2023 Radda Rise International String Competition

 

Louis Staton

Grand Prize

Category 3

 

Born in Dallas, Texas, Louis is a cellist currently residing in the North Texas area where he regularly performs in concert halls such as the Moody Performance Hall, Eisemann Center where he performed with the Dallas Asian American Youth Orchestra, and, most impressively, the Meyerson Symphony Center where he performs with the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra.

In the summer of 2019, he had the chance to perform at Carnegie Hall in a week-long orchestral camp known as the Honors performance Series where he would actively connect with musicians across the New York area. During the summer of 2022, he was able to perform in the concert halls of the Kennedy Center with the National Symphony Orchestra Summer of Music Institute in the summer of 2022 where he was able to study with Curtis graduate, Eugena Chang, and receive masterclasses and side-by-side rehearsals with the NSO. In the summer of 2023, he plans to study with Sterling Elliott, Juilliard graduate, in the Sphinx Academy at Juilliard.

He has been in many ensembles such as the Dallas Asian American Youth Orchestra and Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra where he has performed in the top ensembles as principal (DAAYO) and assistant principal (GDYO). Through GDYO, he was able to win their annual conducting competition and make his conducting debut at the Meyerson. Louis is a prolific advocate of chamber music and has been the team leader of the youth ambassador branch for Chamber Music International where he promotes the spread of chamber music through his community and where he also performs chamber pieces with his groups known as the YJL Trio and the Loumay Trio. In the Loumay trio, they were able to perform in pre-concerts for Chamber Music International, branched to bigger ensembles, and have many performances in venues held by Steinway Hall and Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth. Through chamber music, he has been able to place first in the Music Teachers National Association competition for chamber music in his duo named the Lumière Duo.

Louis has studied with three teachers which include his current teacher, Ko Iwasaki, also with Dr. Kaye Chilton and Eugena Chang. He has also performed in masterclasses for Queen Elizabeth Competition Laureate Taeguk Mun, UNT Professor Nikola Ruzevic, SMU professor Andres Diaz, Northwestern professor Hans Jorgen Jensen, and NSO Principal David Hardy. Louis plans to attend college with a biochemistry and music performance dual degree where he intends to study to become a lawyer and teach cello students as he obtains these degrees.

 

Cello Concerto in E minor, Mov. I by Edward Elgar


Suite in D minor: Sarabande by J.S. Bach