Katie Crim, guest conductor
Jared Sierra, guest conductor
Mia Burchette, bassoon
Vivian Feng, piano
Gabriella Horan, flute
Kyle McIntosh, cello
Bryant Yu, piano
Katie Crim and Jared Sierra, guest conductors
Rimsky-Korsakov: Dance of the Tumblers from The Snow Maiden Suite (1880)
Grieg: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16, I. Allegro molto Moderato (1868), featuring Bryant Yu, piano
Weber: Bassoon Concerto in F major, Op. 75, I. Allegro (1811), featuring Mia Burchette, bassoon
Elgar: Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85, I. Adagio Moderato (1919), featuring Kyle McIntosh, cello
Hue: Fantasie for Flute and orchestra (1913), featuring Gabriella Horan, flute
Saint-Saens: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22, I. Andante sostenuto (1868), featuring Vivian Feng, piano
Brahms: Hungarian Dance No. 5 in G minor (1879)
Mia Burchette is currently a senior at McFarland High School and has been playing the bassoon for six years. She has played in WYSO for the last four seasons. She has been playing in the WYSO Lalita Woodwind Quintet for the last two years. She has also participated in the WSMA State Honors Project for the last six years and has earned two WSMA Solo and Ensemble Exemplary Performance Awards for bassoon solos. In 2025, Mia received Honorable Mention for the Middleton Community Orchestra Young Artist Competition and the Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition.
Mia would like to thank her bassoon teacher, Carol Rosing, for her guidance in her studies for the last six years. She would also like to thank her band teacher, Benjamin Petersen, for his support and for being a great accompanist.
Vivian Feng is a junior at Middleton High School (MHS). She studies with Shu-Ching Chuang and has been playing the piano since age 4. In 2025, Vivian received Honorable Mentions at both the MCO Young Artist Competition and the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras (WYSO) Concerto Competition; she was also an Honorable Mention of the 2024 MHS Concerto-Aria Competition. She earned a Grand Cup from the National Federation of Music Clubs in the fall of 2025 after 12 years of participation in the Federation Festival, and was featured in the Junior Keynotes magazine for this accomplishment. Furthermore, Vivian was announced the winner of both the WMTA True State and South Region Piano Competition in 2024 and 2023, and was also the WMTA Badger Winner in 2021 and 2022. Vivian was also awarded a Solo and Ensemble 2024 Exemplary Performance Recognition Award for her piano solo. Since 2017, Vivian has been a winner, runner-up, or trophy recipient of the Sonatina Festival. On top of these awards, Vivian loves giving back to her community by performing recitals for the senior citizens at retirement homes in the Madison area.
Vivian also studies violin with Cynthia Bittar. She has been a member of WYSO since she was 8 years old, and currently plays the violin in the WYSO Pondrom Honors Piano Quartet. In the summers of 2024 and 2025, she was chosen as a violinist of the WSMA Honors Orchestra, performing the final concert at the Overture Center in October each year. In Summer 2025, she had the opportunity to serve as the concertmaster for the WYSO International Tour to Spain and Portugal.
Other than music, Vivian is an active participant in the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) club; in 2025, she was declared the FBLA National Champion in Parliamentary Procedure with her teammates. Vivian also enjoys serving as the Executive Assistant of the Wisconsin Parliamentarian Executive Council.
In the future, Vivian hopes to continue her piano studies into college and share her music with more people.
Gabriella Horan is a junior at Sun Prairie West High School. She has been playing flute under the direction of Victoria Rockman for the past six years. She currently plays in her high school’s audition band, WYSO flute choir, Sun Prairie United flute choir, Sound of Sun Prairie Marching Band and Jazz. She has participated in her school’s pit for the Musical, Guys and Dolls under the direction of Matt McVeigh. Gabriella has participated in many honors bands including three years of WSMA middle level and high school level. She also performed flute solos, piccolo solos and flute choir pieces at State Solo Ensemble. Gabriella thanks her wonderful accompanist, Amy Hartsough and teacher, Victoria Rockman for the support and guidance. Gabriella is grateful for this opportunity to play alongside Middleton Community Orchestra.
