Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to demonstrate your best trumpeting in twelve minutes, under mildly arctic conditions, in front of a live audience which includes those whom you are competing against.

Four students participated in the junior division (under 14 years of age) of the Youth Competition. These entrants were required to play one piece from a list and another of their own choice. The five required pieces included the following: Petite Pièce Concertante by G. Balay, the second movement of J. Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto in E-flat, Salm O Dewi Sant (from Go Blow Your Own!) by K. Jenkins, My Regards by E. Llewellyn, and Andante et Allegro by J. G. Ropartz. The first entrant, Joseph Watson (Azle, Texas; Adam Gordon, teacher) played the second movement of the Trumpet Concerto and the first movement of Sonata by Flor Peeters. Megan Carfa (Arlington, Texas; Ken Callaway, teacher) played Petite Pièce Concertante and Trumpeter’s Lullaby by Leroy Anderson.

Nathaniel Meyer (Belmont, Massachusetts; Albert diPietro, teacher) demonstrated a broad range of dynamics during Andante et Allegro and excellent tone quality and control while playing the second movement of Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto. Bryce Schmidt (Salem, Oregon; Jamie Hall, teacher) performed the second movement of Haydn’s Concerto and Concert Etude by A. Goedicke—from the Senior division required list, mind you — was very well executed and very musical.

Fourteen students from California, Iowa, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Texas participated in the senior division, for ages 14-18, of the competition. These young trumpeters were required to play one of the following: Cantilena by C. Barratt (from Go Blow Your Own!), Bride of the Waves by H.L. Clarke, Concert Etude by A. Goedicke, the first movement of J.N. Hummel’s Concerto, and the first movement of Sonata by K. Kennan. Half of the students chose to demonstrate their double-tonguing abilities with the Concert Etude, and the other half selected the Kennan Sonata or the Hummel Concerto. To give each competitor an equal opportunity with the time limit, the judges decided that each would play their entire required piece and as much of their chosen piece as time would allow.

Chris Heldt (Southlake, Texas; Ron Behrends, teacher) and Don Johnson (Raywick, Kentucky; Lori Gates, teacher) proved to the listeners that you’re never too young to begin playing E-flat trumpet. Kevin Shannon (Tulsa, Oklahoma; Doug Wilson, teacher) demonstrated excellent musicianship in his second piece, Aria Con Variazioni by Handel.

The three judges for the competition included Richard Giangiulio (Dallas Youth Orchestra conductor and former principal trumpet of the Dallas Youth Symphony), Rick Bogard (professor of trumpet at University of Texas at Arlington and member of the Dallas Opera Orchestra), and Kasper-Laurenz Märtig (Henri Selmer Paris Grant holder). According to Rick Bogard, the students who earned the prizes in this competition “distinguished themselves in preparation, musicality, and intonation.” He commends all of the participants for their courage to perform in such a competition, which is held in front of a live audience. The judges stated that one negative aspect of this competition was the slightly brisk temperature of the room, and they remarked that all of the students should be wary of the change in intonation in such conditions. In conclusion, Richard Giangiulio noted that this kind of a competition is very beneficial to students because it serves as a reference point in their development as musicians.

John Irish and Vince DiMartino presented the awards for the competition at the evening concert. In the junior division, Nathaniel Meyer won second prize and Bryce Schmidt received first. In the senior division, Chris Heldt, who played the first movements of the Haydn Concerto and the Kennan Sonata, earned second prize. Kevin Shannon, who performed Goedicke’s Concert Etude and Aria Con Variazioni by Handel, secured first prize.