Jason Wang, a 17-year-old junior at Newport High School, won the honor to premiere his work with the Debut Strings orchestra May 18, at The Meydenbauer Center. Wang has been composing for three years and was selected as one of four young composers to debut his work at the final Showcase concerts for the season.

“I was inspired by nature to compose this four-movement suite,” Wang explained about the piece he composed. “Each movement captures a specific scene in nature.”

The C. Keith Birkenfeld Composition Contest is an annual composition hosted by the Bellevue Youth Symphony Orchestra. The opportunity is made possible by the C. Keith Birkenfeld’s Estate through the Seattle Foundation.

Wang was first introduced to composing in 2007 through the David Diamond Young Composers Workshop where he worked with Dr. Samuel Jones, the Seattle Symphony’s Composer in Residence, to compose a piece of chamber music that was performed by Seattle Symphony musicians. He recently completed a third year of the workshop.

In late 2008, Jason submitted a composition to the PTA Reflections program and received an Outstanding Interpretation award at the state level. He also entered the Keith C. Birkenfeld Composition Competition in which he won the Sinfonia division in 2008.

Besides composing, Jason also plays piano and violin. As a pianist, he has received awards and recognition from the Performing Arts Festival of the Eastside, and the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. As a violinist, he plays in his school’s Chamber Orchestra and has played in the Bellevue Youth Symphony Orchestra for five years.

The Bellevue Youth Symphony Orchestra is a non-profit organization established to provide a positive and stimulating musical environment for students.

More information and ticket details are available at www.byso.org.