Ezekiel Sokoloff and Aryanna Holmes Duo
USA
Ezekiel Sokoloff, age 16, violin
Aryanna Holmes, age 18, violin
Score: 93.33
"Over the last five years Aryanna Holmes and Ezekiel Sokoloff have worked together in a quartet, as a duet, and in an orchestral setting. As a duet, they have won the Utah Symphony Youth Guild Competition, the American Protégé Romantic Music Competition, the Quebec International Music Competition, as well as 2nd place in the New York International Concours Competition and an received an honorable mention in the Utah Symphony Salute to Youth Competition.
Ezekiel (Zeke) Sokoloff is a 16-year-old student of Eugene Watanabe and is currently enrolled at the Gifted Music School full scholarship, pre-college conservatory program in Salt Lake City, UT. Zeke is a four-year recipient of the Dorothy Richard Starling Foundation Scholarship. He made his orchestral debut at age 12 with the Utah Symphony, and he subsequently had a second solo performance with the symphony in the fall of 2021. In 2019, Zeke won 1st prize in the MTNA string competition, Junior National Division, and in 2020 was Overall Grand Prize winner of the ENKOR with the highest jury score ever awarded. In 2021, he placed 1st prize in the Vancouver Symphony Young Artists Competition. He has won or placed in several local and national level competitions as well, in both solo and chamber divisions. Zeke enjoys participating in service for his community and in 2020, he was highlighted on KSL TV’s “High Five” spotlight for the donation of 30 violins to the GRIT after school music program. He has been invited to perform in many community events including: the Holladay City Arts Council, the Utah Senate, The Elizabeth Smart Foundation, the Annual Interfaith Community Concert, the Deseret News, the ‘Excellence in the Community’ Concert Series and The Trevor Project. He has performed in several Title I schools throughout Salt Lake and was awarded Youth Individual Instrumentalist, “Best of State” in 2020. Zeke has performed in masterclasses or private lessons for several esteemed violin professors such as: Robert Lipsett (Colburn School), Midori Goto (Curtis Institute of Music), Laurie Smukler (Juilliard School), Masao Kawasaki (Juilliard School) Simon James, Ian Swensen (San Francisco Conservatory) and Donald Weilerstein (NEC). As a homeschooled student, Zeke has enjoyed the freedom of balancing a rigorous academic schedule with his practicing.
Aryanna Holmes was a full scholarship student at the Gifted Music School Conservatory in Salt Lake City, Utah from 2016-2021 where she studied the violin with Eugene Watanabe. She is currently a student at Yale University where she’s been named the ‘William E. Stout 54’ Scholar at Yale’ and is under the tutelage of Kyung Yu of The Yale School of Music. She plans on pursuing a double major in music and mathematics as part of the Yale class of 2025. She has won many competitions and has had the opportunity to solo with The Salt Lake Symphony, The Southwest Symphony, and The Utah Valley Symphony. She has been a 1st place winner at the New York Artists International Competition, the American Protégé International Concerto Competition, the Prima Volta Music Competition, the New York International Concours Competition, the Quebec Music Competition, the Charleston Contemporary Music Competition, The Great Composers Competition in ‘The Music of Eastern Europe’, ‘The Music of Germany and Austria’, ‘The Best Grieg Performance’, ‘The Music of the Centuries:17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th century categories’, ‘Master of the Violin’. She was also a recipient of the Gold Medal for the AADGT International Young Musicians festival, as well as a 2nd place winner of the American Protégé International Music Talent Competition, The Enkor International Competition (Strings), and The Great Composers Competition ‘Artist of the Year Award’. Aryanna has performed in masterclasses and private lessons for Lina Bahn (USC), Danielle Belen (University of Michigan and The Colburn School), David Halen (University of Michigan), Simon James (San Francisco Conservatory), Masao Kawasaki (Juilliard School), Joo Mee Li (Stanford University), Stephen Miahky (Vanderbilt University), Ian Swenson (San Francisco Conservatory), and Kathleen Winkler (The Shepherd School of Music at Rice University).
Navarra for Two Violins and Piano, Op.33, by Pablo de Sarasate
