Gabriel Wallace Wins Young Artist Award
- Details
-
Published on Wednesday, 16 March 2011 14:24
Residents of Ave Maria have known for several years of Gabe Wallace's prowess on the saxaphone. Now, the teenage son of Ave Maria University's marketing director Deacon Forrest Wallace has won recognition as one of Southwest Florida's most talented young artists.Right, Gabe with his father and mother, Mary.
Gabe won first place in the instrumental music category of the Southwest Florida Young Artists Awards, presented Sunday night at the Broadway Palm Theatre in Fort Myers.
He played the Glazounov concerto for Alto Saxaphone in E flat Major, prompting event MC Lois Thome of WINK-TV to remark that it was great to hear a saxaphone at a competition that has primarily featured young artists performing on piano, violin and other traditional concert instruments.
"This is a great day for the saxophone," Gabe said. "The competition was incredibly tough with great young musicians from all over SWFL. I was fortunate to be selected from among so many gifted young musicians." The annual event drew more than 200 young artists over two days of competitive auditions.
Now a high school junior, Gabe said he hopes to go to university and major in music.
Although homeschooled, in the competition he represented Palmetto Ridge High School, where he is a member of the band. He also plays in the Bonita Springs Concert Band.
Gabe is instructed by Dr. Dennis Hill of Naples and was accompanied at the competition by Mr. Charles Sercer a music major at Ave Maria University. As a first-prize winner, he was awarded a $1,000 savings bond. In all, the Young Artist Awards provided $20,000 in savings bond awards to young artists in five categories.
