The Bangor Symphony Orchestra recently held its 44th annual Maine High School Concerto Competition finals. Winners are, from left, Ronan Sands, cello, second place; George Taylor, violin, third place; Linnea Turesson, violin, honorable mention; Noah Smith, clarinet, first place; and Lucas Richman, the orchestra’s music director and conductor. Submitted photo

BANGOR — The Bangor Symphony Orchestra has announced the winners of its 44th annual Maine High School Concerto Competition finals, held Feb. 9.

They are Noah Smith of Buckfield, a clarinetist, who placed first; Ronan Sands of Eddington, cellist, second; George Taylor of Waterville, violinist, third; and Linnea Turesson of Rockport, violinist, received honorable mention.

Finalists performed in front of an audience at Minsky Auditorium on the campus of the University of Maine. The winner received $500 and the opportunity to perform with the Bangor Symphony Orchestra.

“This concerto competition presents an annual opportunity for young musicians to give themselves a goal, work hard, and dedicate themselves to their music. It is a wonderful experience not just for the competitor, but also for the community, to hear the amazing talent of high school students we have here in the state of Maine. This year we had four strong finalists, and I was very impressed with the individual uniqueness and level of professionalism each of them brought to the stage,” Music Director and Conductor Lucas Richman said in a news release from Renia Shterenberg, the orchestra’s executive director.

Smith plans to perform the third movement of Carl Maria von Weber’s Clarinet Concerto No. 2 in the Young People’s Concerts, presented by the Bangor Symphony Orchestra, at 11:45 a.m. Monday, May 5, at the Collins Center for the Arts on the University of Maine campus, 2 Flagstaff Road in Orono.

For tickets, call Katie Hardy, education and community programs manager, at 207-942-5555, ext. 4.

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