Opus 34

Dr. Roscigno has worked extensively with professional orchestras, college orchestras, and younger musicians throughout his career. He has served as Music Director of the Conway Symphony in Arkansas, Assistant Conductor of the Tucson Symphony, and guest conductor for the Plainview Symphony and Santa Barbara Ballet Theater. In 2003 he led Opera Constanta of Romania in performances of Carmen, The Barber of Seville, and Un Ballo in Mascera.Dr. Roscigno's diverse musical career has allowed him opportunities to perform and conduct at some of the great venues of North America, including Carnegie Hall, Disney Hall, Yankee Stadium, and Olympic Stadium in Montreal.

Catherine Ruan is a seventh grader at Redwood Middle School. She has been playing violin since she was 6 years old under the tutelage of Diana Ray-Goodman. This past June, she began studying with Elise Goodman. She joined the CVYO when she was eight years old, and currently plays in the first violin section in the Preparatory Orchestra. During the 2009-2010 season, Catherine was concertmaster of the Youth Strings and was featured as a soloist. Catherine has participated in the MTAC Certificate of Merit program for four years. She has been awarded branch honors and has been invited to play as a soloist at the MTAC Annual Convention in each of those years. Last year she was a Gold Medalist in both the MTAC Contemporary Festival and the YouTube Festimantic! Competition. Catherine has played in master classes with Robert Thies and Dr. Ernest Salem. She has been an active participant in the Junior Chamber Music program for 3 years and has performed with a trio, quartet & quintet. Last summer, she participated in the Gold Coast Chamber Music Festival. Catherine is a top honors student and last year received the Student of the Year Award. She also won second place in the spelling bee. Catherine also serves as the school's team captain of the Knowledge Master Open competition. She volunteers at the L. I. F. E. Animal Rescue organization. She has participated in swim team for more than three years. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, playing cards, and being with her friends. She is thrilled to perform with the Thousand Oaks Philharmonic for the first time.

Eugene Kim is a seventh grader at Las Colinas Middle School in Camarillo. He has been playing the piano since the age of 5 and currently studies with Sharon Kim. Eugene has participated in many competitions and recitals. He has won a gold medal at the MTAC Holiday Festival, earned honors for the Certificate of Merit evaluation program, and has received Honors Awards in the Southern California Junior Bach Festivals. He particularly likes to play his favorite composer, J.S. Bach. Besides piano, he has a passion for baseball and chess. He enjoys playing baseball and participated in many official chess tournaments across Southern California. He also enjoys traveling and hiking with his family. Eugene would like to thank his teacher for her guidance, and his family, for their support. Eugene is delighted and honored to perform with the Thousand Oaks Philharmonic.

Louis Lee is an eighth grade straight-A student at Redwood Middle School and has been studying piano for 8 years. He is a student of Edward Francis. He has won gold medals multiple times in the MTAC Conejo Valley Contemporary Music Festival, as well as winning the Southern California Junior Bach Festival at the regional level. Louis performed in many CM honors recitals and has won the YouTube Festimantic Competition. He was an invited soloist in the Thousand Oaks Philharmonic's 2011 season, and is very excited to have an encore opportunity. In addition, Louis participates in Junior Chamber Music and is the pianist in a quartet. Louis also studies the violin with Dianne Rammon and is in the CVYO program. Louis loves math and is on the Southern California Team at California State University, Long Beach, for the American Regional Math League, a team that competes internationally. He has won first place in numerous math competitions as well, and is enrolled at Thousand Oaks High School for a tenth grade honors math class. In his school, Louis is a member of the debate team and was awarded the Outstanding Speaker Award in the Conejo Valley Middle School Joint Debate. He also serves his school in the PTSA leadership program. He enjoys many activities outside of music, such as writing, being on the swim team, reading, snowboarding, and being with his friends and family. He wants, someday, to write his own novel.

