Recent South grad to perform on national radio program

Williamsville resident Alex Boissennault, a longtime Buffalo Suzuki Strings student, will be one of the featured performers on National Public Radio's "From The Top" with Christopher O'Riley when the popular radio show comes to Artpark in Lewiston.

"From The Top" is known to be a showcase for America's best up-and-coming young classical musicians; the radio program can be heard on WNED-FM 94.5 Saturday mornings at 8 a.m.

"From the Top" will be taping its nationally broadcast program at Artpark at 3 p.m. Sunday, July 22 as part of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra's 2007 Summerfest at Artpark.

Boissennault will perform the third Movement of Henryk Wieniawski's Concerto No. 2 in D Minor with the BPO under the direction of JoAnn Falletta.

He was selected by audition for the radio program and is the only musician to be selected from Western New York. The other young performers that afternoon will be cellist Sarina Zhag from San Diego, Calif., bassoonist Noah Brown from Interlochen, Mich., and pianist Stephanie Chen from Austin, Texas.

Boissennault, 18, is a violin student of Mary Cay Neal. He has studied with Neal, founder and music director of the BSS, since 1993.

In 2003 Boissennault became leader of the BSS Advanced String Quartet and was soloist for the BSS Advanced Touring Ensemble's Friendship Tour to Brazil that same year.

In 2006 he was one of six soloists selected internationally by audition to perform at the 14th World Suzuki Conference in Turin, Italy while on tour with the BSS Advanced Touring Ensemble.

Within the past year Boissennault was winner of the GBYO Senior Concerto Competition and recipient of scholarships from the Amherst Symphony Orchestra and the Buffalo Chamber Music Society. He was also youngest of the violinists chosen for the Stradivari Society Master Classes held at Kleinhans Music Hall.

He is a member of the National Honor Society and recent graduate of Williamsville South High School and is the son of Bruce and Joan Boissennault of Williamsville.

In the fall, he will attend the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, Bloomington, and study with Alexander Kerr.