21-year old violinist Jonathan DeBruyn recently won the Oregon Sinfonietta’s concerto competition; listen in and get to know him before he plays the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with that group on January 18.
In this episode of On Deck, Jonathan talks frankly about being diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma a decade ago, and he will play for us a piece called “Mysticus” that his dad –composer Randall DeBruyn– wrote for him after he completed his cancer treatment.
In the midst of his illness Jonathan asked the Make A Wish foundation for a violin. He played it for many years until winning the Franke/Altman Young Violinist Award, which grants a promising young Oregon musician the use of a fine violin and bow for the period of two years. This is the violin you hear Jonathan play in this episode of On Deck.
Jonathan is also producing a youth concert on February 8 called “Music is Over.”