Justin Polyblank, the saxophonist who won the Butler County Symphony Association's annual Young Artist Competition, will perform at the symphony's March 14 show.

Alto saxophonist Justin Polyblank, winner of the Butler County Symphony Association's 30th annual young artist competition, will perform during the symphony's March 14 concert.

He will play "Fantasia for Alto Saxophone" by Claude T. Smith during the show that starts at 7:30 p.m. at Butler Intermediate High School auditorium, 551 Fairground Hill Road.

Justin won the "Symphony Idol" contest for college-age students held on Jan. 24 at Butler County Community College's Succop Theater. He competed against four other musicians, including the audience favorite winner, Steven Cosnek.

The honor is the latest for Polyblank, a senior music education major at Indiana (Pa.) University, who has gained teaching experience working with young musicians in school districts in the Indiana, Mt. Pleasant, Connellsville and Belle Vernon areas.

Besides working as a professional entertainer during summer 2007 at Knoebel's Amusement resort in Elysburg, Northumberland County, Polyblank has performed with nationally recognized saxophone group Quartet N'at, the IUP Wind Ensemble, the IUP Symphony Band, the University Jazz Ensemble and the University Jazz Band.

He is the son of Kimberley and Dennis Polyblank of Scottdale, Westmoreland County.

The March concert will have the theme "Treasured Gems" to complement the symphony's 60th anniversary "Diamond Jubilee" season.

Another "gem" in the concert also will be an original piece from Drew Fennell, plus a special guest conductor appearance from Edward Leonard and a performance from pipa virtuoso Ming Ke.

The symphony will play "Hometown Miniatures," an original composition by Fennell, the symphony's Composer of the Year, who orchestrated the piece just for this concert.Fennell said the song captures the way he feels about his hometown of Ford City, especially his experiences in the summer of 1987 when the borough celebrated its centennial. Also, he said, because of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, the music's mood re-creates for him a feeling of comfort.The third feature is guest conductor Edward Leonard, winner in the first conductor competition, which the symphony association held three seasons ago. Leonard was invited to conduct Tchaikovsky's "Capriccio Italien."The fourth "gem" features an instrument called a pipa, a fretted plucked lute with four strings. It is one of the primary Chinese instruments,whose history can be traced back more than 2,000 years. The name originally referred to the way the instrument was plucked, "pi" meaning to strum forward and "pa" to strum backward.The pipa will be performed by Ming Ke, renowned pipa virtuoso. She has appeared as a soloist with principal orchestras in China, Japan, Spain and the United States since her formal debut in 1985.A native of Nanjing, China, she studied at the Fine Arts College in Nanjing, graduating with a bachelor's degree in pipa performance in 1982. After graduation, she taught pipa at the college for 10 years, while performing in China and Japan. Following a period in Barcelona, Spain, Ming Ke settled with her family in the United States in 1993. She resides in Cincinnati, where she records her music and has appeared in solo recitals and in concerts with the Cincinnati Symphony and the Cincinnati Pops.The program for the March 14 concert is a tribute to Mary H. Phillips, founder of the Maridon Museum, currently celebrating its fifth anniversary and collaborating with the symphony at this concert.In the lobby will be a display featuring three museum pieces: jade, ivory and Meissen porcelain.Advanced tickets for the concert cost $15 for adults and $5 for students and are available at the symphony's office, 259 S. Main St. Adult tickets at the door will cost $18. For more information, call the symphony office at 724-283-1402 or visit the Web site, www.butlersymphony.org.