The 17-year-old violinist, who has already performed with the Seattle Symphony and National Public Radio’s “Tiny Desk,” will take the stage this weekend with dozens of other local musicians at the Southwest Washington Symphony.
Kaia Selden is a high school senior from Portland and a solo violinist with the Philharmonia Northwest (Seattle Community Chamber Orchestra) and Seattle Symphony Orchestra. — Considered one of the most important American orchestras by NPR in 2015.
She guest-starred on NPR’s show “From the Top,” which featured young classical musicians, and when she was 12, she guest-starred on NPR’s “Tiny Desk,” looking at the stacks of books and records behind her office desk. I played Henrik Wieniawski’s Scherzo Tarantel in front of .
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Kaia plays a loaned violin made in Italy in 1846 by maker Enrico Certi.
Kaia has won awards in international competitions such as the 2021 Kosyan Competition in the Czech Republic and the 2021 Telemann Competition in Germany, and has won competitions such as Seattle Young Artists in 2017.
This weekend, Kaia will be joining the all-volunteer Southwest Washington Symphony Orchestra for a 30-minute concerto.
Most symphony members are retirees from the Longview Kelso area, but some are high school and college students, Davis said. About 50 musicians participate in this non-profit organization, which was founded about 56 years ago.
Davis said Kaia is the daughter of his mentor and friend, Ken Selden, orchestra director at Portland State University. Selden said the Southwestern Washington Symphony was “a really great orchestra in a small town.”
When he saw a video of Kaia performing several years ago, Davis said he thought, “I absolutely need to play with her.”
According to Davis, the symphony features guest performers about once a season.
This weekend, the Symphony will host concerts on Saturday and Sunday, featuring works by composers Richard Wagner, Alexander Borodin and Antonín Dvorak, the latter including Kaia.
As with all Southwestern Washington Symphony events, the approximately 1.5 hour event is free.
