Even as the classical music industry is contracting, a new group of amazing young performers has arisen to compete for the treasured few soloist spots. And don't look to Boston-born violinist Stefan Jackiw (Jac-keeve) if you want to see panic. He is up for the challenge of finding ways to stand out and reach audiences.

"There are so many great violinists working today," says the 24-year-old. "You need good fortune and persistence, and I have been very lucky in that regard." But golden opportunities such as a soloist's last-minute cancellation that allowed Jackiw a chance to shine with the Cleveland Orchestra two years ago mean nothing if you can't make a mark.

"I think the most important thing is to have something interesting to say and to have a unique voice in the music you play," he says. "But I don't want to do something different just for the sake of doing something different. I want to play in a way that is faithful to what I think of the piece and what the composer thought."

Jackiw is doing just that as he embarks on a solo career that has so much promise. Following an auspicious debut as a 14-year-old with London's Philharmonia Orchestra under Benjamin Zander, he has since performed with the likes of the Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra and New York Philharmonic. But his biggest impact has been felt outside the United States.

Jackiw's father is German and his mother South Korean. Both are theoretical particle physicists who met in New York City. "They never played instruments, but they loved classical music," he says.

Even as he tries to stand out from the pack in the West, Jackiw will soon need a plan to avoid being seen in South Korea. That's because he is a member of Ensemble Ditto, a high-octane ensemble of hip young men that has become something of a sensation in Korea for classical music, often playing in rock venues and being treated as stars. How successful this has been can be seen in the fact that Jackiw's first CD on Sony will be released in Asia long before it reaches the U.S.

But Jackiw is hardly someone who delights in superficial fame. He went to Harvard to follow teacher Donald Weilerstein and to broaden his scope.

"I felt I got the best of both worlds, an environment that was not solely focused on music," he says. "I took an astrophysics class, a Shakespeare class, a psychology class and many classes on music history and theory."

It's an experience he uses in his concertizing.

"As a performer, what we put into a piece is our own experiences and the more varied ones you have the better," he says. "In addition to playing incredibly well, today's soloists must do something that broadens audiences or sheds new light on a piece."

Jackiw hopes to do what when he plays Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5 this weekend with the Pittsburgh Symphony.

"For me what is most important about most of Mozart's music is its operatic quality I try to bring out the characters. You can almost hear people interacting in this piece. There is a passage in the first movement that sounds like someone laughing. It always frustrates me when I hear dainty Mozart -- it is human music."

Critics Andrew Druckenbrod and Scott Mervis talk about music on "The Beat," available exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.