Department of Music

Congratulations to BUO Concerto Competition Winners: Neil Goh, Derek Xu, and David Sacks!

The Brown University Orchestra Concerto Competition took place this past weekend. Kudos to all who participated—all contestants showed remarkable effort.

This year's winners are Neil Goh '20, Derek Xu '20, and David Sacks '22. Mr. Goh and Mr. Xu will play with the BUO on April 18-19, 2020. Mr. Sacks will play with the BUO during the 2020-21 academic year. The winners' pieces are as follows:

Neil Goh: Henri Vieuxtemps, Violin Concerto No. 5

  Neil Goh is a senior at Brown University and began playing the violin at age seven. He studied at Temple Music Prep for seven years, through which he studied with Ghislaine Fleischmann as a recipient of the Dorothy Richard Starling Scholarship, toured Iceland in the 2015 Harpa International Music Festival, and received master classes and coachings by groups such as the Jasper String Quartet and Daedalus String Quartet. In addition, he served as the associate concertmaster of the 2014 Pennsylvania all-state orchestra, and toured China and Europe as a violinist in Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra of the U.S.A. in 2015 and 2016 under the batons of Charles Dutoit and Valery Gergiev.

Derek Xu: Maurice Ravel, Tzigane

  American violinist Derek Xu began his musical studies at the age of five. As a violinist, he has performed in many countries around the world such as China, Canada, and the United States. Derek’s orchestral experiences include participating in the Los Angeles Dream Orchestra, Youth Symphony West, Idyllwild Arts Academy Orchestra, and the Brown University Orchestra. He has performed on NPR’s From the Top, where he commissioned “Septuaginta” by Maria Newman. During the course of his musical training, Derek’s teachers included Xiaolong Ding, Todor Pelev, and Lois Finkel. Besides being a passionate musician, he also enjoys board games and traveling. Derek is currently pursuing his Bachelor’s degree for biology at Brown University while studying music under the tutelage of Lois Finkel.

David Sacks: Béla Bartók, Piano Concerto No. 2

  David Sacks ’22 has given solo recitals at venues including the Greenfield Hall at the Manhattan School of Music, and the 92nd Street Y. He participated in National Young Arts Week 2017 as a Finalist in Classical Music/Piano, and is Semifinalist for the 2018 Presidential Scholars in the Arts. Notably, he also competed in the Concorso Busoni 2016-17 as its youngest candidate. He has also won several local, national, and international piano competitions, including the New York Piano Festival and Competition. He is a proponent of modern and contemporary music, having worked extensively with Ursula Oppens. David Sacks currently studies piano with Linda Jiorle-Nagy and Boris Berman.

Bravo, gentlemen!