for piano and strings on the JMYAC Winner's page on the website.