Where Are They Now? spotlights Minnesota Varsity Featured and Showcase Artists from 2011 to 2015.
Arjun Ganguly from St. Cloud, Minn., was a Minnesota Varsity 2014 Featured Artist. He recently got in touch with Classical MPR's Christine Sweet to share his latest news.
Arjun Ganguly, Viola, 2014 Featured Artist
Age: 19
Hometown: St. Cloud, Minn.
Attends: University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
I recently came home from a whirlwind of a month in China with the National Youth Orchestra for my third and final tour and I am entering my sophomore year at the University of Minnesota. While I do not currently study music at the U, I am continuing my instrumental studies with Dr. Korey Konkol. This past spring I won the Junior Viola division of ASTA's [American String Teachers Association] National Solo Competition, and was one of six string instrumentalists chosen from all of the applicants to compete in the finals at Salt Lake City. The competition is the biggest I've ever done, and I couldn't believe how well it turned out. At the finals, we each had 15 minutes on stage to present 4 selections of music. I have never practiced harder for anything before, and the level of performance was higher than anything I've been in before. The live competition was a valuable experience for performing under pressure (the incredible violist Kim Kashkashian was in the audience and I got to meet her afterward!).
My experience with Minnesota Varsity was awesome! The studio recording really gave me great experience in preparing for recordings, which was crucial for ASTA (my primary piece for that competition was also the Walton Concerto). I vividly remember the day my performance aired. It was so exciting to finally hear, and since then so many people I've met have told me they heard me on MPR! I would recommend the program to anyone-there are few organizations around that give students such a professional experience.
(Here's Arjun at the ASTA National Solo Competition, performing Bach's Sarabande from Cello Suite No. 6)
For information on this year's season of Minnesota Varsity, please visit the Minnesota Varsity homepage.
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