(
Young Artists’
Concerto Competition
Congrats to Our Winners!
These three steallar young musicians won our 2024-2025 Young Artists’ Concerto Competition! They will each be featured at a Young People’s Concert this season. Read more about them below:
Laura Vu is a ninth grader at Northshore High School in Slidell. She began studying the flute in seventh grade and plays in the band at school. Laura was recipient of the 2023 Irving Carr Award from the Jr. Philharmonic Society of New Orleans. During the summer of 2024, Laura was 1st chair in the top ensemble at Florida State University's summer band camp. She has a passion for animals and enjoys horseback riding. She is a student of LPO flutist, Dr. Sarah Schettler.
Laura will perform with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra on Thursday, January 30, 2025, at 10 AM at Loyola University.
Brett Massimi is an eighth grader at Homer Plessy Community School and attends the NOCCA middle school preparatory program. She has been playing classical violin for six years and is a student of LPO musicians Kate Walter and Dr. Zorica Dimova. Brett won the Emily Friend Baile Award from the Jr. Philharmonic Society of New Orleans in 2024. That summer, Brett was second chair in the first violin section at the Young Musicians and Artists camp in Salem, Oregon. She plays in her school's honors orchestra and honor quartet. Although she is devoted to classical music, Brett is passionate about music in many other forms. She enjoys songwriting, and in June of 2024, she released her first album, Dozens. Brett also enjoys drumming in her Brazilian samba group, Tamojunto, where she plays the agogô and surdo. She and her mom play fiddle music together, and perform at local markets under the name Sheepy and the Hen. Brett also loves spending time skateboarding and playing soccer.
Brett will perform with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra on Thursday, January 30, 2025, at 11:30 AM at Loyola University.
Kate Guidroz, 17, is a senior at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA). She started playing the euphonium at age 8 and currently studies with Mr. William Hess, instructor of Tuba and Euphonium at Loyola University New Orleans. Kate has performed with numerous ensembles including the Loyola Bourgeois Honor Band, the Jefferson Parish Community Band, the Louisiana Music Educators Association All-State Symphonic Band, and the Loyola University Tuba Euphonium Ensemble. Most recently, she served as first chair for the District 6 Senior High Honor Band. Kate has also appeared on Channel 4’s morning program, Great Day Louisiana, performing the first movement of Horovitz’s Euphonium Concerto. Her upcoming projects include performing with the Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestra as a tuba player.
Kate is passionate about arts education and intends to pursue a degree in music education, with a focus on teaching young students. In March of 2024, she held a wellness workshop for NOCCA students, demonstrating the basics of music therapy and leading a bell meditation. She plans to continue reaching out to her community on the importance of music in everyday life. Outside the practice room, Kate enjoys reading philosophy and spending time with her dog Sampson and 5 cats: Betty White, Tigerlily, Dexter, Mini, and Munchkin.
Kate will perform with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra on Friday, January 31, 2025, at 10 AM at Loyola University.