Congratulations Kina!

Over the winter break we learned that cellist Kina Pak, who added so much depth and power to the Chorale's performance of The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace, was selected as the 2018 recipient of the David Tonkonogui Memorial Award from Music of Remembrance (MOR). MOR established the award in 2005 to honor the organization’s beloved colleague, cellist David Tonkonogui (1958-2003), who played for the Seattle Symphony for many years, starting in the early 1990’s. MOR presents the award each year to recognize a young musician for the same musical and spiritual values that David expressed through his music and his life.  
 
Kina is a student of Mara Finkelstein and a junior at Roosevelt High School. Anyone who experienced her magnificent, moving performances during the Magnolia Chorale winter concert will not be surprised that this is not Kina’s first honor. In 2017 she was a finalist in the Seattle Young Artist Music Festival concerto competition and runner-up in the Bushnell Concerto Competition. She is also currently the principal cellist of the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra.
 
Along with a cash award to support continuing musical studies, the honor includes an opportunity for Kina to perform at a Music of Remembrance concert. That opportunity is coming up at the "Art from Ashes" concert, a free community concert presented by MOR at Benaroya Hall on January 29th.

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