Playing in the big leagues

FINDLAY — Findlay High School junior Isaac Weese will perform with the Toledo Symphony Orchestra after winning the 2025 Toledo Symphony Orchestra's Young Artist Competition. The young violinist will perform Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64, 3rd Movement, with the orchestra on March 15 at 2 p.m. in the Toledo Museum of Art Peristyle. Co-concertmaster of the Findlay High School Symphony strings and member of Findlay String Factor, Weese has been involved heavily in the performing arts. Weese has also participated in the Ohio Music Education Association Northwest Regional Orchestra where he served as co-concertmaster as well as in the OMEA All-State Orchestra for three years. From a young age, Weese had a passion for the violin. At age five, his mother signed him up for lessons. "My mom signed me up for a bunch of things when I was young. I started just playing on this cardboard box and they would have me stand and feel that position and then try and play with this fake bow. Then I went to take these music classes where they taught you rhythm and they taught you notes," said Weese. "I had a lot of fun being around a musical environment and then playing music. That's just stuck with me, especially since I was so young, I grew up with that influence. It's just been a part of my life since before I can even remember." Although violin remains Weese's bread and butter, he has also explored piano, singing and, recently, classical guitar. He said the violin has aided him in learning other instruments by providing a foundation on pitch and music theory. "The ability of the violin, it makes such powerful expressions," he said. "There's two sides to that. There's a soloist side where you get to play your own interpretation of a piece and simply do it to make people impressed or feel a certain way, feel moved. Then there's the orchestral side, which I also do where you get to be a part of something that's a lot bigger than yourself." His involvement in Findlay High School's music programs has allowed Weese the opportunity to dedicate more time to the instrument as well as develop and fine-tune his skills. "I was really excited about the fact that I could just play violin every day, no matter what I was doing outside of school. If I was busy all day, I still had that 40 minutes where nothing else was allowed to happen except playing violin." Weese joined Findlay String Factor this school year. The ensemble performs throughout the community, allowing Weese to make an impact in the Findlay community through music. "It has felt very rewarding because it's a very small group, so you get really close with the other people that you're working with and playing with. Then you go out in the community and you play these community events, you do it all for free," said Weese. "We'll go to a retirement home and play there and I'll get five or six of the people that were there listening come up to me and give me wonderful compliments and tell me about their experiences with music." The piece, Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64, 3rd Movement, has been a dedicated and thoroughly practiced number by Weese. "I started learning it probably about a year ago from now. It was a long piece to learn and kind of get into my hands," said Weese. "After that it was really focusing on the expression of it, the musicality, and things I could do to improve it." His competition piece is one of the most well-known violin numbers in classical music. "It's probably amongst the top 10 popular violin concertos. It is a very showy piece, especially the third movement. The first movement is very passionate and then the second movement is a lot more gentle. The third movement, it's really a sprint to the end," said Weese. "It's really the movement that, out of the whole piece, is the one where it shows off what the violinist can do." Weese said interpretation of the number requires a careful examination of who Mendelssohn was and what he was trying to portray. "Mendelssohn was said to be a gentle genius," said Weese. "There's a lot of classical influence in his style of writing, but all of his pieces are from the Romantic period. So you have to kind of respect Mendelssohn's style that way, you can't just slam the violin and play whatever." While this may be Weese's first time performing with the Toledo Orchestra, it wasn't his first time participating in the Young Artist Competition. "I've done this competition I think three or four times. I do it every year, because it's a good experience for me," he said. "When I got it, I was surprised. I felt really accomplished. I felt that I gained a lot of confidence through it. It made me feel really good about my abilities and I felt really good about that." Looking ahead to the concert, Weese is practicing and perfecting his piece. "The best way, obviously, to prepare for a performance is other performances," he said. "For past competitions and past recitals, my technique for getting ready has been to do mock performances for people. Also playing with accompaniment, like a rehearsing track, so it keeps you steady. When you get on the stage, it's easy to rush and you don't notice it. Technically you have to be ready with your skills and you have to know the piece. It's all got to be a reflex." The performance will be especially special for Weese as he will be performing with familiar faces. "I'm really excited. I do know the conductor of the TSO, because he's worked with the youth orchestra which I'm a part of," said Weese. "I have some former violin teachers that are in the orchestra, so I'll get to be working with them. My sister's violin teacher also plays in that orchestra. It's going to be a really cool experience. It's definitely going to be very powerful." Not only will Weese be performing at the Toledo Museum of Art, but the same weekend he will perform in Findlay High School's production of "Hello, Dolly!" He's set to play the lead role of Cornelius Hackl, a role that carries much significance to the community of Findlay. "I've had to be mindful about the fact that in "Hello, Dolly!" I'm playing the role Gavin Creel played, which he won his Tony for," said Weese. "The more I learn about him, the more I learn that he was a really interesting guy, a really talented performer, and he came out of Findlay, Ohio. I think that's pretty crazy. "He's definitely become an inspiration for me in that way. The more I've learned about him he's become very inspiring. I want to be remembered like him, and for the reasons that he's remembered, too. He's done some really amazing things, and he was a really great person on top of that. He cared about his community. I want to do a performance that obviously is true to the show and true to myself, but I hope I do it right by him for sure." Yukari Weese, Isaac's mother, couldn't be more proud of her son's accomplishments. "Seeing our children grow in music is a blessing, and we have celebrated their every milestone along the way. It's because we together experience their ups and downs between these milestones. If you know sports well and want your kids to succeed as athletes, the discipline in music works in the same way. It needs your dedication for continuous support for them to succeed as musicians. I am very proud of Isaac for this achievement, as it commemorates four years of his dedication towards this goal," she said.