Lawrence University music students dominated a pair of recent piano competitions, sweeping the top two honors in both.
Cameron Pieper, a senior from Fond du Lac, won the college piano division of the Schubert Club’s Carlson Student Scholarship Competition held March 21 in St. Paul, Minn., while Evan Newman, a sophomore from Plymouth, Minn., was awarded second-place honors.
Each finalist was required to perform four works, one each from four different style periods. Pieper performed J. S. Bach’s “Prelude and Fugue in G major Book 1,” Beethoven’s “Piano Sonata op. 110 in A-flat Major I, Moderato cantabile molto espressivo” Chopin’s “Scherzo no. 1 in B minor op. 20” and Rzewski’s “Piano Piece no. 4.”
Pieper, a student in the studio of Professor Catherine Kautsky, and Newman, who studies in the piano studio of Associate Professor Anthony Padilla, received $2,000 and $1,500 scholarships, respectively.
Freshmen Ethan Valentin, Chicago, and Zoey Lin, Najing, China, placed first and second, respectively, at the Wisconsin Music Teachers Association Collegiate Piano Competition conducted March 21 at Lawrence. Students are required to play at least three pieces of contrasting styles. For his winning performance, Valentine played Bach’s “Prelude and Fugue in D Major, WTC I,” Haydn’s “Sonata in E-flat Major, Hob. XVI:52” and two works by Debussy, “La Cathedrale Engloutie from Preludes Book 1” and “Feux d’Artifice from Preludes Book 2.”
Valentin and Lin both study in the piano studio of Padilla.
About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2015 and the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.