Andrew Feng, 15, is a sophomore at Oak Park High School. He has been studying the piano with Caroline Lai at the age of 5. From 2008 he has been a student of Edward Francis. Andrew has won the YouTube Festimantic! Competition twice. He also has been selected as a Gold Medal Finalist for the MTAC Contemporary Music Festival for the past three years, performing at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. Additionally, he has performed in many Southern California Junior Bach Festivals, and was a winner in the branch and regional events, leading to an invitation to perform at the Bach Festival Showcase for the Tri-Counties. This year, he will be tested in the Advanced Level for the MTAC Certificate of Merit syllabus examination program. He has been an active member and participant of the Appassionata Honors Masterclass Seminar since 2010. In school he takes various honors and AP level classes and is member of the Future Meds Club, and Peer Counseling Group. Moreover, he is a part of the Conejo Valley Youth Congress Leadership Program and also spends time studying at the Jeng Academic Center. He is an active participant of his local parish, St. Jude's, where he volunteers often. In his spare time Andrew enjoys playing basketball, golf, and video games.

Abigail is in eighth grade honors student in the Gifted and Talented Education Program at Lindero Canyon Middle School. She started violin lessons with Mrs. Dianne Rammon at the age of five, and since 2005, she has been studying with Shuwei Liu. Abigail has been a member of the CVYO and was the concertmaster for the CVYO Prep Orchestra in 2009-2010.Abigail currently serves as the concertmaster for the Lindero Canyon Middle School Concert Orchestra and is first violin of the ESQ (String Quartet). Abigail was a finalist in the Honors Orchestra for the 2012 American Honors Performance Series at Carnegie Hall and received the 2011 Maestro Award for outstanding soloist at the Santiago Heritage Music Festival, and twice before has been a featured soloist with the Thousand Oaks Philharmonic. She was winner of the CVYO Concerto & Scholarship Competition in 2010 and 2011 and won first place in the 2011 VOCE competition at the MTAC Conejo Valley Branch. She also was the winner of the 2011 Antelope Valley Bach Competition for instrumentalists and was a featured soloist, invited to play with the Ventura College Symphony in 2010 and 2011 as a first place winner in the 2010Ventura County Violin & Viola Competition. She is also a winner of the 2010-2011 YMF Foundation Scholarship and has been awarded the Dr. Leon S. Altman Memorial Scholarship for Violin and also won first places in various categories of the Southwestern Youth Music Festival since 2006. Abigail won the Supervisor's Choice Award for L. A. County Public Library Bookmark Contest and White Oak Elementary School's Spelling Bee. In her free time, she enjoys cruising on her long board & skateboard, folding origami, modeling clay, playing guitar, cards and sports. She would like to be an architect and a violinist in the future.

Michael Aspinwall, a senior at Calabasas High School, has been studying piano for 11 years and has been a pupil of Edward Francis for six years. This will mark his fourth appearance as a featured soloist with the Thousand Oaks Philharmonic; he previously played the Prokofiev Concerto No. 2 in 2010, the Tchaikovsky Concerto No. 1 in 2009 and the Grieg Concerto in 2008. Michael has won numerous awards including first place in the California Association of Professional Music Teachers (CAPMT) Regional Solo Piano Honors Competition where he received top honors at the state convention. He also was a winner at the Liana Cohen Music Festival; the CAPMT Los Angeles Romantic/Impressionistic Competition; Glendale Piano Competition; Southern California Junior Bach Festival and the MTAC of Conejo Valley Contemporary Music Festival. In addition to his music activities during the school year, Michael has spent the past three summers at prestigious international music festivals. He was one of 15 pianists from six countries to be invited to study at Boston University's famed Tanglewood Institute for 2009 and 2011. He also was a student at the Montecito Music Festival in California and Morningside Music Bridge in Canada. This past year, he began intensive composition studies with Professor Ian Krouse and has completed his first Sonata for flute and piano. In addition to his classical pursuits, Michael studies jazz piano and currently plays in the Calabasas High School Jazz "A" Band which has performed at the Savannah Music Festival in Georgia, the Essentially Ellington Competition at Lincoln Center, and the Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl in June 2012. He was named Most Valuable Musician at Calabasas High School by the music faculty in 2011.