By Daniel Buckwalter

God bless the kids and the beauty and wonder of innocence.

That thought came to mind on April 18 at Beall Concert Hall at the University of Oregon during the intermission of the Oregon Mozart Players’ Rising Tides program. It was OMP’s annual spring concert, the season finale, and, as always, it featured members of the Eugene Springfield Youth Orchestra and the winners of OMP’s Young Soloists Competition.

And, as always, the kids held up remarkably well. They are always given rich material to draw from, and they never fail to produce, which is why I enjoy this concert so much every year.

Under the direction of David Amado, OMP’s artistic director and conductor, as well as Thomas Green, OMP’s assistant conductor, 20 members of ESYO joined the OMP chamber ensemble  The Hebrides Overture by Felix Mendelssohn.

Next up were the Young Soloist Competition winners — both of them female, both cellists, and both stirring performers for as young as they are. They were declared the winners on March 1 after the final competition at Beall Hall with Amado, Sofie Yang, Julia Weldon and Brian Hsu serving as judges.

Emma Jang, a student at Eugene’s Roosevelt Middle School, was first up as the Junior Division Winner, playing the first movement of Antonín Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B minor.

Koyuki Blaumer, a student at South Salem High School, followed as the Senior Division Winner, leading OMP in Alberto Ginastera’s Pampeana No. 2.

What struck me with Jang was not just the technical merit of her play, but the expressiveness of it, the fact that she can show you the love and value in certain phrasing throughout her performance. This is not common for someone so young.

As for Blaumer, there was a magnificent soulfulness to her playing. Indeed, there were moments in this piece where she made the cello cry soft high notes. She truly captivated the audience, and it drew a standing ovation from the nearly full house.

Amado was clearly moved by the performances of these young people. After intermission, he remarked to the audience that all of it was “an absolute treat and inspiration.”

And it was, but the Oregon Mozart Players still had Ludwig van Beethoven’s iconic Symphony No. 7 in A Major to navigate, and it, too, was fun.

As always, there was the low, soft, and rhythmic rumbling to start the second movement, building toward its masterful climax. There was, too, the vibrant and colorful fourth movement, and the audience responded with yet another standing ovation.

Overall, a wonderful way to end the season.