Violinist Tokuji Miyasaka selected by Cascade Symphony as ‘Rising Star’ for 2018-19 season

Tokuji Miyasaka

The Cascade Symphony Orchestra announced Monday that 11-year-old violinist Tokuji Miyasaka of Seattle has been selected as the winner of the 2018-19 “Rising Star” competition.

The 6th-grade student, who is home-schooled, was selected from a distinguished group of young musicians in Washington state by Cascade Symphony’s Music Director Michael Miropolsky.

As the “Rising Star” award winner, Tokuji will perform, as soloist, the first movement and cadenza of the “Mozart Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major, K. 216with the Cascade Symphony at its annual children’s concert. This year’s program, “Tubby the Tuba,” takes place at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 9, at the Edmonds Center for the Arts (ECA), 410 4th Ave. N.

The young musician made his solo orchestral debut with the Spokane Symphony in 2018 and has performed as soloist with the Fairbanks Symphony in Alaska. Tokuji won First Prize in the “Great Composers Competition: Music of Eastern Europe,” the Adjudicators Choice Gold Medal at Musicfest Northwest, and the Seals of Outstanding Achievement at the Seattle Young Artists Music Festival.

He also has been a performer at the Brian Lewis Young Artists Program, the International Violin Academy in Liberec, Czech Republic, and the Honors Recitals at Japan-Seattle Suzuki Institute. Tokuji currently studies with Simon James of the Coleman Violin Studio. Away from music, he enjoys math, playing with Legos, and spending time with family and friends.

The Edmonds-based Cascade Symphony Orchestra, which has been sponsoring the “Rising Star” competition since 2009, has been promoting young musicians and encouraging music education in the schools for many years. Entry for the “Rising Star” competition is for pianists and violinists 12 years of age and younger on the day of the concert or 15 and younger for performers of other symphonic instruments.

Tickets to the concert are available through the ECA at edmondscenterforthearts.org. Further information about the “Rising Star” program is available at cascadesymphony.org/education/rising-stars.

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