piano competition

Tag: piano competition

Lawrence students win pair of music competitions

Two Lawrence University students finished first in a pair of recent music competitions.

A head shot of Lawrence student Sam Buse
Junior Sam Buse

Sam Buse, a junior from La Mesa, Calif., earned first-place honors in the first round of the American Guild of Organists (AGO) Regional Young Organists Competition conducted at First United Methodist Church in Glendale, Calif. He received $1,000 for his winning performance and advances to the AGO’s regional convention June 10 in Salt Lake City. The competition is open to competitors up to 24 years of age.

Competitors are required to play four selections during a 45-minute performance. Buse played the hymn “In Babilone,” Frank Ferko’s “Mass for Dedication,” J.S. Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor “Dorian” and Max Reger’s “Introduction and Passacaglia in D Minor.” He studies with university organist Kathrine Handford.

Jessica Castleberry, a senior from Dillon, Colo., won the 2017 Wisconsin Music Teachers Association (WMTA) Badger Collegiate Performance Competition conducted at Silver Lake College in Manitowoc. She received $200 for her winning performance.

The competition is open to pianists, instrumentalists and vocalists. Each is required to perform three different pieces from three contrasting musical eras.

A head shot of Lawrence student Jessica Castleberry
Senior Jessica Castleberry

Castleberry played Mozart’s “Piano Sonata’ in G major, Chopin’s “Polonaise” in F-sharp minor and Debussy’s “Images Book 1.” Maria Santos, a freshman from Princeton, N.J., and Christian Vallery, a sophomore from Hampton, Iowa, tied for second place in the WMTA Badger Competition. All three study in the piano studio of Professor Catherine Kautsky.

Castleberry is the second straight Lawrentian to win the WMTA Badger Competition after sophomore Neil Krzeski earned first-place honors in 2016.

Ming Hu, a sophomore from Changsha, China, earned honorable mention honors in the piano at the annual Schubert Club Student Scholarship Competition conducted at St. Catherine’s University in Minnesota. The competition features divisions for piano, strings, brass, woodwinds and guitar. Hu is a student of Kautsky’s.

Five other Lawrence pianists advanced to the Schubert competition finals: Gabrielle Claus, Milou De Meij, Xiaoya Gao, Krzeski and Tammy Li.

Liam Mayo, a piano student in the Lawrence Academy of Music from Green Bay who studies with Lawrence Professor Anthony Padilla, won first place honors in the Schubert competition’s high school division.

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 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.

Student Pianists Capture Top Honors State Music Competition

Lawrence University student pianists Evan Newman and Elizabeth Vaughan earned first- and second-place honors, respectively, at the recent (10/18) 2014 Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Wisconsin state competition conducted at UW-Whitewater.

Evan-Newman_newblog
Evan Newman ’17

With his winning performance in the won the Young Artist (19-26 years of age) competition, Newman, a sophomore from Plymouth, Minn., advances to the MTNA’s five-state East Central Division competition, which will be held at Lawrence Jan. 17-18. Winners at the division competition advance to the MTNA’s national competition March 21-25, 2015 in Las Vegas.

A student in the studio of Associate Professor Anthony Padilla, Newman performed works by Haydn, Chopin (2) and Prokofiev.

Vaughan, a senior from Highland Park, Ill., was the 2013 winner. She is a student of Professor Catherine Kautsky.

Newman became the 14th Lawrence piano student in the past 16 years to win the Wisconsin MTNA competition.

Three other Lawrence students — sophomore Michael Davis, Bloomington, Minn., junior Jon Hanrahan, Johnsburg, Ill., and senior Tess Vogel, Southbury, Conn. — earned honorable mention recognition.

The MTNA performance competitions recognize exceptionally talented young artists and their teachers in their pursuit of musical excellence.

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.

           

 

Senior Julian Delfino Wins State Piano Competition

After two consecutive years as runner-up, Lawrence University senior Julian Delfino’s persistence was rewarded with first-place honors at the recent 2013 Wisconsin Music Teachers Association’s annual Badger Collegiate Piano Competition conducted at UW-Stevens Point.

Julian Delfino ’13

A double degree candidate from Irvine, Calif., with majors in piano performance and English, Delfino received $200 for his winning performance. He earned honorable mention recognition at the 2011 and 2012 WMTA Badger competitions. He is a student in the piano studio of Associate Professor of Music Anthony Padilla.

This is the second year in a row a Lawrence student has won the WMTA Badger Competition. Sophomore Thomas Lee was the 2012 competition’s winner.

Delfino was one of three Lawrence students among the competition’s seven finalists. Sophomore Casey Kadlubowski and junior Benny Wollin also represented Lawrence.

The WMTA Badger Collegiate Piano Competition is open to college students under the age of 28. Participants must perform from memory a solo recital program of 20-30 minutes in length with works representing contrasting styles from three of five historical periods: Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Impressionistic, Contemporary.

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 2013 and the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries. Follow Lawrence on Facebook.

Lawrence Piano Students Shine in Schubert Club Scholarship Competition

Daniel Kuzuhara, a junior from Madison, earned second-place honors Sunday, March 24 in the collegiate piano division finals of the Schubert Club’s annual Bruce P. Carlson Student Scholarship Competition conducted at the Landmark Center in Minneapolis, Minn.

Daniel Kuzuhara ’14

One of five current Lawrence piano students to advance to the finals, Kuzuhara received a $1,500 scholarship for his performance. He previously won the 2011 Neale-Silva Young Artists Competition sponsored by Wisconsin Public Radio.

Also competing in the finals were junior Anthony Capparelli, who was awarded honor mention recognition, senior Jonathan Gmeinder, junior Cameron Pieper and sophomore Elizabeth Vaughan.

Leonard Hayes, a 2011 Lawrence graduate, also advanced to the finals and earned honorable mention recognition.

Yi-Yang Chen from Taiwan, a graduate student at the Juilliard School studying under 1973 Lawrence graduate Robert McDonald, earned first-place honors.

Held each spring, the Schubert Club’s student scholarship competition awards approximately $50,000 annually to young musicians in six categories: combined brass and woodwinds; guitar; organ; piano; strings; and voice in age groups ranging from seventh-grade through graduate school.

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 2013 and the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries. Follow Lawrence on Facebook.

Lawrence University Pianist Qualifies for National Competition

Leonard Hayes, a junior from Dallas, Texas, qualified for the national finals of the 2010 National Association of Negro Musicians Scholarship Competition in Piano after winning the NANM regional competition March 20 at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center in Little Rock, Ark.

Leonard-Hayes_web
Leonard Hayes

For winning the regional event, Hayes received an all-expense paid trip to the national competition July 25-28 in Colorado Springs, Colo. He will be of five regional winners competing in the national finals. Hayes advanced to the NANM regional as the winner of the local Dallas competition.

For both the local and regional auditions, Hayes performed movements from Beethoven’s Piano Sonata Op. 7, George Walker’s Piano Sonata No. 2 and Cesar Franck Poco’s Allegro and Fugue. He is a student in the piano studio of Catherine Kautsky.

Founded in 1919 and based in Chicago, the National Association of Negro Musicians, Inc. is the country’s oldest organization dedicated to the preservation, encouragement and advocacy of all genres of the music of African Americans. During its 90-year history, NANM has provided encouragement and support to thousands of African American musicians, many of whom have become widely respected figures in music and have contributed significantly to American culture and music history.