New Mexico Music Commission’s Student Musician Spotlight
Featured Student: Chevel Shepherd ~ La Plata | Farmington
17-year-old Chevel Shepherd stands as living proof that big things sometimes come in small packages. Chevel won America’s hearts, and the title of “Season 15 Winner” during her epic run on NBC’s The Voice, under the guidance of American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson. Chevel aspires to follow in the footsteps of Mrs. Clarkson, working to emerge as a major recording artist and actress in her own right.
She was raised on country music and the outdoors in her hometown of Farmington, New Mexico – often doing crafts, feeding her animals and fixing up cars with her dad. Chevel has been singing for most of her life, well before auditioning for The Voice; every Friday morning her parents would drive her to the radio station before school and she would sing live on air. As Chevel got older she sang everywhere she could, taking every opportunity.
Chevel loves country music and feels so blessed to be living her dreams and spreading her love of music to all her fans. Recently she partnered with the Professional Bull Riders – recording an exclusive song, a duet with Eddie Montgomery, and performing at the PBR Finals in Las Vegas. Chevel is humbly pursuing her childhood dreams of singing at the Grand Ole Opry, winning Grammys, putting out albums, and touring nationally. She also has an EP with all original music coming out early in 2020.
Chevel was nominated for the Music Commission’s Student Spotlight by her mother Julie.
Above: PBR’s (pbr.com) official music video for Be Cowboy featuring Chevel Shepherd. All rights remain with PBR and Chevel Shepherd.
New Mexico Music Commission’s Student Musician Spotlight
Featured Student: Zea Rose ~ Albuquerque
Zea Rose, cellist
Zea Rose is a 17 year old senior at Albuquerque High School. With no prior music experience, she began her study of cello at the age of 11 with Anastasia Nellos. After only nine months of playing, she auditioned for the Albuquerque Youth Symphony Program and was accepted into the Albuquerque Junior Orchestra. Since then, she has re-auditioned every year and climbed her way to the top group, the Albuquerque Youth Symphony itself. She has been in this specific ensemble since her sophomore year of high school. Last year, she auditioned for the Albuquerque Youth Symphony Castro Concerto Competition with the Rondo for Cello in g minor by Dvorak and won second place. This placement allowed her to play her concerto piece while being accompanied by the Albuquerque Youth Symphony. Through her performance in the competition, she was recognized by the New Mexico Philharmonic and was given the opportunity to play her concerto piece for one of their Youth Concerts. For the past three years, Zea has auditioned for and performed in the New Mexico’s Music Educators Association All-State Music Festival. In her sophomore year, she was accepted into the All-State Concert Orchestra, and in her Junior and Senior years she was accepted into the All-State Symphony Orchestra. Zea has performed multiple paid gigs throughout her musical career, everything from weddings to recordings for short films.
In school, Zea participates in as many music classes as she can. Currently she is in her school’s top orchestra, Albuquerque High’s Sinfonietta, her school’s choir and Early Music Ensemble after school club. Additionally, Her favorite subject is math, calculus especially. She loves learning foreign languages such as Japanese, and she spends the majority of her time at school in the orchestra room. Zea plans to major in mathematics for her undergraduate degree and enter into the field of medicine.
Zea was nominated for the Music Commission’s Student Spotlight by Anastasia Nellos. Stasie says of Zea, “She is a quick learner and a sponge for information. What is most amazing is that she hasn’t always had an easy time with things. Her talent is raw, her understanding and comprehension is instant, but holding her inherent airy nature grounded, and reigning all of her energy into a more workable form has been a challenge sometimes. She never gives up and it showed this year when she was selected as one of two Castro Concerto Competition winners with the Albuquerque Youth Symphony. … Her humble nature and adventurous soul are going to carry her far and into very interesting places. We should be proud that Albuquerque has produced such an amazing local gem. Her path will indeed be one to follow!”
Congratulations, Zea, for being selected as a featured student musician! In addition to being inducted into the Student Spotlight, Zeawill be featured on the Music Commission’s Facebook page and will receive an official certificate of recognition from the State of New Mexico.
Click here for information about the Student Musician Spotlight.
above: Zea Rose, soloist with the Albuquerque Youth Symphony, performing Rondo in g minor, Op. 94 by Antonín Dvořák. The performance was recorded November 11, 2018 at Popejoy Hall on the University of New Mexico campus by Patty Kunning of Real Image Productions, 505-363-8184.
note: Zea’s biographical information, image, and video are used with written permission of her mother, Monica Corica.