Kyle McIntosh is a senior at Middleton High School. He began playing cello at age 6 and currently studies with Alex Chambers-Ozasky. Kyle has been in the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras (WYSO) for 10 years and in the WYSO Pondrom Honors Quartet for 3 years. In 2025, he received Honorable Mentions at the Middleton Community Orchestra Young Artists Competition, WYSO Concerto Competition, and the Middleton High School Concerto-Aria Competition. Additionally, he has been a member of the Wisconsin School Music Association (WSMA) State Honors Orchestra, received the WSMA Exemplary Performance Recognition Award in 2022 and 2025, and performed a cello solo at the Exemplary Performance Recital during the 2022 WSMA Conference. Kyle has also studied piano for 12 years and enjoys composing classical music. Next year, he plans to major in microbiology and to continue music performance.
Bryant Yu is a sophomore at Madison West High School. He currently studies piano with Ms. Shuching Chuang. Bryant also plays violin and has been a member of the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra since 2019 and is currently in Youth Orchestra of WYSO.
His main piano awards include: winner (2026) and honorable mention (2025) in Middleton Community Orchestra Young Artist Competition; finalist in Piano Arts Wisconsin Youth Piano Concerto Competition (2025); honorable mention, WYSO Concerto Competition (2024); honorable mention, Madison Symphony Orchestra Fall Youth Concerto Competition (2023); state winner (2025) and honorable mention (2023 & 2022) in Wisconsin Music Teachers Association (WMTA) State Keyboard Competition; multiple-time award winner in Madison Sonatina Festival.
In addition, Bryant loves math and science. He loves tutoring math for younger kids. He is also in the Science Olympiad club of West High School. His math and science awards since high school include: USA Junior Math Olympiad (USAJMO) qualifier; American Invitational Mathematics Examination qualifier (AIME) (3x); UW Madison Math Department/Talent Search Van Vleck Scholarship Winner; USA Computing Olympiad Gold Level; USA Physics Olympiad qualifier; USA National Chemistry Olympiad qualifier, etc.
Katie Crim is a rising conductor recognized for her clarity of vision, collaborative leadership, and theatrical sensitivity across orchestral, operatic, and contemporary repertoire. She is deeply committed to community-centered music making that fosters connection, curiosity, and shared artistic ownership among musicians and audiences. She recently completed a two-season Conducting Fellowship with the Oklahoma Chamber Symphony, leading performances and contributing to artistic planning and concert design. Her dedication to living composers was highlighted as Resident Conductor of Project 21, where she conducted several premieres and collaborated closely with composers. In opera, Katie has served as Music Director of OPERAtions, conducting Menotti’s Amelia Goes to the Ball, and as Assistant Conductor at Chicago Summer Opera for Menotti’s The Consul and Handel’s Giulio Cesare. Katie has also trained internationally through programs such as OperArezzo in Italy, Girls Who Conduct, and The Maestri Series. She holds a Master of Music in Conducting from Oklahoma City University and is currently pursuing her Doctor of Musical Arts in Orchestral Conducting at the University of Wisconsin Madison under Oriol Sans.
Jared Sierra is a Master of Music student in Orchestral Conducting at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he studies with Dr. Oriol Sans. He currently serves as conductor of both All-University Strings Orchestras and co-conductor of the Medical Sciences Orchestra.
As a Texas native, Jared earned his Bachelor of Music degree from The University of Texas at Austin, where he studied trombone with Dr. Nathaniel Brickens and conducting with Dr. Douglas Kinney Frost. During his time in Austin, he was music director of the UT Lab Orchestra, Texas Sinfonia Men’s Chorus, AI Brass Ensemble, and also appeared as guest conductor with the award-winning UT Trombone Choir.