Nicholas Monahan, a freshman at Staunton High School, will be performing a violin solo with the University of Illinois-Springfield (UIS) Orchestra, during their Make Our Garden Grow concert, on Friday, May 6, at 7 p.m., at the UIS Performing Arts Center (Sangamon Auditorium) in Springfield.

Nicholas will be performing, Haydn's Concerto No. 2 in G Major, as the winner of the Junior Division of the UIS Music Solo Competition.

Nicholas began playing violin at the age of 6, through the SIUE Suzuki Strings program, and currently studies with Mikaila Seo. He also studies piano and French horn a...