New Mexico Music Commission’s Student Musician Spotlight
Featured Student: Kayden Kelly ~ Santa Fe
Kayden Kelly, pianist
Kayden Kelly has been playing piano since he was five, violin since he was seven, and has been an orchestra member of the Santa Fe Youth Symphony program since he was eight and is currently the co-concertmaster of the Santa Fe Youth Philharmonic. He has won first and second place in the New Mexico State Honors Competition, Level 1 in 2015 and Level 2 in 2016 respectively, and honorable mention this year in the New Mexico Statewide Competition in Junior Piano. Additional, he won 3rd place in 2018 Henle Verlag International Competition showcasing the work of Frédéric Chopin.
Kayden has played the harpsichord with the Santa Fe Youth Intermezzo String Orchestra as well as being invited to participate in the Performance Santa Fe EPIK artist program when he was nine. In the EPIK program, he was invited to perform at the Performance Santa Fe Gala at the El Dorado Hotel as well as perform in their community opera, The Mikado.
During his summers, Kayden has attended prestigious music programs both at the Julliard Summer Performance Arts Program for the last 2 years and the Sphinx Program for violin and chamber music at Curtis Summerfest.
Kayden has been a dedicated student for three years with Jacquelyn Helin, Steinway Artist and Piano Faculty at the New Mexico School for the Arts. He also recently started piano studies this fall with Falko Steinbach, Head of the Piano Performance Program at the University of New Mexico. For the past four years, he has been studying violin with Yuko Shimokawa, who was taught by the renowned Almita and Rolando Vamos.
This August, Kayden has his debut at the National Theater of Costa Rica in San Jose where he performed piano repertoire and a violin sonata for audience 700 people. He recently just performed in Keller Hall with the UNM Department of Music Piano Studies Recital (featured video).
Kayden Kelly is currently a 6th grader at Albuquerque Academy. He is enthusiastic about all classical music and opera. Kayden’s other hobbies are reading, hiking, swimming, skiing, science documentaries as well as being a big fan of the Santa Fe Opera.
Kayden was nominated for the Music Commission’s Student Spotlight by Dr. Jacquelyn Helin. Dr. Helin says of Kayden, “Kayden exhibits enthusiasm for all music and is particularly excited by virtuosity and complex rhythmic patterns. He loves to perform and has great instincts and musical flair. He is prodigiously talented and has a wonderful ear. Kayden comes to all of his lessons extremely well-prepared and practices hard each and every week. Moreover, he is kind and empathetic, with a wonderful sense of humor and joy for life.”
Congratulations, Kayden, for being selected as a featured student musician! In addition to being inducted into the Student Spotlight, Kayden will be featured on the Music Commission’s Facebook page and will receive an official certificate of recognition from the State of New Mexico.
Click here for information about the Student Musician Spotlight.
above: Kayden Kelly performing Chopin’s Fantaisie Impromptu in c-sharp minor, Op. posth 66 at the 3rd Annual New Mexico Platinum Music Awards show, August 23, 2019, where Kayden was the featured NMMC Student Music Spotlight performer.
note: Kayden’s biographical information, image, and video are used with written permission of his parents Juan and Kim Kelly.
New Mexico Music Commission’s Student Musician Spotlight
Featured Student: Wesley Dong ~ Albuquerque
Wesley Dong, pianist and violinist
Wesley Dong is a violinist, pianist, and a junior at La Cueva High School in Albuquerque, NM. At the age of 6, Wesley started his music career studying violin with Gail Johansen and piano with James Spontak in the Fairbanks Suzuki Music Program in Fairbanks, Alaska. The Suzuki program gave Wesley the opportunity to participate in the Fairbanks Suzuki Institute each summer, where he was able to play solos at the students’ recitals.
Wesley moved to New Mexico with his family in 2011. He studies piano with Lawrence Blind at New Mexico School of Music and violin with Ruxandra Marquardt. Wesley has won several local piano competitions and state honors for his piano performances. In 2015, Wesley received recognition from the International Rosario Marciano Piano Competition in Vienna, Austria. Wesley was a junior piano finalist in the Southwest Division of Music Teachers National Association MTNA’s, 2017-2018 competition year.
