2005-2006 Competition Winner – Sarah Koenig-Plonskier, violin

Sarah Koenig-Plonskier is currently the Concertmaster of the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra of the New England Conservatory led by Benjamin Zander. In 2005, she was a guest soloist with the Lowell Philharmonic and performed with the Walnut Hill String Quartet in a live radio broadcast from Boston’s Symphony Hall on WGBH. In 2006, Ms. Koenig-Plonskier will be performing as guest soloist with the Boston Pops Orchestra, the Brockton Symphony Orchestra, the Quincy Symphony Orchestra and the Waltham Philharmonic Orchestra. She has received numerous awards, including First Place in the 2006 Boston Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition. Ms. Koenig-Plonskier has been closely involved in programs which help to bring music to disadvantaged communities, both in the United States and abroad. In 2004 and 2005, she partnered with Boston Ballet Conductor Jonathan McPhee in a Community Leadership Program to bring classical music to Boston area inner city schools. She traveled to Guatemala, Panama, Brazil and Venezuela with the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra on tours aimed at bridging cultural, language and socioeconomic gaps with music and performance. Ms. Koenig-Plonskier began her violin studies at age 4, and has studied with Lisa Lederer, Jennifer Elowitch, and Fudeko Takahashi. She currently studies with Professor Yuri Mazurkevich. Sarah will attend The Juilliard School in the fall of 2006.