Our annual Young Artist Showcase program opens with an exciting 2011 work by Mason Bates, his techno-inspired Mothership. We then feature the three winners of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s Young Artist Competition. Pianist Wilson Liu plays the opening movement of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20. Alto saxophonist Jacob Peizner plays Jacques Ibert’s Concertino da camera. Hana Gottesman plays Maurice Ravel’s Tzigane. The program also includes, as always, music that showcases the VSO itself, a pair of colorful works by Richard Strauss, the suite from the opera Der Rosenkavalier, and his symphonic poem Till Eulenspeigel’s Merry Pranks.

Wilson Liu (11) was admitted to The Juilliard School Pre-College Division, where he won the Bachauer Prize with full scholarship and Concerto Competition at the age of 7. He studies with Hung-Kuan Chen and Tema Blackstone. Wilson will be a ‘25-‘26 Fellow in From the Top Learning and Media Lab. He has participated in a film for “Now Hear This” presented by Great Performances on PBS.

Jacob Peizner (17) is a Senior at Oregon Episcopal School and a student of Phil Baldino and Kenneth Radnofsky. Jacob was one of ten saxophonists internationally selected for the 2024 BU Tanglewood Saxophone Workshop and was co-principal saxophone for the 2025 Tanglewood Young Artists Orchestra & Wind-Ensemble.

Hana Gottesman (16) earned top honors including first prize at the Royal Maas International, UK International (Absolute Prize), Coeur d’Alene National Young Artist, MTNA National, and Seattle Young Artist Music Festival (Festival Medal) competitions. A Postacchini International Competition finalist, Hana soloed with several orchestras such as the Northwest Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Northwest, and SEEN Orchestra of Chicago. She has performed on King FM radio and NPR’s Live Sessions.

Program:

Bates Mothership

Ravel Tzigane*

Ibert Concertino Da Camera**

Strauss Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks

Intermission

Mozart Piano Concerto No. 20***

Strauss Der Rosenkavalier Suite

*Hana Gottesman, violin

**Jacob Peizner, alto saxophone

***Wilson Liu, piano

Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026 at 7 p.m. & Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026 at 3 p.m.

Livestream link: https://mediacampus.com/live/vso/

Artists:

The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra USA

Salvador Brotons, Music Director and Conductor

Hana Gottesman, violin

Jacob Peizner, alto saxophone

Wilson Liu, piano