Audrey Wozniak '14 Wins MIT Concerto Competition as Solo Violinist

Audrey Wozniak ‘14 recently won the MIT Concerto Competition as a solo violinist. The competition is open to MIT students and MIT Symphony Orchestra (MITSO) members. Wozniak expressed surprise in winning the competition, including that she was “particularly surprised since [she is] not an MIT student.” 

Although there is a strong tradition of Wellesley students participating in the orchestra, for the Concerto Competition to be won by a non-MIT student is an uncommon occurrence. Of the 110-piece orchestra, Wozniak is one of only six Wellesley students. Positions in the orchestra are determined by auditions held in the fall and spring. She joined the orchestra in the fall of her first year and has been concertmaster since that time as well.

As a double-major in East Asian studies and (not surprisingly) music, Wozniak is also actively engaged in Wellesley’s vibrant music scene. She is a current member of the Wellesley College Chamber Music Society and a recipient of honors from the Music Department. Before coming to Wellesley, she was a member of the Texas All-State Symphony Orchestra as well as a participant in the National High School Honors Orchestra. (For a taste of her earlier work, check out a video of Wozniak in a high school performance of Brahms' Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor: Rondo alla Zingarese.) These distinct honors accompany a list of further achievements that reflect her dedication and pursuit of excellence.

In addition to her music endeavors, Wozniak has been an Albright Fellow during the Madeleine Korbel Albright Institute for Global Affairs at Wellesley, and has interned at ABC News, Beijing Bureau. A paper she has written on Chinese censorship will be published in this year's International Relations Council Journal, and she will be in China working for the U.S. State Department this summer.

The MIT Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Adam Boyles, will perform Friday, March 15, at 8 p.m. in Kresge Auditorium at MIT. As the winner, Wozniak will perform Mozart's Adagio and Rondo for Violin and Orchestra. She will also perform as concertmaster for Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, the other piece on the March 15 program.

— Helen Field Driftmier '14