Wesley has been very active in his school orchestras as well. Wesley has been concertmaster of several orchestras in the state and around the community since middle school. At La Cueva High School Wesley, has the honor of playing violin in the Camerata orchestra. Wesley is the current concertmaster and has been a soloist with the ensemble twice. Last year, Wesley was the featured soloist performing Vivaldi’s:Winter. Wesley impressed judges and audiences alike at the Hollywood Music Festival that the orchestra attended that Spring. The orchestra won every single award given to orchestra ensembles, and Wesley won a soloist award. In 2017, La Cueva Camerata was chosen as the New Mexico Music Educators’ Association’s Honor Orchestra. In 2018, the La Cueva Band was in need of a piano player for their New Mexico Activities Association’s state band contest. Wesley joined the Band and performed at the festival and helped them win a state championship. Wesley is currently one of the vice-presidents of the La Cueva Orchestra Program. This year, Wesley and Camerata will be competing at the National Orchestra Festival as part of the American String Teachers’ Association’s conference. Wesley is a member of the Albuquerque Youth Symphony program where he plays violin as a section leader. Wesley has auditioned for and made it into the New Mexico Music Educator’s All-State music festival the last two years as one of the top players in the state.
In addition to music, Wesley loves playing tennis, swimming and soccer. He is also finding opportunities for volunteering in the community as part of key club. Wesley plans to pursue music as a career. Wesley is extremely humbled by this recognition and is grateful to all those who have supported him throughout the years, particularly his parents, private teachers, and his orchestra director at La Cueva High School, Rebecca Simons, who nominated him for this recognition.
Congratulations, Wesley, for being selected as a featured student musician! In addition to being inducted into the student spotlight, Wesley will be featured on the Music Commission’s Facebook page and will receive an official certificate of recognition from the State.
Click here for information about the Student Musician Spotlight.
above: Wesley Dong performing Three Fantasy Pieces Op. 6 III. Scherzo by Charles Tomlinson Griffes (1884-1920). Griffes was an American composer for piano, chamber ensembles and voice.
note: Wesley’s biographical information, image, and video are used with permission of his parent Xi Wang.
No copyright is claimed in the above creative examples and to the extent that material may appear to be infringed, the New Mexico Music Commission asserts that such alleged infringement is permissible under fair use principles in U.S. copyright laws. If you believe these materials have been used in an unauthorized manner, please contact us.
New Mexico Music Commission’s Student Musician Spotlight
Featured Student: Sydney Chapman ~ Farmington | Kirtland
Sydney Chapman, trumpet
Sydney Chapman has been playing the trumpet with the Kirtland schools for the past 8 years, 4 years with the San Juan College (SJC) Symphonic Band, and 3 years with the SJC Jazz Big Band. As a senior at Kirtland Central High School (KCHS) she is in her 3rd year as the marching band’s drum major. Adding to her years of experience, she has dedicated the past 2 years playing with the New Mexico “Arsenal Drum and Bugle Corps” and is looking forward to auditioning again later this year.
In addition, Sydney has contributed to the area community by playing in the Veteran’s Day Memorial directed by Janet Isham. She has also performed the National Anthem for her grandfather, Emerson Lee, who received lost medals during the Vietnam War. She stated, “It was an honor to meet New Mexico Congressman Ben Lujan as he presented the medals to my grandfather.” In the Pueblo of Zuni, Sydney played with the A:shiwi A:wan Band (Zuni Tribal Band) during the 2018 Zuni Fair, “It was a privilege to play with other Zuni musicians after 10 years of band absence, I could feel the excitement from the community members as we played together.” On special occasions, Sydney has played for the Zuni Christian Reformed Church as a way of giving thanks to God.
During her sophomore and junior year at KCHS, Sydney completed 6 separate auditions which included: North West New Mexico Music Educators Association (NWNMMEA) District Honor Band, NWNMMEA District Honor Jazz Band, Fort Lewis College Honor Band, NMMEA All-State, KCHS drum major, and the New Mexico “Arsenal Drum and Bugle Corps.” Sydney has achieved this level of musical excellence by putting in extra hours of hard work before and after school hours. Her most difficult experience was playing and performing with the New Mexico “Arsenal Drum and Bugle Corps,” which consisted of 12+ hours of challenging rehearsals that lasted for a month and concluded with a 2 week tour. Sydney states, “The long amount of hours were mentally and physically challenging, but the rewards came when performing in large stadiums for thousands of people. Representing New Mexico through the performing arts was the best experience thus far.”
Sydney was nominated for the Music Commission’s Student Musician Spotlight by Delbert Anderson, a professional trumpeter from San Juan County. As a Native American musician, he has inspired many younger musicians to pursue their passion for music. He is also the current SJC Jazz Big Band director where he has taught Sydney for the past 2 years. Sydney indicates that, “Delbert is a well-known musician in the community and has created pathways for other Native American musicians to follow.” Delbert says of Sydney, “As one of Sydney’s instructors, I noticed she is a very dedicated individual who practices and completes more than what she is asked to do. She goes above and beyond for her band mates and most of all takes her trumpet playing very seriously. Sydney has a very natural beautiful tone on the trumpet. At such an early age, she has developed a passion for music, became an emotional human being and has the utmost respect for everyone who comes in contact with her.”
