Winners of the 12th Annual Samuel Fordis Concerto Competition

Winners of the 12th Annual Samuel Fordis Concerto Competition!

Named in honor of former concertmaster and cherished colleague Sam Fordis, the annual Georgia Philharmonic Young Artists Concerto Competition invites the next generation of great musicians to establish their place in musical history! In our first concert of every calendar year, we feature several outstanding young musicians from Georgia* in concert with the orchestra. Concert laureates are selected by audition in the late fall for this opportunity for a premiere performance with the Georgia Philharmonic. Winners are granted scholarship money and/or gift certificates.

Join the Georgia Philharmonic as five outstanding young artists perform in the Samuel Fordis Young Artists' Concerto Competition Showcase Concert on Saturday, February 19th, 2022 at Lassiter High School Concert Hall at 7:00 PM. 

Originally from Niagara Falls, Canada,19-year-old Eric Chen is the winner of the Artisan 1 category. He studies with Guang Wang, cellist of the Vega String Quartet at Emory University. He'll perform the 4th movement of the Elgar Cello Concerto in E minor.

17-year-old Alexia Toma is the winner of the Artisan II category. She is from Dacula, Georgia, and currently studies with Dr. Katherine Emeneth. She will perform Chaminade's Flute Concertino, Op. 107.

Already a seasoned performer at age 20, Rebekah Willard, of Jackson, TN, most recently performed as a soloist with the Samford University Orchestra in March of 2021. Her teachers include Sonja Foster, Anne Blyth, and her current instructor, Jeff A. Flaniken. She will perform the 1st movement of the Korngold Violin Concerto in D, Op. 35. 

17-year-old Tobias Liu is the Artisan I Laureate. His teachers include Sonja Foster, Keiko Furness, and his current instructor, Nadir Khashimov. He'll perform the 1st movement of the Sibelius Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47.