Senior Division Finalist, Violin, 18
Violin Concerto in E Minor, Mvt. 1
F. Mendelssohn
Nicolas Oncken is 16 and has studied violin since the age of 4. His violin teacher is Dr. Kara Eubanks. He studies music theory with Prof. Drew Nobile. Nicolas won the 2nd prize at the Central Oregon Symphony Young Artists Competition in December 2019 and performed as a soloist with this orchestra in February 2020.
Nicolas has been a member of the Armer String Quartet, the Central Oregon Youth Orchestra, and has attended many Suzuki Institutes over the years. He has attended Point Counterpoint Chamber Music Program in 2019 and 2020. During the last two summers, Nicolas received individual and studio instruction with Kikuei Ikeda at Meadowmount School of Music (2022), and with Rictor Noren at Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival (2021).
Nicolas has been featured in masterclasses with Alexi Kenney, Rictor Noren, Mathias Tacke, Heiichiro Ohyama, Martin Chalifour, Michelle Kim, and Jonathan Ong. He is a member of the Spotlight Chamber Players of the High Desert Chamber Music Program under the mentorship of Isabelle Senger. Every year since 2019, he has been a scholarship award recipient of the Sunriver Music Festival YAS Program.
Nicolas lives with his family in Sisters, OR and attends Cascades Academy. He loves math, reading, hiking, and conducting engineering projects. He plays with a violin made in 2009 by Oregon acclaimed violin maker David Gusset and modeled after the 1737 “ex-Joachim” Guiseppe Guarneri del Gesú violin.
If you could only eat one dessert for the rest of your life, what would it be? Chocolate
What is your favorite musical memory? Playing the Bruch Violin Concerto with the Central Oregon Symphony as a soloist in February 2020.
Where is the most wonderful place you’ve ever been? New Zealand
What is your least favorite school subject? My least favorite subject is biology.
Describe your favorite outfit. My favorite outfit is a t-shirt and cargo pants.