Bea Grant is from a family of pianists, who started piano lessons with her mother when she was two. Now a student of Dr. Joseph Zins in St. Paul, she enjoys performing in chamber ensembles and as a featured soloist with Twin Cities orchestras.


Minnesota Varsity: Where Are They Now? Bea Grant

Pianist Brayden Drevlow has wasted no time launching a career, having laid the groundwork well before his recent graduation from Concordia College. The 2013 Minnesota Varsity Featured Artist has a studio of more than 20 private piano students in Fargo, N.D. and enjoys performing nationally and internationally.


Minnesota Varsity: Where Are They Now? Brayden Drevlow

Sioux Falls native Maximus Gurath, who's been studying cello since he was 4 and a half, told us in 2018 that music dominates his life and that "the cello will take me wherever it takes me." By now it's taken the Minnesota Varsity Showcase Artist to Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan, where he is preparing for a career in cello performance.


Minnesota Varsity: Where Are They Now? Maximus Gurath

Back in the fall of 2010, flutist Karen Baumgartner was Minnesota Varsity's very first entrant. Karen is now a professional musician and flute instructor, and she's shared with us her thoughtful and inspiring essay about how her early striving for a career in music has evolved over the years to encompass a wider and more meaningful world view.


Minnesota Varsity: Where Are They Now? Karen Baumgartner

Brett Drevlow is from a musical family, and three of his siblings are also former Minnesota Varsity Featured Artists. In Minnesota Varsity's inaugural season (2011), Brett accompanied his sister Brianna in the first movement of Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 1 in D-Flat. His instrument of concentration, however, was the double bass.


Minnesota Varsity: Where Are They Now? Brett Drevlow

Ava Huebner from St. Cloud, Minn., was a Minnesota Varsity 2014 Showcase Composer. She recently got in touch with Classical MPR to share her latest news.


Minnesota Varsity: Where Are They Now? - Ava Huebner

Henry Johnston from St. Paul, Minn. was a Minnesota Varsity 2011 Showcase Artist. He recently got in touch with Classical MPR's Christine Sweet to share his latest news.


Minnesota Varsity: Where Are They Now? - Henry Johnston

Cynthia Heck from Maple Grove, Minn. was a Minnesota Varsity 2015 Featured Composer. She recently got in touch with Classical MPR's Christine Sweet to share her latest news.


Minnesota Varsity: Where Are They Now? - Cynthia Heck

Revisit the 2018 Minnesota Varsity Showcase Concert, part of Classical MPR's celebration of top high school musicians from across our region. Now, you can experience the program in its entirety through audio and video.


Listen to the 2018 Minnesota Varsity Showcase Concert

Cellist Nygel Witherspoon has enjoyed more success since his performance last spring at the Minnesota Varsity Showcase Concert, including an appearance with the Minnesota Orchestra and a front-page newspaper profile.


Christine Sweet

Recent Contributions