17-year-old violinist Cecilia O’Malley was the winner of the 2026 Crain-Maling Foundation CSO Young Artists Competition. She visited WFMT this summer to record a handful of works for violin and piano. Today, we will hear her perform Debussy’s Violin Sonata as well as Lutoslawski’s Subito. Cecilia O’Malley was joined by collaborative pianist Liang-Yu Wang.
About Cecilia O’Malley…
Violinist Cecilia O’Malley, a student of Professor Gerardo Ribeiro, is establishing herself as an accomplished performer among the nation’s top competitive young artists. As a soloist, she has collaborated with orchestras across the Midwest United States, including the South Dakota Symphony, the Minnesota Sinfonia, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the DuPage Symphony, the Elmhurst Symphony, the Black Hills Symphony, the Oistrakh Symphony, the Lakeview Symphony, the Lincoln Symphony, and the Highland Park Strings Orchestra. In spring 2027, she will perform four concerts with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as the winner of the 2026 Crain-Maling Competition. She will also be featured in concerts with both the Northbrook Symphony, under invitation from Maestro Mina Zikri, and the Steamboat Symphony, under invitation from Maestro Ernest Richardson. As a 2025-26 Fellowship nominee, Cecilia was recently featured on NPR’s From the Top radio program. A passionate chamber musician, Cecilia was a Bronze Medalist in the 2025 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, a two-time first prize winner in the Rembrandt Chamber Players Competition, a grand prize winner in the Enkor International Chamber Competition, and a first prize winner in the Glass City Chamber Competition and Chicago’s National Chamber Competition. Cecilia is currently a member of the award-winning Valinor Trio with colleagues Gabriel Raviv and Joseph Gallwas. She is privileged to also study with Dr. Tanya Carey on cello and Ms. Tatyana Stepanova on piano. In her free time, Cecilia enjoys reading 1800s British literature, watching Hollywood Golden Age movies, and spending time with her dog, Jack.
