On Saturday’s broadcast, we feature a violin soloist and a children’s choir. Shannon Kollasch, 17, has been studying the violin for 14 years. For the past ten years, she has studied under Desirée Ruhstrat of the Lincoln Trio.
Shannon has served as the concertmaster of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra’s Symphony and Encore Orchestras. Her performances with these orchestras include a tour of four cities in China, concerts at Chicago’s Orchestra Hall and Millennium Park, the 2013 Ryder Cup, and the 2014 Chicago Bulls Opening Game. Shannon was featured as a soloist in Lutoslawski’s Concerto for Orchestra and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade. As a part of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra’s Principal Players Quartet, Quattro Voci, she has participated in masterclasses with cellist Yo-Yo Ma and the Telegraph Quartet. Quattro Voci has also been featured on WFMT’s Introductions. In addition to CYSO, Shannon has been a part of the 2013 and 2015 Chicago Youth in Music Festivals; in this year’s festival, she sat as assistant concertmaster under the batons of Maestros Cliff Colnot and Riccardo Muti.
As a soloist, Shannon has won several awards, including the National YoungArts Award, First Place in Senior Division for the Chinese Fine Arts Competition, Honorable Mention and Best Interpretation of Korean Piece in the Sejong Music Competition, and First Place in the DePaul Concerto Competition. Shannon also uses her violin to raise money for nonprofits she is a part of, often performing in benefit concerts and fundraising in Chicago.
Campanella Children’s Choir was founded in the spring of 2000 and is the core of Campanella Educational Center in Northbrook, Illinois. The choir consists of five levels: Beginners, Prelude Choir I & II, Treble Choir and Concert Choir. The first three choral groups are largely made up of Russian-speaking children who primarily perform Russian-language songs. The Concert Choir consists of children from a variety of cultures and sings a diverse repertoire that focuses on classical music. The Concert Choir consists of 22 students ages 8 through 17.
The ensemble participates in competitions and performs in numerous community events throughout the year. In recent years, Campanella has performed at Chicago’s Adler Planetarium, the Museum of Science and Industry, Northbrook Public Library, Wheeling Park District, and Skokie Public Library. Campanella Concert Choir has been a participant of the National Heritage Festival since 2006. Achievements at the festival include highest ranking and Gold Medal in 2012, 2011 and 2010, Gold Medal in 2009 and Outstanding Choral Group award in 2008. In May 2012, the group was featured on Introductions.
The Concert Choir collaborates actively with well-known Chicago musicians, giving regular performances at the St. Giles Episcopal Church in Northbrook.