Kari Brooks, Reporter

Whoever said, “dynamite comes in small packages” obviously had attended the ITG Youth Day Competitions before! With nine participants in both the junior and senior divisions of the competition, there was never a dull moment.

John Irish opened up the junior division (under 14 years of age) with a warm welcome to all the participants. He recognized the three judges for both divisions: Todd Hastings (associate professor of trumpet at Pittsburg State University in Kansas), F. Joseph Docksey (Director, Lamont School of Music and principal trumpet/soloist with the Denver Brass), and Andrea Giuffredi (Italian Soloist and recording artist). Also recognized was Janet Brown, accompanist for the competitions.

All entrants were required to play one piece from the required repertoire list and another piece of there own choosing. The five required pieces for the junior division were: Concert Etude by Goedicke, Lied by E. Bozza, The Maid of the Mist by H. L. Clarke, Fantasie en Be-mol by J. Barat, and Andante et Allegro by G. Balay.

The participants quickly proved that they were well prepared for the competition, and each performed their pieces with great confidence. Notable performances included: Nathaniel Meyers (Belmont, MA; Albert diPietro, teacher), who demonstrated excellent musicality while performing Fantasie en Be-mol by J. Barat (accompanied by his mother Laura) followed by Intrada by Ketting, in which he showcased his powerful sound and beautiful tone. Bryce Schmidt (Salem, OR; Jaimie Hall, teacher) cleanly performed Concert Etude by Goedicke and moved right along to give a flawless performance of the first movement of Hummel’s Concerto. Kyla Moscovich (Tarrytown, NY; William Dunn, teacher) played Fantasie en Be-mol by J. Barat and Andante et Allegro by Ropartz with a beautiful tone and great accuracy.
Each competitor shined as they performed before the live audience, and as the under 14 competition concluded, John Irish summed up the events in one simple phrase, “Our next generation of trumpet players are in good shape!”

Bryce Schmidt, First Place - Nathaniel Meyer, Second Place

14 to 18 Competition

The required pieces for the 14-18 division were: F. J. Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto (first movement), H. L. Clarkes’s The Debutante, K. Riisager’s Concertino (first movement), G. Enescu’s Legende, and K. Kennan’s Sonata (first movement).

The participants exuded confidence as they each took turns performing. The Enescu and the Kennan were the popular choices from the required repertoire.

Stephen Holcomb let his talent shine by filling the room with sound during G. Enescu’s Legende, and displayed his “flying fingers” during a clean rendition of Carnival of Venice by H. L. Clarke. Christopher Albrecht appeared comfortable and confident on stage while performing the Kennan. His next selection was Caprice by Turrin playing beautifully as well as musically.

John Irish congratulated each participant for their performances and thanked Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp for providing two partial scholarships to attend the camp during the 2005 Blue Lake summer season. A scholarship will be awarded at the ITG Banquet to the winner of each division.

Colin Sieg, First Place - Stephen Holcomb - Second Place