The Federal Way Symphony featured an up and coming performer at its annual holiday concert this year in partnership with music program Key to Change. The concert took place on Dec. 7 and featured a variety of holiday music performed at the Federal Way Performing Arts and Event Center.

Key to Change student Eden Pawlos performed three movements of an Antonio Vivaldi piece titled Violin Concerto in A Minor with the Federal Way Symphony. This concerto is from L’estro armonico (The Harmonic Inspiration), first published in 1711.

Pawlos is a senior at Kentridge High School and began participating in the Key to Change program four years ago.

Key to Change serves “middle and high-school students from across South King County — primarily students of color from Renton, Kent, Auburn, White Center, Rainier Beach, Des Moines, and Federal Way,” according to their website. The organization started in 2017.

The second soloist of the evening was soprano Stacey Mastrian, who added her powerful vocals to the second half of the show. She has been a Fulbright grantee and been awarded prizes from The American Prize, Chamber Orchestra of NY, Seattle Opera Guild and Vocal Arts DC, according to her artist bio.

Music Director Adam Stern told the audience that he initially planned to present a piece called the “Beatlecracker Suite,” an arrangement of songs by The Beatles into movements of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker Suite. The medley had been brought to his attention by his harpist, but they later realized she wouldn’t be able to attend that concert.

Without having the harpist present for the special harp part, Stern said they couldn’t do it without her.

To keep the element of fun mashups intact, they instead presented a symphonic version of a classic nursery rhyme “Old Mother Hubbard,” composed by Victor Hely-Hutchinson. This was an audience favorite, with audible laughter heard at its conclusion at the delight of the operatic version of the child’s rhyme, with vocals by Mastrian.

The symphony also performed another piece by Hely-Hutchinson: A Carol Symphony, which “interlaces many traditional Christmas songs and carols within the framework of an accessible and charming symphonic framework,” according to the listener’s guide.

Other works featured included pieces by composers Georges Bizet, Ralph Vaughan Williams and Marc-Antoine Charpentier.

The Federal Way Symphony has been performing for 40 years. The symphony was led by Maestro Brian Davenport for the first 36 years, then “in 2020, Maestro Davenport retired and we formed a committee of musicians, patrons, and board members to find the Federal Way Symphony’s next conductor and music director,” according to their website.

The FW Symphony offers free tickets to all youth under age 18 and provides scholarships through partnerships with the Federal Way Youth Symphony and the Key to Change program.

“I really respect Adam Stern, who’s their conductor, and it’s a beautiful venue, and I really appreciate the board and the orchestra members who have just really welcomed us in,” founder of Key to Change Dr. Quinton Morris told the Mirror. “This is our second time working with them and we’re just elated to be able to continue this partnership with them.”

Of the performance on Saturday, Morris explained that “generally, a student would play only a fraction of that time. She played longer and her piece was longer. Most students don’t play an entire work. They’ll play like one movement of the work. It’s not standard to play all three movements.”

He added that it was a “really big deal, and to do it memorized in front of a packed house, in front of all those orchestra musicians, that’s intimidating.”

This was Pawlos’ second time performing with the Federal Way Symphony. She has also soloed with the Seattle Symphony, the Northwest Symphony and performed for Vice President Kamala Harris along with fellow student Laila West when she spoke in Seattle.

These experiences and music in general have helped her learn how to be better at time management and learn how to prepare, Pawlos told the Mirror. It’s also helped her learn “how to perform in front of people, just standing up, introducing yourself, getting rid of the nerves that come with performing in front of people … being more confident … communicating to others … all those life lessons that I’m going use in the future,” she said.

Tickets for future performances by the Federal Way Symphony can be found at fwpaec.org/federal-way-symphony.