Each of the winners for 2006 has a long history of involvement in music and a variety of musical experiences bringing them to the apex of their high school careers, culminating in this most special opportunity to play with the Bartlesville Symphony Orchestra. 

Jenny Lawless will graduate from Bartlesville High School this year.  Her parents Jeff and Laura have taught in the Bartlesville Public Schools for 18 years.  Jeff is a Band Director and Laura, a math teacher at the Mid-High.  Jenny became involved with playing percussion in fourth grade, training with her dad.  In the fifth grade, she began studying percussion with Steve Craft, Director of Percussion for Bartlesville Public Schools.  Craft plays with our own orchestra and is Associate Principal Percussion with Tulsa Opera Orchestra and the newly formed Tulsa Symphony Orchestra.

Ms. Lawless has been accepted to the prestigious Eastman School of Music, Rochester, N.Y.; the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, University of Houston and University of Oklahoma.  Although still undecided about which offer to accept, she will major in percussion performance and earn a bachelors degree, continuing with a masters in music education and a doctorate in orchestral conducting.

Jenny attended Interlochen Summer Arts Academy and was a member of the World Youth Orchestra during her six weeks at the camp.  She studied with Keith Aleo of the Boston Conservatory and was one of the students chosen to perform in a master class for the premiere percussion soloist in the world, Evelyn Glennie.  She auditioned for, and was selected, for the Bands of America “Honor Band of America” the last three years, performing each spring at the National Concert Band Festival in Indianapolis, Indiana.  As a three-year member of the Oklahoma All-State Band, she served two years as principal timpanist and one year as principal mallet player.  She is a six-year member of Northeast Oklahoma All-District Band percussion section, attaining first chair every year through audition.  She has performed solos from 7th grade to 12th on marimba, vibraphone, timpani, snare drum, and steel drums at District and State Solo & Ensemble Contest, receiving superior ratings on every solo!

As a guest soloist she has been featured with Tulsa Starlight Band, a professional summer concert band; twice with Tulsa community College Band and Orchestra, and at the Southwestern Oklahoma State Summer Band Camp.  For four summers she attended the University of Arkansas Summer Band Camp and earned first chair in the top band each summer.  In the summer of 2005, she was named the Outstanding Musician of the entire band camp.  She was also named the Outstanding Junior of the Bartlesville High School Band last spring.  Currently, Jenny is a member of the Bartlesville High School Band, Orchestra, Percussion Ensemble, and Steel Drum Band.  When an extra percussionist is needed, she also performs with the Bartlesville Symphony.

Dash Nesbitt hails from Jenks, Oklahoma.  His parents are Stoner and Romney Nesbitt and he is studying viola with Esther Fellows, a long-time violinist with our symphony.  Members of the Bartlesville Symphony Orchestra are eligible to have their students audition for the local Young Artist Competition.

Dash plans to attend college next year at Indiana University, studying viola performance at the Jacobs School of Music with Atar Arad, former member of the Cleveland Quartet and accomplished viola soloist and composer.  A member of

All-State Orchestra for three years, he served as principal viola this year.  In 2004, Dash was the Viola winner at the Oklahoma Music Olympics Buttram Strings competition and in 2005, he was both Viola and Overall winner of the same competition held in Oklahoma City.  Summer of 2004 found him attending the National High School Music Institute at Northwestern University, where he studied with Li-Kuo Chang, the assistant principal violist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.  During the summer of 2005, he attended the ENCORE School for Strings at the Cleveland Institute of Music and studied with Mark Jackobs of the Cleveland Orchestra.   Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain was another opportunity he embraced.

Currently Mr. Nesbitt is playing with the Signature Symphony Orchestra in Tulsa.  He has played in the orchestra for performances of the Tulsa Ballet and the Tulsa Oratorio Chorus.  He is a member of the Lontano String Quartet, made up of other dedicated and accomplished high school musicians from around the state.  Another member of that quartet, Maura Gerety, violinist, was a 2005 Young Artist winner who has since moved to Tulsa.