Sydney is immensely honored by this recognition and is thankful to her family for their unconditional support throughout all of her musical activities. She also thanks her previous and current band directors for the knowledge they have given her. As a member of the Zuni Tribe, Sydney hopes to inspire, teach, and be a role model for young Native American musicians. Her future plans after graduation is to double major in Music Education and Performance at Eastern New Mexico University.
Congratulations, Sydney, for being selected as a featured student musician! In addition to being inducted into the student spotlight, Sydney will be featured on the Music Commission’s Facebook page and will receive an official certificate of recognition from the State.
Click here for information about the Student Musician Spotlight.
above: Sydney Chapman performing A Child is Born with the San Juan College Jazz Band, directed by Delbert Anderson.
note: Sydney’s biographical information, image, and video are used with permission of her mother, Marla K. Chapman.
No copyright is claimed in the above creative examples and to the extent that material may appear to be infringed, the New Mexico Music Commission asserts that such alleged infringement is permissible under fair use principles in U.S. copyright laws. If you believe these materials have been used in an unauthorized manner, please contact us.
New Mexico Music Commission’s Student Musician Spotlight
Featured Student: Morgan Settecerri ~ Albuquerque
Morgan Settecerri, violist
Morgan Settecerri is the May 2018 featured student in the New Mexico Music Commission’s Student Musician Spotlight series.
Morgan is a senior at La Cueva High School. She started playing violin in January 2009 under Jane Soyka. With Jane, Morgan has studied the Suzuki Method. This gave Morgan the opportunity to participate in the Suzuki Summer Camp where she was put into her first orchestra. By the time Morgan was in the sixth-grade, she had been playing violin for two years, thus making her eligible to play in Madison Middle Schools’ Advanced Orchestra under the direction of Emily Awes.
In addition, Morgan teaches beginner violinists, plays on a club soccer team, has a job and helps run the La Cueva orchestra program as a student aide. Ms. Settecerri completely overhauled the orchestra music library, ran a concert for Mrs. Simons while her husband was in the hospital, and has frequently been in several leadership roles at La Cueva.
After middle school, Morgan has had the honor of playing in both groups at La Cueva High School– String Orchestra and Camerata, both under the direction of Rebecca Simons. In Morgan’s junior year, she auditioned for Camerata and made it in the second violin section. That same year, La Cueva Camerata was chosen as the NMMEA Honor Orchestra. After the 2016-2017 school year, the La Cueva Orchestra was in need of viola players for Camerata. Morgan took this opportunity to pick up the viola and successfully transition during her final year of high school. Morgan was voted Co-President of the La Cueva Orchestra Program for the 2017-2018 school year. This year she is mentoring her fellow students to keep the program running smoothly for years to come.
Morgan was nominated by Rebecca Simons, Director of Orchestras at La Cueva High School. Ms. Simons says of Morgan, “Morgan is a true leader. She is always aware of the group more than herself and is kind, understanding and generous to everyone. She is mature beyond her years and works very hard. She is a tremendous communicator and is very organized. She is a fine violin and viola player and volunteered to play viola when we needed more violas and less violins. Morgan is the president of the orchestra program at La Cueva. She has also been a section leader and officer. She is a member of the Music Honor Society, has a job, manages the boys soccer team and also plays on a club soccer team. She is in the top 1% of best students I have ever had the pleasure of teaching. Morgan is a joy and very deserving of this award.”
Morgan is extremely humbled by this recognition and is grateful to all those who have supported her throughout the years, particularly her parents, private teacher Jane Soyka, and her orchestra director, Rebecca Simons.
Congratulations, Morgan, for being selected as the Music Commission’s May2018 student musician! In addition to being inducted into the student spotlight, Morgan will be featured on the Music Commission’s Facebook page and will receive an official certificate of recognition from the State.
Click here for information about the Student Musician Spotlight.
above: Morgan Settecerri performing Sicilienne by M.T. von Paradis at the 2017 fall studio recital of Jane Soyka.
note: Morgan’s biographical information, image, and video are used with written permission of her parents.
17-year-old Chevel Shepherd stands as living proof that big things sometimes come in small packages. Chevel won America’s hearts, and the title of “Season 15 Winner” during her epic run on NBC’s The Voice, under the guidance of American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson. Chevel aspires to follow in the footsteps of Mrs. Clarkson, working to emerge as a major recording artist and actress in her own right.
