The Young Texas Artists' 40th Season, And the Clouds Parted for 'The 8 Stars at Night'

CONROE, TX -- Who doesn’t like to have dinner in the middle of the street in Downtown Conroe’s Cultural District? In front of the Crighton Theatre no less. Yes, it was just a smidge humid this past Saturday evening. Then a little thundery, windy and stormy. But no one got wet, and inside the tent dinner goers were treated to delicious wines, some great brisket, chicken & fixins from Texan’s BBQ, and house music. But it was in the theater where the real music entertainment was to rule for the evening, with 8 incredible finalists in the 40th annual Young Texas Artists Music Competition with its theme for this year, ‘The Stars at Night.’ President/CEO Susie Moore Pokorski, was happy to gather everyone to the competition hall to honor the well deserved musicians, very talented at their craft with incredible skills that amazed all. Following dinner, and after a short break, everyone headed into The Crighton’s lobby, where there was a chance to view an art exhibit curated by Joseph Staley.

The YTA has been helping young classical musicians and vocalists in Texas launch their careers for four decades now, starting with Susie and her husband Jim’s (The Founder) aim to honor a young pianist in a recital setting to showcase their talent all those years ago. The organization was noted as Young Texas Artists Premier at first, then teamed with the Montgomery County Performing Arts Society, and with the Crighton Theatre having just been refurbished, the stars aligned. Since then the yearly enterprise has grown from then to now with over 3,000 alumni. YTA Artistic Director Dr. Emelyne Bingham, and Director of Program & Operations Aurel Garza-Tucker, as well as the rest of the staff and board, are all dedicated to the YTA behind the scenes activities ensuring everything is run smoothly and efficiently all-year around leading up to game time.

“I had a lot of opportunities to bring a lot of organizations into the theater,” said Jim Pokorski, who founded the YTA in 1983, and recalls working with Burl Ives at the local level.

This year’s Masters of Ceremonies, Ray Benson, the larger than life singer and 10-time Grammy winner from Asleep at the Wheel, thoroughly entertained the crowd. Susie and Jim are not musically inclined, but sure do love the results when talented musicians perform with their instruments, and that goes for voice as well. The YTA is committed to spreading the word across Texas to bring the best talent to Conroe to inspire and captivate the audience. The YTA legacy has led to numerous Grammy Awards and Grammy Nominees, including 2024 Gold Medalist in Voice, nominee soprano Krista Renée Pape; as well as previous Gold Medalists prize winners who have placed in the Van Cliburn International Piano competition, as well as vocalists who have performed at the Metropolitan Grand Opera.

The YTA is internationally recognized and has a specific age requirement for their Music Competition, along with Texas residency requirements. For Classical musicians it is 18–30 years, and in the Voice category it is 20–32 years old. Since Thursday the Crighton, the stage was in constant use with over 60 contestants in their different disciplines performing in the preliminaries set over a three-day competition in four performance divisions: Piano; Strings; Voice; and Winds, brass, percussion, harp, and guitar. Two musicians from each category were chosen to perform in the YTA Finalists' Concert & Awards Saturday evening.

The eight finalists for 2025 were: William Suh, cello; Elizabeth Marlow, soprano; Zhengyi Huang, piano; Fiona Shea, violin; Maria de Jesus Contreras; harp; Hannah Moreno; soprano; Jacob Feldman, saxophone; and Syuyu Su, piano. And it’s amazing, the top quality in judging talent that Susie Pokorski and her team are able to bring in year upon year. This year’s judges were Katherine Giesinski, mezzo-soprano; Miyoko Lotto, faculty member from the Juilliard School; Bradley Mansell, cellist from the Nashville Symphony Orchestra; and Diana Boyd Schultz, world-renowned flutist and piccoloist.

Each participant played their hearts out to please the judges during the preliminary rounds and the finals, and there were many extraordinary performances; which is a testament to the years and years of training and dedication to their chosen artform. The vocalists filled the room with their booming renditions, and despite the language difference, if you understood limited Spanish or Italian, you could make out bits and pieces of what was being vocalized.

The winners for the Piano Division: Zhengyi Huang, Gold Medalist; and Szuyu Su, Silver Medalist. Ms. Su also won the Audience Choice Award. For the Winds Brass, Percussion, Harp and Guitar Division: Jacob Levin, Soprano Saxophone, Gold Medalist; Maria de Jesus Contreras Silver, Harp. In the Voice Division: Elizabeth Marlow, Soprano, Gold Medalist; Hannah Moreno, Soprano, Silver Medalist; and in the Strings Division: Fiona Shea, Violin, Gold Medalist; and William Suh, Cellist, Silver Medalist.

“In the fourth year of my undergraduate studies, I started singing the more challenging pieces,” said soprano Hannah Moreno. “I like to be challenged, and it kept me going so I decided on that path with my graduate work.”

Conroe ISD product Elizabeth Marlow, a 2020 graduate of The Woodlands High, was thrilled to have made the finals with her booming voice that filled the rafters, and she won the gold medal for her division. She now is a masters student at the Boston Conservatory. Her family was in attendance, including her mother Kristine, who is the President & CEO of the Montgomery County Food Bank.

“Through my education, the support of my family and parents, I’ve been able to have a lot of experience with choral singing, musical theatre, and the all-state process,” said Marlow. “I started voice lessons at a young age, like 10, and I just kept at it.”

The Grand Prize winner Fiona Shea, is no stranger to success at the YTA. In 2023, she was the Gold Medalist in Strings, as well as the Audience Choice Award winner. The piece she chose for the evening, Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s ‘Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35.’ Third Movement, Finale: Allegro Vivacissimo, which was a grand prize winning piece. Shea was magnificent. On the violin, she’s able to be gentle and violent at the same time. The rough pizzicato at the start set the tone, yielded to a tempo that raced with hints of the Flight of the Bumblebee, more than likely based on the Russian peasants music that involved a lot of incredible dancing, and lots of vodka. The repetitive themes some might call burdensome, but have interesting variations, and with the violin placed at all angles, it was very entertaining. It was as if Fiona were dancing with her instrument, and between the sections, you could see her deep in thought. It was followed by a tone of tenderness, but knowing that something fun was about to happen. Again, a reprise of the second theme, the angles, then she concluded with a trade off with the piano accompaniment to the end. It was a joy to watch. Fiona's play was magnificence awaiting future stardom. Her bow work was extraordinary, and she rightly deserved to win the grand prize.

“I started playing when I was three, my parents are both classical musicians, so I didn’t exactly have a choice,” said violinist Fiona Shea. “I grew up seeing them perform, and they were a big inspiration to me.”

The Honorary Co-Chairs were Rick and Jamie Hamm, and Gil and Debra Staley, and each couple have been stalwart supporters of Young Texas Artists for many years. Young Texas Artists is a one-of-a-kind nonprofit presenter of music competitions and events, career development programs, and cultural enrichment outreach. They educate, inspire, and build audiences for classical music and the other fine arts. Today, YTA plans a bright future, continuing its growth and mission to “encourage excellence in young Texas musicians and inspire their audiences.” The organization is proud of thousands of alumni who have joined distinguished music faculties, orchestras, and opera companies worldwide.

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