KARINA FOSTER

Karina Foster, 16, started her violin study in the summer of 2016 after finding small violins at her grandparents’ home near Tokyo, Japan. Her enthusiasm soon led her to participate in a local youth orchestra where she received instruction from graduates of top Japanese music colleges. Upon returning to the US in 2018, Karina became a student of George Maxman. Under his tutelage, she won the 2021 Helen B. Goodlin Virtual Festival Prize, Gold Medal with highest mark at the 2021 SDNC CAPMT Sonata Competition, 1st Prize of the 2021 MAP International Music competition, 3rd prize at the 2023 Vernell Gregg Young Artists Competition and 1st prize co-winner of the 2024 Fort Worth Civic Orchestra Young Artists Competition.

As a classical music lover, she has been busily performing at churches, nursing homes, neighbors’ houses and parties as well as the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra to share the beauty of classical music and expand her repertoire. Karina feels honored to perform with FWCO and hopes to share her excitement in the Paganini Violin Concerto.

Karina will perform the Allegro Maestoso movement from Niccolò Paganini’s Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 6

ALEX MARQUEZ

Alex Marquez has had a passion for classical music from a very young age. He could play by ear when he was 2-years-old. By age 5, he was playing classical pieces and composing his own music. At 6, Alex was invited to play a concert in Hong Kong. He taught himself to play a piano transcription of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony by ear at the same age.

In 2016, he took his first piano lessons, obtaining the highest mark in Level 2 for the Royal Conservatory of Music in the state of Texas in 2019 and earning first class honors with distinctions for the same organization two years later. At age 11, he prepared for his first official piano competition and won 1st place at the 2021 FWMTA and 2nd at the same event two years later. In 2023, he was elected a finalist in the TMTA solo competition, where he placed in the top ten. TMTA now recognizes Alex as a three-time theory test gold medalist.

Alex currently studies with John Solomons. Winning this competition and receiving the honor to perform with the Fort Worth Civic Orchestra has been a dream he has waited for nine years to come true.

Alex will perform the Allegro Molto Moderato movement from Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A-minor, Op. 16