News: BRAG News (Boastful Reporting of Activities & Gigs)

College of Music Awards & Competitions

March-May 2008

• Fedor Amosov, a cello student in the performance diploma program studying with Suren Bagratuni, was awarded first prize at the 52nd annual WAMSO Young Artist Competition (Minnesota Orchestra) in January, and first place for strings at the 38th Corpus Christi International Competition for Piano and Strings in February. In addition to a $7,500 cash award, he earned a performance with the Minnesota Orchestra and a solo recital performance with the Schubert Club of St. Paul. He also received a $5,000 scholarship to the Aspen Music School in Aspen, Colo., where he will play in the Aspen Music Festival. He was awarded $5,000 from the Corpus Christi International Competition. Amosov competed against students from some of the most prestigious music schools in the country including Juilliard in New York City, the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, the Colburn School in Los Angeles, the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston and the Cleveland Institute of Music.
• Jazz studies saxophone senior Caleb Curtis, who studies with Diego Rivera, was awarded one of Downbeat Magazine's college "Outstanding Soloist" awards as is stated in the June 2008 issue.
• Eileen Downey, pianist and master's degree student in the collaborative piano program who studies with Deborah Moriarty and Marie-France Lefebvre, was accepted by audition into the Merola Opera Program, the summer program of the San Francisco Opera.
• In April, Natalie Emptage, a student of Anne Nispel, was awarded first place in the Charlotte Ruppell Vocal Artist Competition from the Birmingham Musicale of Michigan. She received a $500 cash prize.
• Eddie Goodman, a senior music performance major who studies with Joseph Lulloff, won first place in the Classical Saxophone Performance Competition among 59 other performers from around North America. He was awarded a $1,000 cash prize in addition to being featured in the winner's recital held in April. Placing second in the competition was Doug O'Connor, a student at the Eastman School of Music, with third place being awarded to Jeffrey Loeffert of Michigan State University.
• Alto saxophonist and jazz studies master's student Lynn Gruenewald, a student of Diego Rivera, was the sole recipient of the "Outstanding Musician" award at the 41st Elmhurst Jazz Festival, where 32 universities were represented.
• The H2 Saxophone Quartet, under the tutelage of Joseph Lulloff, was awarded an honorable mention in March at the Plowman Chamber Music Competition in Missouri. The group also won first place out of 22 quartets in the Classical Quartet Performance Competition at the North American Saxophone Alliance biennial conference in April. In addition, the quartet won first place in the Classical Saxophone Quartet Competition, was awarded a $1,000 cash prize, and was featured in the winner's recital held in April. Second place went to Indiana University's Zzyzx Quartet, and the North Carolina School of the Arts Quartet won third place. The competition entrants included 23 saxophone quartets from around North America.
• Jazz Octet I, under the direction of Diego Rivera, was one of four recipients of the Outstanding Combo Award at the 41st Elmhurst Jazz Festival in February. The three-day festival hosts 45 bands.
• Jazz Orchestra I, under the direction of Rodney Whitaker, received an "Outstanding Band Prize" from both the Elmhurst Jazz Festival (five awarded out of 25 bands) and the Notre Dame Jazz Festival in February (three awarded out of 15 bands).
• Jere Hutcheson, professor of composition, was awarded first place in the 2008 Choral Composition Competition of the Cincinnati Camerata. He received a cash award and his composition will be performed at the Cincinnati Camerata Spring Concert in May.
• Yoojin Jung, doctoral harp student, who studies with Lauralee Campbell, auditioned and won the principal harp position in the Chicago Civic Orchestra, beginning fall 2008. She will also perform in a concert with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in the fall and will perform as second harp in the Detroit Symphony Orchestra for a concert in May.
• Vakhtang Kodanashvili, DMA piano student who studies with George Vatchnadze, was second place winner in the International Piano Competition of Spanish Composers in Madrid in November (from 32 competitors from a large international pool of applicants). He is currently competing among 23 others in the Seoul International Piano Competition, which took in 145 applicants from 26 countries, (55 passed into the first round from 18 countries).
• By national audition, Sarah Lewis, a student of Jan Eberle, was awarded one of three oboe positions in the Chautauqua Festival Orchestra. Lewis successfully competed against students from all of the major conservatories and universities. She is also the recipient of a scholarship.
• Sangmi Lim, DMA student in piano performance who studies with Deborah Moriarty, was selected as one of 16 competitors for the 2008 World Piano Competition to be held in Cincinnati. Lim also won the $2,000 first prize in the Young Artists Piano Concerto Competition sponsored by the Kankakee Symphony Orchestra and performed the Saint-Saens Concerto #5 "Egyptian" with them in April.
• Ricardo Lorenz, associate professor of composition, received the 2008 American Bandmasters Association/University of Florida Commission Award, which includes a commission to create a new work for wind band to be premiered in Texas at the ABA Convention in 2009.
• John Madden, associate professor of music, associate director of bands and director of MSU Marching Band, was inducted into the American Bandmasters Association.
• Isaiah Odajima, assistant director of bands and associate director of the Spartan Marching Band, was awarded honorary membership into MSBOA in January.
• Robert Parks, a graduating music education major who studies with Richard Fracker, was one of three recipients of the 2008 Sudler Prize in the Arts. The Sudler Prize is annually awarded to top college seniors from across the country who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in an area of the performing and creative arts.
• Tenor Nathaniel Peake, a second year master's student studying with Richard Fracker, placed second in the Harold Haugh Light Opera Vocal Competition in March. Sponsored by the Ann Arbor Comic Opera Guild, the competition included 75 competitors comprised of students and young professionals. The six finalists were current students or graduates of Oberlin, Indiana, University of Michigan, Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and Michigan State University. In addition, Peake tied for second place in the Dallas Opera Competition. The panel of judges in this national competition included Jonathan Friend, artistic director of the Metropolitan Opera. Peake was also accepted by audition into the Merola Opera Program, the summer program of the San Francisco Opera.
• John McLain Pray, a graduating tuba performance major and a student of Phillip Sinder, was one of three recipients of the 2008 Sudler Prize in the Arts. The Sudler Prize is annually awarded to top college seniors from across the country who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in an area of the performing and creative arts. Pray was also recognized by the MSU Board of Trustees as one of 22 seniors graduating with a 4.0 GPA.
• Mitch Robinson, associate professor of music education, was one of 13 recipients of the first annual MSU Curricular Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Awards, presented during the CSLCE 40th Anniversary celebration in April. For the fourth year, Robinson teamed up with the Community Music School's New Horizons Band. His class members work one-on-one with NHB members.
• In March, Anton Shelepov, a doctoral student in violin studying with Walter Verdehr, took first place in the William Byrd-Flint Symphony Competition. Shelepov was awarded a $6,000 cash prize and a solo appearance with the Flint Symphony in April 2009.
• Lauren Steffy, a senior in music therapy, won first place in her research category at the MSU Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum in April. Her research was entitled "The effect of musical style on the thresholds for perceiving tempo modulation."
• Zhihua Tang, a doctoral student studying piano with Deborah Moriarty, was selected as one of 35 entrants to compete in the Sviatslav Richter International Piano Competition. More than 111 applications/DVDs were submitted from 31 countries for the competition that will take place in Moscow, Russia, in June.

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