Planned repertoire:

• Overture to Egmont, op. 84 – Ludwig van Beethoven
• TBA – Youth Concerto Competition Winner
• Star Wars Episode III – John Williams (arr. Brubaker)
• Adagio from Spartacus – Aram Khachaturian
• Prelude to Hänsel und Gretel – Engelbert Humperdinck
• Concerto Grosso Op. 6, No. 5 in D major (HWV 523) – G. F. Handel
• Danzón No. 2  – Arturo Márquez

2025 Winner young artist competing – Arian Valasquez

A dedicated violinist and proud 11th grade student at Irving’s Nimitz High School, Ariana was born into a musical family who enjoyed and
performed mariachi and inspired her own love of music.  She wanted to master all the instruments: guitar, bass guitar, double bass, violin!

Today, with 6 years’ experience in playing the violin, this young artist is honored as the winner of our 2025 Richard Giangiulio Concerto Competition, receiving a $1,000 prize funded in part by an endowment honoring Betty Miller, a founding member of this orchestra.

Her talent and dedication have earned her a seat in the All-Region Orchestras for three years and All-City orchestras for four. This year she also won first place in the Lone Star Youth Orchestra competition.

She explains that to her, orchestra is more than a school activity, it’s
a way to express herself “beyond words.”  Music has shaped her identity, she says, and will always remain an important part of her life.