Esther Holliday 2015 Durham Symphony Young Artists Competition Winner

Photo Credit: Nathan Leduc

Esther Holliday is in her junior year as a music performance major at the Schwob School of Music, Columbus State University, where she is in the studio of the world renowned cellist Wendy Warner. She is a recipient of the Woodruff Scholarship, which is the highest awarded scholarship in the Schwob School of Music.

Growing up in a musical family, Esther’s musical beginnings started in the Suzuki Program of Fairbanks Alaska. She spent her four years of high school in the Armstrong Atlantic Youth Orchestra as principal cellist and was honored to win the concerto competition in 2010 and 2012 and was given honorable mention in 2011. During those years, she was under the tutelage of AAYO conductor, Neil Casey. In 2012 she was honored to receive alternate in the senior division at MTNA competition and in 2013 she won the 39th annual Ruth Kern Young Artists Concerto Competition and soloed with the Atlanta Community Symphony Orchestra. In 2014 she was the recipient of the Atlanta Music Club Scholarship. This past summer Esther was delighted to attend Bowdoin International Music Festival under Peter Howard. Recently, she was named winner of the 2015 Durham Symphony Young Artists Competition.