The school year begins with the annual Concerto Competition on Sunday, September 13 at 1 p.m. in King Concert Hall on the SUNY Fredonia campus. This event is free and open to the public.
This year, fourteen music majors vie for the honor of performing a solo with one of the School’s premiere ensembles.
“Although students in the School of Music grow accustomed to stressful performance situations,” commented Barry Kilpatrick, trombone professor and Assistant Director of the School of Music, “the few who are chosen to participate in the annual Concerto Competition find it an intense experience like no other. Each of this year's participants was selected during the spring semester juries by faculty of their areas (brass, woodwind, string, keyboard, percussion, and voice) to sing or play a major work. They continued to work on their pieces all summer, and they performed it again for the students and faculty of their areas for final approval early this fall. Now they hope to deliver their best effort when the competition finally takes place.”
A group of music faculty judges will select between one and three winners, each of whom will perform their piece with one of the School's select orchestras or wind ensembles during the coming academic year. It is perhaps the School of Music's highest performance honor.
“Because these are some of the best classical performers on the campus, playing at their peak,” said Kilpatrick, “the Concerto Competition is one of the best concerts of the year.”
This year’s competitors are:
Andrew Moreschi, trumpet, Performance/Music Education
George Hammel, trumpet, Music Education
Claudia Feeney, soprano, Music Education
Boris Van Druff, tenor, Performance
Emily Grissing, cello, Performance
Emily Staebell, violin, Performance/Music Education
Amanda Bailey, violin, Performance
Stephen Brew, guitar, Performance
Nicholas Pelton, saxophone, MM-Performance
Diane Hunger, saxophone, MM-Performance
James Hampson, horn, BA-Music
For a complete list of upcoming events, visit www.fredonia.edu/music
