Press Release
May 4, 2010
Orchestra Nova Brings Nine-year-old Piano Prodigy to San Diego
Umi Garrett Wowed NBC's The Ellen DeGeneres Show Audience

Eight-year-old pianist Umi Garrett wowed the world on NBC's The Ellen DeGeneres Show in May 2009 with her sparkling personality and an exhibition of unbelievable talent. Now, she's nine years old and all set to wow San Diego audiences with a performance in a special one-of-a-kind benefit for Orchestra Nova San Diego , hosted by Jung-Ho Pak, on Friday, May 21, at the Neurosciences Institute Auditorium at 7:00 p.m. She will play music by Bach, Mendelssohn, Debussy, Chopin and Liszt.

Umi has been described as a “Mozart-like genius” who has to be seen to be believed. She has been taking ballet since she was two and a half years old and she also learned to play the violin along the way. She has performed in Europe and in New York and Washington , D.C. , winning contests against much older fellow contestants for the past two years. She captivated European audiences, touted as “the little star from America ” and featured on Luxembourg television as a “wunderkind.”

Pianist Hei-ock Kim, one of the three finalists in Orchesta Nova's recent The Next Star talent competition, will make a special appearance performing Hungarian Rhapsody , No. 2 by Franz Liszt. Hei-ock is a research assistant with Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. When she was nine years old, she entered Juilliard's pre-college music program as a pianist.

All proceeds from ticket sales will benefit Orchestra Nova. VIP tickets at $125 will include a post-concert reception (milk and cookies included) and Friend tickets are available for $75. A limited number of Youth tickets (13 year-old and younger) will be available for $25.

Tickets may be purchased online at orchestranova.org or by calling 858-350-0290 . Youth tickets can only be purchased by phone.

A video of Umi's appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show is available on YouTube or a link from Orchestra Nova's web site at orchestranova.org

Photos are available. Contact marketing@orchestranova.org.

Neurosciences Institute Auditorium ( La Jolla )
10640 John Jay Hopkins Drive
San Diego , Ca 92121

Friday, May 21, 7:00 p.m.