David Tonkonogui Memorial Award
In 2005, Music of Remembrance established the David Tonkonogui Memorial Award in memory of our beloved friend and inspiring colleague, cellist David Tonkonogui. Through this youth musician's award, we recognize the musical and spiritual values which David Tonkonogui expressed through his music and his life. We welcome the nomination of Seattle-area youth musicians who can demonstrate an interest in performing music related to or inspired by the Holocaust. The honor includes a cash award of $500 to support continuing musical studies, and an invitation to perform at a Music of Remembrance concert.
- Two personal/musical letters of recommendation.
- A written statement from the applicant on the personal relevance to him or her of Holocaust-related music.
- An audio sample of 10 minutes or less.
David Tonkonogui Memorial Award
PO Box 27500
Seattle, WA 98165-2500
Past Winners Include:
2005: Julian Schwarz, cello
Julian Schwarz, cello, made his Music of Remembrance debut as the 2005 David Tonkonogui Memorial Award Winner, playing his father's composition, "In Memoriam." He attends the Academy of Music Northwest, and studies cello with Toby Saks, University of Washington professor of cello, and founder and Artistic Director of the Seattle Chamber Music Society. A Seattle native, Schwarz has received three Interlochen Fine Arts awards, performed with the Seattle Symphony, and conducted Tchaikovsky's Coronation March with the Symphony at an annual benefit. A student of Tonkonogui for seven years, he started his musical training with the piano at age five, the cello at six. He has since studied under Irene Sharp and Raymond Davis, and has participated in a master class by James Kreger.
2006: Jocelyn Chang, violin
Jocelyn Chang, violin, Music of Remembrances's 2006 David Tonkonogui Award Winner, was born in Renton, Washington, and attends Kentridge High School. Currently a student of Leonid Keylin, she began playing violin at the age of 5. Since 1997, Change has been active with the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra, while also studying the piano with Victoria Bogdashevskaya. In 2002, she enrolled at the Academy of Music Northwest, and, that summer, attended the Meadowmount School of Music, studying with Sally Thomas and Ann Setzer. In 2003, she won first place for the piano concerto division and also first place in solo violin at the Performing Arts of Festival of the Eastside. In 2005, she won Port Gardner Bay Competition, and performed as soloist; the next year, she was named the 9th-Grade Winner of the WSMTA Eastside Chapter Piano Scholarship Competition.
2008: Marié Rossano, violin
Marié Rossano, violin, makes her MOR debut with her performance of Ernest Bloch's Nigun. The 14-year-old is the 2008 winner of MOR's David Tonkonogui Memorial Award. She made her Seattle Symphony debut in October 2007 as a winner of the Seattle Symphony Young Artists Invitational. In July 2007, she performed in the Emerging Artists Debut Concert sponsored by the Seattle Chamber Music Society. Previous appearances include solos with Philharmonia Northwest, Bellevue Philharmonic Orchestra, Bainbridge Symphony, and Federal Way Symphony. She has studied with the late Yuko Honda and Kent Coleman, and now studies with Simon James. Active in the Academy of Music Northwest Chamber Orchestra, she won the highest honor at the Seattle Young Artists Music Festival, and in March 2008, the first place for junior strings at the Music Teachers National Association Competition.