Encore Boden Hooks Up Again With The Washington Idaho Symphony

Viola player Kevin Boden isn’t even out of high school, but he has already played with two area symphonies and racked up a long list of awards.

In his most recent accomplishment, Boden, a 17-year-old senior at East Valley High School, was selected along with four other area students to perform with the Washington Idaho Symphony.

Boden will perform with the symphony twice this weekend, at the 22nd Annual Young Artists concert in Pullman on Saturday and in Lewiston on Sunday.

Other students who will perform are: Kristopher Barber, a voice student at Washington State University; Gilliam Campbell, a violin student at Pullman High School; and Dena Holland and Camelia Nine, both voice students at the University of Idaho. All of the winners were chosen in a competition among area youth.

In addition to performing with the young artists, the symphony will play Bernstein’s “Overture to Candide” and Barber’s “Medea’s Meditation and Dance of Vengeance.”

This is the second time Boden has been selected to play with the Washington Idaho Symphony. His previous performance was in 1995, the same year he was picked to play at the Valleyfest concert with the Spokane Symphony. “That was an exciting year,” says Boden.

Also in 1995, Boden won first place in the state music competition for high school students, and did it again in 1997. He took home silver medals in the 1996 and 1997 Greater Spokane Music Allied Arts Festival. He’s also won the National Federation of Teachers award along with a scholarship to the Rocky Ridge Music Seminar.

His list of credits goes on.

Boden began learning the viola in the fourth grade and still takes private lessons. His music requires a lot of commitment, says Boden, who practices for about an hour a day during the school year and would like to do more. During the summer when he attends a string of summer music camps, he practices up to six hours a day.

His devotion to music has led some of his friends to say that he has no social life. “But then something like this comes along and they get jealous,” says Boden.

He credits his family for being part of the reason he started playing. When he first took up the viola, his sister had been playing the cello for two years and his brother had been in a band for four years. His parents also had been musicians in high school.

“I guess I just wanted to do what my sister was doing,” says Boden. His sister Ruth was the one who suggested he choose the viola because there wasn’t as much competition in that area.

Boden wants to turn his musical talent into a career and has already applied to the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore and the Cleveland Institute of Music. He’s currently waiting to hear from Peabody and plans to travel to Cleveland, his first choice, for an audition later this month.

His future plans include joining an orchestra, hopefully one of the prominent ones in New York, Philadelphia or Baltimore. Boden knows this is a long shot, though, since it isn’t uncommon for more than 3,000 musicians to audition for one spot on the larger orchestras.

For now, though, Boden will make the most of his guest appearance with the Washington Idaho Symphony and his position on the Spokane Youth Symphony.

“I’m glad I chose to play the viola,” says Boden. “I have no regrets.”

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MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: CONCERT The Washington Idaho Symphony will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Gladish Auditorium in Pullman and at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Lewiston High School Auditorium in Lewiston. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and will be available at the door. One child will be admitted free with each paying adult.