16th Annual Concerto Competition: A Favorite Tradition of the Sunderman Conservatory of Music
Schmucker Hall (Borna Ganji/The Gettysburgian)
By Ainsley Green, Staff Writer
On Friday, Sept. 13, the 16th Annual Concerto Competition took place in Paul Recital Hall at 7 p.m. The event featured concerto works played by musicians of the Sunderman Conservatory on a variety of instruments. Many members of the Conservatory community came out to support these musicians during this momentous occasion in their musical career.
The Concerto Competition has been a part of the Conservatory’s concert programming for the past 16 years as an opportunity for music majors and minors to gain experience in performing virtuosic works for an audience and demonstrate their artistry on any instrument, from piano to tuba to voice. By definition, a concerto is a composition designed to highlight one particular instrument while being accompanied, usually by a full orchestra. The reward for winning the final round of the Concerto Competition, in addition to a cash prize, is the opportunity for the winner to perform their concerto with either the Sunderman Conservatory Symphony Orchestra or Wind Symphony, depending on their particular piece, and be featured at their concert later in the academic year.
The first round of the Concerto Competition involves applicants filming a portion of their concerto and submitting it for judging. After the first round of judging concludes, only a few applicants move forward into the second round, which is the live performance in front of a panel and audience in Paul Recital Hall. The four finalists for the 2024 competition, who performed in Paul Recital Hall on Sept. 13, were Orazio Thomas ’25, William Leopold ’26, James Humphrey ’26 and Justin Morgan ’27.
Thomas, a mathematics and music major, took the stage first, playing the first two movements from “Concerto for Alto Saxophone, Op. 26” for alto saxophone by Paul Creston, and was accompanied by the Conservatory’s collaborative pianist Dr. Scott Crowne. Director of Orchestral Activities at the Sunderman Conservatory Dr. Cesar Leal took the stage after this outstanding performance by Thomas to formally introduce the event.
“We have a very, very interesting and wonderfully artistic event planned for tonight,” he said, welcoming the audience to the event and expressing enthusiasm about the talent of the students, many of whom he works with whether conducting the Symphony Orchestra or teaching musicology courses.
“This is one of my favorite celebrations at this college,” Leal continued as he explained the rest of the program and expressed how he looks forward to the competition each fall.
Next to take the stage was Leopold, a biology and music major who performed unaccompanied the ever-famous first movement of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18” on the piano.
The third performer of the evening was Humphrey, a mathematical economics and music major, who performed “Bass Clarinet Concerto” by Michele Mangani on the bass clarinet. Crowne accompanied this concerto as well on piano.
The final concerto of the evening was played by Morgan, a music performance major, on alto saxophone. The piece by Alexander Glazunov was entitled “Concerto for Alto Saxophone” and was once again accompanied by Crowne on piano.
As each competitor finished their own performance, they joined the audience to support their peers. After all four contestants performed, the judging panel took a few minutes to deliberate. Leal then announced that Thomas had won first place and Humphrey had won the honorable mention award. Leal also asked participants of the first round who did not advance to the finals to stand up and be recognized, with many present supporting their friends.
Thomas shared about his experience preparing for the Concerto Competition and how he felt when he found out that he won first prize. “It was a strange mix of emotions,” Thomas said, who had been aiming to win for three consecutive years. “I am ultimately just glad that the performance came across well, and that I was able to stand out amongst the other three amazing musicians that performed.”
As far as the preparation, Thomas received inspiration from his professor Dr. Amanda Heim, a lecturer of the Sunderman Conservatory, and his lessons while he was studying abroad in Japan last semester.
“At first, I was not the biggest fan of it, but it really grew on me, and I am really excited to play it with an ensemble,” Thomas recalled when asked about the path to choosing this concerto, which was encouraged by these two professors.
Finally, Thomas gave some advice to any future participants of the Concerto Competition. He said, “I would say really get to know your piece, and just have fun with it.” Along the same lines of Leal’s earlier sentiment about the event, Thomas remarked, “Even if I were just watching, I would still think that the competition is one of if not my favorite performance event we have, so know that you are really a part of something special when you participate.”
The date of Thomas’ performance of this concerto with an ensemble is still being scheduled, but will certainly be a concert to remember and a way to celebrate the hard work put into the Concerto Competition. Be sure to look for other Conservatory events coming up to hear the talented musicians of the College, including the Symphony Orchestra concert on Sept. 26 and the Wind Symphony & Jazz Ensemble concert on Sept. 27.
