Axe ’Em, Jacks!
NACOGDOCHES, Texas –– Olivia Ajero, student in Stephen F. Austin State University’s Music Preparatory Division and daughter of Dr. Mario and Gina Ajero, SFA professor of piano pedagogy and assistant to the dean of SFA’s College of Liberal and Applied Arts, respectively, will be among this fall’s featured performers on National Public Radio’s “From The Top.” The program showcases the music, stories and unique humor of America’s young classical musicians.
Ajero will perform “Prelude in D Major, Op. 23, No. 4” by Sergei Rachmaninov and participate in an interview. Ajero is among this season’s 108 young musicians from across the U.S. to join “From The Top’s” Learning and Media Lab Fellowship program. The episode will air online the week of Oct. 14.
“From The Top” can also be heard locally on Red River Radio Saturdays at 11 a.m., and streamed on redriverradio.org and the Red River Radio app. “From The Top” is syndicated nationally through NPR stations and is available on all podcasting platforms or fromthetop.org.
Ajero started piano lessons with her father and continues to study with Dr. Minhae Lee, SFA assistant professor of piano, and Linda Parr, Music Prep piano instructor. She was a winner of the Red River Radio Young Artist Competition and a finalist in the Texas Music Teachers Association Piano Performance Contest. She has earned first class honors with distinction on the Level 9 Piano Exam with The Royal Conservatory and a certificate of excellence for earning the highest marks among all pianists in the United States’ South Central region.
“Olivia is an incredibly talented and hardworking student who consistently shows a willingness to give back to her community,” said Alba Madrid, Music Prep director. “We are extremely proud of her accomplishments as a pianist and eagerly anticipate her future projects and performances.”
Ajero studied for three summers with Dr. Emiko Edwards at the Luzerne Music Center where she won the junior concerto competition to perform with the LMC Orchestra. This summer, she will attend the Brevard Music Center in North Carolina and the Cremona International Academy in Italy.
In Nacogdoches, she is a member of The Caddo Piano Trio with violinist Jonah Raychev and cellist Will Sams. The trio is coached by Dr. Jennifer Dalmas, professor of violin, and Dr. Evgeni Raychev, adjunct faculty in cello.
Music Prep will present multiple performances this year, including “A Nutcracker Dream,” which will feature Ajero and her Music Prep counterparts. For more information, contact madrida@sfasu.edu or visit sfasu.edu/musicprep.