Rachel Fellows is no stranger to the Bartlesville Symphony Orchestra, as she has played for several years with our symphony and was a Young Artist audition winner in 2004.  Rules state that you may win the audition more than once, but only if the “wins” are two years apart.  The exception to that rule is if you play more than one instrument, you may audition on the alternate instrument the very next year and be chosen a winner if the judges so decide.  Her mother, Esther is a violinist, and also her teacher.  Her father, Jim, is our symphony’s bassoonist; and her brother Daniel, violist, has recently started to play as well.  Several years ago, Joy Fellows, viola, also won the Young Artist audition and performed with the symphony.

Rachel is from Mounds, Oklahoma, and she is home-schooled.  Her life is absolutely filled with music, but she is a very grounded and accessible young lady with impeccable manners!  Among Rachel’s many accomplishments are MTNA (Music Teachers National Association) Junior High String Performance Competition:  Winner, State Level 2002, advancing to Division, January 2003; Winner Division Level, January 2003, representing South Central Division at National Competition in Salt Lake City in March 2003.  MTNA Senior High String Performance Competition winner, State Level, 2003 advancing to Division, 2004; 1st Alternate, South Central Division, 2004; Winner, State Level, 2004, advancing to Division, January 2005; 1st Alternate, South Central Division, January 2005.  Winner at State Level, November 2005 and receiving Honorable Mention when advancing to Division Level, January 2005.

Ms. Fellows was chosen by audition for Advanced Student Recital at the American Suzuki Institute in Stevens Point WI in August, 2001 and again for the Quandt Recital in August, 2004.  She has performed for Tulsa’s well-known Hyechka Music Club as a student guest performer from 2002 to the present, as well as the Ability Development String Players from 2002-2006.  Rachel has served as 1st violinist for the String Fever Quartet during 2001-2004 and in that same capacity for the Cavatina Trio from 2004-2005.

Orchestra experience has been gained as a player with the Tulsa Signature Symphony from 2004 to present.  She was 4th chair 2nd violin from 2004-2005 and 5th chair 2nd violin from 2005-2006.  She has played in the Tulsa Ballet Theatre Orchestra from 2004-2006; with Bartlesville Symphony Orchestra from 2001-2004 as 2nd violinist and as 1st violinist from 2004-2006.  She also has served as Concertmaster for the Tulsa Bible Church Orchestra from 2001-06.

Rachel has enjoyed attending summer music camps, particularly Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain from 2001-2004, serving as Principal 2nd and Assistant Concertmaster in 2003 and Assistant Principal 2nd and Concertmaster in 2004; Texas Tech University Band and Orchestra Camp 2003; Tulsa Fest 2002-2003, serving as Assistant Concertmaster in 2003; American Suzuki Institute in Wisconsin in 2001 and 2004; Musicorda alumni 2004 and Encore School for Strings in 2005.

Ms. Fellows masterclass participation includes Lisa Tipton, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra/Solisti New York Orchestra, June 2002; Felicia Moye, Professor of Violin, University of Oklahoma, 2003, 2004; John Gilbert, Professor of Violin, Texas Tech University, 2003; Ju-Young Baek, YCA Artist, 2003, 2005; Rebecca Fischer, 1st violin of Chiara String Quartet, 2004; Claude Frank, Professor of Piano, 2004 and Jaime Laredo, Professor of Violin, 2005, both at Curtis Institute of Music; and the Moscow String Quartet, 2005.  Other teachers and coaches who have influenced her musical studies include Michael Adcock, Lydia Artymiw, Mark Bjork, Gabe Bolkosky, Scott Conklin, Susan Dubois, Terry Durbin, Jane Hawkins, Anton Miller, David Russell, Edmund Sprunger, Bruce Uchimura, Uri Vardi, and Katie Wolfe.